7d or GH1

Lake Films

Lake Films

Veteran
I'm just starting to research these awesome pieces of equipment, but can't decide which is the better choice, any suggestions? Thanks!
 
Well, what precisely do you need to do with the camera? The 7D and GH1 have quite different strengths and weaknesses, so the choice will depend upon what your needs are.
 
I have both. The 7D has a higher bitrate so has less compression artifacts. You can see it the most near the left (darker) end of the histogram. I'd say the 7D has about 25% less blockiness than the GH1 when the compression breaks down.

Having said that, I only shoot with the GH1 because it's freaking awesome. After using the articulating screen I can't go back to the neck ache of using the 7D. Also, the GH1 is smaller and lighter and uses any lens you want provided you get an adapter on ebay. Once you are in video mode everything just works: live histogram, fast auto focus, etc. The 7D on the other hand is a great still camera with a weird video option hacked into it.
 
I'm a noob, but I would suggest keeping the DVX100b, and adding the GH1 or 7D for those shots you can't get on the DVX without a DOF adapter, or extraordinary lighting. I strongly suspect that I will have to have put several hundred more hours on the DVX's heads before I'll have hit the limits of what this camera can do. - Tim
 
Lake Films said:
It would be for filmmaking, jumping out of my dvx100b...
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Could you be more specific as to what kind of footage/shots you'll be trying to record and what other video camera functions (like those found on the DVX100) you'd like to use?

I suggest that you take a look at the FAQ in the GH1 forum for a primer on that camera. FWIW, the GH1 is a better video camera in terms of functionality.
 
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Ok cool:
Short films, possibly a feature
without a doubt 24p
1080 or 720
I do most of my 'look' in post so I'd be shooting 'clean'
I know it doesn't have xlr's, but there's always the xlr adapter, correct?
 
But what kind of shots will you be trying to get? Action? Handheld? Do you need autofocus? How much money do you intend on spending on lenses? What sort of lighting conditions do you anticipate? Will you be using an external monitor?

The more detail that you provide about exactly what you'll be trying to do, the more helpful that we can be for you. At this point, either camera would be fine. But since you have to pick one, you'll have to think carefully about what your priorities are.

The 7D has a more robust 1080p mode, due to a much more robust codec. You also don't need go through the silly pulldown removal business if you intend on shooting 24p.
 
My stuff falls more into the thriller/drama genre. Not too many fast moving action shots. I like to shoot handheld. I do not use auto focus now, but it seems like it would be better with this type of equipment? I have a d40 now with a few lens', if that helps any, otherwise I would buy lens'. As far as lighting, I'm a stickler for it, so always well lit. And, I have not been using a monitor for a while, a pain in the butt to lug around. The editing is important to me, the less fiddling around to get the footage to work in FCP, the better.
 
The 7D might be for you, then, if only because the GH1's AVCHD footage is a pain in the butt to get working with FCP.

Otherwise, the GH1 will do more for you at a lower price. Its main flaw is that the compression sucks.
 
The GH1's codec is weaker in some situations, but what does that have to with Final Cut? Both the GH1 and 7D need transcoding, and I haven't had any problems with the GH1 in final cut...
 
Kellar42 said:
The GH1's codec is weaker in some situations, but what does that have to with Final Cut? Both the GH1 and 7D need transcoding, and I haven't had any problems with the GH1 in final cut...
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The GH1's 1080/24p mode requires removing pulldown before transcoding/editing. It's not a huge deal-breaking thing, but it is an extra step in the workflow that, depending on how much footage you have, can take some time.

The 7D's 1080/24p mode does not require pulldown removal.
 
I wrestled with the GH1/7D question for about a month. And after crazy amounts of research and viewing every video clip on Vimeo I ended up with the 7D. The GH1 would have been WAY cheaper for me, especially since I have 5 Canon FD lenses. But what swayed me towards the 7D was

1) the crop factor was less (1.6 vs. 2). Apparently, the 7D has the same field of view as 35mm motion picture cameras. So a 50mm lens looks the same as it would on a Panavision or Arri.

2) Although, the GH1 can adapt any lens, the 7D has far more lenses made specifically for it, which is nice because the lenses can communicate with the body with less issues..

3) I work in T.V. here in Los Angeles and there are many studios that are using the 7D for real work. I just got done working on a huge NBC graphics package, and all the NBC talent -- from Jay Leno to almost every star on their prime time shows -- was shot on a 5D. They would have used the 7D, but it was about 3 weeks from coming out. I know Fox sports just got 3 7Ds and are using them in all sorts of promos. And the more people that use it, the more devices will come out for that camera. Lots of studios in Los Angeles are using 7D, which is pretty amazing since it's such a cheap camera.

4) Ultimately, I just thought (after viewing endless Vimeo clips), that the 7D was just more my aesthetics. The colors seems a bit more saturated and rich. To my eyes, the footage consistently looked nicer. The 7D seems to lean more towards warm colors (oranges and reds), while the GH1 looks a bit cooler aesthetically (more greens and blues). But that's a personal choice.

The 7D is a better stills camera.

Hope that helps a bit. The GH1 is better ergonomically though, and I do wish the 7D had the articulated screen and the live histogram would be awesome. Plus, the price of the GH1 is great.
 
I do miss the articulating screen, ability to use Canon fd lenses and a few other features of the GH1, but I don't miss the mud, banding, and longer transcoding times.
It would be great to have both, but if I had to choose one, it is the 7D hands down for me.
 
And, the debate continues...Wow, a lot of great features with both of these and you guys have been a great help posting your thoughts and experiences, thanks!

PS: Is the 'pulldown' removal the same process as when using the DVX?
 
Does the GH1 still not have live output for external monitoring? That was the deal breaker for me, other than the fact that Canon has a boatload more lenses that work natively with the 7D.

I have a 7" LCD mounted on my 7D right now. Poof...there went my articulating screen problem.
.
 
I don't think you could go wrong either way. I chose the 7D over the GH1 mostly because I have really nice lenses already and the more robust encoding. The price differences I was seeing weren't that huge, so price did not end up being much of a factor.
 
I agree with everything everyone posted here. The 7D would be my camera of choice (actually I just bought one 10 minutes ago). If the GH-1 had even just a few more Mbps with its codec I would have sprung for that. But the colors/robust codec/tweakability in post (or with EOS utility), lens options and ability to use an external monitor put the 7D way over the top for me.
 
To be honest, it ended up being a big deal for me, simply because of the amount of footage I shoot on a given job.

But man, I really loved shooting with the GH1. People can compare the GH1, 5D and 7D all they want, and every one of them has their pros and cons. Having shot extensively with all of them, the decision to go with one over the other wasn't easy at all. There are days I miss the smaller form factor and LCD of the GH1.

If and when the "GH2" comes out, I'll take a long, hard look at it for sure. I could care less what the brand name on my camera says. All I want is the best tool for the job at hand.
 
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