Advice: Is two cameras really better than one?

J

jbcon

Active member
Just curious as to what others maybe in a similar state as me would do, or might think.

I have had my GH13 for almost a year and love it. The biggest think that I would say makes me enjoy this camera over my previous ones which were dedicated camcorders that it allows me to explore and now actually enjoy photography more than I ever have.

Up until now, I used video as a way to document and sometimes express myself only whiile travelling and on the special ocasion. The advent of the DSLR and my GH1 has introduced me to a whole new world and has allowed me to enter new arenas. In addition to now being a budding photographier I now am writing a script for a short film, and am using my DSLR to do marketing videos for varius small businesses in my area. I love it....

As my accessory cache grows, and I expand my equipment and gear that I have to use with my GH13 for video. I am getting beyond the point of portability with my rig. My GH13 almost permanently now resides in a DSLR cage, and is used from a tripod, or shoulder mount, making it a challenge to grab for those quick snap-shots (video or photographic).

Long story short; while I have a good collection of accessories for my GH1 I could use more lenses and a few other items, but my desire to be able to be portable again as I was before all of this has me considering picking up a used GF1 on eBay to keep around for those moments when I do want to be portable, but still have near GH13 image quality both in video and photos (assuming I can find a hackable one)..but if I can't I still would be able to leave my GH13 at home on a daily basis and not be tempted to lug all the extra around.

ANy suggestions?
 
OK, so I have two votes or suggestions that one camera is better than two..... seriously, while I have done very little comparison between the GH/GF 2 and thehacked GH/GF and I get that there are improvments in the newer camera's. But wouldn't it make more since to have two cameras, and be able to catch twice the shots? Or maybe even have them set with two different configurations?

I have never had it happen but one could be hacked to 24p, and the other 60..... just a thought.
 
If you are shooting a movie or short film, having two cameras helps a bit because you can cover two different angles of the same performance at the same time... line them up and sync them in a nle, and then edit and cut back and forth however you want and it is the SAME performance so continuity will be correct. It also can be a little overwhelming to some people to have to deal with the extra footage but I shoot with up to 3 cameras rolling at the same time (not always... many times only one) and I love it when I choose to do it because it gives me amazing flexibility in the editing room - but you do have to learn about choosing angles, not crossing the 180 degree line during cutting - only with actual camera movement... and ect.. and these things just take experience honestly and you playing with it and through trying to make some films and going to yourself.... "hmmmm.. well THAT cut works.... yet THIS cut does not and feels funky and just wrong...." the difference between really experienced filmmakers and audience is that BOTH of them will know bad cuts when they see it, but filmmakers will know exactly WHY it didn't work and be able to express and articulate why to you in clear terms, where the audience will just know it didn't feel right and they didn't like it and it threw off their groove.

Vimeo has a very excellent series up now on all this stuff that is very helpful to budding filmmakers:

Here is the 180 degree rule explained, and there are many more great tutorials:

http://vimeo.com/videoschool/lesson/52/180-degree-rule-explained
 
Thanks "Blackout", Actually now you have given me something even more to think about.... I hadn't even thought about the added benefit of having two cameras rolling at once. I was simply thinking about the practicality of having a second camera of a slighly more compact nature to carry around, so I could leave my GH13 in its rig and not go back and forth..... but this opens up all sort of new ideas and possibilities.....
 
Just curious... figured I'd hijack my own thread versus starting another... since the first few posters were Pro GH2..... how does the GF13 (see the F, not H) compare to the GF2 and what benefits would I gain or loose with one over the other. Price points seem to be comparible for used GF1 vs GF2 on eBay etc..... canb't find any posting or articles with direct comparisons between the hacked GF1 and a stock GF2..... videos only tell half the story.
 
I'm glad you started this thread because I've been thinking about the two camera thing a lot recently. My friend is an old news photographer and talks about always having two bodies around his neck, film loaded, ready to go. A wide zoom on one, 80-200 on the other. And I'm thinking, as the price of bodies falls and we all (well, many of us) continue to invest in glass, that it may start to make sense, especially when running and gunning, to just have that sort of news photographer set up of two bodies as the standard.
 
I'm not sure I understand the post. Why can't you just treat the GH1 as portable by not bringing all the extra stuff?
 
Cause he wants to have the quick change ready I am assuming... keep two setups in the car... and a bunch of lenses... and a lojack security system so the car doesn't get jacked with all that glass.
 
LOL!! No, No -- nothing like that.... I originally was just looking for a smaller form facter camera that could fill in for my GH1 when I don't need it.... also, for insurance to prevent anything from happening to it.

Like I said before, I never really cared about taking pictures up until resently, now I am almost doing that more than I am video with the GH1... I had the idea of getting the second camera for photos, but it would be nice to have near GH1 video should I want it.... but no compact point&shot has 12.1 MP and the same video and for me a GF1 is cheaper than a second GH1, and the before mentioned GF is smaller than the GH by some degree, albeit a little larger than I would like.

For the wouldbe thives out there... I won't be leaving any of my equipment in my care so mits off.....
 
Of course much better to have two cam instead of one. Same like having gf, 2 better than 1. Lol! Why not! I plan to have two camera and mount them side by side. One wide one long. Much better. I like also two gf! Lol.
 
I have three completed HACKED girlfriends. The STUNNING amazing quality and PERFORMANCE I get out of them is unbelievable. I used to have an unhacked girlfriend and she was all blocky and muddy... although sometimes when she got muddy it was kinda hot like female mud wrestling but really.. hacked GFs are better. Ghost is right.
 
jbcon said:
IU'd love two GF's as well, but my wife would kill me.... :love4:
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Sounds like you and wifey need to go see the new Owen Wilson movie "Hall Pass" then you need to convince her that it is a good idea although I am fairly certain the movie portrays it as a disastrous idea. Hence - the comedy.
 
What fun we have....

So you have a pair of hacked GF1's? Have you done any side-by-side or used footage in the same project from a GF13 and a GH13.... while my main interest is in the GF1 is to have for photos, I still may come acorss some footage I want to use in a project, or as mentioned before use the GF as a secondary camera to give me different angles. Currently I use a GoPro HD for this and while it works, the footage quality is far from ideal.

Just bought a used GF1, slightly warn for $under $300 and according to the serial it is hackable.... owner has been fairly forthcoming about any issues and the BIN price was pretty good. Only thing I didn't ask is by chance it had gone back to panasonic for service and was possibly refurbed... but serial is from 09. For this price I will take my chances....

So I guess I made my own mind up.
 
three gf better than two gf and two gf better than one. One gf better than nothing. But sometime its big problem to mount three gf. You need strong tripod. Or mount separetly. So its more easier to have only one gf if you don't have money.
 
ghosttv said:
three gf better than two gf and two gf better than one. One gf better than nothing. But sometime its big problem to mount three gf. You need strong tripod. Or mount separetly. So its more easier to have only one gf if you don't have money.
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I have no idea if this is on purpose or not, but this is perhaps the best message board post I have ever, ever, ever read.....
 
1 potato, 2 potato, 3 potato 4! ooops sorry wrong thread hehe :smile:

i have a GH1 and just picked up a GF1 for a b cam, i wanted it for 2 cams on 1 shot to capture two viewpoints at different focal lengths, more edit options and continuity better.
 
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