GH2 AG-AF100 vs. GH2 final round

B

Brian@202020

Veteran
I hear on this forum, and in others, people constantly saying one is better than the other. I personally own both and am willing to do a test. It might be a week or two before I'll have time to do it, but I will do it, preferably with advice from people on this forum and others.

I ask, is there any links you can post of people that already have done a test with these two camera's? I'd like to see what others have done before I do mine.

I want to test only image quality. That seems to be what people are always bickering about. We all know the benefits of SDI, price, ND, smaller size, and which camera has each benefit. It's the image in question.

All tests will be done with the same lenses. I think 5 different camera configurations are needed to do the test correctly. Here are the 5 I'm thinking.
1. AF100, 24p, with Abel's "RANGE" settings, AVCHD.
2. AF100, 24p, with Abel's "RANGE" settings, ProRes via external recorder.
3. GH2, 24p, best high latitude settings, stock.
4. GH2, 24p, best high latitude settings, highest quality yet reliable long GOP hack.
5. GH2, 24p, best high latitude settings, highest quality yet reliable I-frame only hack.

What are the preferred high latitude settings for the GH2? As for what hack settings to use, I'm open for suggestions as well. I'm leaning toward cbrandins 66mbps AQ2 and Driftwoods latest 176mbps version.
 
Brian whilst I appreciate the sentiment of what you want to set out to achieve I doubt you will find huge variances in the end image itself. What you will still be left with at the end of the day is: Both can accept the same lenses. One is cheaper with no pro video tools, the other more expensive with a lot of pro video tools included. A great shooter with a GH2 will shoot better material than an average shooter with a Af100 and vice a versa.
 
If you get the settings, I'd be glad to double up the efforts to increase our experimental 'n'. Couldn't hurt.
 
I agree with you on that one Noel. The AF still has more bells and whistles at the end of the day regardless. I'm mainly curious to find out where the AF stands with all the new hacks out for the GH2 in video wise.
 
Personally I'm partial to my AF100 and it's my A Cam. In my real world experience with it, I see benifits like lack of morie and aliasing as compared to my GH2. I have a strong feeling the AF100 will prevail in the tests, but I want to do it anyway. I think both the AF100 owners, GH2 owners, and people looking to buy one or the other would like an honest and solid test, which I intend to do. Like I said everyone already knows the pro benifits of the AF100 and the price and size benifit of the GH2. The people that really need those benifits will get the camera with them.
 
AF100 is great, no doubt, but the GH2 hacked is jaw dropping good. The 88MB/ setting is amazing.
 
Stevet said:
AF100 is great, no doubt, but the GH2 hacked is jaw dropping good. The 88MB/ setting is amazing.
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I agree the hacks are a big improvement, and if Chris (cbrandin) over at Personal View figures out a way to adjust picture profiles in ptools it'll be huge. Still in my real world experience, I lean towards the AF100's image and I've used most of the reliable GH2 hacks.
 
For AF users, I see a hacked GH2 working great as backup or B roll.

I got intrigued with Cammon Randle who did two GH2 for his feature.
 
I work with an AF100 at my day job and just out of curiosity I took in my GH2 to do some shooting alongside the AF. At least to my eyes a hacked GH2 is outperforming the AF100 in image quality. The hacked camera is capturing a lot more detail and color information. Not bad at all for an 800 dollar camera.
 
I played with an AF100 one day and I really wasn’t impressed. However, I saw this video the other day that was filmed with an AF100. If a recompressed 720p video can look this good then I am a believer. I doubt this could be matched even with an over-hacked GH2.

I think it has more to do with knowing the camera and knowing how to film with it properly. Most people don’t fully understand how to use each setting on a GH2. There are about 10 times as many settings on the AF100.

They both may have similar sensors and use the same lenses. However, someone who knows what they are doing can produce a film with the AF100 that would be very difficult to do with the GH2 because of how flexible the AF100 is for Color curves. Hopefully, VK can hack the color profiles of the GH2. That would definitely make a difference.

 
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Buying two Gh2's and a H4n has been the best gear purchase in my entire life. Glad I didn't buy a Af100 that thing is only for people who have money to burn and can make back their investment quickly.

I went from 3/4 Umatic to betacam SP to Dvcpro to Dvcpro HD and now I' shoot on the Gh2 exclusively and love it.
 
The GH2 punches way above it's weight class but it really depends upon how you want to work. If you want clean, uncompressed HDMI, on board ND, wave forms, XLR and HD-SDI, dual card slots and the overall feeling of working with a pro grade, purpose built video cam then the AF100 is your baby.

If you just wanna climb into your stripped down X-Wing and go out hunting TIE fighters, then you love the GH2.:love4:

Both are killers in the right hands.
 
bonobored said:
The GH2 punches way above it's weight class but it really depends upon how you want to work. If you want clean, uncompressed HDMI, on board ND, wave forms, XLR and HD-SDI, dual card slots and the overall feeling of working with a pro grade, purpose built video cam then the AF100 is your baby.If you just wanna climb into your stripped down X-Wing and go out hunting TIE fighters, then you love the GH2.:love4: Both are killers in the right hands.
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I used to bullseye womprats in my T-16.
 
mpgxsvcd said:
I played with an AF100 one day and I really wasn’t impressed. However, I saw this video the other day that was filmed with an AF100. If a recompressed 720p video can look this good then I am a believer. I doubt this could be matched even with an over-hacked GH2.

I think it has more to do with knowing the camera and knowing how to film with it properly. Most people don’t fully understand how to use each setting on a GH2. There are about 10 times as many settings on the AF100.

They both may have similar sensors and use the same lenses. However, someone who knows what they are doing can produce a film with the AF100 that would be very difficult to do with the GH2 because of how flexible the AF100 is for Color curves. Hopefully, VK can hack the color profiles of the GH2. That would definitely make a difference.

Click to expand...

Me and you did those tests with my AF100 and your GH2. I'll agree, they weren't worlds apart on IQ. The only thing I felt was the GH2 exhibited more moire that we didn't get with the AF100 (those AC vents across the street).
 
Sorry for the delay on the test, life and work took over my free time. I should be able to do some tst late next week. I'd love some suggestions on what to shoot.
 
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