GH3 Anyone shoot photography with the GH2/GH3?

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gutterball321

Well-known member
I am wondering if I should spend more money on lenses or just get a 60d with the tamron 24-70 2.8 lens for beginner photography. I know people that shoot fantastic weddings with that cheap setup and a couple of 100mm portrait lenses and thats all almost as cheap as the 35-100mm lens.

So anyone have photography pages and lens recommendations i can look at with their gh2 and gh3's? all I can find are video samples. How do you like shooting photography with these cameras?

Thanks guys!
 
There's tons of stuff posted on flicker and other web sites showing pics shot with M4/3 cameras. Seriously in this day and age it's more about your skills, as almost any modern camera is capable of capturing a great image.
 
I shot almost all these with the GH3 using mostly the 12-35 and 35-100.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.501513081388.270275.191957841388&type=3

I like shooting with the GH3 for stills, but it is hard (even with fast lenses) to get that "bokeh" look to compete with full frames (if that is the look you are going for).

I personally like that the GH3 does not have an exaggerated bokeh effect and you can still pull some detail out of the background.
 
With my GH2 just bought off the marketplace here:

Asahi Takumar 135mm f3.5 at f11. I was about 20 feet away and shot at 1/2 second exposure time to get the blurred cars in the background.

Evelyn Escalada long exposure.jpg

And the Asahi Takumar 50mm for these two.

P1020705.jpg

P1020862.jpg

These lenses are fun to use (wow is that an iris ring!), made of metal and glass, and relatively abundant and cheap on eBay. I haven't had a chance to play around with the 14-140 yet. And as you can see some of these are slightly soft in focus. Still learning.

I find the GH2 feels small in my hand, but compactness is a benefit of the Micro 4/3 format, and expected this. The last time I shot still was with a Canon AE1 film SLR

Regards,
Craig
 
I shot still with the GH3 (now GX7) all the time for fun. Here is a set with a mix of indoor and outdoor using mostly fast primes (12mm/2.0, 20mm/1.7, 45mm/1.8, 75mm/1.8) and the 14-140:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/griswell/sets/72157636780312764/

The 75mm will make the GH3 sing for sure. These are all jpegs right out of the camera shot using iA mode! That is what I love out m4/3 so much you can switch from video to still with the flip of a switch.

10394966955_9cd64f6dcc_b.jpg
 
gutterball321 said:
I am wondering if I should spend more money on lenses or just get a 60d with the tamron 24-70 2.8 lens for beginner photography. I know people that shoot fantastic weddings with that cheap setup and a couple of 100mm portrait lenses and thats all almost as cheap as the 35-100mm lens.

So anyone have photography pages and lens recommendations i can look at with their gh2 and gh3's? all I can find are video samples. How do you like shooting photography with these cameras?

Thanks guys!
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The big deal with the GH3 is how small it is. The GH2 is even smaller. I'm willing to take every where when I'm traveling as opposed to a Canon and full frame lenses. I have the Lumix 7-14, 12-35 and 35-100. With these three lenses I'm covered and they easily why more than half of the Canon versions for full frame. The IQ is great and I feel like I'm not compromising at all.
 
I shoot stills with my GH3 all the time. I doubt I will ever feel the need for a larger camera. I like the fact that it is small enough that I can carry it with me on my weekend morning runs. I work way too many hours through the week, so carry the GH3 everywhere when I'm on my own time on weekends. I've posted a few recent shots below. Couple the GH3 with a good lens, and, unless you need to print poster sized prints, it's all the camera you may need.

130908-171.jpg

130908-168.jpg


130817-089.jpg

131102-029a.jpg
 
After moving from Canon to MFT I did still photography with the GH2, generally liked the color rendition. Not as "warm" as Canon but looked more accurate to me. Stills from the GH3 look even better to my eye.

I used to have a portrait studio and was very critical of color in my portrait and wedding work, the GH3 lives up to my standards easily.
 
As others have said, we're at the point where both cameras can do an excellent job. It's now more about your talent and skill than the tools. Put a different camera in the hands of someone whose photos you like and they'll probably make some great shots. It goes the other way as well-- a 5D3 won't make an amateur instantly great.

Find a camera that meets your needs and start shooting.

In any case, here are a few recent shots from Japan using the GH3

JPN_Tokyo_Otsuka_001_Dusk-in-Otsuka.jpg
JPN_Tokyo_Otsuka_002_Rush-Hour-in-Otsuka.jpg
JPN_Tokyo_Otsuka_007_Parting-Ways.jpg

And several other projects with the GH2 (click the pics for more):

honolulu-zoo_001.jpg
kapolei_001.jpg
north-shore_001.jpg
 
When I see people running around with their elephantic Canon body & lens set ups I somehow can accept that maybe their pictures will have a certain technological edge over my setup with the GH3. But I will bring my camera more often to more places because I have not to schlepp a ton of equipment and am able to shoot a decisive way more sneak'ish. And, settled with MFT, I may add a GM1 or GX7 later for becoming even sneak'isher.

I have printed out shots from even my old GH2 to poster size and found them to be more than acceptable. The point is: You first have to get the poster-worthy picture you can print out that size. And while I definitely would use FF cameras for shooting in a studio environment, everything else I find easier to get with MFT. Plus video abilities and a wide range of lenses - perfect setup for me.
 
I actually wrote a review and an editorial on switching to the GH3, but not sure if this is the right place. Regardless, I am using it for stills work (still primarily a photographer). The only thing I have from it right now that is public are some kitty pics. Shot at ISO 3200, if you're curious.

Lens recommendations, I do suggest the three zooms - 7-14/4, 12-35/2.8 and 35-100/2.8. If you want a lens to start with, the 12-35/2.8 is actually not bad if you can find a decent price on the kit.
 
Rolf Silber said:
And while I definitely would use FF cameras for shooting in a studio environment
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Actually, studio is exactly where a camera's format matters less. You control lighting and background. The former means you can shoot at base ISO, the latter means DoF differences can be minimised.
 
yslee said:
Actually, studio is exactly where a camera's format matters less. You control lighting and background. The former means you can shoot at base ISO, the latter means DoF differences can be minimised.
Click to expand...

This was not my reason for writing what I wrote. For me "moveabiity" in out-of studio situations is important - size, handling, weight - while still being equipped with a rather big, nearly film-like sensor. And I am willing to accept some - minor - drawbacks on the technical side for having the possibility to be free from carrying around chunks of equipment.

I believe that every camera is a compromise in some ways. And we only chose the one compromise that fits our purposes best. In theory I'd like to shoot with a Hasselblad..... but only in theory.
 
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