Buy GH1 now or wait?

D

dreamspy

Member
I'm thinking about getting the GH1. There have been some price drops, and it's currently available from amazon for 1150 dollars.

I'm just wondering if I should buy it now. Or if the GH2 is supposed to be so much better that I should wait for it?

Also I'm wondering if the current deals on the GH1 will continue after the launch of the GH2? I suppose so but I don't know this market that well.

Anyone got any recommendations?

regards
Frímann
 
Good question. I had asked the same thing to myself about 2 months ago. I had just learned about this wonderful camera and the potential it had with hacking the firmware.

So the first question you need to ask yourself is "Do I need a hackable GH1?". They are becoming a commodity it seems these days.

If the answer is NO, then you can either buy one now, or wait and see what the GH2 has in store for us. There are many unknowns with the GH2 (base specs, hackable future, cool features not found in GH1).
Opinion: I am now starting to believe that the stock GH2 may not have the same quality video found with a GH13. Also, you must take into consideration how long, if ever, a hack may become available once this new camera is released.

Now what if you order a GH1 with the hope of installing a custom firmware, and you cannot. Well you still have an excellent camera with an almost endless supply of current and legacy glass to mess around with.

The next question I would ask myself, is "Do I absolutely want to shoot incredible high def video with a hackable GH1?"

For me this was YES!!!!!!

After a month of research (Canon T2i, 7D, VIXIA HF-S20) I decided on the GH1. Coupled with a supportive online community and a mad scientist genius programmer with supporting cast of testers, I had found my new home.

So I took a chance and bought a GH1 on sale and lucked out with getting the right model. The rest is history.
 
This is indeed news for me. I was under the impression that one could simply hack every GH1 on the market. What is it that is controling that? Is there any change of knowing for sure before you buy if the camera is hackable?

For me, I would say that it is absolutely essential to be able to hack the firmware to pump up the video quality.

If I wait for the release of the GH2, might it be to late at that point to get my hands on a hackable/hacked GH1?

Im also wondering if one might expect further price drops after the release of the GH2?


Regards
Frimann
 
You must be careful here.

My current understanding of GH2 is as follows:

Better sensor (0.5-0.7 stops, reduced fixed banding noise)
Slightly better EVF with 120Hz refresh (down to 60Hz in zoom mode)
1080p50 (or p60)
PAL/NTSC region restrictions
17Mbps bitrate (except for 28Mbps for 1080p60), better encoder.
Same, or slightly better LCD screen (up to 920kp)
HDMI not working during recording
Shipped as kit only with new lens.
Price expected to be at $1800-2000.
Actual availability - December 2010. Shortages due to sensor production.
 
Ahh... not available until december. I really need a camera before that time! I guess I'm going for a GH1 then, at least in the meantime.

But then comes in the concern of beeing able to hack the camera. Anyone know the answer to my previous question: Can one know somehow before buying the camera if it is hackable or not? What factors control that?

regards
Frímann
 
I don't think GH2 will be much better then GH1 bit rate wise. Most likely it will be something with G2 sensor along with some cosmetic improvements (LCD, EVF, etc)
Panasonic utilizes the current sensor of GH1 in AF100 which will cost around $6000. They don't care much of what we wish for.
 
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