From Pocket Video Cam to GH2 - Wise/Unwise?

A

adabo

New member
Greetings,
I've never used an (D)SLR. For the past couple of years I've shot with a pocket-sized camcorder, but with huge ambitions. The camcorder's only function is digital zoom. It's going to die very soon :(

I love music. I love recording. For about 10 years I've been working in my budget-equipped music recording (read 'bedroom') studio. So I've had a chance to learn a lot about the technical parts, as well as the artistic points, of recording. I love technical things. With a little bit of time I find myself tinkering with any new gadget and figuring out all of it's functions and using them to complete my projects.

I love movies and film. Well, after months of research I've wound up here. I know this camera is not cheap, but with the knowledge that I will grow frustrated and limited with "affordable" products, I can't talk myself out of purchasing this camera.

The main use of the camera will be for film. I can imagine this is not the most logical step from my current camcorder, but knowing what it can do and what I want to do, it starts to sound logical. At least from my perspective.

So I look up to the experienced users of this forum. You are like the pioneers of a revolution in my eyes. I say that because in the course of 1 day I was converted from shopping for camcorders to shopping for GH1's (Though now I'm led to believe the GH2 will be what I'm looking for with the benefits such as live hdmi recording monitor) based on this article. I'm aware that it would be unrealistic to expect anything I shoot to look as stunning as the video in that link, but I quickly understood that with the right know-how and tools, you could. I feel with my experience and passion for experimentation, learning would not be overwhelming, rather enjoyable. I love learning.

Apologies for the long post and thanks for reading if you've made it this far. Well I have to ask for opinions and idea's. Is my thinking unwise? My budget is tight, and this purchase, including a lens, would max me out for at least a year. Thank you and much appreciation in advance. -adabo
 
GO FOR IT!

Get it with a kit lens and begin with using IA for shooting. That is about as close to a camcorder as you can get. You can always move up the scale as you get more comfortable, lenses and education into everything it can do for you.
 
If you are used to shooting on a pocket sized camcorder, you will be blown away light years into the future by what you will get with the GH13 or GH2 with the kit (14-140mm) lens.

If you are technically inclined..... you will be figuring it out as you go quite easily. Even the much shunned auto mode can produce images far beyond anything a little camcorder or flip cam type thingy can do.

I would just go for it.
 
Adabo...I come from a similar background - Used to play indie music in bands around Seattle and now I do a ton of recording in my ...guess what...low cost home studio. I've loved movies my whole life and I've been following the forum for a while- My first camera was a Panasonic GS500, bought because it was the closest thing I could get to a DVX100B for the money I had. Then bought the GH1 and was blown away by the quality for so little money(relatively speaking). The fact that you could shoot in a similar creative fashion akin to film cameras was astonishing (no it's not close to film of course)
Like everyone else says...just do it. Be prepared though- it's as addictive as creating and recording music.
Also....read the manual like it's the best novel ever written. This will help you to get the most out of the camera and easily navigate the menus and controls.
Oh...I also forgot to mention the MJPEG modes of the GH1/2 - I always bring this up to anyone like me who might be budget challenged and may not have the fastest computer on the block - The mjpeg modes allow for pretty darn good quality and easy editing while you wait to upgrade your computer/software.
If you have the computer/software...then I guess it's all good.
 
Last edited:
Oh my! Such a fast response in this forum :) Very much thanks to the helpful thoughts.

@pulpfiction007: Recording is very addictive indeed. I expected as much that filming will provide the same amount of creative outlet as any art. I'm excited! I'm currently collaborating on a short film with a close friend of mine. As soon as I get back to Texas, we'll be start up on the story boards and character details. It's going to be a blast. I'll be sure to post updates.

@Blackout: Do all GH2 kits come with the 14-140mm lens? This is good news because that is basically the lens I figured would give me a good range of shots. Was also considering the 25mm pancake, but it's limited to short range, no? Yes I'm terribly novice to the technical aspects of cameras.

@ChipThome: What is IA? I sort of get the gist of what you are saying. Such that starting with something simple will satisfy me in the short term, but the camera is capable of much more if I ever get to that point. Is that about right?
 
I can field these questions -
The Gh2 comes body only, with a 14-42, or with 14-140. The 14-140 will give you a great range but the slow (4.0) aperture will limit it's use in certain situations - low light or super shallow dof.
The 20mm pancake is a fast lens (1.7) and will allow you to do things the 14-140 can't. I'd say it's a good choice with the 14-140. (Yes the pancake is fixed, so your range is all done with your feet!)
IA is intelligent auto mode on the Panasonic cameras. It basically takes over settings for you...so you can just shoot as you would on a typical point and shoot video camera...and it does work pretty well. I took my GH1 on vacation and that's basically the only mode I used. Later, you will want to manually dial everything in (shutter, aperture, white balance, etc) for any sort of serious creative work.

Also if you're not familiar with what a fast and slow lens is...it's the max aperture the iris can be opened up to that determines if it's "fast" or slow. The iris f stop setting numbering is a weird thing because it's opposite what logic makes you think it is.
F 1.7 on the pancake is the MOST light/shallowest dof or focus you can let in/achieve. As the F stop number is dialed higher to say for example F11 you'll be letting in less light and getting a very deep dof with eveything in focus.
The 14-140's most light you can let in/shallowest dof is at F4..so it's SLOWER right off the bat with a deeper DOF than the pancake. Meaning...to get those glorious close ups with a blurry background is harder to do with the 14-140 and it's not going to get the low light results of the pancake.
You can turn up the ISO(basically gain) from 100 to something higher, to say 1600 to get a brighter picture but you'll introduce noise.
 
Last edited:
I would absolutely buy either the GH1 (hackable or already hacked GH13) or GH2 with the 14-140 kit lens as it is an AMAZING lens... add the 20mm pancake and and you can handle almost ANY shooting situation - then add custom lenses as you artistically see fit - but with those two lenses alone you have an infinite workhorse of creativity and quality for many situations.

I'm on my way right now to B & H to pickup a 20mm pancake because of some internal arguing issues between me and a co worker (we were pooling equipment and lenses now he appears to be in a tiff even though I gave him all my custom info AND hacked his cam with my secret hack and... oh forget it lets just say I'm not happy) so now I have to buy all of his side of the lenses that we were pooling and one of those was the 20mm which is a MUST in your G\H arsenal or AF arsenal in my book.

I would skip the body alone and skip the 14-42 lens.

For everyone who has been bugging me for my hack setting in private mails... stay tuned as I have been in communications with lpowell and we've been comparing settings and will be releasing a firm final GH13 24pn lpowell-blackout hack soon. I told him to just go ahead and put it out there as I have bee too busy to beta test it more but it's working exactly as mine and without the spikes as far as we can see. This hack allows for ultra high detailed stable 24pn in ALMOST all situations with the GH13.
 
Last edited:
Ahh. I didn't know all that about the 14-140. Well, no surprise because, unfortunately, I know nothing. Well I am relieved by the fact that my theory about having the 20 and the 14-140 should be a good swappable match. At least for a beginner like myself. Thanks for the suggestions.

@Blackout: Skip the body alone and the 14-42? Does mean try to find a package with the camera and the 14-140?

So if my estimations are correct, I'm looking at range of ~$2-2300 USD for GH2+14-140+20mm? My shopping skills aren't too great for camera's.
 
adabo said:
@ChipThome: What is IA? I sort of get the gist of what you are saying. Such that starting with something simple will satisfy me in the short term, but the camera is capable of much more if I ever get to that point. Is that about right?
Click to expand...

IA is "Intelligent Auto" or just exactly what you are used to with a camcorder. The camera does all the settings, you just aim and push the button. This will make your purchase usable immediately. The first thing anyone needs to have with a piece of gear, is some form of usability right out of the box. If you can't pick it up and get "wowwed" right off the bat, you tend to loose interest pretty fast. Compared to what you are used to, IA will blow you away and as you have seen, there's even more "wow" potential after that.
 
adabo said:
So if my estimations are correct, I'm looking at range of ~$2-2300 USD for GH2+14-140+20mm? My shopping skills aren't too great for camera's.
Click to expand...

Closer to $1,900 + tax if applicable.

I know a lot of people rave about the 14-140 and I believe it to be a great lens. But there are other options. Search the forum for things like Canon FD lenses. You could buy quite a few of those for the same price as the 14-140, and get a very different look to your end product. And I still say that the 14-42 for the price when purchased with the GH2 is a GREAT bargain.

Just be aware, that like audio gear lust, the new world of "affordable" filming is as just addictive and can be very expensive. So shop wisely and slowly. That's why I think for a beginner, the 14-42 is a better choice until you are comfortable with the new territory and know what it is you are looking for in terms of image quality. You can always sell it later for pretty much what you paid for it. After that, all bets are off. :tongue:
 
ChipThome said:
IA is "Intelligent Auto" or just exactly what you are used to with a camcorder. The camera does all the settings, you just aim and push the button. This will make your purchase usable immediately. The first thing anyone needs to have with a piece of gear, is some form of usability right out of the box. If you can't pick it up and get "wowwed" right off the bat, you tend to loose interest pretty fast. Compared to what you are used to, IA will blow you away and as you have seen, there's even more "wow" potential after that.
Click to expand...

Haha! I love your simplicity :) I completely understand now. Thanks for the clear up.
 
stoneinapond said:
Closer to $1,900 + tax if applicable.

I know a lot of people rave about the 14-140 and I believe it to be a great lens. But there are other options. Search the forum for things like Canon FD lenses. You could buy quite a few of those for the same price as the 14-140, and get a very different look to your end product. And I still say that the 14-42 for the price when purchased with the GH2 is a GREAT bargain.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Wise words. I appreciate that. I'm certainly not in a hurry and would prefer to get as much information to make as an informed decision as possible. For example: I've read a little bit on "primes" and this sounds like a very interesting route to go. Swapping lens over and over again to get the perfect shot is worth the hassle, I think, if the price is right.

stoneinapond said:
Just be aware, that like audio gear lust, the new world of "affordable" filming is as just addictive and can be very expensive. So shop wisely and slowly.
Click to expand...

Well I can see you've been around the block before ;) Yes, their is a lust for new gear. I believe in the philosophy that: "It's not the gear, it's the person behind the gear.". Looking back at what I've accomplished with music on the tight budget I had, I can attest to that. Just be careful who you tell when mentioning what equipment you used. Some folks get blinded pretty quick when you so much as mention a certain software or brand.

stoneinapond said:
That's why I think for a beginner, the 14-42 is a better choice until you are comfortable with the new territory and know what it is you are looking for in terms of image quality. You can always sell it later for pretty much what you paid for it. After that, all bets are off. :tongue:
Click to expand...

I honestly don't know what the 14-42 or 14-140 is capable of. I've never used them in person. Just seen some clips off vimeo. My main concern is to get reasonably shallow DOF and reasonably good low light. I'm not very concerned on telephoto at this point. One day maybe.
 
The 14-140 is just amazingly versatile and sharp as satan's razor. You can pop it into auto mood, do a quick spot focus auto focus which is razor accurate, then pop it back into manual mode so it doesn't drift. You just can't work that fast with manual lenses, so I always recommend getting the kit lens and the 20mm pancake if you ca afford it, and then getting your primes and other things after that for your artistic tastes. You can get amazing shallow depth of field off the 20mm, and you can get decent shallow depth of field off the kit.

So yeah, i would buy the camera with the 14-140 then add the 20mm, then go from there.. (if you can FIND the GH2 anywhere.. good luck)
 
I think Blackout's point along with Chip's on IA is a valid one- With the 14-140 you get a great range, stepless aperture, good AF, and good optical performance...
Since you are new to this the 14-140 on IA will help you to-
A. Learn the camera and be wowwed by it
B. Figure out what types of shots/range/lenses you may need for different situations.
In good light the 14-140 is an excellent all purpose lens. Maybe you'll figure out that you only use 20mm, 50mm and 85mm and decide to get a set of primes...or maybe you'll really like the 14mm setting and decide you want to get a little wider- the 7-14mm. Point is, the 14-140 can help you figure it out AND get some great shots.
+1 on the 14-140 kit with pancake lens.
 
Blackout, you are making me feel good about my last minute decision to snag the 14-140 lens along with my gh2. I was going to do body only but those seem to be scarce and the 14-140 lens does look versatile.

there are still places that are getting GH2s in on a regular basis. I wasn't on any list and saw kenmore camera on facebook saying they got some in so i just called up and snagged one. boom. I was getting worried about availability after reading horror stories on here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top