Fundemental differences between GH1/2 & Canon 550/60D

[Framerate]

Hi - I've been using a hacked GH1, and have a GH2 on order.

The one constant irk of the GH1 is the poor low light performance. The GH2 might remedy this - but the emphasis is on 'might'

Recently, I've been viewing some 550D (T2i) footage - and it has to be said, it's pretty wonderful in low light situations. On another planet when compared to the GH1, in fact.

So I'm tempted to give up on Panasonic altogether and buy a 550D or a 60D.

I've always understood (rightly, or wrongly) that the GH1 offers *the* most complete video-DSLR package in terms of features and control, poor low light performance notwithstanding.

So what I would really appreciate some advice on is, what limitations (if any) put the Canon's behind the GH1/2?

I'm thinking of things like control features, recording length (PAL user, so a 30 minute max capture time will apply on the unhacked GH2), general annoyances and niggles that might not be immediately apparent from reviews.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[Zissou]

i returned a GH1 because of the lack of video out and no optical viewfinder; lowlight wasnt that great either. never hacked it. for me, it was mostly the lack of monitoring (bought 2 T2i's even though they only output SD its better than nothing) and ergonomics.

if Nikon had their crap together i would be shooting Nikons for video; instead i have a TON of gear to sell off.

 

[maranfilms]

Im not so sure the Gh1 is the most complete video dslr package. I am sure the gh1 has the most filmic look in terms of being cinematic. But the Canon cams are great too. I have a t2i set up on a Handy slr with a 7" monitor. And Honestly, I find it a breeze to work with. I think you can manage with any of the dslr's to get great image quality. it's part user too. I find so many seem to rely too much on the camera than technique. Have you tried using fast primes, or are you using mostly zooms? I have seen great lowlight footage on the gh13 with fast glass.

 

[Framerate]

Im not so sure the Gh1 is the most complete video dslr package. I am sure the gh1 has the most filmic look in terms of being cinematic. But the Canon cams are great too. I have a t2i set up on a Handy slr with a 7" monitor. And Honestly, I find it a breeze to work with. I think you can manage with any of the dslr's to get great image quality. it's part user too. I find so many seem to rely too much on the camera than technique. Have you tried using fast primes, or are you using mostly zooms? I have seen great lowlight footage on the gh13 with fast glass.

actually, on your first point, I'd say that the reverse is true. The GH1 is 'harsh' - very sharp, but very 'video-like'. I read a bit about the Canon's being somewhat 'soft' - but when I viewed Canon footage it looked far more 'film-like', and generally pleasant, than the GH1 output.

No doubt, in resolution terms, the GH1 *is* superior - but in simple 'is it nice to look at' terms, the Canon footage seems far better.

I have a couple of Canon primes (FD/FL), and my only other lens is the Panasonic 14-140mm. The GH1 has now been sold to prepare the way for the GH2 - so my Lumix investment is currently very small. I could certainly sell the 14-140 with ease, leaving me free to buy a Canon if I decide to.

The unknown quantity is, of course, the GH2 - but the video samples posted so far are not that inspiring.

Lower chroma noise - but still plenty of luminance noise. Nothing that compares with Canon low light samples, imo.

EDIT - I meant 'still' samples - the movie samples I've seen look OK - but rather 'video-like'

 

[Ian-T]

I agree with you somewhat framerate. However I think the Panasonic has the edge in its ability to look more filmic. There's that mojo. I've always thought the Panasonic images people put up were too sharp. But I'd take that real detail (along with the false) any day. There's none of that sharpening halo you see in poorly sharpened video. It's that very very fine false sharpening that comes from the aliasing artifacts. But...if it comes out too sharp it can easily be dumbed down with a little chroma blurring in post while at the same time preserving the detail. You can't do it the other way around with the Canons however. It's not possible to add to what wasn't there in the first place. I do like the low light capability on my old Canon 7D and it seems to have an edge in latitude....but the GH-1's overall image (with the hack) looks more like a baby Red One camera (when handled correctly IMO).

 

[life4eva]

Gh13 is more sharp so will the Gh2. I personally like the softer look of Canons myself. Also the Canon Hdslrs have a bigger sensor hence the reason for it's better low light capabilities. The problem is not even so much Panasonic lack of low light,
but more the problem of some serious banding that occurs in many of their cameras dude to an scene that is not properly lit.

Personally the Gh2 looks to improve on the Gh1 and be a better camera , but my biggest problem is I use wide lenses and with the crop factor on the Gh1/2 it only makes my job more difficult...... So that's why for now I'm a Canon man.

 

[Framerate]

i returned a GH1 because of the lack of video out and no optical viewfinder; lowlight wasnt that great either. never hacked it. for me, it was mostly the lack of monitoring (bought 2 T2i's even though they only output SD its better than nothing) and ergonomics.

if Nikon had their crap together i would be shooting Nikons for video; instead i have a TON of gear to sell off.

The Nikon D7000 is also a strong possible for me.

What I'd really like to know are things like, how limiting (or not) is it to use a DSLR that blanks out the viewfinder when shooting video. Do people find the LCD sufficient?

Also, other practical considerations, like sensor overheating, short record times, lens focus noise during recording (asuming AF, of course) ?

 

[Grunf]

I own both.

This is a crop from 1080p25 frame shot with GH13 and 550D. Both were framed approximately the same and I shot it with kit lenses. I re-did the tests with multitude of lenses and motives and came to conclusion that 550D/7D/5D is great camera as bokeh-galore base for 720p-ish soft material but if you want and need 1080p "for real", GH13 is superior. 550D is great stills camera though.

Regarding GH2, it's really good camera "on paper". Unfortunately, Panasonic seems to have cut it's wings. It has 28Mbit B-frames, higher sensitivity and crop mode. But only in 1080p24. The remaining modes are interlaced mess in low bitrates. It begs to be hacked....