GH1 as an 'E' cam for HMC151s

E

Exact

Veteran
I currently shoot with 4x HMC151s and am looking for another couple of cameras for some jobs I have coming up. Apart from the fact that the budget won't run to another 2x HMCs, I'm looking for something that is going to be :

a) Good in low light
b) Small enough to fit in places the HMC can't always go
c) Similar work flow
d) Better shallow DOF when needed

Audio is not really important since I use wireless mics & shotguns to the HMCs and/or Zoom H4N.

So, with all this in mind, would the GH1 be a good choice? I'm trying to find lots of raw footage on the web (i.e. MTS files straight from the camera) at higher ISO. Any good examples I should look at?

I've also read that the codec is not as robust as the HMC implementation (17mb/s vs 25mb/s) and that the footage falls apart more quickly. Can some one qualify these statements with good 'real life' examples. Forget quick pans - I don't do them!

I'm also concerned about the white balance and exposure settings... perhaps some one would like to talk about those relative to the HMCs?

Also, can some one confirm that the PAL version (bought in the UK) supports 1080/25p and 720/50p, and that they import as such in to FCP?
 
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The GH1's are excellent for this kind of stuff and definitely a bit under-rated.

The codec can suffer from 'mud' in high motion scenes but I've shot surfing footage without any noticible aftifacting. The more common problem I see is occasional macro-blocking in graduated colours, such as a bright blue sky that fades off to a darker blue/purple on the horizon around sunset.

I can't compare the controls directly to the HMC but the white balance is done in exactly the same way as any camcorder - point at a white object and push a button. Exposure is a little different because you are trying to control everything with the one wheel; I find it alot easier to use manual lenses because then you can adjust your aperture on the lens and leave the dial to adjust shutter speed, and ISO has it's own button the the 4-way pad.

The PAL version will record in 1080/25p and 720/50p, but the PAL version sold in Europe has a 30 minute time limit (due to tax reasons). If this is a major problem then you should also check out this thread:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=206788

Tester13 has done some great work on updating the firmware and has hacked the GH1 to make it 50hz/60hz switchable. This means you can probably buy a cheap asian import on ebay and get it to work in the same way, or possibly even better than the UK GH1 - alhtough you won't have a warranty.
 
deltoidjohn said:
The GH1's are excellent for this kind of stuff and definitely a bit under-rated.

..........The PAL version will record in 1080/25p and 720/50p, but the PAL version sold in Europe has a 30 minute time limit (due to tax reasons).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. That pretty much just killed it for me. I don't want to hack the thing, but I need it to run for more than 30 mins. Is this a real number? 30 mins max? As I recall this tax was introduced to protect the 'french' VHS manufacturers back in the late 70s early 80s. What are they protecting now? Crazy crazy crazy...
 
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29mins 59 seconds exactly is the limit - any longer than that and the camera gets classed as a camcorder instead of a still camera and the tax goes up.

The PAL version sold here in Australia does not have this limitation but all the European units will.
 
I have both the HMC and the GH1 and matching the color is actually pretty tricky. Don't forget this in your workflow equation
 
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