GH1 v 7d test

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Pelerino

Member
I have been testing the GH1 with old Chinon primes and have to say they look pretty good as they add the gamma in lens to give a very filmic look, I have also tried the 7d - I actually worked on some of the research for this camera with canon - filming focus groups, ethnographic studies ect - this camera is not really optimised for video and the frame rates were added at the last minute to compete with Panasonic. I didn't like the Canon, just seemed like an overweight, blotchy video nasty.

I have also done a bit of research and found this which shows the difference in picture quality between the two:
http://vimeo.com/groups/canon7dlatino/videos/7320945

As you can see the canon looks blotchy, flabby and over saturated, where as the gh1 looks delicate and fine, crisp even, in comparison.

I also found this:

http://vimeo.com/7449911

which blew me away!

I personally prefer the images Panasonic deliver because they aim to produce filmic quality, just look at their history. They have made high end movie cameras from year dot - panavision! plus working with Leica for so long! (they pretty much invented cameras as we know them) Canon have always aimed at the prosumer demographic when it comes to video, never the true professional and because of this their images are really geared toward low end video.

I kept the GH1 because of the fact you can use antique glass, has a swivel screen and is much more portable. It also, in my eyes has a better image....even better than the 5d.

Now if only they could sort out the frame rates and add 1080p movs we will be laughing.
 
ehh, id still prefer a 7D over the G1 any day.

Overall its just a better performer. The codec really messes up a lot of G1 footage, its really finicky.

Its amazing what some people are accomplishing on the 7D with just natural or practical light.
 
lol, i actually shoot a D90, so i dont even have a canon (save for P&S), but as someone who has seen a massive amount of movies, and watched a good bit of shorts people are putting out on both, i prefer the look and work flow of the 7D.

I mean for all intents and purposes its basically a 2nd gen video DSLR, so it should be better, its also a good bit more expensive.

So take that into consideration to.

Don't forget that the person your quoting and the video (candy apple) has a very experienced person behind it, and some really excellent lighting and shot selection. Im sure any camera in his hands would yield some amazing results.
 
I saw this quote online and think it's pretty apt for this stupid discussion that keeps popping up.

A photographer went to a socialite party in New York. As he entered the front door, the host said ‘I love your pictures - they’re wonderful; you must have a fantastic camera.’ He said nothing until dinner was finished, then: ‘That was a wonderful dinner; you must have a terrific stove.’
Click to expand...

Give us all a break from this nonsense that keeps cropping up. No one cares which camera you prefer, we only care about what you can cook with it.
 
Thanks for the compliments regarding my "Canday Apple Red" trailer. Certainly a lot of the perceived quality of any image has much to do with the person behind the camera. I've seen really crappy 35mm movies shot by people who were, to put it nicely, clueless.

We're in a strange time right now where the major players in this DSLR revolution (and it IS a revolution) Canon, Nikon and Panasonic have competing cameras that all seem to contain pieces of a puzzle. None of them seem to have all the ingredients we want. Canon has the codec, Panasonic has the articulating LCD and a more filmic look, etc. My dream is that one day soon, a camera will have everything we want in one package: filmic look, quality codec, articulating LCD, live HDMI out for monitoring and uncompressed recording, and perhaps even XLR inputs for audio. A true filmmaking solution will probably be more expensive than the current DSLRs, but still tens of thousands cheaper than equivalent solutions that existed just five years ago. Maybe this is what the Scarlet will be. Until then, I'm having a blast with the GH-1!
 
It's not such a strange time at all -- we've had that situation for years on the video side. Canon had great sensors and interchangeable lenses, but stuck with HDV tape. Panasonic had fantastic color and gamma, great glass, the best codec, tapeless, variable frame rates -- but lower-res sensors. Sony came out with half-inch chips, and stuck it with a terrible form factor and a long-GoP 4:2:0 codec. Panasonic comes along with the HPX300, perfection in every way, except 1/3".

So the situation with the DSLRs isn't really anything new, it's the same song these companies have been singing to us forever... if the GH1 had the 7D's codec, it'd be pretty unstoppable, but always there's just one thing or other that stops these products from being everything we want.
 
Perhaps I should have said a "great" time rather than a "strange" time. Because it really is great. We can all debate the advantages of one camera over another, but the fact that we now have affordable solutions that provide 1080p imagery with cinema-style depth-of-field is incredible! I've waited all my life for this. Shooting film was never economically feasable for me. SD video cameras with 1/3" chips always produced results that seemed compromised, even when lit well. The introduction of 24p and cinelike gamma helped a lot. But only with these DSLRs does it really seem like the imagery we can produce looks like images seen in theatrical motion pictures.
Of course, that's a double-edged sword. Now there are no more excuses for crappy looking imagery.
But also, let's hope this allows true artists and storytellers to come to the game, because let's face it, artists aren't often the best at accessing large sums of money to finance their vision.
Dreams are now more affordable, and that's a good thing!
 
Sony had agreement first long time ago and they panavised one of their cameras but it doesnt mean anything ,like this news about panasonic and panavision - it doesnt have anything to do with gh-1 or 7D ,its up to DP how picture will look like.What is important in reality is 24p and manual controls or even lockable auto controls.Thats it,rest is up to DP.
I dont like the fact that you must remove pulldown from 24p in gh1.

Pelerino said:
Now if only they could sort out the frame rates and add 1080p movs we will be laughing.
Click to expand...

Soooo... now you feel that 7D users are laughin at you right? And you made this thread to make yourself better ? Why such weird attitude ?
 
Last edited:
Not at all, I mean that with all the good stuff that the GH1 has going for it plus a few more codec and frame rate options would be a good thing - if this does happen, and it will, then I feel that panny have an already better solution in it's form factor....I am the DP.
 
Pelerino said:
Isaac I am merely voicing an opinion based on my findings - this is a forum right? I can do that can't I?
Click to expand...


Why are you getting defensive? Opinions are fine, but presenting them like fact is only going to stir the pot and we've had way too much of that around here. Both cameras offer incredible value but comparing them only brings out the worst in people.

So please, if you want to only invest your time in trumpeting one camera over another please find a blog to do that on. We have little patience for these threads especially when it devolves into camera bashing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top