GH3 GH3 vs G6

T

ThatOneGuy

New member
I know there have been a lot of posts like this, so sorry! I'm still just having a hard time making a decision.

I've been writing and directing narrative works for a few years now. However, I only owned my own camera for about a year. I received a Nikon D5100 as a gift, and right off the bat, I disliked its video functions. Having my own camera was great because it meant I could shoot whenever I want without having to check with my friends' schedules. I did the best I could with it, and got some very good results, but overall, it was a pretty big pain. I decided it was time for it to go. I'm selling it to a family member, and using the money (along with some cash from selling other stuff) to buy a new camera.

I have a budget of about $1,200, but that's somewhat flexible.

My predicament is this:

I have basically narrowed it down to the GH3 or the G6. Based on my research, this is what I've come to understand about each

GH3
What I've learned about the GH3 is that it delivers great images, and has great functionality, and is good in low light. The headphone jack is a huuuge plus as well. However, there are some quirks. It's more prone to moire and aliasing (though it's not terrible) and has a normal MFT sensor, which means it's harder to get wider shots. I don't know if these are universal, but I've seen some people saying that it cuts off the last second or so of recording, and that the AE doesn't lock (though I think that second one may have been a couple of isolated cases.) I have heard that the battery life is great, as well as the DR. It records lots of color data also, which is great because I like to color grade everything.

G6
When it comes to image quality, I've read that there really isn't a difference between the G6 and GH3, and that the G6 even looks better in some cases. The low light is apparently not quite as good. It does have the oversized sensor, which means it's slightly easier to get wider shots, and it has focus peaking (which isn't really a necessity for me). Also, it's less prone to moire and aliasing. A huge problem I've seen is that there is no HDMI out while recording, which is a big turn off because I HATE the small LCDs and plug my camera into a bigger screen whenever I can. I also can't find if there's audio monitoring or not.

I narrowed my option down to these three (at the very most my budget is $1300):

1. The GH3 and a single lens (maybe 2 if I can find some cheap ones).

2. The G6 and a few of lenses (probably one new one and a couple used).

3. The G6 with the kit lens, and another cheaper camera to help get some of those wider shots (the EOS M was suggested to me recently, but I don't know a ton about it)

Sorry about the long post! I appreciate any input! Is there another better option that I'm completely over looking? Am I over thinking all of this? I appreciate anything you have to say!
 
Just a quick comment. AFAIK the G6 has the same size sensor as the GH3. It was the GH2 that had the oversized sensor (which is sorely missed).
 
I don't feel that either of these cameras are all that good in low light situations. But that should not be an issue if you are doing narrative work with proper lighting.
 
stoneinapond said:
Just a quick comment. AFAIK the G6 has the same size sensor as the GH3. It was the GH2 that had the oversized sensor (which is sorely missed).
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I thought I read somewhere that the G6 and the GH2 had the same sensor, which is why the G6 has less problems with moire.
 
I have shot extensively with the G6 for a year. It has the same sensor as the GH2, but it doesn't use it in a multi aspect ratio like the GH2 did. The crop factor is 2.08x for both stills and video. Where as the GH2 was 1.89x in video mode and 2.08x in stills mode. The moire thing is just a processing difference between the two vintages. Panasonic just keeps getting better all the time with moire, aliasing and particularly noise reduction.

I would also suggest getting a fast wide prime like the Panasonic 15mm f/1.7 or Olympus 17mm f/1.8. This is my favorite field of view and with some ND filters give very nice depth of field and sharpness wide open.

I have moved on to the GH4 and have my G6 for sale here if interested. http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...-14-42-MegaOIS-version-II-lens-575&highlight=

Cheers,
Pete
 
update: While digging around the house, I found 5 old PK mount lenses. A 28mm, 50mm, 70-210mm, a 135mm, and a 75-205mm. Are all of these worth keeping if I plan on getting a MFT camera, or should I maybe sell some of them? I'm definitely keeping the 28mm. They're all in good condition too.
 
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ThatOneGuy said:
update: While digging around the house, I found 5 old PK mount lenses. A 28mm, 50mm, 70-210mm, a 135mm, and a 75-205mm. Are all of these worth keeping if I plan on getting a MFT camera, or should I maybe sell some of them? I'm definitely keeping the 28mm. They're all in good condition too.
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If they are actual Pentax lenses you may have lucked out, the Pentax-K, M and A vintage primes are pretty decent and can be adapted to MFT with a cheap passive adapter. Not sure how the zooms will perform but definitely worth trying out!

Personally I've got a Pentax-M 28/2.8, 35/2.8 and 50/1.7 which I still use regularly; I've found that whilst the colours aren't as punchy as with my Panny lenses the Pentax lenses have a more 'organic' look which is desirable for certain shoots. I've never had any problems with sharpness either with the Pentax lenses although I would avoid using them wide open.
 
jrhagan33 said:
If they are actual Pentax lenses you may have lucked out, the Pentax-K, M and A vintage primes are pretty decent and can be adapted to MFT with a cheap passive adapter. Not sure how the zooms will perform but definitely worth trying out!
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That last lens is definitely not a Pentax. I recognise that odd focal length - it's an old Vivitar.

To the OP: What's the price difference between the GH3 and G6?
 
yslee said:
That last lens is definitely not a Pentax. I recognise that odd focal length - it's an old Vivitar.

To the OP: What's the price difference between the GH3 and G6?
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The GH3 body only is $997 and a G6 kit is $697. Also, I looked, and all of the lenses appear to be vivitar, except for one which is sears.
 
It's a tough call. Both will get you excellent video. I think it comes down to the "extra" features and maybe size/build quality.

The GH3 will give you the extras that you may find required on a set--audio monitoring and HDMI out. It's also weather sealed and a great size. But if you can live without those, the G6 is an affordable way to get into M4/3.

Check here, http://www.keh.com and at http://www.mu-43.com for used GH3s and lenses. I've seen the GH3 for $750.
 
I recently saw a listing for a used GH3 on PV for $650. So maybe check recently ended listings on eBay and see what they're going for, it should be dropping as the GH4 is now out.

One thing to consider with the GH3 is that its higher bitrate will give you a bit smoother motion. The GH6 falls apart a little bit when a lot of things are moving in the frame. Might matter for you, might not, just depends on how and what you shoot.
 
aldolega said:
I recently saw a listing for a used GH3 on PV for $650. So maybe check recently ended listings on eBay and see what they're going for, it should be dropping as the GH4 is now out.

One thing to consider with the GH3 is that its higher bitrate will give you a bit smoother motion. The GH6 falls apart a little bit when a lot of things are moving in the frame. Might matter for you, might not, just depends on how and what you shoot.
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That actually is great to know, thanks! A project I'm working on will have some fast motion in it.
 
ThatOneGuy said:
That actually is great to know, thanks! A project I'm working on will have some fast motion in it.
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Well, that kind of decides the issue between the two cams for you. Of those two it's GH3 hands down.

However an alternative you should make yourself consider affording (expand the budget!) is the GH4. Even if (like me) you don't have 4K display or 4K devices to output for, 4K footage edited in 4K then rendered to 1080p looks great. This was my first project with the GH4, hummingbirds motions especially the wings should be a good test of what a codec will handle.

I forgot to occasionally set the shutter back to 1/60th after shooting stills with same cam and lens so you'll see some at 1/500th where the wings are more "frozen" in each frame, slight "strobing" effect but shows the way the wings "articulate" in hover mode.

https://vimeo.com/98865311
 
With the new price reduction of the Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera, would I just be better off going with that one now?
 
The BMPCC is a great little camera but not without issues so do your research. It's a cinema camera & needs to be treated as such. Out-of-the-box it's practically unusable so you'll need numerous peripherals, & a decent computer.

Blackmagic is infamous for releasing half-baked cameras, & never finishing, or supporting, them, but many users are willing to look past this for their robust codecs.

Suggest you spend some serious time reading BMCuser before making any purchases.

EDIT: Philip Bloom has an in-depth (& sober) review. It's broken into three parts.

http://philipbloom.net/2013/08/27/pocketcamera/

http://philipbloom.net/2013/12/02/part3-2/
 
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ThatOneGuy said:
With the new price reduction of the Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera, would I just be better off going with that one now?
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Since you like to grade everything, that's a plus, but at the same time, it's got a 16mm-sized sensor, so wide angles are going to be even harder. It's also less "complete" than a GH3 is in many ways, and it also eats batteries like hobbits do at their seven meals. If you have a fairly complete setup (lights mics rig etc) already it might just work for you.
 
if you dont need multiple lenses and want a lot of video features with good quality, why not get the new panasonic lumix DMC-FZ1000 that shoots at 4k?
 
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