Hacked GH1 (GH13) vs 5D Mark II in Low Light

RedGiant

Active member
Looked for comparison footage online, but couldn't find any. Does anyone know of good footage comparing the hacked GH1 to the 5D in low light?
 
Yes, as much as I love The Hack, the 5DII is far better for low light shooting. A different league, really.
 
Just look at the sensor size. 5D2 has more than twice the surface compared to 4/3. Higher bitrate does not mean lower noise and the bigger the sensor is, the more light is coming in and you don't have to turn up gain as much.
 
I figured it was better (maybe much better?) based on sensor size, but can't seem to find any good footage comparing the two. I would like to see how much better, if there is any footage out there.
 
I just got the GH1 and hacked it.. Images at 100iso are better than the 5D2, panasonic just seems to infuse that "mojo" into all their stuffs : ) The 5D2 however is superior in any footage rated at 800iso and above SO FAR. I have yet to master the GH13 but am very excited about it : )
 
Canon owns lowlight. You're not going to see the dreaded FPN that you get with GH1/13. As usual each has its own set of tradeoffs...
 
I just got the GH1 and hacked it.. Images at 100iso are better than the 5D2, panasonic just seems to infuse that "mojo" into all their stuffs : ) The 5D2 however is superior in any footage rated at 800iso and above SO FAR. I have yet to master the GH13 but am very excited about it : )
I agree with this. I had a 7D and you can go higher in ISO with it which makes it see better in low light. But anything 800ISO and below the GH1(3) kicks but. It's as if the image is brighter on the GH1 from 100 through 800.

In all honesty...whether on the GH1 or the Canons I try to keep away from anything above 800. You can use the higher ISOs in a pinch on the Canons but I'm not sure how useful it is when IQ really matters.
 
I'm gonna wait till GH2 is out and I see footage. Once people test, explore and give feedback I will consider picking one up. Until then... it's GH13.
 
I was just using my GH13 in low light indoors. I didn't want to go higher than 800asa.
A colleague was using a 5D and seemed much happier with the conditions than me.
I haven't compared footage, but he seemed to be comfortable shooting in conditions where I'd given up with the existing light.
 
its been said many times already. The GH1(3) is superior with its bitrates but the 5DM2 has superior lowlight capabilities. I reviewed and researched my ass off...thas why i ordered the 5dm2
 
its been said many times already. The GH1(3) is superior with its bitrates but the 5DM2 has superior lowlight capabilities. I reviewed and researched my ass off...thas why i ordered the 5dm2

Because you don't like to light things?
 
Low lighting and underexposing are two completely different things.

FPN happens from underexposure in the GH1.

Low lighting doesn't necessarily mean underexposure unless you are at the wrong F stop or using the wrong ISO or you simply just don't have enough light to expose properly at your highest useful ISO.

People have to remember that there is a PROPER way to do this. Back when we used film, you couldn't simply just push a button and change your ISO settings and then complain when you didn't get your way.. You had to know your films, then change your film, make sure you had the right lens(es), make sure your lighting was still adequate for the given ISO rating and F stop and then take your pictures. Doing this wrong meant wasting time, money and film. People used to know how to do it right. Now people don't even understand these things and just want super clean video, in conditions that even the best low light films couldn't handle.

Most of the "low light" stuff I've seen is so dark that you can't even see what is going on. It's not artistic, it's not realistic, it's just cheap looking and it's just annoying. It's also much much darker than fast films could EVER handle gracefully. And by gracefully, I mean, have you ever seen the grain in really fast films?

I think people have lost touch with what "low light" really means in cinematography.
 
Shooting what in low light? For available light (night int/ext car/street light etc) I would defy anyone to tell me a 5D could outperform a hacked GH1 and the soon to be released Voigtlander 0.95. I mean it's gotta work right?
 
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