I am Enamored

When talking about buzz kill... The overheating on the 7D and the 5D and the limited record time... Huge Buzz Kills. Everytime I have had someone come out with the 7D they profess to never having it overheat... and on each and every shoot where we are rocking out interviews or shooting a long concert.. they overheat and then they blame it on the conditions. They usually say.. hey, it's because of all of these lights. My response is, ahhh well, you hardly ever use lights on a shoot... wink wink...


I like the 7D and have used it quite a bit, but it has issues aside from the sensor and such... It's also such a big beast by comparison.. It weighs as much as my 150 and that isn't a thing that I like. I'll gladly take the Gh2.... and at it's price, I could have two of them for the same price as a 7D...
 
tcarretti said:
Well, just to bump the thread....

I've had my GH2 for about a week now and all I can say is "wow"...

I can honestly say that I haven't picked up my T2i since I got the GH2. Great things about this cam are:

Flip out LCD - Makes odd angles a breeze. I'm even working on a good way to attach either my clone LCDVF or my Hoodman Loupe.

Low Light - Everyone says the canons are superior, but I can't agree based on my experiences... I did a low light ISO test the other night down at the River Walk in San Antonio and was amazed at the performance all the way to ISO3200.

Ergonomics - It's a wee little thing! Even with my big hands it is still comfortable to use. Button placement seems to be more intuitive that the T2i to me and I am already finding that I can get around without having to "look" at the buttons. Something that I never really felt comfortable with on the T2i.

Lens - Using the 14-140 and the 20mm pancake and love both lenses. The zoom is a little slow but is still a great lens for all around video. I'm waiting on a FD to MFT adapter so that I can use a Canon 50mm 1.4 FD that I just got.

Conversely, I'm a little bummed about the availability of batteries or an AC adapter. I'd like to use the camera for some paid work, but without the availability of external power it's kind of a moot point for now.

I DO want to try the magic lantern firmware hack for the T2i to see how much of a difference it makes using that camera, but it's still not going to make up for the flip LCD and a few of the other bells and whistles that the GH2 provides...

Just my .02 cents.....

Tony
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the hoodman loupe would be a real strain on that lcd,i have one also a hoodcrane i used on my 550D,erganomocaly i dont like this GH2 with its mass of buttons that seem impoosible not to accidentaly press for me lets hope i get used to this thing and the pq is as good as raved about .

Now i have discovered the mic socket wont take my external mics W-H-I-D
 
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Barry_Green said:
They've already come out with the fastest zooms on the market. The Olympus 14-35 f/2.0 and 35-100 f/2.0 are fixed, and way faster than anything you can get for Nikon or Canon.
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Wow! I did not know this. Very expensive but of course constant aperture and not MFT so with adapter. A set of these would set me back over 5000.-€.....hmmm I wonder how these behave on the Af100.
 
I have to say that the GH2 is a perfect camera for me. I used to have the 5D2 but sold it (with 24-100,50,300, and 400 lenses).
Why is it perfect for me?

Stills:
I'm not that hardcore of a photographer so the stills quality of the GH2 is OK for me. The thing is, because the GH2 is so much smaller than the 5D you tend to take it everywhere you go, but the 5D I left at home because it was so expensive, heavy and big (unless I was actually going for a photographing trip).

Video:
5D2 doesn't come even close. The ease of use, image quality and (when I need it) the automatic functions on the GH2 just kicks the 5D's behind. 12 min limit on the 5D was a pain (for weddings, etc. I shot) and the very shallow DOF even at f4 ment it was a pain to focus (since it didn't have any automatic assists). I think the GH2 works just as well in low light situations as the canon did, but with more DOF. And with the the Voigtlander f0.95 I can go shallow too, if i need it.

EDIT: Yes, the lenses for the GH2 are a bit pricey, but considering the price difference between the 5D2 and the GH2, one can buy a rather large set of lenses with that (well two or three :D ). (I know 5D2 and the GH2 aren't meant to compete, but I'm just speaking from my own perspective)
 
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I'm still enamored too. Trying not to cross the line into obsession.

In addition to all of the above, here is why I am glad that I upgraded to the GH2 instead of the 60D, and why my Canon T2i has been demoted to B-cam and is collecting dust on a tripod:

- Class 4 SD cards for video (Class 6 for Motion JPEG) instead of the more expensive Class 10s that the Canon needs
- Manual audio gain control and onscreen metering without a hack (I'm not a Luddite, but I don't like adding non-OEM code to my camera's firmware)
- Touchscreen focus - haven't used it much, but it makes life so much easier, and it *just works*
- I know that micro four thirds needs less expensive wide lenses, but the Electronic Tele Converter on the GH2 has just doubled the max focal length of my zooms with no loss in quality (for free)
- The 14-140 zoom with silent autofocus. This is a huge plus for video (when I was in film school many years ago, we had to buy/build soundproof "blimps" to eliminate camera and lens noise)

For me, the downsides that I have found are minor:
- Out-of-the-box, colors in Canon still photos have more "pop", and I have to say that I prefer Canon colors to Panasonic's (but it is something that I have found that I can fix in-camera or in post);
- Spare batteries are in short supply (a big deal for pros who have weddings to shoot, but I can wait a few months until battery production catches up with demand); and
- The 2.5mm mic input is problematic (annoying, but a problem that is easily solved with a trip to Radio Shack).

I have had the camera for less than a month, and have not had as much time to experiment as I would like, but I agree with the reviewer who said that this camera is "essential".
 
tcarretti said:
As much as I love the GH2, I would have to honestly say that this will still be considered a "consumer" camera. That in no way implies that professional results cannot be extracted from the camera because we've already seen just how great the footage can look. It will probably boil down to build quality, robustness in the field, ability to adapt peripherals, etc...

I'm sure that the "pro" camp will gravitate towards the AF100, simply because it addresses more of the dedicated video requirements for ease of production. I know that I'd love to have one just for the audio improvements, but unfortunately my pot o'gold is extremely depleted at this time!! All I want for now is for my FD adapter to show up and then to find a way to afford the Voigtlander 25mm .95.... :)
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Thanks for the feedback. If you say the GH2 is consumer but the image is superior.....thats all that matters to me. Since i am not a 'pro photographer and my primary income is not from photography', i just want the best image quality.
In some ways, these designations are over-rated but i understand if you regularly film in extreme conditions the need for weatherproofing. As long as it isn't 'too plasticky' or 'playskool', i've never had a prob with the feel of the T2i. I am guessing the GH2 is equal or slightly better to the T2i/550D body.
 
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dvxjiro said:
Thanks for the feedback. If you say the GH2 is consumer but the image is superior.....thats all that matters to me. Since i am not a 'pro photographer and my primary income is not from photography', i just want the best image quality.
In some ways, these designations are over-rated but i understand if you regularly film in extreme conditions the need for weatherproofing. As long as it isn't 'too plasticky' or 'playskool', i've never had a prob with the feel of the T2i. I am guessing the GH2 is equal or slightly better to the T2i/550D body.
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I agree with your statement about what matters. I don't make a "whole" lot of money with cameras yet, so for me the GH2 is a total win. Build quality is VERY similar to the T2i and video quality is (to me anyway...) vastly superior. I know, by looking at a lot of examples so far, that it will be a LONG time before I will be able to use the camera to it's fullest potential only because of my lack of cinematography experience. I'm pretty sure that you'll be more than pleased with it.

I can't wait to get off work so I can play with it some more!!
 
Put me in the "enamored" column. Just took it to the zoo with my daughter, and ... I shot everything on earth, and it was a joy to use. A little bit of slow mo here and there, some ETC to get in really close and have no wobble, and ... oh yeah, stills too... I liked my GH1, but I think I love this little GH2...
 
Barry_Green said:
They've already come out with the fastest zooms on the market. The Olympus 14-35 f/2.0 and 35-100 f/2.0 are fixed, and way faster than anything you can get for Nikon or Canon.
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Yes very true, but they're also WAAAAY more expensive, which for many people (including myself) means they might as well not exist.
 
This is my second time resurrecting this thread, But this time I actually have my own GH2 and have had it for about 2 weeks now. I love the camera, it's not perfect but at least for me it's so much better than my experience with the 60D. I was really on the fence about getting this of the 60D and for the first few days I wondered if I had made the right decision. Now I love it. Beyond the image quality I like all of options the camera has Like kelvin selectable white balance no 12minute time limit and the killer viewfinder. I'm getting more and more used to the menu items and options, I've shot a music vid with the cam. Now that I have a second battery I'm going to try using it on some other productions, I have a training video coming up monday and I'm thinking about using it for that now that I can use and external mic with my Hosa adapter. All in all the GH2 is a different experience for me from every other camera I have owned but it's a pretty incredible piece of technology to me.
 
The most enthusiasts here, must have an other camera than my GH2 is. Yes, the videopicture is very good, if you have enough light on the scene. OK there is the flip screen ...and yes - I wish a lot of the features would be on a 5D MKII, and yes Canon can learn something from Panasonic.
But beside the lack of 25p, its simply to grainy and people who are enthusiastic about the 3200 ASA of the GH2? I dont know what type of camera they have had before...Ok, I made (with a good and bright daylight) some very good shots with the GH2, but after two weeks I took the 5D again and stand all they disadvantages, for to get the (subjective) better picture in indoor situations without any additional light.
Sometimes the enthusiasm about the GH2 (and in former times for the 5D MKII) is to religous for me. The industry wont allow us the "all in one camera" for 1500 Dollar or Euro, even if the could produce it.
Benn
 
Ram S.O.S said:
This is my second time resurrecting this thread, But this time I actually have my own GH2 and have had it for about 2 weeks now. I love the camera, it's not perfect but at least for me it's so much better than my experience with the 60D. I was really on the fence about getting this of the 60D and for the first few days I wondered if I had made the right decision. Now I love it. Beyond the image quality I like all of options the camera has Like kelvin selectable white balance no 12minute time limit and the killer viewfinder. I'm getting more and more used to the menu items and options, I've shot a music vid with the cam. Now that I have a second battery I'm going to try using it on some other productions, I have a training video coming up monday and I'm thinking about using it for that now that I can use and external mic with my Hosa adapter. All in all the GH2 is a different experience for me from every other camera I have owned but it's a pretty incredible piece of technology to me.
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Ram -- I agree. Coming from Canon, getting rid of the time limit and being able to look through the viewfinder in video mode were the killer apps for me.

benn said:
...beside the lack of 25p, its simply to grainy and people who are enthusiastic about the 3200 ASA of the GH2? I dont know what type of camera they have had before...Ok, I made (with a good and bright daylight) some very good shots with the GH2, but after two weeks I took the 5D again and stand all they disadvantages, for to get the (subjective) better picture in indoor situations without any additional light...
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Benn -- if I were a pro in Europe, I would probably agree with you. The lack of 25p is a real problem in 50Hz PAL-land. As for indoor shots without additional lighting -- how fast was your glass? I don't really see this as a problem with the camera -- it is a matter of which lens you use. For the short term, I bought an inexpensive old f2 lens and adapter on eBay and am now saving my nickels for a Panasonic f1.7 and, eventually, a Voigtlander f0.95.

Any of these solutions combined with the GH2 body are less expensive than a 5D MKII. For me, that is the real killer app :-)

But to each his or her own. Some of us are really enamored with the camera, but not everyone will be.
 
Everyone shall become happy with his stuff, I fully agree with you. I dont want to miss the GH2 and I have a few lenses from 1,2/50mm till 2/135mm to compensate a part of the problems.
I spent a lot of money to make this "unprofessional" cameras professional, meanwhile I think its better to buy the right camera, but which one??
 
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