I am the proud owner of a new Panasonic GH1 ! :)

J

johnhizzle

Active member
So I'm sure this has been said tons of times before and I am sorry to be one of those guys.

I just got my GH1 today and I'm completely stoked! I've been reading the manual for reference but I wanted to post here this question here also.

Does anybody have any good tips for a beginner started out with the GH1?

I'm sure this question has been asked before by other newbs and I'm sorry to bug you guys. I just wanted to be well informed about my new camera from people who actually own one.

Thanks in advance
john
 
What kind of films/projects do you or would you like to make? That would be my first question and from that I could give you some pointers to test and try, etc.

The GH1 is a great camera, I've owned a lot of cameras and this thing is amazing.
 
I'm going to primarily use it for filmmaking and weddings I shoot from time to time. And also general use for beach trips and nature footage.
 
Do you plan to stick to using the kit lens only or do you have some old primes or plan on putting together a set of primes? At the very least picking up a 50mm f/1.8 or faster + adapter for whatever mount the lens happens to be is a good idea with the GH1, it loves, loves light. If you plan to shoot narrative films, a good set of primes is a good idea. Weddings too - you will need light. Beach videography? The kit lens will be superb.
 
As for right now, I'm gonna stick with the kit lens. In this purchase, I got the camera,two batteries, 3 class 6 16gb cards and a lowerpro bag. So I'm kinda tapped out on funds at the moment, but I will defiantly look into a good set of primes and an adaptor. Any suggestions? Also the Iso has an option for 3200 but it's grayed out does this mean I have to do a firmware update?

Thanks guys for all of your help so far the sticky is gonna help alot!
 
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Hey john

I too shoot a lot of weddings with my GH1 paired with a HMC150

I know there are a lot of shoulder rigs, hand held stabilizers out there with follow focus contraptions and whatnot and altho that stuff is cool i have personally rediscovered the tripod.

the jello issues are the first killer, and a tripod just eliminates that from the equation. Its not always convent to drag a tripod around at a reception but in the end it saves me so much heartache of otherwise beautiful shots ruined by jello.

when i just can not use a tripod i use a monopod (and this is key) with an real head and handle. as jello is caused mostly by the side to side movement of the camera if you just grab the monopod by the shaft the camera can still jiggle, having a real handle and real leverage will keep that from happening.

i use this
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/618351-REG/Manfrotto_561BHDV_561BHDV_Video_Monopod_with.html
for a monopod its expensive but the plate works with my other tripods

also using the eyepiece will help stabilize and focus.

for lenses i use the kit lens in daylight ( it is a great lens if light is plentiful)
in the dark i use a minolta 50mm f/1.7 and the panasonic 20mm f/1.7

i have some Minolta zoom lenses but i prefer the primes when i can

also be prepared to change the way you shoot.

Oh and practice around the house first..

i shot this and am happy with it

http://www.vimeo.com/10887700
 
the jello issues are the first killer,
Click to expand...

Actually if I hold on tight to the camera and shoot steady I have no problem with jello at 1080p. I´ve done a few events with it and it has worked pretty well. The bad part for me is the editing. Need to build a much faster PC for easier handling in post.
 
What are your PC specs John?
Click to expand...

Too ancient! I will be upgrading soon though. I´ll be getting ready for either the Scarlet or the Ag Af 100. I am going to wait a few months and start my new PC project. I use Edius 5 and I like it a lot. Got to get the 5.5 upgrade soon.
 
John Caballero said:
Too ancient! I will be upgrading soon though. I´ll be getting ready for either the Scarlet or the Ag Af 100. I am going to wait a few months and start my new PC project. I use Edius 5 and I like it a lot. Got to get the 5.5 upgrade soon.
Click to expand...

5.5 upgrade is a free update. Just a fyi if ya didn't know.
 
First, I have to say that DVXuser is a heck of a FRIENDLY forum! Ask a basic question like this in most other forums and you'd get 20+ flaming replies calling you names and telling you to read the stickies and to search before even considering posting a question!

Here, you get a lot of helpful people replying, awesome!

Congrats on the new camera! Mine will be here May 3rd. In the interim I bought a Canon FD 50mm f1.4, Canon FD adapter, extra battery (aftermarket), and a intervalometer -- both as a remote shutter release and to experiment with. I shoot stills and video, I light most things, and will be using the kit lens most of the time -- including in AF mode. Read assorted negative things about the kit lens that don't seen to pan out according to what I've seen and an associate just used his GH1 and kit lens to shoot a video of a singer in a night club with nice results -- he shot hand held a lot, too.

Also, I saw these AF test videos which helped convince me that the kit lens is quite usable for my needs:

http://vimeo.com/5264787
http://vimeo.com/4979810
http://vimeo.com/4980445

You may find this party video and the setup used for it interesting:

http://vimeo.com/11172450

Saw some interesting accessories like shift and tilt adapters and some creative uses of them ( http://vimeo.com/10792824 ) and I knew I'd be very happy creating with the GH1. Enjoy yours!

Will someone please teach us the secret handshake? :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
You don't need a super-computer to edit the GH1 1080p footage...but it does require transcoding and pulldown removal...since the GH1 records the 24p off the sensor as 60i AVCHD...which you really don't want to try to edit in the first place.

On a PC, you'll want to use something like Neoscene to convert the video to Cineform AVI and remove the pulldown. The resulting AVI can be edited on a Commodore 64...you don't need a monster PC. ;)
 
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