Is A New(Unhackable) GH1 Still A Good Option Vs. Canon T2i, T3i, etc?

Schmoe

Schmoe

Member
Hi all,
Longtime lurker here with only a few posts. I'm going to be buying a new camera on my trip to the US in a month. My budget limit is basically $1300 for a cam and a basic 50mm lens and I MUST be able to get it by the end of June. I need advice from some of you guys! :undecided

So basically my options are:

  • Panasonic GH1 with a 20mm pancake, simple shoulder mount, and some filters
  • T2i with a "nifty 50" Canon 50mm lens
  • T3i with a Canon 50mm
The cheapest I've found a GH2 body only is for $875 and that's subject to whatever inventory Panasonic decides to ship, IF they ship at all. Then a 20mm pancake adds another $400 for a total of $1275

On the other hand, I can get a GH1 body for $375 guaranteed delivery, with a 20mm pancake(+$400), for a total of $775.

I realize that the GH1 has a problem with "mud" in handheld shots at 1080, but I will be using the camera mostly on a tripod, or at least with some kind of shoulder stabilizer, and I won't be doing any super fast pans. (Every "mud" example I've seen is usually caused by either violent handheld shaking or a REALLY quick pan)

I'm also aware that the GH1 usually records at a higher resolution than even the 7D can manage. Even with an unhacked, highly compressed image, I've got to believe that this results in a clearer image, but maybe I'm wrong?

I know you all have alot more experience with this than I do, so I would appreciate any advice. At these prices, is the GH1 still a "good buy"? What do you guys think?
 
True, that is VERY pretty footage, but the guy who posted it said that he used the 720p MJPEG setting for that one. I'm just wondering if someone who has used the GH1 could offer some advice about the 1080p AVCHD performance, as I definitely would like to be able to shoot at 1080p.

And I'm still hoping that someone can offer some advice on the GH1 vs. the T2i, T3i,and other options, even if it's just advice based on watching footage from the Canon cameras...
 
When I first bought my GH1 ( first production line model ) I didn't even bother using 1080p. I shot everything in 720p UNTIL the hack came out. That resolved a lot of the mud issues, as well as pull down.

If I were to suggest gh1 or 2, I would say without the gh1 being hacked, I would aim towards the GH2. I can't speak much about the GH2 since I don't own one , but I think that would be the better choice.
 
Why not a GH2 with a 50mm f1.4 Canon FD lens ($80) on eBay? Way better video quality than the T2i or T3i. The only drawback is the lens would be manual only (no autofocus, etc.)
 
I've have the following:

T2i
GH2
Unhacked GH1 (latest purchase)

I would say that the unhacked GH1 (speaking video...) is, to me comparable or even better than the T2i. It's certainly cheaper now and you have the ability to stock up on some inexpensive legacy glass that will work wonders on it.

The GH2 is definitely a step up compared to the GH1 in stock form and offers quite a few nice features that would lend themselves really well for filmaking that you won't be able to replicate with either the T2i or the GH1:

Crop mode
HDMI out that doesn't downrez (T2i) or doesn't exist (GH1) upon hitting record. This makes it really nice to use an external monitor at some point.

The T2i still has the edge, as far as I can see with my eye, with still photography, but not by very much.

I think that the GH1 would be the best buy if price was a major concern. Very nice footage has been produced, even with the unhacked model.... AND..... there's a good chance that a hack for the newer firmware might actually become a reality sometime soon.

Hope that helps.

Tony
 
Thanks VERY much for all the advice so far. The main reason that I'm not going with the GH2 is that I will be in the US in June, where camera prices are MUCH cheaper than here in Norway (I'm a displaced American ;-) From the look of things, there is just no GH2 stock available right now, and even if there were, it's over twice the price. With things the way they are in Japan right now, I'm not expecting GH2s to become any cheaper or easier to find by June.

tcaretti: I REALLY appreciate the T2i/GH1 comparison. From reading reviews and watching footage, I definitely got the impression that the GH1 was probably just as good or better for video. Nice to have someone who uses both cameras confirm this.

The reason I'm leaning toward the GH1 over ANY of the Canon's is because I've read that the image quality on the Canons can be a bit soft when shooting video. For example, check out this article about the 5D's low resolution in video. Or check out this comparison on Vimeo, where a hacked GH1 seems to stomp a Canon 7D into the ground.

 
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Schmoe said:
Thanks VERY much for all the advice so far. The main reason that I'm not going with the GH2 is that I will be in the US in June, where camera prices are MUCH cheaper than here in Norway (I'm a displaced American ;-) From the look of things, there is just no GH2 stock available right now, and even if there were, it's over twice the price. With things the way they are in Japan right now, I'm not expecting GH2s to become any cheaper or easier to find by June.
Click to expand...

Hi Schmoe -- don't know if you're in the US now or later in June, but the GH2 is starting to appear in stock at MSRP and lower. There are $999 silver GH2s with the kit lens available at Adorama and Amazon right now, for example.

If you're in the NY area, it is also in stock body-only at Unique Photo in New Jersey for $900.
 
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yep...this is already old news - why hasn´t it reached this thead before today ! That means ALL gh1´s !
 
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