Barry_Green
Moderator
Exactly. The GH1 is different than all the others as it's really a hybrid, and it's a much more suitable replacement for a video camera than any DSLR is.
Ordered a GH1 today, about a year late, but hey! :-)
- Thread starter Peter J. DeCrescenzo
- Start date
Congratulations, Peter. It's been a long time for you to wait, but it sounds like you are well prepared and informed to make the most of your new GH-1. And, you get to save $200.
It's nice to have another GH-1 enthusiast in Portland as well. If you find you could use any help or opinions about accessories and lenses when you get the cameras, feel free to send me a message.
I'm fortunate to have both the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 and the 7-14mm lenses. They are astoundingly good. I've also got a nice fast prime, a Zeiss C/Y mount 50mm f1.4. I love all of these as well as the kit lens. I find myself changing lenses constantly.
I use this camera every day for video and photos as part of my job and I must say it had held up extremely well over the past 9 months. It's been a joy to use, and with experience and more equipment, it just keeps getting better.
Once again, congrats, and welcome to the club of happy GH-1 users.
Steve
Portland, Oregon
It's nice to have another GH-1 enthusiast in Portland as well. If you find you could use any help or opinions about accessories and lenses when you get the cameras, feel free to send me a message.
I'm fortunate to have both the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 and the 7-14mm lenses. They are astoundingly good. I've also got a nice fast prime, a Zeiss C/Y mount 50mm f1.4. I love all of these as well as the kit lens. I find myself changing lenses constantly.
I use this camera every day for video and photos as part of my job and I must say it had held up extremely well over the past 9 months. It's been a joy to use, and with experience and more equipment, it just keeps getting better.
Once again, congrats, and welcome to the club of happy GH-1 users.
Steve
Portland, Oregon
Peter J. DeCrescenzo
Veteran
Thanks, Steve! (I sent you a private message.)
Hi Peter, I have also just bought a GH1 about a week ago and am currently testing it in various situations. Having been a video cameraman for 25 years I've experience of lots of different cameras but like the idea of a single stills and video cam for my own use. One thing I have noticed is just how light sensitive it is - you really need an ND filter on permanently to pull the exposure down to something usable (and I'm not talking about the shallow D-O-F stuff that some peole seem to crave). In the raw, in bright sunlight I was shooting at f22! I like to shoot at around f8 / f11 so it really necessitates using an ND8 outdoors.
Anyway, back to some more shooting!
Anyway, back to some more shooting!
Peter J. DeCrescenzo
Veteran
Just an FYI: My GH1 arrived late yesterday afternoon. Fun!
I'm a RTFM kinda guy, so I plugged the cam into the AC adapter and spent a few hours with the cam & manual. Mostly figuring out how to turn off all the auto-magic features and how to adjust the manual settings to an initial set of preferences, subject to further experimentation, etc.
I also rummaged through various bits of camera support stuff I've accumulated over the years. In addition to a couple of tripods, I've got a simple shoulder rig, monopod, and an old matte box I should be able to adapt to the GH1. I have an idea for a simple hand-held rig, but I'll use a local machine shop to build it properly (aluminum bar precisely bent & one weld joint).
This is my first DSLR, so the cam's many photo-related features are new to me. It'll be fun figuring them out, though I'll primarily use the cam in manual mode.
Later today I hope to do a little shooting outdoors, and indoors with my (tungsten) lights. Since I won't have my new Mac or FCS software for a while I can't post footage yet, but in the meantime I'll have fun shooting.
Notes to self: Order a 77mm Fader ND & step-up ring ASAP. Decide which fast prime lens to buy first. And get parts from Igus to build a ZaZa-slider. ;-)
I'm a RTFM kinda guy, so I plugged the cam into the AC adapter and spent a few hours with the cam & manual. Mostly figuring out how to turn off all the auto-magic features and how to adjust the manual settings to an initial set of preferences, subject to further experimentation, etc.
I also rummaged through various bits of camera support stuff I've accumulated over the years. In addition to a couple of tripods, I've got a simple shoulder rig, monopod, and an old matte box I should be able to adapt to the GH1. I have an idea for a simple hand-held rig, but I'll use a local machine shop to build it properly (aluminum bar precisely bent & one weld joint).
This is my first DSLR, so the cam's many photo-related features are new to me. It'll be fun figuring them out, though I'll primarily use the cam in manual mode.
Later today I hope to do a little shooting outdoors, and indoors with my (tungsten) lights. Since I won't have my new Mac or FCS software for a while I can't post footage yet, but in the meantime I'll have fun shooting.
Notes to self: Order a 77mm Fader ND & step-up ring ASAP. Decide which fast prime lens to buy first. And get parts from Igus to build a ZaZa-slider. ;-)
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SonicStates
Well-known member
Glad to hear you got the GH-1 Peter. It's a great cam for the price. ND fader on that step up ring is absolutely essential. Give the variable one from Hong Kong a go.
Looking forward to seeing some of your stuff... Bloody avchd is a little PITA though
Looking forward to seeing some of your stuff... Bloody avchd is a little PITA though
MadHMC150
DVXuser Sponsor
Weird that's on my note pad too...
Ron Rodenmeyer
Well-known member
Glad you got your's, Peter. Mine's been in the shop and I'm going crazy w/o it! Shooting with the HMC-150 is nice but it's just not the same.
Agreed that the Fader ND from HK is the first essential accessory. Not just for shallow DOF even when it's bright out (which is obvs very awesome), but it's just a really nice and intuitive way to control the "iris". It's tactile and it's in real-time. I just wish it could go to zero ND, so it could stay on even indoors!
Can't wait to see some footage from you.
Agreed that the Fader ND from HK is the first essential accessory. Not just for shallow DOF even when it's bright out (which is obvs very awesome), but it's just a really nice and intuitive way to control the "iris". It's tactile and it's in real-time. I just wish it could go to zero ND, so it could stay on even indoors!
Can't wait to see some footage from you.
Ben_B
Veteran
Are you getting 77 mm so it will be compatible should you get larger lenses or are you worried about vignetting on the kit lens and primes with 62mm?
Peter J. DeCrescenzo
Veteran
Both.
(I've seen discussion of the vignetting issue, including Barry Green's post in the 7D forum on 2/13.)
Peter J. DeCrescenzo
Veteran
Just a quick follow-up:
With all these 3rd party products, please note: "YMMV". ;-)
The $30 spare battery I bought seems to work fine in my new GH1 (firmwares: body 1.2, lens 1.1) & its charger. The battery is distributed by SterlingTEK. I bought it through Amazon.com, but you can buy it direct, too:
http://sterlingtek.com/bl13-panasonic-lumix-dmc-gh1-battery.html
I suspect this battery is also distributed by others. I don't know if this $23 one from BestBatt is actually the same item or not, but here's a link:
http://www.bestbatt.com/Panasonic_DMW_BLB13_Battery_p/bbblb13.htm
The Fujifilm 4GB Class 6 SDHC cards I bought from Amazon also seem to be working fine, as is a Kingston 8GB Class 6 SDHC card I bought a few months ago. I formatted them in the camera before use. Haven't done a huge amount of shooting with them yet (although I did shoot with the Kingston card during a shoot all day Sat.; more on this later), so again: YMMV.
The HOSA GMP467 3.5mm (F) to 2.5mm (M) Right Angle audio adapter plug I bought from Amazon (actually sourced via J&R) fits into the GH1's mic jack perfectly. I also did some brief tests using it together with a Cables Unltd. AUD-3010 3.5mm stereo to dual mono audio splitter "Y" adapter. For example, this lets me connect 2 mics to my GH1, 1 in each channel. Of course, the audio quality isn't what I consider pro quality, the AGC is always doing its thing, and you can't monitor what's being recorded during a take, but it may come in handy in certain situations.
Side note: The SoundDevices MixPre portable mixer I've had for years is invaluable as a Swiss-Army audio I/O & headphone amp for testing this sort of configuration. The MixPre has very quiet & clean sound, and lots of I/O connectors for such a small unit. The MixPre can't fix the GH1's audio inconveniences, but still very useful.
Since I don't have a Intel-based Mac yet (note to Apple: Hurry up with getting those new MacBook Pros out the door, please!) and new FCS, I don't have a means of editing my AVCHD footage yet.
Which gets me to the shoot I did this past weekend.
Out of the blue, a client with whom I've worked with previously, contacted me last Friday about doing a spec shoot the next day, Sat. (Long story about the last-minute arrangements, but these things happen.) The location was indoors and primarily lit via indirect-daylight through large windows. The location had minimal electrical power available, and there was no budget for renting high-efficiency lighting or a quiet generator.
I was a bit reluctant, given my few hours of hands-on experience with the GH1 and the "slow" (f4-f5.6) kit lens, but my client was up for using it. To avoid blowing a fuse, we limited ourselves to setting up only one of my 650-w. halogen fresnel lights bashing through a 24"x32" silk for diffusion, and we turned the room's incandescent ceiling lights on (they had big "soft" antique milk-glass globes). To avoid cutting the light from the fresnel, we didn't use a CC gel since the dim warm color looked appropriate on the fill side of the actor's face.
Attached is a digital still (_not_ a frame grab from the video) showing the wide master shot. This is a Mens Teacher's Lounge at Reed College here in Portland. The commercial was (intentionally) funny and featured an professional actor (playing the part of a elderly, dignified English gentleman) who basically tells the viewers to take a hike, Monty Python style. The actor was sitting in a high wing-back leather chair in front of the fireplace. Props included a glass of wine, a pipe, walking stick, appropriate wardrobe, and hair & makeup. Good news: Almost no movement, since the actor remained seated throughout. Bad news: Gotta love all that dark woodwork -- worst-case scenario for video noise, especially in low-light.
We shot the video with the GH1 recording 1080p24, ISO 100, f4.0 @ 14mm on the wide shot, with the daylight preset WB. I had the cam's Film Mode/MyFilm set to Contrast 0, Sharpness -1, Sat. -1 & NR 0, but I don't know if I "should" have used other settings, since I haven't had time to test, yet. We recorded audio using a DVX100 & both my shotgun mic & a wireless mic, and slated every take with a clapboard. Everything went OK, but not surprisingly the footage is somewhat underexposed. My client will color-correct in FCS, and might use the RAW version of this digital still as a background plate and garbage-matte the actor into it. My client is very pleased with the footage.
If I can get permission, I'll try to post some of the footage somewhere/somehow.
Note to self: Get some fast prime lenses, or a relatively fast zoom lens, _stat_!
P1000121 cmp.jpg
EDIT: I've added a low-res frame grab from the HD video rough cut including the actor, props, etc. Not color corrected & not final subtitle fonts, etc.:
pompous snob grab-2.jpg
With all these 3rd party products, please note: "YMMV". ;-)
The $30 spare battery I bought seems to work fine in my new GH1 (firmwares: body 1.2, lens 1.1) & its charger. The battery is distributed by SterlingTEK. I bought it through Amazon.com, but you can buy it direct, too:
http://sterlingtek.com/bl13-panasonic-lumix-dmc-gh1-battery.html
I suspect this battery is also distributed by others. I don't know if this $23 one from BestBatt is actually the same item or not, but here's a link:
http://www.bestbatt.com/Panasonic_DMW_BLB13_Battery_p/bbblb13.htm
The Fujifilm 4GB Class 6 SDHC cards I bought from Amazon also seem to be working fine, as is a Kingston 8GB Class 6 SDHC card I bought a few months ago. I formatted them in the camera before use. Haven't done a huge amount of shooting with them yet (although I did shoot with the Kingston card during a shoot all day Sat.; more on this later), so again: YMMV.
The HOSA GMP467 3.5mm (F) to 2.5mm (M) Right Angle audio adapter plug I bought from Amazon (actually sourced via J&R) fits into the GH1's mic jack perfectly. I also did some brief tests using it together with a Cables Unltd. AUD-3010 3.5mm stereo to dual mono audio splitter "Y" adapter. For example, this lets me connect 2 mics to my GH1, 1 in each channel. Of course, the audio quality isn't what I consider pro quality, the AGC is always doing its thing, and you can't monitor what's being recorded during a take, but it may come in handy in certain situations.
Side note: The SoundDevices MixPre portable mixer I've had for years is invaluable as a Swiss-Army audio I/O & headphone amp for testing this sort of configuration. The MixPre has very quiet & clean sound, and lots of I/O connectors for such a small unit. The MixPre can't fix the GH1's audio inconveniences, but still very useful.
Since I don't have a Intel-based Mac yet (note to Apple: Hurry up with getting those new MacBook Pros out the door, please!) and new FCS, I don't have a means of editing my AVCHD footage yet.
Which gets me to the shoot I did this past weekend.
Out of the blue, a client with whom I've worked with previously, contacted me last Friday about doing a spec shoot the next day, Sat. (Long story about the last-minute arrangements, but these things happen.) The location was indoors and primarily lit via indirect-daylight through large windows. The location had minimal electrical power available, and there was no budget for renting high-efficiency lighting or a quiet generator.
I was a bit reluctant, given my few hours of hands-on experience with the GH1 and the "slow" (f4-f5.6) kit lens, but my client was up for using it. To avoid blowing a fuse, we limited ourselves to setting up only one of my 650-w. halogen fresnel lights bashing through a 24"x32" silk for diffusion, and we turned the room's incandescent ceiling lights on (they had big "soft" antique milk-glass globes). To avoid cutting the light from the fresnel, we didn't use a CC gel since the dim warm color looked appropriate on the fill side of the actor's face.
Attached is a digital still (_not_ a frame grab from the video) showing the wide master shot. This is a Mens Teacher's Lounge at Reed College here in Portland. The commercial was (intentionally) funny and featured an professional actor (playing the part of a elderly, dignified English gentleman) who basically tells the viewers to take a hike, Monty Python style. The actor was sitting in a high wing-back leather chair in front of the fireplace. Props included a glass of wine, a pipe, walking stick, appropriate wardrobe, and hair & makeup. Good news: Almost no movement, since the actor remained seated throughout. Bad news: Gotta love all that dark woodwork -- worst-case scenario for video noise, especially in low-light.
We shot the video with the GH1 recording 1080p24, ISO 100, f4.0 @ 14mm on the wide shot, with the daylight preset WB. I had the cam's Film Mode/MyFilm set to Contrast 0, Sharpness -1, Sat. -1 & NR 0, but I don't know if I "should" have used other settings, since I haven't had time to test, yet. We recorded audio using a DVX100 & both my shotgun mic & a wireless mic, and slated every take with a clapboard. Everything went OK, but not surprisingly the footage is somewhat underexposed. My client will color-correct in FCS, and might use the RAW version of this digital still as a background plate and garbage-matte the actor into it. My client is very pleased with the footage.
If I can get permission, I'll try to post some of the footage somewhere/somehow.
Note to self: Get some fast prime lenses, or a relatively fast zoom lens, _stat_!
P1000121 cmp.jpg
EDIT: I've added a low-res frame grab from the HD video rough cut including the actor, props, etc. Not color corrected & not final subtitle fonts, etc.:
pompous snob grab-2.jpg
Attachments
Last edited: