Panasonic GH1 or Canon 550d/T2i

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pmk396

Well-known member
Hi all,
I'm new to the whole filmmaking community with DSLR (or similar) and I have been researching, for sometime now, about buying a good HD DSLR or Micro 4 3rds camera solely for the purpose of video making/filmmaking.
After long researching, I more or less had my mind made up and planned to buy a GH1 over the next few weeks. However, I recently discovered that Canon have just brought out the 550d/Rebel T2i which boasts the same video quality as the Canon 7d. Now I can't make my mind up as to which to get; the GH1 or the 550d/T2i??

The type of films I plan to shoot would have some action oriented scenes as well as some scenes shot in low light (outdoors at night).

I have weighed up the pros and cons for the GH1 against the 550d (which I could be wrong about) as follows:
Pros:
1) The GH1 has had a lot of good reviews and recommended by many while the 550d is only on the market about one month.
2) The GH1 is smaller and more compact.
3) GH1 footage looks at lot more cinematic.
Cons:
1) The 550d is bettter than the GH1 in low light.
2) Question of GH1 losing quality when shooting fast moving objects (essential for an action scene)????
3) The 550d is about €400 - €600 cheaper than the GH1 (in Ireland)

As well as that, how essential is auto focus when fiming?? Would manual focus be better??

I would have gone for the GH1 but the big thing for me is low light shots and shooting action scenes......... can the GH1 still deliver? And then of course there is the price difference........

Can anyone help me make my decision??
 
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Hi Sean,
Thanks for the reply. I was reading that thread and I still can't make my mind up. For my needs in filiming, that's where I can't decide on which would be better.

I see from the article that 550d is better in low light but other than that would the GH1 be better............. I just can't decide.
 
Thanks for the reply Thomas,
I checked some of that blog out and the GH1 looks good. I've seen some great GH1 footage between vimeo and youtube. I'd say my problem is that if only there was more footage of the 550d on these websites so I'd be able to compare the two more accurately.
 
The 550d is cheaper but that's because the GH1 comes with an $800 kit lens that is worth every penny. Add in some cheap Nikon primes and you're done.

I really think it's the better video camera.
 
pmk396 said:
Hi Sean,
Thanks for the reply. I was reading that thread and I still can't make my mind up. For my needs in filiming, that's where I can't decide on which would be better.

I see from the article that 550d is better in low light but other than that would the GH1 be better............. I just can't decide.
Click to expand...



GH1 on the street available light. Nikon 50mm f/1.4, 1/50 shutter, ISO 800, and lost about half a stop in post during color grading (wanted a bit more contrast.)

Some cool footage from 3 popular cameras, the GH1, the 5D mk II, and the HVX-200 (letus extreme.) All cut together. My favorite GH1 shots are the train track rack focus, the shot down the cliff with slow motion water, and (near the end worth watching for or scrubbing to) the slider shot with a rack focus of some rocks. The first two shots there were done with the kit lens...all cameras and lenses are labeled. The GH1 stuff was shot 720p for a few reasons but would have probably looked even better in 1080p.

 
I really think it's the better video camera.[/quote]


Thanks for the reply Ben,
When you say you think it's the better video camera, I'm guessing you are talking about the GH1?
 
One very important point for me is the LCD can flip flap! Low angle shots with Canon are a pain in the ....s ! (High angles also blind)
 
JanvdM said:
One very important point for me is the LCD can flip flap! Low angle shots with Canon are a pain in the ....s ! (High angles also blind)
Click to expand...

Forget low angles! Even the standard chest high tripod setup is a pain in the ass!
 
Help....... I'm still undecided.
Thanks for all your replies.
I was kinda leaning towards getting the GH1 becuase most of my research says that it was made purposely for video so it'd be a better video camera than the T2i. Now I'm hearing that the codec in the GH1 is weak or isn't that good either......and then there's the prices issue again.
Such a hard decision.........
 
I shoot mitzvahs and weddings with it for artsy b-roll and have to say I've never experienced a codec issue. And the parties have a viewfinder fully of fast moving dancers. So no worries on the codec in 720p60.
 
They'll be debates back and forth over who has the better 1080 24p mode since in the GH1's favor theirs higher resolution and I believe less moire and aliasing but in the T2i's favor, their is no pull-down to be removed and if you pan too fast, you'll notice the codec hold up more.

As for the 720 60p mode, I haven't read any comments from people saying the T2i's is better. It's usually people saying the GH1's is far better. Basically the choice is a little easier if your mostly concerned with 720 60p because from all I've read and seen, it's no contest at all.
 
Thanks for the replies guys,
I seem to be getting a bit more positive remarks for the GH1. Seeing that I am new to all of this though, I still don't fully understand what people mean when they say about "moire", "aliasing" and "pulldown".......... I'll do a bit more research but I reckon that I'll just bite the bullet and get a GH1.
 
Yes, you need to understand these things to make an informed decision. Moire and aliasing are problems that can be seen easily and there isn't much you can do about it. The canons have more moire and aliasing but it's still present in the GH1 too, just not nearly to the same degree. The pulldown thing is considered an annoyance but is easily dealt with by doing batch conversions and stuff.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with any of these cameras these days. You just have to learn how to use it. Through my testing, I've not really seen too much of the codec "mud" even with moderate action.

I wouldn't bother with stock lenses though. You are going to want a selection of lenses for different situations. I had some Nikkor primes so I got a GH1 body for 700$ and an adapter for something like 30$. Between my 3 main primes (28mm/50mm/100mm) I can pretty much shoot anything I want. Just make sure you get the fastest lenses you can afford.
 
Hi guys,
I appreciate all the replies. I have done my research on various terminology in relation to cameras like "aliasing", "moire" and "banding", etc. However, and please excuse my nativity as I'm new to all this, but what exactly does "codec mud" mean? I've tried googling it and can't seem to find an explanation or an example. Would appreciated help, thanks.
 
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