OMG... this... is... WOW. I can just see all the people out there with far more expensive offerings just shaking their heads right now in disbelief. It is a fine day to be a GH2 owner!!! This test would have been unreal if Phil still had a red to add the real "bar" by which the rest of the cameras could be judged. Really too bad that all happened. There really is NO doubt, the hacked GH2 will go head to head with cameras 10k +. If you are into video at all, it's almost a crime not to own this camera.
GH2 Philip Bloom Christmas Shootout
- Thread starter Boon
- Start date
roei z
Veteran
Hearing it from you ?A serious cause for celebration
stoneinapond
Veteran
J Davis
Veteran
lol @ earlier comment, IMO gh2 only beats them all if its pixel / dollar
If cost is not in the equation then f3 slog and c300 are clear winners to my eye!
But we all value different things.
@Peter, wow $630 is quite a bargain price. The body only version wasn't available when I bought last month. My cam was actually $750 with tax - but I sold the 14-40 kit lens to get it down to $650
If cost is not in the equation then f3 slog and c300 are clear winners to my eye!
But we all value different things.
@Peter, wow $630 is quite a bargain price. The body only version wasn't available when I bought last month. My cam was actually $750 with tax - but I sold the 14-40 kit lens to get it down to $650
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Ryan Farnes
Well-known member
A hacked GH2 is a superb camera, primarily due to its affordability. I'm glad people don't belittle others much if at all here. I do sometimes raise my eyebrows when someone like Andrew Reid says it resolved detail better than an F3, but whatever, its a close call. There is certainly some passion for the camera from time to time. The good thing is, the GH2 can stand on its own and is widely available. Its not premised on some high end $50000 camera that we think it will emulate.
One thing that is nice is that the "noise to substance" ratio here is lower than the aforementioned forum.
Hawk Teflon
Veteran
I'm not a GH2User (T2iUser here), but the more I hear about it, the more I'm liking it. Very nice.
Here's another 550D user who's about to jump on a GH2. Just have to think about my shopping list, and in what order to buy.
GH2
Mid-range Glide-Cam stabiliser
GTX580 card as a GPU with Avid / Sorrenson / DaVinci.
Can't afford all together, so probably the Glide-Cam which I can use with my 550D for shots of my current film.
Then the GH2
Finally the GTX580
Just have to be patient
GH2
Mid-range Glide-Cam stabiliser
GTX580 card as a GPU with Avid / Sorrenson / DaVinci.
Can't afford all together, so probably the Glide-Cam which I can use with my 550D for shots of my current film.
Then the GH2
Finally the GTX580
Just have to be patient
Hearing it from you ?A serious cause for celebration
I appreciate the thought. GH2 hits a lot of buttons. The deciding factor for me is the ability to use both my fast 16mm zooms in ETC mode and a set of Minolta MD Rokkor primes for 35mm that are still in the camera cabinet. The easy adaptability of this camera is a real plus.
roei z
Veteran
waiting for a 16mm taste...
If you haven't seen it, there's a lot of Zeiss S16 + GH2 stuff here: http://vimeo.com/33858689
Honestly, I am trying very hard ... very very hard, to find a way to justify shooting this entire feature out on S16mm lenses. ETC mode is really awesome, but to get it as clean as Non ETC mode you have to shoot 160-200ISO. But man, you have to just kind of calculate what we're talking about here:
. Zeiss Super 16mm Superspeed Set: 10-100/2, 5.9/2, 8/1.3, 9.8/2.4, 12/1.3, 16/1/3, 25/1.3 (requires shooting in ETC mode, which most of my footage has been from)
-- Downside to this is having to shoot in ETC, which is still pretty awesome looking on a massive screen (2K projector), but sometimes the noise can be overbearing.
-- The 5.9mm (which should equal about an 15mmish with ETC mode) is nice and wide, but with no focus ring (at all) it will be hard to use.
-- Upside? 10-100/2 Zoom? Technically wouldn't need another lens. But when I do, the others are swift and sharp.
-- Incredibly awesome vintage look out of the box. Swear it screams S16 when I look at it and just watch it all come together with color adjustments etc.
. Zeiss Standard Speed T2.1 Set: 16, 20, 28, 32, 40, 85 (all T2.1, which should be equal to F1.3)
-- 28mm Blooms wide open but is good at about 2.8 and on.-
-- No zoom, switching lenses means losing time, especially without an AC present.
-- Slow for exterior night work.
ETC mode = 2.4x Sensor Output but a straight up 1920x1080, and you can see the resolution is there. It's insane. So 2.4 X 5.9/T2 = 15mm ish with S16 DOF. Versus a 1.86 (although I think Gh2 in video mode might be like 1.7ish) x 16mm = 28ish FOV.
It's more about the speed (for me) and then the wide angle. Not to mention the S16s have sick close focus ranges (although the T2.1's are pretty awesome, too) and distortion control is pretty nice.
I've posted this a few times now but I really hope Quantum V6's noise patterns are an improvement over the already sick V2. It seems like the gains trickle down to ETC mode
Those are my two options right now, well that and possibly two Olympic Zooms depending on if I can score them or not. Those would be great: 14-34/2 and a 35-100/2, just the focus throw on the 35-100 is crazy, it's a loud lens and it's bulky. Still... images look quite nice.
Honestly, I am trying very hard ... very very hard, to find a way to justify shooting this entire feature out on S16mm lenses. ETC mode is really awesome, but to get it as clean as Non ETC mode you have to shoot 160-200ISO. But man, you have to just kind of calculate what we're talking about here:
. Zeiss Super 16mm Superspeed Set: 10-100/2, 5.9/2, 8/1.3, 9.8/2.4, 12/1.3, 16/1/3, 25/1.3 (requires shooting in ETC mode, which most of my footage has been from)
-- Downside to this is having to shoot in ETC, which is still pretty awesome looking on a massive screen (2K projector), but sometimes the noise can be overbearing.
-- The 5.9mm (which should equal about an 15mmish with ETC mode) is nice and wide, but with no focus ring (at all) it will be hard to use.
-- Upside? 10-100/2 Zoom? Technically wouldn't need another lens. But when I do, the others are swift and sharp.
-- Incredibly awesome vintage look out of the box. Swear it screams S16 when I look at it and just watch it all come together with color adjustments etc.
. Zeiss Standard Speed T2.1 Set: 16, 20, 28, 32, 40, 85 (all T2.1, which should be equal to F1.3)
-- 28mm Blooms wide open but is good at about 2.8 and on.-
-- No zoom, switching lenses means losing time, especially without an AC present.
-- Slow for exterior night work.
ETC mode = 2.4x Sensor Output but a straight up 1920x1080, and you can see the resolution is there. It's insane. So 2.4 X 5.9/T2 = 15mm ish with S16 DOF. Versus a 1.86 (although I think Gh2 in video mode might be like 1.7ish) x 16mm = 28ish FOV.
It's more about the speed (for me) and then the wide angle. Not to mention the S16s have sick close focus ranges (although the T2.1's are pretty awesome, too) and distortion control is pretty nice.
I've posted this a few times now but I really hope Quantum V6's noise patterns are an improvement over the already sick V2. It seems like the gains trickle down to ETC mode
Those are my two options right now, well that and possibly two Olympic Zooms depending on if I can score them or not. Those would be great: 14-34/2 and a 35-100/2, just the focus throw on the 35-100 is crazy, it's a loud lens and it's bulky. Still... images look quite nice.
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bgundu
Veteran
The GH2 is an amazing camera but I still would prefer to shoot a feature with the AF100. In fact I used both recently in India, and used the GH2 in areas where it was too sensitive to shoot with the larger camera. Essentially I discovered, the lowlight capabilities, skew, audio, ND, waveform, and ergonomics were too important. Mind you, it was gorilla style. Perhaps in a controlled environment, the GH2 is cool. Of course, if you have a limited budget, the GH2 is a no brainer. Here's a teaser of the feature I DP'd:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?270611-Feature-Film-shot-in-India
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?270611-Feature-Film-shot-in-India
bgundu
Veteran
Erik Naso
Veteran
I wouldn't go that far. Yes the GH2 is a great camera. I have both and wouldn't trade in the AF-100 for a GH2. 2 XLR inputs and head phone jack, over and under cranking, built in ND. All good reasons. The AF-100 is still the best camera for the money, and I feel the GH2 is as well.
True enough, but it's a bit more complicated. Most indie folks don't buy just the GH2 - like all DSLRs, it's too limited for video. So you must spend a bit more $ to bring it up to speed. That's where you start chipping away at the AF100 advantages. Take the ND filters - spend a few bucks and get the Heliopan... not quite as convenient as built-in, but it does level the field. The XLR inputs and headphone jack - not really relevant if you do separate sound not to camera... which you should anyway if you want quality audio, good external recorder, mixer, mic. You gotta also spring for some kind of monitor, maybe a SmallHD. You'll never get the GH2 to be equal to the AF100, but it'll be close enough, and still well under $3K. Plus because it's modular, you have more flexibility. So I would say, it's getting harder and harder to justify an AF100 if you are on a super tight budget and literally every dollar counts. I think the GH2 is a tremendous competitor.