Pros and Cons -- GH1 vs Canon 7d

Eatsnax

Eatsnax

Well-known member
I've been looking around to see if there are any lists that show the comparisons in terms of whats good and bad of both products but I haven't been able to find any. Anyone here can shed some light on this?

Mike
 
I think it's more or less the same pros and cons as in the 5D comparison thread, except that the 7D doesn't quite have the advantage in image quality over the GH1 that the 5D does, and so considering this is the only advantage the 5D has over the GH1 you should only buy the 7D if:

- You want to use your existing EFS lenses
- You need 24p and 60p

For everything else, the 5D has the better image and the GH1 has the better form & function.

There is however one situation where the 5D should be avoided at all costs: when you're mixing footage with other cameras. The 30p output of the 5D is not true 30p so this causes a bit of hassle in the editing software when combining with footage from other cameras.
 
commanderspike said:
The 30p output of the 5D is not true 30p so this causes a bit of hassle in the editing software when combining with footage from other cameras.
Click to expand...

I'd say that the 30fps from the 5D are as true as it can get. The solution is to reinterpret footage framerates which is fairly easy. The hassle starts when you want to get 24 or 25fps out of those 30. Getting 29.97 out of those 30 is easy.
 
5D 30p converted to 24p image is nowhere near as lovely as the 7D 24p footage. Not to mention the hours wasted converting 30p to another framerate in the first place.

GH1

Pros: Articulated LCD, EVF, mirror-less system allows for more lens compatibility, AF if you need it in a run n gun situation or maybe you're just lazy one day and shooting the family.

Cons: Higher ISOs are nowhere near as clean as 5D or 7D footage.

Codec. I've used all 3 and I don't care what anyone says the gh1 codec is not as efficient. It's good enough in most situations, but you need to nail most of the image in the camera. This could be seen as a pro in some ways, since you need to be more disciplined in terms of shooting. You can still colour correct it, but it's more along the lines of tweaking rather than doing hardcore stylized stuff. You can get stylistic with magic bullet looks and whatever, but it introduces artifacts in certain situations. The gh1 loves high contrast situations like the Blade Runner video, so don't go shooting in dimly lit rooms. Not that I advise doing that with any camera, but it's nice with the 5D or 7D that if you need to shoot in a worst case scenario the footage still looks quite good.

Need to remove a pulldown from the 24p footage. Not horribly cumbersome, but an additional step to 24p footage nonetheless.

No live Video Out for an external monitor. Again not the end of the world, but it's an issue nonetheless.

7D

Pros
NTSC/PAL Switchable, so you've got way more frame rates than any other DLSR out there right now.

Live Video Out

Terrific 24p without any conversions or pulldown removal.

High ISO and Lowlight performance is very good.

Cons

No Articulated LCD, no EVF. Not having an EVF is solved with a hoodloupe or something of the sort, but no articulated LCD can be a pain. Just pretend you're Orson Welles and figure out the most creative way to get what you need and remember since the 7D has a live video feed you can connect an external monitor and your worries of not getting the most extreme dutch angle ever seen in the history of man goes away. So it's not the worst thing in world. Just not as convenient.

Using a mirror cuts down on lens adaptability.

Obviously there's more pros and cons, but I'm being lazy at work and need to do real work.

and as always content is king and the camera is only as good as the person holding it.
 
Last edited:
filmbuff81 said:
5D 30p converted to 24p image is nowhere near as lovely as the 7D 24p footage.
Click to expand...

I totally disagree on that point. The 5D has the better image, period. 7D is very nice as is GH1 but let's get the facts straight here. 24p is no compensation for a full frame sensor, increased dynamic range, flawless colour and an ultra clean image.

Back on subject, if I were to choose between the GH1 and 7D and for whatever reason didn't want to go with the 5D, I'd choose the GH1 any day. It's such a nice camera to use and great footage can be had from it. It's kit lens is amazing for the money. The cons for me are it's crop factor can be a pain with the nice trad SLR lenses (aka Zeiss, etc.), it's codec is a pain (sometimes), and detail levels plummet in low contrast scenes or those effected by mud (i.e. trees and foliage).

But really, unless you wanna sell the 7D in two months time, I'd wait to see what's around the corner in 2010 before purchasing anything at this point. We're at a turning point and it's foolish to make any long standing commitment to any one camera just right now.
 
pailes said:
I'd say that the 30fps from the 5D are as true as it can get. The solution is to reinterpret footage framerates which is fairly easy. The hassle starts when you want to get 24 or 25fps out of those 30. Getting 29.97 out of those 30 is easy.
Click to expand...

Yes it's true 30p in the sense that it's 30p... exactly. What I meant to say was that it's not a recognised video format and no other cameras apart from the 500D shoot at that frame rate. It's an extra hassle I'd rather not have but thankfully I don't plan to mix 5D footage with anything else. I only want to keep either the GH1 OR the 5D and not any others.
 
I think you may have misinterpreted what filmbuff81 was saying -- he's saying that if you want 24p, using a 5D and converting its 30p to 24p is not going to yield a final product that looks as good as native 24p from the 7D, once various motion artifacts etc. are taken into account.
 
Barry_Green said:
I think you may have misinterpreted what filmbuff81 was saying -- he's saying that if you want 24p, using a 5D and converting its 30p to 24p is not going to yield a final product that looks as good as native 24p from the 7D, once various motion artifacts etc. are taken into account.
Click to expand...

That was the crux of my point Barry, gracias.

Also Commanderspike, I can use the same argument about the 7D sensor compared to the GH1 sensor.

The 7D has a larger sensor, not full frame, but still larger than the GH1 and therefore has better DR. Also the 7D reproduces colours quite nicely and has an extremely clean image.

I would also like to reiterate that I also said content is king, so I think that as long as you focus more on the story than which of the cameras you're going to use then you'll be fine. Obviously it helps to know the shortcomings of each one, but people who shoot with a GH1 love the experience and the images they are getting, people who shoot with the 5D obviously love the camera despite some shortcomings, and then there's the 7D which people are having fun with already.

The only reason to hold off on buying a camera right now, would be if you don't have plans to shoot anything in the coming months. But if you're someone who likes to shoot constantly and experiment then pick up a camera now play with it, see what you don't like or do like and then take it from there.

I picked up a 5D2 played with it, used it for some gigs, sold it for 200 bucks less than what I bought it for and took the money from the gigs I made and bought a 7D for far less than the retail price.
 
Last edited:
It's still a bit biased toward the 7D though :) 30p versus 24p point aside. Yeah 24p footage from the 7D is lovely, but 30p from the 5D is lovelier still.

With all due respect, I don't think there can be any doubt over which camera has the best specified image. It goes:

5D
7D
GH1

In that order from best to worst. The question is - 7D or GH1? That's complex. But why not GH1 or 5D? That's less complex. You jump two steps up the ladder for your usability sacrifice instead of one.
 
Have you had a chance to use a 7D yet or basing the opinion solely on the footage seen online? The 7D and 5D Images are very similar when looking at original files.

So I don't think the argument is as simple as your list above. Especially if you consider jello on the 5D2 is horrendous compared to the 7D and GH1.

Quantifying what people perceive as the best image is pretty subjective in some regards.

Plenty of people in this section will argue to you that despite some codec flaws(in certain situations), the gh1 has one of the most pleasing images around, more so than the 5D or the 7D.
 
Last edited:
commanderspike said:
let's get the facts straight here. 24p is no compensation for a full frame sensor, increased dynamic range, flawless colour and an ultra clean image.
Click to expand...

Please stop stating opinions as facts.
I'm not disagreeing with you - but to come into threads and lay out your opinion about things that are completely subjective, such as the importance of a given framerate, can create a lot of confusion for members who may not have much experience with these cameras.
 
Yeah it comes down to personal opinion, but only so far as reality :)

The 5D's sensor is capable of greater things compared to 7D on paper (look at the specs guys) and reality (I use both the GH1 and 5D - 5D has better IQ). That's not misleading to say. You can have as much or as little DOF as you like. Better low light shooting capabilities. No crop factor. Sometimes I even like a bit of mild vingetting on the image. The Zeiss Distagon 28mm looks mega on the 5D with mild fall off towards the edge of the frame. I own both the 5D and GH1 and jello isn't that much more severe on the 5D. Neither jello or mud on whip pans is ideal, both cameras have their issues. But the peak performance of the 5D is quite a way above the GH1 and 7D. I don't think the GH1 has the most pleasing image around on a frame by frame basis but there is something to be said for true 24p AVCHD over the Canon's 30p, I admit.

It's just that the benefits of the 5D outweigh this, and the 7D is no revolution.

Choose the 5D over the 7D. That's my opinion. Am I still allowed to express it?
 
The poster is asking about the GH1 vs 7D though. Granted when talking about the 7D the 5D will slip into the conversation, but I'm thinking that the OP has no interest in the 5D otherwise they would have said Gh1 vs 7D/5D.

Too much identity and ego gets wrapped up in the camera someone uses at times I think, when in fact it's your own talent and ability that will make the image sing.
 
filmbuff81 said:
The poster is asking about the GH1 vs 7D though. Granted when talking about the 7D the 5D will slip into the conversation, but I'm thinking that the OP has no interest in the 5D otherwise they would have said Gh1 vs 7D/5D.

Too much identity and ego gets wrapped up in the camera someone uses at times I think, when in fact it's your own talent and ability that will make the image sing.
Click to expand...

Well my opinion is clear and I respect your views, so let's move on :)
 
By that assumption the poster should wait until the Red Monstro(or whatever it's called) comes out and he can have the biggest sensor known to man.
 
filmbuff81 said:
By that assumption the poster should wait until the Red Monstro(or whatever it's called) comes out and he can have the biggest sensor known to man.
Click to expand...

Arghhh. Okay, why do I always seem to get drawn into these arguments. I am just trying to help the OP. Things I wanna clarify...

- Talent doesn't come into camera purchasing decisions. No point mentioning things like 'talent is what matters'. It's obvious that it does. It has no bearing on the tech side.

- Performance is always a compromise versus cost. I don't assume the OP would like to go for the non-existing Monstro. I just think for a small price difference he could get the 5D and get a better image.

- All are great cameras
 
commanderspike said:
I am not trying to confuse the facts by muddying the waters with personal opinions, but c'mon - I haven't lied to anyone. A full frame sensor when 35mm slr lenses is 'better' on paper than the sensor in the 7D.
Click to expand...

"Better" is always defined by context.
So I guess its better for your purposes - but it may not be so for most.
And that is my point - once the word 'better' comes into play, most of the time it's an opinion that is being expressed - not a fact.
 
Couldn't you also use cine lenses on a 7D? I read somewhere there's an option to lock the mirror up buried in the menus. Probably a question better off in it's own thread.

This is simply conjecture obviously, but if the proper adapter was made, would it theoretically be possible?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top