Should I keep my 7D? Or maybe get a GH2? Other options?

J

Jose A. Garcia

New member
Well, first of all, hi everybody. This is my first post here but I've been a lurker for years. I've been following the forum since the old "red one's a scam" days and its threads helped me deciding my every step in this video world all this time.

Now let's go to the question.

I've had my 7D for more than a year now. It's a great camera, as you all know, and I love the image I get from it. It's just perfect for the kind of fiction projects I've been doing so far. Problem is that a couple of days ago I had my first bad surprise with it. I started working in the media section of a bass fishing company and I'm required to do documentary style nature shots for the most part. I thought my 7D was perfect to capture beautiful filmic shots, but when I came home and reviewed the clips, everything looked wrong. Let me explain:

I had many different shots filled with trees, leafs, branches, water, the fisherman I was shooting... It was a long shot, so almost everything was in focus. Usual settings, no in-camera sharpening, -2 color, -2 contrast... I was using a fantastic sharp 24-105 F4 L series Canon lens, pancake picture style to get a bit more to play with in post and I had to capture a slow motion action, so I switched to 720p60.

The results? Incredibly muddy and undetailed shots filled with compression artifacts and awful "here! look at me!!" moire on the parts where the branches happened to be horizontal. Also, the clips didn't take even the slightest processing in post without showing severe degradation.

It was the very first time I felt completely disappointed with my camera. Just a few days before I had used it to shoot a shortfilm getting fantastic detailed shots, beautiful skin tones and amazing cinematic DOF. It almost seemed like I used a completely different camera.

Now, I'm seriously considering changing my camera for this new job. I still want (and need) very cinematic images, but I also need a much higher bitrate to deal with very detailed and heavily populated shots. I've seen a hacked GH2 handling extreme detail without much problem. Heck, I've seen it standing face to face with a Red Epic with suprising results. Of course you can't really compare those two cams, but I have to say I didn't expect the GH2 to be that good.

Now, I'm a bit scared. The Lumix is smaller, feels cheaper and at first I know I may be disappointed with the clips until I get a good glass. That didn't happen with my 7D when I got it. It felt big and professional, and I could shot under any given situation. Everything looked fantastic and very cinematic.

What do you think? Am I going to really notice the difference? Are there other clear options within that price range?

What if I consider going a step further, save a bit more and get myself a Blackmagic Cinema Camera? The footage I've seen looks amazing and it's raw, so I don't have to worry about compression and color correction...

Thanks a lot.
 
so many people are happy with their canon DSLR, you sure you didn't do something wrong? The gh2 does have a higher image quality than canon DSLR and it doesn't have moire or anti aliasing problem. However, it's going to take some work for it to be use properly. I think if you have the budget for it go for the Black Magic camera. Black Magic have more dynamic range and it shoots raw with one of the best color grading software.
 
I have a 550D (T2i), and I'm currently debating between sticking with it for a few months more, or switching over to a nex-5N (cleaner image, better low light, 60p, takes all kinds of lenses); since last week, all this inner debate is on hold because of the possibility that a new canon entry-level (650D/T4i) could appear soon, with even cleaner image and better low light (but probably no 60p)
 
I'm surprised the bass fishing company you went to work for has you shoot with your own camera rather than broadcast cameras for their projects.
 
They both have great capabilities, if you can afford to get a gh2 while holding on to the 7d, you willl be better offf in the long run. I have both, and to tell you the truth, I don't even try to take stills with the gh2. I just dont like it for that. But for ultra crisp resolution, it really does destroy the canon. But the canon has that soft cinematic look so many love. Gosh, when are we gonna have just one cam does it all .
 
First of all, thanks for all the replies.

- Victor: as far as I can tell, I didn't do anything wrong. As I said, the shutter was ok, aperture was also right, focus, picture profile, ND fader (it's never given me any problem with sharpness). Everything was set up the way I normally shoot. I think it's just a matter of detail + less resolution (720p) + line skipping + heavy compression. That's why I'm considering changing it.

- Samuel: that's what you get with the 7D. Fantastic cinematic image and motion feeling, but it seems it fails when trying to deliver extra detail. Also it's the heaviest moire I've ever seen on one of my clips.

- David: The company's hiring me as a freelancer. They're starting, so they don't have much equipment.

- Maranfilms: I'd also like to keep the 7D if possible. It's a good idea. It's not the one perfect camera for everything but for what it does, it sure does much better than almost anything in that price range. What I don't know right now is this:

If I spend a little money on the GH2 (little less than $1,000) and some lenses, will I regret I didn't get the Blackmagic to have a proper cinema camera with real raw recording anytime soon?

I'm not sure. I think I'll save a bit more and get myself a Blackmagic.
 
if it's only going to be your second body, you can save a bit by switching from 7D to T2i
yes, the 7D has some extra stuff (better body, aperture wheel, 1080p hdmi-out while recording), but the recorded image is basically the same, and those extra bits may not be so important once you have a better body and use this one only as B cam
 
Jose A. Garcia said:
First of all, thanks for all the replies.

- David: The company's hiring me as a freelancer. They're starting, so they don't have much equipment.
.
Click to expand...

I have worked on a few Bass fishing TV shows which used freelance shooters, but they all had their own broadcast quality cameras. Is what you are shooting for TV or?
 
Yep, that sounds about right. Most of the canon offerings (if not all) are amazing for close ups but are amazingly useless for wide shots.

I would definitely recommend either a GH2 for the obvious reasons, or a proper camera to complement your 7D. Either way would enable you to capture good close ups and good wide shots.
 
David W. Jones said:
I have worked on a few Bass fishing TV shows which used freelance shooters, but they all had their own broadcast quality cameras. Is what you are shooting for TV or?
Click to expand...

As I said, they're starting. We're shooting for their webpage and youtube channel mostly. They have a few anglers, but they're concentrating on bait design and production for the most part, so we're also doing studio shots on which the 7D clips look fantastic, of course.

Will, thanks for your answer. That's definitely the way to go. I still have to decide if I go for the GH2 and leave bigger cameras for later or if I save a bit more and get myself a future proof combo with the blackmagic.
 
I have the GH1 (hacked) and GH2 (unhacked) and T3i and 7D. Anytime I want a deep focus shot, I'll go with the GH2 and GH1(3) before I use the Canon's. The difference in detail is just huge for deep focus shots.
 
I am looking for a new cam as well in a lower budget range. The T3i has taken the lead on my list for a couple of reasons-
1. The best highest res Articulating screen
2. Audio input level control
3. Perhaps the most important and truly overlooked feature- the "zoom" feature. At 3 x (2.7 actually) the footage is super sharp and alias free..as it is not a digital trick like the 10 x. At 3x it is merely using the center portion of the sensor. Camera labs posted a screen grab of a res chart at this 3 x( 2.7 actual) setting....looked like a photo!
4. I have a couple of used camera shops in town that have tons of great Canon lenses for great prices.
5. I shoot a lot of photos, so the GH2 is not on my list, although I got great results with my GH1....the ergonomics and EVF for photos are not my cup of tea.
 
well its no secret that the canons SUCK in 60p mode and for wideshots so you shouldn't be 2 surprised. And the Black magic camera is def not the tool for that job even if you wanted to get it. For cinematic results yes and RAW footage..but run and gun documentary stuff, I don't think so (not for me at least). if i were you and wanted the best of both worlds i'd get a hmc150 for that type stuff and then the blackmagic for cinematic results. However if you cant afford that, the gh2 is perfectly capable of cinematic results in the right hands and could probably do both jobs. But if you want proper sound maybe not.

I plan to hold on to my 7d till next year b4 considering upgrading. I'll still keep it but maybe relegate it to what it was made for...stills. I can still learn lot and squeeze out more from this camera...and with all this camera craziness going on i'd rather wait and see what happens.
 
The problem was the 720p. That produces horrific amounts of aliasing and moire, about 2.5x more than 1080p mode. You should minimize them by slightly focusing off and trying to get some shallow dof. Shooting 720p at below F4 is asking for trouble, especially from wideshots.
 
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