This is quick and dirty, temporary, and by no means definitive. This is just a stop gap until we can put together something more official.
NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS BASED LARGELY ON SECOND HAND EXPERIENCE, CONJECTURE, AND WILDY HELD OPINION. IT CAN ALL CHANGE TOMORROW AND MAY BE INACCURATE. NO ONE HAS CONDUCTED CONTROLLED TESTS WITH THIS BRAND SPANKIN' NEW CAMERA - YET.
AS YOU HAVE MORE POST THEM HERE. I'LL ADD YOUR QUESTIONS HERE TO THE ABOVE LIST.
NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS BASED LARGELY ON SECOND HAND EXPERIENCE, CONJECTURE, AND WILDY HELD OPINION. IT CAN ALL CHANGE TOMORROW AND MAY BE INACCURATE. NO ONE HAS CONDUCTED CONTROLLED TESTS WITH THIS BRAND SPANKIN' NEW CAMERA - YET.
- Can you buypass the AVCHD codec by recording out HDMI?
No. - Can you live monitor out via HDMI or any Composite Output?
No. - Can you playback via HDMI or Composite?
Yes. - What are the frame rates / modes the camera shoots in?
1080 24p AVCHD
720 60p AVCHD
720 30p MJPEG - Can I put my old manual lenses on it?
Yes with adapters. See this DVXuser thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?p=1638227#post1638227
The GH1 is micro 4/3rds camera. Panasonic sells a 4/3rds to micro 4/3rds adapter. Then you have to get another adapter to connect your lens to the 4/3rds adapter. You can get these type of adapters on the panny website or here:
http://cameraquest.com/adp_micro_43.htm
ALTERNATELY you can get adapters that go straight from your old lens to Micro 4/3rds on EBAY. Nikon direct to micro 4/3 (and maybe Canons?) seem to only be available outside the USA right now so expect a bit longer shipping. - What kind of Media / Cards do I need? SDHC Class 4 or 6. Don't buy into the hype and spend twice the money on something you don't need. If you format the card properly / don't have footage from different cameras on it already, it will be plenty fast. If you want faster download times when dumping to your computer then you can spring for the more expensive cards. But you don't need them to record to.
We have reports of working with Class IV no problem. I picked the middle ground and use Class VI though it appears this may not be necessary. You def. don't nee the super expensive extreme cards regardless of what the salesperson says, unless, again, you want lighting fast download times. - Can I record Audio to the Camera?
Yes and no. Yes you can. No you shouldn't. Right now there's no way to disable the audio gain, so when things get quiet the sound will ramp up with a hiss. Most folks are looking at the Zoom H4N ($300 - $350) a small portable recorder whose capabilities blow away any in camera audio recording, DVX to Red. You can get the Zoom H4 for about $100 cheaper it also has phantom power, and may be easier to camera mount with less handling noise (link) and still has better audio than any video camera - Mino Flip up to the Red. Preamps and other features are better and more numerous with teh H4N
Also there's the Beachtek DXA 5D. It's designed for the Canon 5D MARK II which has the same audio problem, comes with nice XLR inputs and VU meters and solves the problem by emitting an inaudible high pitch toned that tricks the auto gain of the camera into a constant level.
UPDATE:
- What does this camera do that other DSLR's don't?
Cost half as much.
1080 24p
Auto focus in video mode.
It has a quite lens so it won't mess up your audio as it adjusts.
Virtually no jello or skew in 1080 24p less in 720 60p and less in 720 30p. - What's the downside of this camera?
While it's too early to make any definitive conclusions there appears to be a problem of "Mud", macro blocking, during medium speed pans with high detail in the 1080 24p AVCHD mode. The issue seems to be apparant as well in the 720 60p AVCHD mode, though to a lesser degree. In 720 30p MJPEG however, it's non existent One workflow to consider would be as follows:
Shoot 1080 24p for your wow resolution moments
Shoot 720 60p for sequences with more movement
Shoot 720 30p if you're having a problem with mud or macro blocking.
Conform the non 24p stuff to 24p in post, throw on a 24p timeline of either 720 or 1080, mix well, enjoy.*
*Some have suggeste that conforming frame rates in post is not so simple and can be in inconsisent science, especially going from 30p to 24p. 60p to 24p may be more consistent. But Mark II people have been shooting and conforming 30p to 24 for a while.
**UPDATE:60p can be conformed to 24p near perfectly, though painstakingly via compressor. 30p to 24 is another story. Some stutter will likely be visible with 30-24. This will be more noticeable when filmming a smooth moving subject like a car or a hockey puck and varying degrees of less noticeable when filmming a more erratic subject. - How do I remove pulldown in post?
Look for Isaac Brody's stickies in the workflow section. - Where can I download a PDF copy of the User Manual for the GH1?
Enter "DMCGH1K" for the model number:
http://dlc.panasonic-europe-service.com/EUDocs/
- Does the GH1 have a maximum AVCHD video clip length?
Yes and no. GH1 cameras sold in EU countries are limited to a maximum AVCHD video clip recording length of 30 minutes. GH1 cameras sold everywhere else are limited only by the SDHC memory card capacity; e.g.: can record for hours at a time on AC power or until the battery goes dead.
The Gh1's MJPEG recordings are limited to 2GB (see p.107 in the GH1 user manual).
Caution: According to the GH1 user manual (p.25), a power failure during recording will prevent the current clip from being saved. - Where does Panasonic post firmware, software, & documentation updates and tips & tricks for the GH1?
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/index.html
AS YOU HAVE MORE POST THEM HERE. I'LL ADD YOUR QUESTIONS HERE TO THE ABOVE LIST.
