GH1 Thinking of buying it

PJF said:
20mm on the GH1 is roughly equivalent to 40mm on a 135 film stills camera (e.g. traditional 35mm SLR), or on a full-frame digicam. The 4/3rds sensor is approx half the area of full-frame (or 135 film), so simply double the focal length when thinking of the equivalent lens for the same field of view on full-frame.

The Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 is a very good all round prime lens in terms of focal length and light gathering; it's a fast, wide-standard. The GH1 is software matched with it to correct for some distortion and false colour (including in video mode) so images will be sharp. It is very small and light, and so is ideal for travel. It's an electronic lens, so manual focus and manual aperture control inputs are indirect (the latter via the camera). The focus motor is not silent and may be picked up by the onboard microphone in quiet environments; it's also not the quickest AF.

If you can have only one lens to start with you might want to think about picking up the GH1 with the 14-140mm "kit" lens first. Its only real downside is that it's slow (f/4 - 5.8) so you'll struggle for light indoors and at night (more ISO so more noise), plus not so good for "bokeh". For outdoor work, though, it's brilliant. Focussing is fast and silent.

Lots to think about, so don't rush unless you have to.
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Hopefully someone can show a video capture of scenery using GH1 + 50mm. I wanted to see how it looks like since it's focal length will be 100mm based on a 2 crop ratio.
 
Got it. I've been watching videos of 20mm 1.7 in vimeo, it is very sharp.

Here is my new question. I have a Canon 50D DSLR camera that doesn't have a video capability. It does produce nice image. My lenses are Canon 70-200 F4L and Tamron 17-50 f2.8.

Would it be worth it to sell this Canon camera once I own a hacked Panasonic GH1? This way, I can save money. Does the GH1 support exposure bracketing?

Is this still true for a hacked GH1? http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EOS_60D-vs-Panasonic_Lumix_DMC-GH1

Also, why 20mm or why 50mm. The 20mm is like $380 while 50mm is $100.
 
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This is a fairly in-depth review of the standard GH1 that tells you a lot about its stills capability.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmcgh1/

If you're going to have a single camera, you need to decide which is your priority - stills or video. If stills win out then you are probably best off with a larger sensor digital SLR. If video, then definitely the GH1.
 
s1mpl3k1d said:
Also, why 20mm or why 50mm. The 20mm is like $380 while 50mm is $100.
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?? :shocked:

The $100 50mm will be a short telephoto on the GH1 (100mm equivalent on 135) and it'll be a second hand lens that mounts via an adaptor that doesn't give you any auto control (manual focus, manual aperture). Do you want a manual, short telephoto for your only lens?

The 20mm will be new with a warranty, and mount directly on the camera with electronic linkage that provides auto focus and aperture control (plus software corrections). It'll give a much wider field of view without perspective distortion. It is expensive (and doesn't feel like particularly good value when you hold it) but once that pain is over you own a fantastic little gem that some people regard as the micro four thirds lens to have.
 
s1mpl3k1d said:
Got it. I've been watching videos of 20mm 1.7 in vimeo, it is very sharp.

Here is my new question. I have a Canon 50D DSLR camera that doesn't have a video capability. It does produce nice image. My lenses are Canon 70-200 F4L and Tamron 17-50 f2.8.

Would it be worth it to sell this Canon camera once I own a hacked Panasonic GH1? This way, I can save money. Does the GH1 support exposure bracketing?

Is this still true for a hacked GH1? http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EOS_60D-vs-Panasonic_Lumix_DMC-GH1

Also, why 20mm or why 50mm. The 20mm is like $380 while 50mm is $100.
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As a former owner of both the GH1 and Canon 50D - I would not sell the 50D for a GH1 when it comes to still photography. If you primarily want it for video use and the occasional photo then of course it's a great deal, but if you really have a passion for photography the GH1 falls a bit short (it's competent, yes) If you want a camera that favors the still side a bit more, but also has video, I'd get a Canon 60D or a NIKON D7000. Or get the GH1 for video and KEEP the 50D if you're a PHOTOG.
 
Got it. I'm not worried about the telephoto capability since I have Panasonic TM700.

Glad I opened my TM700 few minutes ago to find out how wide it can capture. I think it's good enough. I'll go with the 50mm lens then to achieve shallow dof. But I need to know the ideal adapter for the Nikkor 50mm f1.8D.

I'll keep the Canon 50D then. Thanks!
 
s1mpl3k1d said:
Got it. I'm not worried about the telephoto capability since I have Panasonic TM700.

Glad I opened my TM700 few minutes ago to find out how wide it can capture. I think it's good enough. I'll go with the 50mm lens then to achieve shallow dof. But I need to know the ideal adapter for the Nikkor 50mm f1.8D.

I'll keep the Canon 50D then. Thanks!
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Are you talking about an adapter to fit the Nikon to a GH1 - Fotodiox makes one for $35. Or were you thinking about a 35mm/dof adapter for the TM700? There's a lot of different choices there...
 
pulpfiction007 said:
Are you talking about an adapter to fit the Nikon to a GH1 - Fotodiox makes one for $35. Or were you thinking about a 35mm/dof adapter for the TM700? There's a lot of different choices there...
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For the Nikon to GH1 adapter. I'll search for Fotodiox then. Thanks! :)
 
guys, I think I'm going to get a Canon FD 50mm 1.4 even if I don't have the GH1 camera yet. It's because a friend of my friend's friend is selling his for $80. It's no brainer right?! :)
 
Better to have a mix of legacy and m43 lenses. 20mm and 14-42mm are not crazy expensive. I recommend Nikkor 50mm 1.4 Ai-s as it mixes better with m43 lenses. Since 20mm isn't great for MF, Nikkor 28mm or 24mm 2.0 Ai-s will be useful. But not cheap. If money isn't issue, go for "V".
 
stonebat said:
Better to have a mix of legacy and m43 lenses. 20mm and 14-42mm are not crazy expensive. I recommend Nikkor 50mm 1.4 Ai-s as it mixes better with m43 lenses. Since 20mm isn't great for MF, Nikkor 28mm or 24mm 2.0 Ai-s will be useful. But not cheap. If money isn't issue, go for "V".
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hi stonebat,

I'll get the Canon 50mm 1.4 for now since I can get it $200 cheaper than on ebay. I fell in love with this video, http://vimeo.com/12961268, he used Canon 50mm 1.4.

Glad you mentioned about m43. I thought it was only an adapter. Can you please provide me links to some m43 lenses? Or can you please name the exact make and model and I will search for it.

Thanks.
 
The Canon 50mm 1.4 FD lens is now with me. Some cosmetic wear on outside but glass is excellent condition. :)

I should start monitoring GH1 on ebay! :)
 
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