Using a GH1 for Interviews and Liners (Need Your Advice)

J

jaradc

Member
Hello All,

I work for a record company out of Nashville, TN and I'm looking to update my camera gear to produce high end artist interviews and artist liners, right now I am using an HV20. Initially I was looking for a camera that's relatively affordable and something that can provide outstanding HD video. Well anyway a few weeks ago I discovered the potential in DSLR's, and I'm now looking into purchasing one for the company. Aside from video, I would also like a DSLR to snap quality photos of artists with our managers and maybe some of our upcoming construction projects, and to hopefully use istockphoto less!

So I have a few questions. First off, is the GH1 what I am looking for? I know there is some heated discussion but is the 7D more bang for the buck than the GH1?

As far as memory cards for the GH1, what are the trusted brands. And how large are the raw video files? What should I look into for memory card sizes?

As a new user of DSLR's how do you "capture" the footage from the cards. Do they just show up as separate files in the memory card?

Sorry If any of my questions are repeats, or seem very basic. I'm fairly new at this art, but I have the urge to learn. Any help, or advice, would be greatly appreciated.

The sample videos I see on Vimeo are simply amazing, I can't imagine having that video quality to work with!

:dankk2:
 
I think the GH1 is perfect for what you want to use it for.

Just watch out for AVCHD files. You need the right editing software. On a Mac, use Final Cut Pro or even iMovie. On Windows, Premiere, I guess. But the files need to be 'transcoded' at the moment... you cannot just drag and drop the footage onto a timeline.

This takes some extra time to do, but is as simple as getting HDV footage off the HV20.
 
Thanks for the quick answer Commanderspike. I'm sorry I didn't not mention that I work off of Final Cut Pro, and I'll look into transcoding some!
 
Transcode means convert the movie from a very highly compressed and very hard to edit format that the GH1 creates to a less compressed (larger file), but much easier to edit movie format.

If you use iMovie, it is very easy, when you plug the camera into your mac, the import movie dialog pop's up. It auto-detects the clips on the camera, displaying a set of icons to pick which clips you want. After you select the clips you want, click "import" and iMovie will "transcode" for you (the process can take a little while) and when it is done, you are good to go in iMovie (or Final Cut Express/Pro) using the movie files iMovie generates.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to get iMovie or Final Cut to import the movie files (.mts files) directly off the memory card, it either doesn't recognize them or crashes. Look for files with the .mts extension on the memory card, there is one file per clip you filmed.

I also use NeoScene, it produces a slightly higher quality "transcoded" video, but it is annoyingly buggy, either failing to start transcoding my videos or crashing. A lot of other people on these forums have reported good results using it though ...
 
In 2 weeks you'll have the choice between a GH1 and a Canon 7D. Both may be hard to get hold of in the US though.

The 7D is a better stills camera and has higher video quality in SOME situations, but it is not as nice to use and lacks auto focus.

For talking heads, the GH1 and 7D are as close as makes no difference but I think you'll enjoy the AF, face detection and flip out LCD on the GH1 - it just makes life a lot easier.

Both can have a range of lenses adapted to it, plus what Panasonic and Canon supply officially. I suggest you get a fast lens, the kit lens that comes with the GH1 has auto-focus in video mode, and is a great lens but it's not too bright for indoor shooting where light may be low. The new Panasonic 20mm F1.7 would be a GREAT choice.

For the price of a 7D body only, you get the kit lens (14-140mm) bundled with the GH1. The GH1's kit lens is worth £500 alone if you choose to get rid of it later.

Oh and the GH1 is a lot smaller and a LOT lighter. It's more portable, especially with the 20mm F1.7 pancake lens.

Have you considered the GF1 also? Nearly the same as the GH1 but no full HD video, and a strange AVCHD Lite format for video (in 720p). But for the price of the GH1 kit you get the GF1 and that very nice 20mm F1.7 portrait lens which would be PERFECT for interviews.
 
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Hi Jardac: Either the GH1 or upcoming 7D might be great for what you want to do. As you've seen, in capable hands they can produce stunning video.

Audio will be critical for your application, so you'll need to use an external audio recorder instead of using the cam's built-in or add-on mic. As has been discussed a lot here lately, these cam's don't have a headphone jack, which means you can't insure you're getting problem-free audio while you're shooting, even if (or especially if) you connect a mic or mixer to the cam. (You may wish to re-read that sentence, because it's a critical point.) So one of the biggest decisions you'll need to make is whether you're comfortable with using an external audio recorder.

For many folks it's not a big deal, and recording external to a cam is a technique used in many, many productions, and has been for decades. Refer to the GH1 hardware forum here for recommendations on what audio recording gear to use, and see the GH1 workflow forum here for recommendations of techniques to synch separate sound in post.

But I don't have any major qualms recommending using a GH1 or 7D for your application, as long as you carefully think through the sound-recording side of things. Enjoy your research!
 
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commanderspike said:
I think the GH1 is perfect for what you want to use it for.

Just watch out for AVCHD files. You need the right editing software. On a Mac, use Final Cut Pro or even iMovie. On Windows, Premiere, I guess. But the files need to be 'transcoded' at the moment... you cannot just drag and drop the footage onto a timeline.

This takes some extra time to do, but is as simple as getting HDV footage off the HV20.
Click to expand...

On windows I use Vegas 9 Platinum and I don't have any problem editing the AVCHD footage without transcoding and I can see the transitions in realtime. My computer is AMD 64 x2 5200 with 4GB RAM. So it's possible to cut AVCHD without transcoding.
 
Thank you guys for all the information. I'm feeling quite comfortable about my upcoming purchase. I actually work at a music studio and was initially starting my career in audio engineering before this opportunity came up. So I'm very comfortable with recording audio separately in pro tools.

Does anyone have any opinions on what size of memory cards to start with?

I'm looking up Panasonic's 20mm / F1.7 right now, is there any other lenses I should look up for portrait shots?

Thanks again!
 
If you light the interview, the kit lens will work great.

But I recommend getting a Canon FD lens, possibly a 50mm F1.4 or if you wanna spend more, get the Sigma F1.8 20mm / 24mm or 28mm DG EX Macro.

FD lenses: these are really really cheap. You can buy the adapter so it fits the GH1, on eBay.

It's an old format of 35mm SLR lens, but with great performance. Manual focus only though.

If you wanna spend more, the Zeiss and Leica lenses are the sharpest for portrait stuff and have nice bokeh (out of focus background areas).

Panasonic do a Leica... the 25mm F1.4, which is stunning... but at least $1000. The Canon 50mm F1.4 is just $80 yet gives you the same brightness in low light.
 
For a talking head situation I would find the GH1 a much better solution than the 7D, just for the fact that you can shoot for as long as your card allows before filling up. 7D will stop at ~12mins regardless of the size of your card.
 
Another very nice portrait lens would be the Jupiter-9 (85mm f2), with a beautiful bokeh, coming from the 13 blades rounded aperture. You can get them in M39 or M49 mount as well, for less than $100.
 
pix2pixels said:
Another very nice portrait lens would be the Jupiter-9 (85mm f2), with a beautiful bokeh, coming from the 13 blades rounded aperture. You can get them in M39 or M49 mount as well, for less than $100.
Click to expand...

On a GH1 that is a 170mm f2 lens, probably a bit closer to a telephoto than you are interested in.

If money, and time are not as much a concern, consider waiting a bit and seeing how the new 45mm macro lens performs (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09090202panasonic45mmmacro.asp#press). It is a Leica, so expectations are high. After an adapter it isn't that much more expensive than other modern competing lenses, and it is probably a lot sharper than the older FDs. Also, you would get a stabilised lens, with autofocus, and native format to the GH1 (no aperture ring limitation).

Just a thought....
 
jaradc said:
... Does anyone have any opinions on what size of memory cards to start with? I'm looking up Panasonic's 20mm / F1.7 right now, is there any other lenses I should look up for portrait shots?
Click to expand...

In its highest quality AVCHD mode the GH1 records approx. 30-min. per 4GB of SDHC card space. You can use bigger or smaller cards, and record up to the max. capacity of the card. (In EU-sphere countries, the max. clip length is 30-min. by law.) Of course it's possible some future gigantic capacity card might not be compatible with the GH1, but you can record continuously for hours with a GH1 on cards readily available today. See:
http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/popup/sd_memory_card/gh1.html

That being said, I prefer to use relatively short/small acquisition media (tape, card, whatever) just to err on the safe conservative side. In general I don't trust digital electronics & media any farther than I can throw them. Unless there's a reason to record continuously for more than 30-60 min., I prefer to use tapes or cards that hold 60 min. or less. There's a good reason for the saying "Don't keep all your eggs in one basket." In most interview situations it isn't a problem to interrupt the flow every 30 or 60 min. for a tape/card change.

Smaller capacity acquisition media is usually less expensive than the higher-capacity alternatives, so sometimes this can be a factor.

Smaller capacity acquisition media can also be more convenient to handle for post-production file transfer, storage, backup & archiving. Again this can be a personal preference thing, but sometimes really big files are problematic or just unwieldy.

As for lenses, there are literally hundreds of lenses which have varying degrees of compatibility with the GH1. The new Panasonic 20mm 1.7 lens looks to be a nice one, and there are many others. This is just a very small sampling:
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/g1.html
 
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I think the video of the Gh1 is most useful for directors, who want to utilize interchangeable lenses in order to get depth of field. This is the huge thrill of the GH1. If this is not a priority, I would stay clear of a dslr altogether and buy a camcorder and a point and shoot separately if need be.

The 7D has less video friendly features, so I would stay clear of it as far as your case.

The Gh1 I would only suggest if you want very carefully selected shots with an emphasis on light and composition. Really a camera for artistic but restrictive shots. For Handheld moving shots, its not the camera to get. Its a camera that excels on the more still shots.

Thats the best advice I could give with the information you have given...
 
One thing to watch out for on the 5D has been its moiré/aliasing issues. I haven't seen a definitive answer yet on whether the 7D is improved in this respect, but it's something to keep an eye out for. Especially for an interview cam, sometimes people wear some pretty wild patterns that will drive the 5D crazy in video mode. I've seen much, much less of it on the GH1.

Edit: If you're wandering what moiré looks like:

moire_5d.jpg
 
Martti Ekstrand said:
Bollocks. I use it handheld and moving all the time. And I'm not alone.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=183853
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Is it this entire forum, or just the GH1 issue that makes everybody so tense. I've had my camera for only 1 week, so if you're that explosively sure... I'll have to take your word for it.

I find that a dedicated camcorder, with the extra weight added makes a considerably better camera for lots of movement. For those type of shots, its so no replacement for our Sony V1 or A1 as far as I'm concerned. Obviously we don't get the added benefit of a shallow depth of field. But for some documentary work, these type of shots are just not built for a dslr. It looks like the video you linked was all very static shots. And all with the Zacutto. No? regardless, A very portable steadicam option will come in very handy.

If I am wrong, I'd be delighted... as selling our Sony A1 (our seldomly used B camera) for another Gh1 or even a 7D would definitely be on the table. However, selling the V1 would just be silly right now.... though depending on progress not unforeseeable in the near future.
 
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Tense? Not me. A week shooting in Costa Rica and I'm totally chilled out.

I think it was your out-of-hand rejection of the GH1 for handheld shots that was being questioned. I thought much as you do, but that was before actually going out and shooting exactly the shots you say are "not built for a dslr." I was surprised by how good the results can be, and I think others will be also.

How much have you shot with your GH1? I'd be curious to see what kind of footage you shoot and how it might apply to the OP's question. For that matter, you also seem to be well-versed in what the 7D can and can't do, and again, I'd like to know just what real-world experience you have with it to say it has "less video friendly features."

As to the OP's original questions, I'm currently editing a project where we shot both EX1 and GH1 on an interview, as well as on B-roll in a rock climbing gym. Based on my experience, I'd say as long as you're comfortable using something like Plural Eyes to sync your off-camera sound in post, using a DSLR for what you shoot should be perfectly fine, and with some attention to settings and details, should give you some very nice results.
 
stephenmick said:
Tense? Not me. A week shooting in Costa Rica and I'm totally chilled out.

I think it was your out-of-hand rejection of the GH1 for handheld shots that was being questioned. I thought much as you do, but that was before actually going out and shooting exactly the shots you say are "not built for a dslr." I was surprised by how good the results can be, and I think others will be also.

How much have you shot with your GH1? I'd be curious to see what kind of footage you shoot and how it might apply to the OP's question. For that matter, you also seem to be well-versed in what the 7D can and can't do, and again, I'd like to know just what real-world experience you have with it to say it has "less video friendly features."

As to the OP's original questions, I'm currently editing a project where we shot both EX1 and GH1 on an interview, as well as on B-roll in a rock climbing gym. Based on my experience, I'd say as long as you're comfortable using something like Plural Eyes to sync your off-camera sound in post, using a DSLR for what you shoot should be perfectly fine, and with some attention to settings and details, should give you some very nice results.
Click to expand...

I have exactly 1 weeks experience with a GH1. Never touched a 7D.

We moved from a PD170 to a A1 and a V1. Are you saying those are more or less redundant because of the Gh1? Obviously the Ex1 is better than our kit, but are you saying that you are considering selling all that expensive gear to replace with just the GH1?

Regarding my advice for staying away from the 7D... the TS doesn't pretend to be very knowledgeable about film/video or cameras. To have a 7D with no automatic focus and no swivel LCD is enough to make it not appropriate for his needs as he's presented them. He was asking advice as someone who doesnt know the industry, and people have responded to assist. My suggestion doesn't come from a know it all perspective. I am a commercial director. While I have done mostly animation, I've moved extensively into video and film. The nature of what i do is about learning, so as a result i'm always open to be proved wrong.

Regardless... from my 10 posts, I find that this board is about as confrontational as Sherdog. Lets see how long i can stick around...

and my Gh1 footage is here: http://www.vimeo.com/6538743
 
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