GH2 Why do we need a GH3? Isn't the GH2 enough? What should Panasonic do for GH3?

[Chaos123x]

I don't care about a GH3 I'm not buying it. The Gh2 does every thing I need it to. I'm going to invest my money in lenses, mics, and lights and other stuff that is never outdated.

The only things I would want on a Gh3 is built in ND filters, clean video out so I could record in prores, XLR inputs, and a headphone jack. All that stuff the AF100 already has, but I'm sticking to the Gh2.

 

[mpgxsvcd]

Panasonic will put the following things in the GH3.

1. They will increase the readout speed of the sensor to 1/250th of a second from 1/125[SUP]th[/SUP] of a second. That will all but eliminate rolling shutter just like the Nikon series 1 cameras do.
2. They will add 1080p @ 60 FPS at 28 mb/sec with B-frames. Sure a hack will improve on it for fast motion(What it is intended for). However, the Hack(And 1080p @ 60 FPS for that matter) really won’t be necessary if all you do is shoot interview shots.
3. They will increase the Dynamic Range. However, this will all be done in software so it will only apply to jpgs and movies just like the new Olympus camera.
4. They will add a new version of the Cinema mode that basically gives you what the sensor reads without any exposure corrections. It will look underexposed and very flat but it won’t actually have any more dynamic range than a GH2.

I will buy the GH3 specifically for the 1080p @ 60 FPS and the new Cinema mode.

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Gary - I'm in Northern California, so I want weather sealing so that I'm less concerned about taking the camera out when there's a little fog or drizzle.

I haven't lost a camera, but I have lost some shooting opportunities.

Cheers,

Bill

I think it is unrealistic to expect the GH-3 to change the weather in northern California to allow you more shooting opportunities... You could move south... but then you'd complain about desert dust...

In any case, I thought that was what umbrellas were for... at least I've seen pictures of people using them in the rain/drizzle... since we don't get that type of weather down here... nah... never... well... ok from movies shot in So. Cal, one would expect to find wet streets all the time... but I assure you that is not typical...

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

You MUST color grade everything you shoot in post. I keep seeing these stupid comments about how "filmic" the Canon footage is, and how much the GH-2 footage just sucks the big one, but none of these people are doing color grading in post.

Having looked at the Technicolor Cinema Style profile, in conjunction with a discussion of Canon, one of the 'note thats' about the Technicolor style is that it may be perceived as 'flatter' than other profiles, and it is expected that post processing will be performed to grade to the desire of the filmmaker...

Speaking of which... is there any ability to provide the GH series with a 'custom' profile? I don't know too much about the Canon option, but it seems like one can create profiles and load them into the camera.

I've not hacked my GH-1, so, I would look for 'vast' improvements in compression, bitrate, etc. along with something like a customization capability that 'gets at the DSP' better. Perhaps an SDK for such...

But that's probably too much...

 

[John Caballero]

Sorry, but this thread title made me laugh so hard I just had to come see if it was meant as a joke.

Hey, great discussions have started from jokes before!

I don't care about a GH3 I'm not buying it. The Gh2 does every thing I need it to.

That is word by word what people with the GH13 were saying when the GH2 came out. Then, guess what happened?


OldCorpse you started the thread! I am glad people are contributing their opinions! The GH2 with the hacks is a fantastic camera and Panasonic has no choice now but to work even harder on an improved GH3 version.

 

[Chaos123x]

Hey, great discussions have started from jokes before!That is word by word what people with the GH13 were saying when the GH2 came out. Then, guess what happened?OldCorpse you started the thread! I am glad people are contributing their opinions! The GH2 with the hacks is a fantastic camera and Panasonic has no choice now but to work even harder on an improved GH3 version.

I'm just saying it isn't a good idea to buy a new camera every year when you can spend the money on other gear that won't be outdated anytime soon. It's good to skip a generation. Now the Gh4 I will probably bite after it is hacked.

 

[ErikTande]

Global shutter would be enough for me to buy one. 1080 60p would be great as well.

 

[gonzo_entertainment]

I'm just saying it isn't a good idea to buy a new camera every year when you can spend the money on other gear that won't be outdated anytime soon. It's good to skip a generation. Now the Gh4 I will probably bite after it is hacked.

I mean you are right. Just as with the 5D, when the MK3 comes out the MK2 isn't going to magically stop working. It will still be an excellent camera. Just as the GH2 will be when/if the GH3 comes out. It just came across as "well now that we have the ultimate camera, why should we bother with anything else". Every camera has strengths and weaknesses and things that could be improved.

 

[mpgxsvcd]

Global shutter would be enough for me to buy one. 1080 60p would be great as well.

If they get Global Shutter to work then Canon and Nikon will finally start to pay attention. Global Shutter does a lot more than just get rid of rolling shutter affect. A Global Shutter could allow extremely high(Think 120 FPS or greater) full resolution images. Basically it would turn the GH2 into a permanent 8K camera.

It could just continuously shoot 8K RAW to a gigantic memory card or hard drive and when you wanted a still you could just grab a frame. Global shutter is definitely the Holly Grail.

 

[Peter J. DeCrescenzo]

-Weather sealed !!!

I live in Portland, Oregon, so a weather sealed cam body would be a very valuable new feature. However, I tried to confine my list to new or improved features which aren't likely to cause a price increase.

However, if Panasonic wishes to design a weather-sealed "GH3" for about the same list price as a GH2, I'm totally all-in!

 

[Peter J. DeCrescenzo]

Shoot with a properly stabilized hacked GH-2 and the footage looks smooth and stable. Most of the shakiness I've seen in GH-2 footage has been caused by either poor camera stabilization, or by Long GOP compression effects on camera motion. Use the right patch and the Long GOP motion problem goes away completely. ...

I hear you and mostly agree, but a bit less rolling shutter skew artifact would be welcome in situations where the camera is stable but the subject or background is moving (e.g.: "leaning" lamp-posts, trees, buildings, etc.)

The "GH3" is likely to feature faster sensor read-out and/or faster processing, resulting in at least somewhat reduced rolling shutter artifacts. I hope.

 

[mpgxsvcd]

I hear you and mostly agree, but a bit less rolling shutter skew artifact would be welcome in situations where the camera is stable but the subject or background is moving (e.g.: "leaning" lamp-posts, trees, buildings, etc.)

The "GH3" is likely to feature faster sensor read-out and/or faster processing, resulting in at least somewhat reduced rolling shutter artifacts. I hope.

I haven't seen to many "lamp-posts, trees, or buildings" move fast enough to cause the rolling shutter affect. In fact I can't remember the last time I saw a "lamp-post, tree, or building" move.

 

[Peter J. DeCrescenzo]

I haven't seen to many "lamp-posts, trees, or buildings" move fast enough to cause the rolling shutter affect. In fact I can't remember the last time I saw a "lamp-post, tree, or building" move.

LOL.

I meant to say, "camera is stabilized but moving", such as when shooting out a side window from inside a vehicle, or panning with a tripod, etc.

 

[Lpowell]

If the GH3 matches the best new features of the Nikon D4, it will be a gem:

* Clean 1080p HDMI monitoring in real-time.
* Linear audio gain control with separate audio headphone out.
* Remote monitoring and control of all functions via iPad/iPhone.

 

[kurth]

...when the gh3 is released, I'd like panasonic to put the gh2 for sale on facebook for $375 just like they did for the gh1 !!

...and besides that , I'd love 720/120p !

 

[Kin Lau]

1080/60p, 720/120p or even higher. 300fps would be nice.

Global shutter.

Adjustable, higher resolution EVF, and a higher res LCD.

Regular 3.5mm mic plugin instead of the 2.5mm.

Option for larger batteries.

Alternatively, all of the above with the tele-crop features of the GH2 in an AF101 style body would be fine too.

 

[jimmykorea]

I feel their needs to be a balance on the well tred argument that there will always be another camera and you need to focus on the story etc. Well thr reality is those with professioanl equipment like RED are those that are producing 99% of the time professional work than makes them a living and furthurs their career. There is no problem with being a filmaker learning his trade but facts are facts if you want an amateur work then a GH2 will do the job. But there is a reason whey you haven't seen a feature film made on a GH2 because its image is not primetime yet. If Panasonic can sort out the Jello and hopefully push the dynamic range then the camera can enter a new ball park. The truth is an old DVX100a has a more professional image for broadcast campared to the GH series so far.


Panasonic would be fools to release a camera that is not a significant improvement over the GH2. With all the hacking they know the GH3 will need a jump in hardware cause the hackers have already pushed the software side of things. With cameras from Olympus coming out soon that are rumored to of greatly improved Jello panasonic like I said have no choice but to push the envelope. panasonic in my mind are one of the only companies that recognise that the GH series is primarily about video and they also know all the main camera companies are producing compact DSLR's. The bottom line is if Panasonic don't make a jump in quality then someone else will possibly within the year.

 

[mpgxsvcd]

If Panasonic can sort out the Jello

For the last time.

THE JELLO AFFECT IS NOT A FAULT OF THE CAMERA! IT IS CAUSED BY THE PERSON DOING THE FILMING. WITH PROPER FILMING TECHNIQUE THE JELLO AFFECT IS NOT AN ISSUE.

 

[Inprogress]

You get two types of cinematographers, just like you get two types of photographers: The story tellers, and the story tellers who focus a lot on the tech, lets call them Jack & Jill. Jill just wants to take a picture or make a movie, she has a story to tell. Jack wants the best picture of video quality to tell their stories. Both Jack and Jill is very important, non is a lesser of the other. Because of Jack, Jill have more and more ways to tell her story with cheaper and cheaper (more financially accessible) tools. Jill, also finds ways to work around the short comings of said tool. Jack however, sees those short comings and refuse to work around them. Jack heard about them from Jill, and that just won't do for him. Jack will look for other technologies, they find it, and then they want it in their equipment. Because of Jack, technology moves forward.

So, when it comes to the opinion of Jack and Jill. Jill is ok with what they have. They know it's not perfect. They know the short comings and they find new creative ways to work around them. Jack knows the shortcomings, and they will find ways to eliminate those short comings. So in essence, Jill improves and broadens creative expression with each new short coming. Jack finds new creative ways to capture a story with eliminating the short comings. So, as you see, both Jack and Jill is important. Both Jack and Jill will differ in opinion. Jack will say we need a new camera that has this feature and that feature. Jill asks why when she can find a creative way to do what Jack wants to do, without the feature. Jack improves technology, Jill improves creativity.

It is simplified, and don't over think it. Just know, Jill uses the GH2 and its perfect and accessible and works for now. Jack uses the GH2 but wants the GH3 because he can't do it with the GH2, he needs the RED Scarlet. It's they way things are. It's the way we are. It's the way we differ. It's the way we both expand our expression. It is the way we both broaden the story telling craft.

 

[TheDingo]

Well the reality is those with professional equipment like RED are those that are producing 99% of the time professional work than makes them a living and furthurs their career.

I know lots of amateur and Indie filmmakers that are shooting with the RED and they are NOT making any living from it. ( it's a complete waste of a RED camera from my perspective, but many film enthusiasts are brainwashed in to thinking that the RED will make their work professional )

learning his trade but facts are facts if you want an amateur work then a GH2 will do the job. But there is a reason whey you haven't seen a feature film made on a GH2 because its image is not primetime yet.

...Sorry Jimmy, but this is complete BS. A few successful Indie feature films have been shot with the Canon 7D camera ( "Tiny Furniture" and recently "Like Crazy" ) and a hacked GH-2 outperforms the 7D in almost every way.

If Panasonic can sort out the Jello and hopefully push the dynamic range then the camera can enter a new ball park.

I agree with this statement, but right now ALL DSLRs have the "jello cam" problem, which will eventually be fixed with better sensor / electronics technology.

This does NOT mean that you can't shoot a feature film with a GH-2, it just means that you have to know the limitations of your camera, just like the people who shot features with the Canon 7D did.

Every camera has limitations.