GH2 Why GH2 over the canon equivalents?

Azmyth

Azmyth

Veteran
The reason I am asking this is because:

1. I originally had a GH13 that had a terrible banding issue. Sold it, and got a T2i.

2. The T2i is on its 2nd trip back to Canon for some sort of power issue. It would never power on correctly after having installed ML and uinstalling it. It had a mind of its own. I just got it back a month ago, and again.. the same power issue of the camera not wanting to power up.

3. I really liked the GH1 for its image quality, but couldn't deal with the banding.

4. I'm shooting a feature film, after christmas and have access to an extra T3i should I want to use 2 cameras.

5. The plan at this point is to buy a new camera, because I just don't trust the repair option anymore. My options are to buy another canon variant, t3i.. 60d (in my price range) or try the GH2. I've been seeing some amazing stuff with it. My only real fear is giving up that extra T3i i could have by not choosing a canon camera (matching footage).

So in knowing this, why should I choose a GH2 over another Canon camera? I only have the kit lens and 2 primes for my t2i.. both are m42 mount lenses.. can I use these on the gh2?

I know I want a camera with flip out LCD.. does the GH2 have full manual control over video like the t2i does?
 
The Batman movie used IMAX and regular film(or digital equivalent). It switched back and forth between aspect ratios and yet I believe it still made a couple of bucks.

Trust me the GH2 is the BEST video camera you can buy for less than $5000. There is no reason you can’t shoot with both though. For scenes that require a shallow depth of field use the Canon. For sharper scenes use the GH2. If your editing is good the viewers won’t notice that different cameras were used.

Just make sure you work around the Canon’s weaknesses. It is a good video camera. However, it has issues that the GH2 does not.
 
mpgxsvcd said:
The Batman movie used IMAX and regular film(or digital equivalent). It switched back and forth between aspect ratios and yet I believe it still made a couple of bucks.

Trust me the GH2 is the BEST video camera you can buy for less than $5000. There is no reason you can’t shoot with both though. For scenes that require a shallow depth of field use the Canon. For sharper scenes use the GH2. If your editing is good the viewers won’t notice that different cameras were used.

Just make sure you work around the Canon’s weaknesses. It is a good video camera. However, it has issues that the GH2 does not.
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what issues would those be?
 
Azmyth said:
The reason I am asking this is because:

1. I originally had a GH13 that had a terrible banding issue. Sold it, and got a T2i.
3. I really liked the GH1 for its image quality, but couldn't deal with the banding.
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Banding was one of the issues that made me turn the GH1 over to someone else back in the day. Even with the hack, the banding and compression issues were still unworkable for me. I'm happy to say that I don't feel the same way about the GH2... at all.

THere's still banding in certain instances, to my eyes and in my experiences (so far) it's significantly less. Knowing what causes it goes a long way. For instance, shooting below 320 ISO is a quick way to introduce banding in any situation.

2. The T2i is on its 2nd trip back to Canon for some sort of power issue. It would never power on correctly after having installed ML and uinstalling it. It had a mind of its own. I just got it back a month ago, and again.. the same power issue of the camera not wanting to power up.

4. I'm shooting a feature film, after christmas and have access to an extra T3i should I want to use 2 cameras.
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They won't cut well for any large screen viewership. The Canons are soft soft soft. GH2 is not not not. On the internet, though, you'll only be able to tell the difference in resolution if you cut back and forth. Using the GH2 for wides and the t2i for mediums etc., you won't miss out on much.

5. The plan at this point is to buy a new camera, because I just don't trust the repair option anymore. My options are to buy another canon variant, t3i.. 60d (in my price range) or try the GH2. I've been seeing some amazing stuff with it. My only real fear is giving up that extra T3i i could have by not choosing a canon camera (matching footage).

So in knowing this, why should I choose a GH2 over another Canon camera? I only have the kit lens and 2 primes for my t2i.. both are m42 mount lenses.. can I use these on the gh2?

I know I want a camera with flip out LCD.. does the GH2 have full manual control over video like the t2i does?
Click to expand...

Yes, full manual control. There are a few stickies you may want to get acquainted with, those will help you decide.

In the end, it should come down to the look you want or the workflow you want to use. Both are going to be ample, and both have their own little trade-offs you have to deal with.
 
Some have successfully matched Canon with GH2 footage. I mean, can it really be any harder than matching DVX/HVX footage with Canon (which plenty of folks have done here)?
Sure, it will require a lot of extra work and grading most likely- I haven't tried it yet personally, so I can't say how practical it is. But I know its possible. I plan to experiment with it soon, so we'll see.

The banding can be an issue even on the improved processing of the GH2 (although I think it is less), however there are hacks that claim to reduce almost entirely by using a higher bitrate (at the cost of file size, however IQ is improved for pixel peepers). Also, its not like the Canon's don't have problems of their own (I think that moire and aliasing are harder to fix in post than banding).

One of the more attractive selling points of the GH2 is the wider selection of compatible lens types- your m42 mount should work fine, as will plenty of lenses that AREN'T compatible with EOS (such as C mount and Canon FD). Anything that can be adapted to the EOS mount can surely be adapted to the micro 4/3rds, however native EOS lenses have an entirely electrically controlled iris. So, basically you won't be able to use the Canon kit lens much (not sure if you were implying that you wanted to or not), but the other ones you mention should be find with a cheap adapter.

Meanwhile, that's a really weird issue on the t2i (not powering up). I've been using ML on two 550Ds, and never had a problem. You never left the battery in when it fails to power up, did you? Because there are warnings all over the ML wiki that if something goes wrong (improperly formatted card, missing files, etc), the camera will get stuck and overheat. Taking out the battery right away saves you from any damage, and a freshly formatted card will leave you good to go.

If you've been happy enough the Canon, I'm not sure moving to an entirely new platform is necessary. But so far I'm impressed with the GH2.
 
M. Gilden said:
Some have successfully matched Canon with GH2 footage. I mean, can it really be any harder than matching DVX/HVX footage with Canon (which plenty of folks have done here)?
Sure, it will require a lot of extra work and grading most likely- I haven't tried it yet personally, so I can't say how practical it is. But I know its possible. I plan to experiment with it soon, so we'll see.

The banding can be an issue even on the improved processing of the GH2 (although I think it is less), however there are hacks that claim to reduce almost entirely by using a higher bitrate (at the cost of file size, however IQ is improved for pixel peepers). Also, its not like the Canon's don't have problems of their own (I think that moire and aliasing are harder to fix in post than banding).

One of the more attractive selling points of the GH2 is the wider selection of compatible lens types- your m42 mount should work fine, as will plenty of lenses that AREN'T compatible with EOS (such as C mount and Canon FD). Anything that can be adapted to the EOS mount can surely be adapted to the micro 4/3rds, however native EOS lenses have an entirely electrically controlled iris. So, basically you won't be able to use the Canon kit lens much (not sure if you were implying that you wanted to or not), but the other ones you mention should be find with a cheap adapter.

Meanwhile, that's a really weird issue on the t2i (not powering up). I've been using ML on two 550Ds, and never had a problem. You never left the battery in when it fails to power up, did you? Because there are warnings all over the ML wiki that if something goes wrong (improperly formatted card, missing files, etc), the camera will get stuck and overheat. Taking out the battery right away saves you from any damage, and a freshly formatted card will leave you good to go.

If you've been happy enough the Canon, I'm not sure moving to an entirely new platform is necessary. But so far I'm impressed with the GH2.
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I've tried everything, and I'm on my 2nd t2i.. that has never even had ML on it. They supposedly repaired it, but I can tell its a refurbished body and not the camera body i sent them.

I liked the T2i, never had any banding issues, never had any moire issues or aliasing (all my shots are smooth, and not fast moving) I like issues I can work around, by not shooting things that will cause it vs. having to fix issues in post that I can't work around by shooting differently.

So there is STILL banding issues with the GH2?
 
Azmyth said:
I liked the T2i, never had any banding issues, never had any moire issues or aliasing (all my shots are smooth, and not fast moving) I like issues I can work around, by not shooting things that will cause it vs. having to fix issues in post that I can't work around by shooting differently.
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Moire and Aliasing isn't caused my fast moving shots, it's the camera's inability to to compress each frame "properly". You may not notice it, but you probably have lots of moire and aliasing in your footage. Especially if you've shot any wide shots.
 
Azmyth said:
I've tried everything, and I'm on my 2nd t2i.. that has never even had ML on it. They supposedly repaired it, but I can tell its a refurbished body and not the camera body i sent them.

I liked the T2i, never had any banding issues, never had any moire issues or aliasing (all my shots are smooth, and not fast moving) I like issues I can work around, by not shooting things that will cause it vs. having to fix issues in post that I can't work around by shooting differently.

So there is STILL banding issues with the GH2?
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I've only had the camera for a few days, but at least one shot had a little bit on the sky. Wasn't terrible, though. And I've seen examples of hacked footage that don't have any at all.
 
Kholi said:
Moire and Aliasing isn't caused my fast moving shots, it's the camera's inability to to compress each frame "properly". You may not notice it, but you probably have lots of moire and aliasing in your footage. Especially if you've shot any wide shots.
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I got those confused with the jello effect. I haven't noticed anything that goes "omg that looks terrible to my eyes" but your right there may be some I just haven't noticed. When I had the GH1 though It was so noticeable that I couldn't even watch the footage.
 
Does renting something significantly better than you can afford to buy not seem like a good choice? If you have enough to BUY a new body you have enough to rent something even better.
 
Azmyth said:
I got those confused with the jello effect. I haven't noticed anything that goes "omg that looks terrible to my eyes" but your right there may be some I just haven't noticed. When I had the GH1 though It was so noticeable that I couldn't even watch the footage.
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You're also confusing the banding issue. You're talkin' about fixed patterned noise, which is not present in the GH2 at all unless you hit super high ISOs. I remember having that problem as well. It's not there.
 
I say it depends on what type of feature you are shooting. I currently own a t2i, 7d, gh2, and nex-5n and strangely the cam I reach for the most is my t2i w/ magic lantern. It really boils down to the look you want. They all produce great images but in my opinon they each have slight differences in their images. I tried to love my gh2 like everyone else on here but even with the sharpness, contrast, etc. put all the way down the image is just waaaay to sharp for me plus the banding during scenes with shades of light to dark elements is unbearable for me. I pretty much restrict the gh2 to live events because of the lack of a time recording limit. The 5n is ok but to me it has a really bland image and I have horrible banding issues with it as well and the aliasing and moire is worst than canon's on mine. The Canon's softer image appeals to me more for some reason. Yeah you have moire and aliasing but I never encounter it as much as others complain about plus I don't run into the banding issue as much. I also get a little bit more depth of field and fov with my lenses which I like because I'm usually in tight spaces shooting.
 
dtjohns1 said:
I say it depends on what type of feature you are shooting. I currently own a t2i, 7d, gh2, and nex-5n and strangely the cam I reach for the most is my t2i w/ magic lantern. It really boils down to the look you want. They all produce great images but in my opinon they each have slight differences in their images. I tried to love my gh2 like everyone else on here but even with the sharpness, contrast, etc. put all the way down the image is just waaaay to sharp for me plus the banding during scenes with shades of light to dark elements is unbearable for me. I pretty much restrict the gh2 to live events because of the lack of a time recording limit. The 5n is ok but to me it has a really bland image and I have horrible banding issues with it as well and the aliasing and moire is worst than canon's on mine. The Canon's softer image appeals to me more for some reason. Yeah you have moire and aliasing but I never encounter it as much as others complain about plus I don't run into the banding issue as much. Plus I get a little bit more depth of field and fov with my lenses which I like because I'm usually in tight spaces shooting.
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Allow me to post this... again... cough... http://www.campcomet.com/archives/606 -- Just wrote that up yesterday, I agree with you. It's more so about the look that you want at this point.
 
Kholi said:
You're also confusing the banding issue. You're talkin' about fixed patterned noise, which is not present in the GH2 at all unless you hit super high ISOs. I remember having that problem as well. It's not there.
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Good to know.

Here's an example..

http://www.mediafire.com/?enuc4np004b78gf

those vertical lines that you can see as he's panning is what I got in every single shot I took for the most part.

Your saying this is NOT an issue at ALL with the GH2?

That was the only problem I had at all with the GH1.
 
dtjohns1 said:
I say it depends on what type of feature you are shooting. I currently own a t2i, 7d, gh2, and nex-5n and strangely the cam I reach for the most is my t2i w/ magic lantern. It really boils down to the look you want. They all produce great images but in my opinon they each have slight differences in their images. I tried to love my gh2 like everyone else on here but even with the sharpness, contrast, etc. put all the way down the image is just waaaay to sharp for me plus the banding during scenes with shades of light to dark elements is unbearable for me. I pretty much restrict the gh2 to live events because of the lack of a time recording limit. The 5n is ok but to me it has a really bland image and I have horrible banding issues with it as well and the aliasing and moire is worst than canon's on mine. The Canon's softer image appeals to me more for some reason. Yeah you have moire and aliasing but I never encounter it as much as others complain about plus I don't run into the banding issue as much. I also get a little bit more depth of field and fov with my lenses which I like because I'm usually in tight spaces shooting.
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I'm shooting almost all horror films.. short or feature. So I'm almost always shooting in low light.
I'm wanting to say that a softer image will look better in this case. I shot this with a t3i saturday and I like how it looks.

marina2.jpg



marina3.jpg



marina4.jpg



marina5.jpg



marina8.jpg



marina9.jpg



marina10.jpg



marinaawesome.jpg
 
Azmyth said:
Good to know.

Here's an example..

http://www.mediafire.com/?enuc4np004b78gf

those vertical lines that you can see as he's panning is what I got in every single shot I took for the most part.

Your saying this is NOT an issue at ALL with the GH2?

That was the only problem I had at all with the GH1.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's called Fixed Patterned Noise (FPN). Banding would refer to the 8-bit images inability to transition from light to dark (gradients) properly.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but shooting with the Hack anywhere between 320 and 1000 ISO (not higher) I didn't get any FPN or Banding in this camera. Is anyone else experiencing this?

I most certainly had it in my GH1, though. I didn't like it much, either.
 
Kholi said:
Allow me to post this... again... cough... http://www.campcomet.com/archives/606 -- Just wrote that up yesterday, I agree with you. It's more so about the look that you want at this point.
Click to expand...

Great post! And honestly with this "digital stock" idea Kholi just presented I think the best thing you can do is do what they do on major features: audition cameras. You can ask us what we think but we are going to give you "our" opinions on it. It's best for you to get access to a gh2 (I believe you said your friend already has a t3i so you can hopefully borrow his) and pit their images against each other. If it comes down to it you can order a gh2 from b&h and return it after the test or keep it if you like it and all you would have lost is the price to send the cam back in the mail. Idk just my .02
 
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