Worth It To Buy An Unhacked GH1 For $300 Vs $1000 For GH2 ?

The un-hacked GH1 is fine for 720p see here http://www.vimeo.com/21691557 but for highly detailed or movement shots in 1080 mode the "mud" can appear.
The crop effect is only available on the GH2 and the touch screen, if you are happy without those features the GH1 is very good value for money.
Cheers
Paul
 
This is from a new unhackable GH1, very happy with what I got considering the environment. The next time out I was shooting some waterfalls and the water part looked great but the rocks on each side turned into mud. All of that was shot in 1080. Later that night in a different location, I tried 720 for the first time. I wanted to say after viewing it, I think the 720 looked nicer than some 1080 I shot that night as well.

I like to shoot multicam and had 2 GH2s on order when Panny started blowing out the GH1s. First I ordered three, then another one later on..... and after that one last one, just in case. :-) A week or so after the first GH1s arrived, so did the GH2s. I put the GH2s on Ebay, sold those 2 and they brought more than the 5 GH1s cost me total.

What I typically shoot, who the audience is that I typically shoot it for and the delivery method I typically use...... all work against the reasoning of going with the greatest options available. Along with all of that, with these GH1s I already match or exceed my competition as it is.

I have been in "gear flux" since last fall, and had funds set aside for new cams. So for ME, with not spending all those funds on GH2s I was able to invest in other needed gear that WILL make a difference to what I typically shoot, the audience I shoot it for WILL notice even if I continue with the same delivery method.

Again, for ME, it was a no brainer to go with the new GH1s. As with anything, YMMV.
 
300$ for an unhackable gh1, that's a very good deal. Buy the gh1, wait a few weeks and maybe it will wotrh more than 300$ when a a new firmware crack is available.
 
A hack is being worked on for the unhackable gh1 at the moment. I really think as far as dslr's go its best to get the gh1 and hack it... you can spend all that extra money on lenses accessories that really help with shooting. The hacked version gets almost as nice as an image as the gh2... and lets be real about it DSLR's are not the end all be all of image quality... they all have a similar look and lack of detail.
 
I felt it was worthwhile to plunk down the extra cash for the GH2 based just on having 1080 out for my monitor...and the hope that the GH2 will be hackable within the next 6 months. Still awaiting the camera, and my oct 19 adapter in the mail. Can't wait to shoot with it, I really hope it gives me a reason to sell my 7D (which I love).
 
wanderer63 said:
The un-hacked GH1 is fine for 720p, but for highly detailed or movement shots in 1080 mode the "mud" can appear.
The crop effect is only available on the GH2 and the touch screen, if you are happy without those features the GH1 is very good value for money.
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The GH2's Extended Tele Converter mode and touch focus screen are available on the G2 as well, and it costs about as much as an unhackable GH1. If you won't have a use for the unhacked GH1's low-quality 1080p mode, the G2 may be of more value to you, since it's hackable much like the GF1. The G2 is essentially a GF1 upgraded to GH2 specs and packaged in a GH2 body.
 
How does G2's sensitivity compare to GH2? Does it support file spanning for video recording?
 
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I have the GH2 and am planning on buying the GH1 as a second camera. That said, I would not want to give up the advantages of the GH2, i.e.:

- Best unhacked video and still image quality
- Improved low light performance
- Extended Tele Converter
- Faster autofocus
- Live HDMI-out montoring while in record mode
- Touch screen control, to include focus and shutter release
- Audio meters in the viewfinder
- 4 audio input level settings
- Exposure adjust wheel on the rear of the camera instead of the front

I admire the work of our hacker friends, but I don't count on the potential availability of future hacks when I make buying decisions.

You may find this side-by-side comparison useful: http://m43photo.blogspot.com/2010/12/comparison-gh1-and-gh2.html

You may also find this comparison of GH1 and GH2 autofocus speeds useful: http://m43photo.blogspot.com/2010/12/gh1-vs-gh2-af-during-video.html
 
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zigizigi said:
How does G2's sensitivity compare to GH2? Does it support file spanning for video recording?
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Yes, all Panasonic G-series cameras support file-spanning for AVCHD videos that exceed 4GB. However, it's not been very robust with hacked bitrates greater than 28Kbps. I have, however, gotten very reliable file-spanning results with the 720p30 SH mode in my 50Mbps AVCHD Fast Action 3-Frame GOP Patch , which is a perfect match for the G2's 30fps image sensor.

The G2 has the same 4000x3000 pixel sensor as the GF1, rather than the multi-aspect sensor of the GH1 or GH2. While the G2's low-light sensitivity is not as good as the GH2, the G2's upgraded firmware produces cleaner images than the GF1. The hacked G2's low-light image quality is almost as good as a hacked GH1. In well-exposed shots, they're virtually indistinguishable.
 
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I've seen tests that prove 1080p on the GH2 is better than anything that can possibly come out of a GH1. And since the 1080P on the GH2 still only has a spatial resolution of 720p, this means that if you shoot 720p with a GH1, the most you'll get out of the files is around 360/480P. It wouldn't be a problem on Youtube either way, though, Youtube will make any files look decent as long as it has good production, so opting for multiple GH1's can be a tremendous advantage in terms of creating professional looking shoots.

Personally, though, I would buy a GH2 as my "main cam" (sound recording, swivel screen, hundreds of festures, best resolutions), and then buy a couple GH1's if you could find them for the price you describe for B cameras. You could even invest in these B cameras now, make money with them, and invest in a GH2 later if you need it. A client will probably always appreciate more angles instead of having crystal clear quality.
 
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Can you explain what you mean by "And since the 1080P on the GH2 still only has a spatial resolution of 720p, this means that if you shoot 720p with a GH1, the most you'll get out of the files is around 360/480P."

I saw a video of Ted from Red saying the Canon 5D is really not close to 2K but more like 1K. And his Scarlet at 3K gives a true 2K. So I'm kind of confused.
 
produce12 said:
Im tryna justify spending $1000 over $300 is it that much better for a $700 difference ?
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All I can give you is my experience with an original unhacked GH1.....LOVED it. I sold it because I was moving towards just doing timelapses/still photos (stupid me) Yes the GH2 has some great things like native 24P and ETC mode...but for $300 bucks vs $1000 you could really get some nice fast lenses which make all the difference on a GH1 or GH2. According to Vitaly (the man who hacked the original GH1) the new locked GH1s are even better than the original.
Again all I can say is I loved what I got from my GH1 and I paid full price for it when it came out. At $300 it's the best bang for the buck shallow dof video camera in existence.
 
Panasonic Facebook Fans Deal Page has it for $349 + tax + $2 shipping. That is the closest to $300 I have seen. Still stinkin' cheap IMO, which is why I bought 5.
 
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