Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Panasonic DMC-GH1 review and video samples

I had a beta of the camera, and while it's AMAZING, the compression in my mind rendered it worthless....I even asked a high level Panasonic Rep if they could fix it....does not look like it's going to happen. :( sure is sad, this thing has REALLY REALLY great video honestly its much better then the 5d because it seems to scale down instead of pixel bin the frames. if you hold the camera on a subject with less detail say a face it looks perfect in terms of image quality and edges, however if you point it out the window at water it looks like a cellphone image because of compression artifacts.
 
Obin,

That's exactly how I felt about the camera, too. Too bad. While Panasonic Studio is really wired on the R3D production, I hope to see Panasonic applies the know-hows from that and come out with Scarlet type digital still/movie camera.
 
obin said:
its much better then the 5d because it seems to scale down instead of pixel bin the frames
Click to expand...
as same as comparing 5d h.264 to red1 raw :thumb_postwhore:
 
Downloaded the clips from DP review. Look at the shot in the gym- look in the left background- terrible compression artifacts in the shadow detail.
 
Olympuse e-p1

Olympuse e-p1

Hi,

i was testing the GH1 as well, and the compression is a big issue... what i found was that the olympus e-p1 has a MUCH better codec... i did some tests in lowlight, with very good results. unfortunately with straight lines like buildings in far distance the scaling and compression has it's tough time, but for DOF work as an addition to a ex-1 perfect...
you may search on vimeo for some clips and there you'll find a Candlelight clip with no problems in the dark areas at all.
unfortunately for us europeans industry seems to stick to 30fps - a major dealbraker...
but hey, nikon d300s is around the corner, as well as a replacement for sony' alpha700 and a new alpha500 -all featuring video, and canon P&S cameras with APSC sensors with video slated for early 2010...
and i must say that playing with these cameras ist lots of fun! you get used to the DOF and the ease of use very fast!
i hope scarlet will get an apsc sensor even in the cheapest version, for otherwise i think it will not be an option for me and many others any more....
still exciting times!
cheers
stefan
 
krost-audiovisual said:
and i must say that playing with these cameras ist lots of fun! you get used to the DOF and the ease of use very fast!
Click to expand...

I completely agree. I got my GH1 on Friday and I've taken it out of the house twice over the weekend: once on a trip to the pub on Friday night and once to a school reunion on Saturday and I think I've fallen deeply in love with that little camera. I would NEVER consider taking a Scarlet to the pub or my existing rig (a DVX100a with a Brevis) but I love how small (and relatively cheap) the GH1 is. It's easy to focus (with its zoom-in function and lovely screen), easy to expose (with the live histogram) and just all round easy. I'm starting to think of the GH1 as a carry-everywhere "sketch pad" for shooting little visual ideas quickly and easily.

I'm really excited by the GH1 and I love the fact that it takes better looking video than my DVX100a+Brevis but it's a fraction of the weight and size. I'll be using the GH1 on a sit-down interview shoot on Wednesday (recording the audio separately). Should be fun!

It is just FUN. And it's SO easy to jump between taking stills and taking movies (with shallow depth of field).
 
playing with this is an AMAZING blast I will agree on that one! mixing them with RED footage is a NIGHTMARE. they just don't hold up. we are spoiled
 
I am however mixing red and 5d as I type..at 70p it's fine, can't tell much but above...ohhh...it's so bad
 
I agree that the compression is a disgrace on this camera.

Rumors now circulating that Nikon will soon announce several full-frame and crop DSLRs with full-on 1080/24p. I hope they will avoid line-skipping like the 5D2.
 
Sometimes I think people look in the wrong places for the wrong things. A number of DPs I know are very excited about the GH-1, especially with the Hot Rod PL lens mount adapter. It is less expensive than a director's finder and will actually record the shot as well. It can be a great tool for pre-viz by shooting a RAW still using the same lens and filters as the main camera and, dropping the frame into Photoshop and sending off to the colorist as a grading guide. And at $1500 with the stock 10:1 zoom included, it makes for a terrific crash-camera for those five second shots that may destroy the camera in the process.

There is a use for every tool, and some of them absolutely shine in their appropriate roles. Try to make it something it isn't and one is sure to be disappointed.
 
Both the 5D and GH-1 are a disgrace. Go back and look at Izzy footage from 2/3" Mysterium-X sensor and tell me you can shoot anything close to that with either of the stills cameras video. I don't think so. Line skipping and bad compression not spoken at Red.

http://redgrabs.com/izzy/
 
Andy Jarisz said:
'Course, there's also a few grand price difference...
Click to expand...

Why not just use an IXUS and save some more money?This is a discussion about what is good enough and not what is cheap enough. If you want professional images you need to shoot professional cameras.If you are OK with consumer images that have a bunch of skew, compression artifacts and weirdness from line skipping then just about any camera will be fine.
 
As Mitch pointed out above, these cameras have their uses. But I don't think I would use one as a primary production camera.

Mitch I notice Abel has the GH1 advertised for sale on the website. Will you be selling the Hot Rod and other adapters too?

PS: I would love to see one of these mounted to the back end of and Optimo 24-290.:sifone:
 
How about a 600mm

How about a 600mm

Here's a 600mm lens attached to the GH1 (with a Hot Rod PL)

I took the photo with the Panasonic G1 and a LensBaby Composer

hernan1.jpg


Illya Friedman
Hot Rod Cameras
www.hotrodcameras.com
 
Here's a 600mm lens attached to the GH1 (with a Hot Rod PL)
Click to expand...

Awsome! There is something about putting a megabuck lens on a minibuck camera that gets my juices flowing.:thumbup1:
 
I mix 5D and REDOne for a lot of shoots, (guess which is the B camera)... people complain about various issues with the 5D but I think that most of the time it just comes down to incompetence.

People who get frame drops should learn to shoot on the manual setting (warning you have to twist a knob and have some kind of basic understanding of iso, aperture, shutter speed and wb - almost all problems with this camera come from people shooting in an auto mode), people who have problems converting to 24 or 25 or 29.976 probably shouldn't try the post workflow for the RED as they are going to be terrible at that as well. They should start with learning to plug in the computer and press the on button.

The RED and 5D can be matched (you have to match the RED to the 5D as the red is clean and the 5D is contrasty and a bit oversaturated), the 5D rolling shutter is a problem that you just have to deal with (stabilizer, its the rotation that makes the rolling shutter most noticeable, get a rig - steadycam / shoulder mount / tape it to a stick or something) ... but for a cheap B camera or for someone who doesn't have the cash-money money it makes a good little performer. I shoot B cameras regardless of whether I think I'm going to use the footage or not... mainly cos I can, its cheap, and its more.

I wouldn't expect a DP to beg to shoot the 5D or a GH-1 but for low budget projects or self funded stuff, make it work for you, these are all great tools!

Now, I've lost myself and can't remember what the hell I was supposed to be posting about anyway...
 
If they would only enable uncompressed 4:2:2 out the HDMI port, the GH1 would make for an excellent camera. Especially if hooked up to a Convergent Design NanoFlash or the AJA Ki Pro.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top