Panasonic GH1 Portland Head Light

[MrCrgl]

Very good filming. Did you do all the focusing with the stock lenses or did you use other lenses ?

[GalloPinz]

Great job! Incredible camera....I've got a question....I was deciding to for the Nikon D90, but then this GH1 came across my way and...wow! im still thinking about it! Do you think that you can take very good quality pictures (as hobbist or semi-professional purposes) with this GH1? I love the video feature...but what about the quality and versatility on pictures? thanks!

[markinmaine2]

Hi Gallo,

I love my GH1 but I do use it almost exclusively for video. That said I have used it for some professional photos and if the light is good it works fine. However if you need to push the ISO above 400 then noise does become a problem.

I do regularly push the ISO to 1600 in video mode but the motion of video makes this a little more forgiving than it would be in a still photo.

If still photography is your goal then a Nikon or Canon is still the way to go.

Mark

[GalloPinz]

@markinmaine2 Thank you sir...but honestly speaking...do you think that a professional photographer would use this equipment for an important shooting?

[corabianu]

@GalloPinz Hi Gallo, you should check Pentax K-7, is cheaper and you get more bang for the buck. Great video BUT most Important GREAT PICTURE QUALITY.

[adey7569]

Ryderup the DOF is excellent on the GH1 when using prime Lens F2.8 and under. As For the Lowlight capabilities The GH1 again is very good with low light when using faster lenses(F2.8 and below) than the kit lens that comes with it.

Remember also that the GH1 is the only DSLR that can auto focus in video mode as well when needed with the kit lens. Plus the GH1 can except Canon + Nikon lenses with adaptors. Just wished the kit lens was a faster lens . For the price its a nice piece of kit.

[markinmaine2]

Hi Ryderup,

I love my GH1. I also have a Canon 7D now but I would prefer to use my GH1 if I can. Its just an easier camera to use when shooting video. The other night I was using the 7D to shoot this bull riding event(very low light) and it over heated on me. I have used the GH1 for almost 6 hours straight on one occasion and it worked fine with no heat issues. As for DOF, I use Canon FDs 24mm 28mm and 50mm 1.4. DOF is as shallow as you can want it to be.

Mark,

[mvmouse10]

I could really use $1500 right about now... lol

[noodleninjaa]

Christ, this is evidence that Panasonic specifically designed this camera for BOTH stills and video not just as an added feature.

[rjvalasek]

Really nice job...I've been looking for examples of the video on this camera and you did a great job of showing us what the camera is capable of. I shoot both video and stills and this seems to be a nice addition to my equipment. I've been trying to see if anyone has used the camera with the 7-14mm zoom. If you know of any examples please comment.

[markinmaine2]

Hi,

I have picked up the canon 7D as well now and I have to say that if you said, "Mark, you need to shoot both still and video for this event, the lighting is pretty good, what camera would you use?" I would actually say the Panasonic GH1. The electronic viewfinder is a real help for doing video as is the tilt out LCD display.

[markinmaine2]

Continued...

Both make using the panasonic GH1 much easier for video than the 7D with its fixed LCD. On the GH1 by using the Electronic view finder you get that extra point of physical contact for more stability.

I have been using the Canon 7D for some video shoots and since I dont have $4000 dollars woth of Redrock rails and grips using the 7D is a shaky affair. The GH1 is easier to hand hold and operate.

[markinmaine2]

Continued...

The GH1 also has a nice live histogram which the 7D does not have. Being lighter I also use the GH1 on a very small steadycam. I will need to find or build a larger steadycam to support the 7D.

All in all, if panasonic improves the low light capabilty of the GH1 even futher I would not hesitate to recommend it. If you need to shoot in very low light the 7D or 5D is going to win that battle.

[markinmaine2]

But if you want a great hybrid camera that offers a very user friendly video capability then the GH1 is the clear winner.

I hope this helps in making your choice.

Mark,

[eventostampico]

what program did you use to edit and format and codec that I uploaded to youtube, the video is incredibly beautiful, thanks in advance for the answer, excuse my poor English.

[markinmaine2]

Hi,

Thank you for the kind words. I used Sony Vegas to edit this video. I also use a program call VoltaicHD to convert some of the footage to wmv format before editing.

[thevincibleman]

stunning camera work. inspires me to film again!

[shedworx]

How did you do the depth of field stuff? Is that possible with the GH1 out of the box?

[markinmaine2]

Hi Shedworx,

Yes this was shot with the kit lens. The depth of field can be achieved with the kit lens but it would be easier if the lens were faster. I have some old Canon FD primes that are 2.8 and 1.4 and these make getting that shallow DOF a lot easier. The 2X multiplication factor of the micro 4/3 sensor reduces the apparent DOF to a degree so it is not as easy to get good subject separation as it might be on a Canon 5D.

Mark,

[markinmaine2]

In the case of this video I was pushing it by using very near and far subjects which more than likely would have allowed even a normal camcorder to achieve some of the shallow DOF look. One thing that makes it a little hard to pull focus on the GH1 is that the focus is electronically link. This in itself would not be too much of a problem if the focus ring tracked your input directly.

[markinmaine2]

Unfortunately Panasonic choose to give you a "variable" focus rate. So the faster you turn the focus ring the faster focus racks. The slower you turn it the slower it racks. What this does is prevent you from finding two focus points and then moving between them with any accuracy. This could be addressed with a custom setting perhaps in the future.

PS: I sent you a message to your youtube account.

Mark,

[ryderup]

Hmm. Doesn't sound promising. I'm intrested in buying this camera instead of the 5D or a videocamera (Hv30+35adapter etc) but now I'm not so sure. the DOF is still alot shallower than on a videocam out of the box?

[shedworx]

Great camera work and slick editing - looks fantastic!

[zstowasser]

the color is amazing. great shots!

[newgtguy]

Great video!

[derekmjenkins]

Did you shoot this in 1080p AVCHD mode or 720p AVI?

I have the GH1 and couldnt upload the .mts file to youtube.

[shedworx]

You can try VoltaicHD from Shedworx (us). This lets you preview/trim the MTS files then send straight to Youtube. No need to import/convert, just load the clips straight off the camera.

[DirkSchooner]

I like the horizontal cut using different speeds, this is something I have seen on 'Top Gear' and want to give it  try also.