Panasonic GH1 Portland Head Light

I spent a few hours at one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world this afternoon. Portland Head Light, part of the Fort Williams Park is located just minutes away from downtown Portland Maine. Its close proximity makes it a frequent stop for tourist visiting the area.

Maine is known for its rocky coastline and the shores around the Head Light demonstrate that in all its glory making it an ideal location for the hundreds of amateur and pro photographers that flock here each day. As a note for you early risers, to get the perfect sunrise shot at the light, park at the second entrance and "squeeze' under the fence. Personally I leave a little note on my driver window to let the local Cape Elizabeth police know what I'm doing. Catching a sunrise with the light as foreground element makes a great photo any time.

This footage was filmed on a Panasonic GH1 in 720P. I spent some time practicing focus pulls on this one. I also spent a little time using the slow shutter mode of the camera to record a small runoff water fall, very cool. All the footage was edited in Sony Vegas. I did use a new tool called VoltaicHD from Shedworx to convert the slow shutter footage to 30 frames per second footage. I had to do this because Vegas did not like AVCHD footage with only two frames per second in it. Read that as Vegas Crashed. As a bonus however VoltaicHD has a specific mode to remove the pull down from 1080P footage wrapped in the 60I wrapper. I tried it and I saw no interlace artifacts.

As always I truly welcome your feedback on the footage, editing, transitions, or any elements of the video that you think I could improve. Thanks for watching.

Mark

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Maine
• Portland
• Head
• Light
• lighthouse
• coast
• rocky
• New
• England
• sails
• sailboat
• wind
• grass
• rocks
• waves
• sea
• ocean
• gull
• clouds
• Fort
• Williams
• Park
• shore
• slow
• shutter
• Sony
• Vegas
• Panasonic
• GH1

[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

[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,

[MrCrgl]

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

[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.

[GalloPinz]

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

[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.

[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,