Panasonic GH1 for Film/Video

what are you wanting to do with video?

while the GH1 hacked has "good" quality. very subjective to be totally honest. its good if you are only doing stuff on youtube and dont care about overall quality and just want a nice sharp image then GH1 is good. GH1 would not be able to give you that rich cinema style look that a 7D or 5D2 gives (or t2i or etc) but mainly the 7D and 5D2 as while most canon DSLRs that are 1.6X crop have very similar sensors in video mode they dont all produce identical video. they have every so slight variations.


like i said it really depends on what you intend to use your video camera for. there is no one single video camera that is better than everything else.

this is a very general post that i give to everyone to help them figure out what they want. im not saying GH1 is bad just making sure you dont get sucked into internet hype and then get disappointed because it has some features that yes are better than 7D but arent usually the features that everyone really needs that badly since the differences are barely noticeable when compared on youtube

I can't read the previous post (says user is blocked) but I do know that a Rebel XT is better than the GH1. The GH1 has a smaller sensor, higher noise ratio in low light, no viewfinder, and comparing it to the 7D is borderline laughable. These Micro 4/3rd's cameras have terrible auto focus from what I've read and don't have the auto focus points that any of the Canon DSLR's offer.

As for a suggestion, you can get a Rebel T3 for $350 used with kit lens and that will be a much better camera than the GH1 and it does 720p video if I recall correctly. GH1 is a sit back and shoot auto kind of camera, its much slower than a DSLR and is catered more to beginner photographers or those that want a slight step up from their bridge P&S cameras.

As for portability, the T3 body can fit into a jacket pocket and so can the kit lens, I'd say they're pretty damn portable as I've been using a Rebel XSI with a 50mm prime and all of the accesorys that I have a long with the kit lens and body all fit into my jacket pockets.

gh1 is actually fine for video. The hacked gh2 is often compared to several very expensive professional camcorders. But in my honest opinion, try to get a used T2i. Not only does it have 1080p video, its natively compatible with all your canon lenses. Technically it uses the same sensor as the one in the 7d. Video quality will be pretty much identical. I've seen used t2is going for about 400 bucks.

The problem with canon lenses on different cameras is changing the aperture. Aperture is electronically changed in canon lenses, so the only adapter that actually works is the meta bones adapter. But the adapter is about 400 dollars itself.

lol cant believe be blocked me. what a baby.


but not getting into that. ^THIS^ entire post is totally wrong and here is a short list why:

1) the canon rebel XT does not have video capability. and honestly dont bother with the T3 because if you are going that route just get the T3i you will probably enjoy the swivel screen
2) GH1 does have 1080p and even shoots in AVCHD which is a lot more user friendly for newcomers to video than what canon uses (H.264) AVCHD is used in all panasonic prosumer video cameras and is excellent quality
3) if OP is using camera for video then viewfinder doesnt matter since ALL DSLR cameras shoot video while in live view mode, but other than the if you are taking still photos the GH1 does actually have a viewfinder it is an EVF but its still a VF nonetheless. anyone would know this if they looked at a picture of the GH1....
4) i have no clue how many autofocus points the GH1 has but honestly if you ask anyone in here they will suggest using the single center point. the GH1 has some feature to chose the size of the focus detection for a point
5) just because its m4/3 does not mean it has terrible auto focus. the GH1 does have kinda slow auto focus but i would put it on par with any other cheapo camcorder to be honest. the newer DSLR cameras have much more improved auto focus while in video mode if thats important to you. so look at the T4i since its the newest consumer dslr from canon. or nikons D3200 (which i have not tested so cant testify to it being good/bad for video)
6) im not sure what factors you are comparing the GH1 with other DSLR cameras that makes it slower but first off GH1 is not a DSLR it falls in the mirrorless category. its automatic exposure is pretty spot on like most other cameras and if you are comparing it to other DSLR in video it actually has autofocus in video while canon only recently added that feature and made it work lol
7) while the GH1 is priced in the consumer camera price range or it was because its not sold anymore that doesnt make it a step up from a P&S camera. i do not understand why you are making these claims about a camera i think you have never used because this camera has been used to shoot several feature films, not to mention all the other DSLR cameras that have also been used on major film productions.
8) i dont know what jacket you own but any normal person is not going to fit a GH1 with lens attached in their jacket pocket comfortable AND fit all the accessories as well that is just not going to happen.

im tired of correcting everything this person says. so im done. i highly advise you check his facts if you plan on taking any advice from him and take it all with a grain of salt

watch this. its a lot more in depth look at DSLR cameras. and is truly unbias whereas these youtube comparisons primarily only compare how sharp they appear when pixel peeping. the problem with pixel peeping an image that is only 2megapixels is that the footage will fall apart at a certain point no matter what.

this is made by professionals in the film industry and also members of the ASC. i woudlnt trust any test over this one.

episode one of 2010 GCSO(great camera shootout) http://vimeo.com/11080239

episode two of 2010 http://vimeo.com/11082700

episode three of 2010 http://vimeo.com/12919826


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2011 episodes are less DSLR more professional cinema cameras but there are DSLR cameras in it, here is just part 1 http://vimeo.com/24334733

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and here is 2012 version with better real world blind comparisons where a different cinematographer was in charge of each camera http://www.zacuto.com/shootout-revenge-2012/revenge-great-camera-shootout-part-one

Why not just get a $200 HD video camcorder that will blow away both cameras? If you already have an XT I don't see the point in another camera just for video. I'd spend $200-$300 on a nice consumer HD video camera instead and I guarantee you that it will blow away any of these cameras that can do video too.

while your suggestion of getting a cheap camcorder is definitely a good option you seriously need to get out with these awful misinformed posts... like what the heck? there is no way that isnt blatant trolling.




you dont see the point yet in the same post that is only 3 sentences long you are suggesting buying a camera just for video.......................................


and how will you guarantee this? im confused how you can make that claim....



the point of getting a DSLR that can do video is that now you have 1 camera that does both. that is the major appeal besides the fact that the quality of the video is incredible

Can't read blocked comments in case he was quoting me or anything. Anyways, I just looked up some HD camcorders and this one looks pretty good.
Sony HDR-CX160 High-Definition

I don;t see the point in using a camera to shoot video because zooming and focus tends to be noisy on them while silent on most camcorders and you don;' get variable apertures with most built in camcorder lenses so they're easier and cleaner to work with.