A Debate About Panasonic GH2 & GH3

Totes_Magotes

Totes_Magotes

Active member
I'm in pretty desperate need of a new camera this summer. I'm set on getting a GH3, but as of now, the budget may not allow for one within the next few weeks. I guess I have two options, and was hoping NS could help me make the right choice.

Choice 1 -

Buy GH3 and only able to afford tokina 11-16 during summer, saving for more lenses as time comes.

Coice 2 -

Buy GH2, able to pick up Tokina and another lens for summer, sell GH2 and end of summer when budget calls for getting a GH3.

Notes - This summer, I will be filming an outdoor concert series and a music video (only jobs that are set as of now). I am set on having a GH3 by ski season next year, but don't believe I will need one for the concerts this summer.

Is it worth it to get the extra lens and only have GH2 for a while or should I get the GH3 from the beginning?

Thank you +K
 
gh2 is awesome, it'll do you great for the summer. Get that with another lens. be gentle with it and it won't depreciate much. Gh3 is nice for i frames which will do you well for flashing lights at concerts, but it's important to have glass to work with.
 
Thank you man, I think that's what I'm gonna end up doing unless I win the lottery in the next week or so. I think getting to know the GH2 will only help me when I first pick up a GH3
 
Ha! You don't just "know" the GH2...the menus are the equivalent to the fucking human nervous system
 
hack the gh2 and you'll be sweet. The GH3 is amazing though. I am super happy with mine. its definitely more versatile than any Canon DSLR I have used in the past.
 
It mostly comes down to moiré. With the GH2 I am guaranteed no moiré, whereas I've seen it occur numerous times with the GH3. The GH3 isn't nearly as bad as most other cams, but to me the new scaling method is a step backwards. I don't give a rats ass about 1080p60 or any of that stuff. The two immediate advantages I can see with the GH3 (which I have yet to personally confirm) are the purportedly smoother gradients and timecode features. If you're careful with the GH2 you can avoid banding most of the time, so I'm not too concerned with that. Timecode is sweet, but I rarely find myself in that situation. Everything else about the GH3 seems like a superficial upgrade, and I especially don't see the point when the GH3 is more than twice the price of a GH2.
 
12204881:[~_~ said:
]It mostly comes down to moiré. With the GH2 I am guaranteed no moiré, whereas I've seen it occur numerous times with the GH3. The GH3 isn't nearly as bad as most other cams, but to me the new scaling method is a step backwards. I don't give a rats ass about 1080p60 or any of that stuff. The two immediate advantages I can see with the GH3 (which I have yet to personally confirm) are the purportedly smoother gradients and timecode features. If you're careful with the GH2 you can avoid banding most of the time, so I'm not too concerned with that. Timecode is sweet, but I rarely find myself in that situation. Everything else about the GH3 seems like a superficial upgrade, and I especially don't see the point when the GH3 is more than twice the price of a GH2.
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gahhh I can't decide which one to get
 
12201421:TWoods said:
gh2 is awesome, it'll do you great for the summer. Get that with another lens. be gentle with it and it won't depreciate much. Gh3 is nice for i frames which will do you well for flashing lights at concerts, but it's important to have glass to work with.
Click to expand...

All I frames is available with certain hacks on the gh2. I would say advantage of the gh3 is 1080/60p, and build quality. Gh2 has the larger multiaspect sensor also, which I thought was pretty neat. I would look for a deal on the gh2, get some lenses and then get the gh3 when people start dropping them as the gh4's become available, unless you can get a serious deal on a gh3. I think there was one on here for $650, which isn't much more than what the gh2's are going for.
 
13005881:p.hawks said:
All I frames is available with certain hacks on the gh2. I would say advantage of the gh3 is 1080/60p, and build quality. Gh2 has the larger multiaspect sensor also, which I thought was pretty neat. I would look for a deal on the gh2, get some lenses and then get the gh3 when people start dropping them as the gh4's become available, unless you can get a serious deal on a gh3. I think there was one on here for $650, which isn't much more than what the gh2's are going for.
Click to expand...

What hacks???
 
12204881:[~_~ said:
]It mostly comes down to moiré. With the GH2 I am guaranteed no moiré, whereas I've seen it occur numerous times with the GH3. The GH3 isn't nearly as bad as most other cams, but to me the new scaling method is a step backwards. I don't give a rats ass about 1080p60 or any of that stuff. The two immediate advantages I can see with the GH3 (which I have yet to personally confirm) are the purportedly smoother gradients and timecode features. If you're careful with the GH2 you can avoid banding most of the time, so I'm not too concerned with that. Timecode is sweet, but I rarely find myself in that situation. Everything else about the GH3 seems like a superficial upgrade, and I especially don't see the point when the GH3 is more than twice the price of a GH2.
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1080p60 is a pretty big deal when you're filming almost exclusively action sports. And I think banding is just as ugly as moire, and is harder to avoid. In my experience, the GH3 also has noticeably better dynamic range and a softer knee, which are two of the more important contributors to IQ.

The build quality and menus are also worlds better. The normal sized mic input is also a plus, especially since most people filming skiing are gonna be using a VMP or something similar. I would definitely say the upgrade to a GH3 is worth it if you can afford it.

But in OP's case, I would say start off with a GH2 and invest in more glass from the start. a Tokina 11-16 and a set of vintage primes could make some awesome images on a GH2 or a GH3.
 
12203721:TheTrap said:
Ha! You don't just "know" the GH2...the menus are the equivalent to the fucking human nervous system
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Is it that bad? I was thinking of getting a GH2 to try my hand at filming some time but this doesn't sound promising.
 
13006395:TijmenDal said:
Is it that bad? I was thinking of getting a GH2 to try my hand at filming some time but this doesn't sound promising.
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People are such babies about this. Yes the menu is horrendous and illogical. But it takes 5 minutes to configure presets so that you never have to go into the menu ever again, unless you want to shoot 1:1 sensor crop or format the card.
 
13006195:TWoods said:
What hacks???
Click to expand...

Check out personal-view. There are all sorts of hacks and patches. Installs like magic lantern, but no new menu/no overlays/no raw video. Let's you switch between NTSC and PAL, use any iso for video, and some audio stuff. The video hacks are the biggest part, you can stretch it for anamorphic lenses, do low fps for timelapses, and adjust the quality for anything from sports to skin tones, including some "general" high bitrate ones like all intra. GH2 is great on its own, but these let you truly unleash it.

As far as complicated menus, the manual helps, and you only have to set everything once. I highly reccomend using the custom modes. For me, c1 was 1080/24p, c2 was 1080/30p, and c3 was 720/60p. Each one has every setting locked to it, made it super easy, just pick the mode, set the exposure and white balance, and then film.
 
13006815:p.hawks said:
Check out personal-view. There are all sorts of hacks and patches. Installs like magic lantern, but no new menu/no overlays/no raw video. Let's you switch between NTSC and PAL, use any iso for video, and some audio stuff. The video hacks are the biggest part, you can stretch it for anamorphic lenses, do low fps for timelapses, and adjust the quality for anything from sports to skin tones, including some "general" high bitrate ones like all intra. GH2 is great on its own, but these let you truly unleash it.

As far as complicated menus, the manual helps, and you only have to set everything once. I highly reccomend using the custom modes. For me, c1 was 1080/24p, c2 was 1080/30p, and c3 was 720/60p. Each one has every setting locked to it, made it super easy, just pick the mode, set the exposure and white balance, and then film.
Click to expand...

i know all about personal view, I have used 3 different hacks on mine so far. I was asking which one lets you do i-frames specifically
 
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