Panasonic GH1 vs G2 - still IQ quality advice needed

[daveproctor]

I recently moved back from a big DSLR outfit to a Panasonic MFT kit with a G2 and a GF1

I've never really done much video but used the G2 and my 14-140 to film the firework display at my brother in law's birthday party. I was amazed by the ease of use and quality but it has set me thinking I would have been better buying a used GH1 for its video capability as this is something I'd like to do more of.

Has anyone tried both the GH1 and G2 and is there any/much difference in image quality for stills? I am looking to hack the GH1 for optimal video quality but don't really want to go down this route if the newer G2 is better for still photography.

 

[curious80]

I haven't used the G2 but I have used the G1 and GH1. Between the two of these GH1 has a slight edge in still image IQ. And by all reports G2 seems to have a sensor identical to G1 so the same should be true for GH1 versus G2.

 

[Tullio]

I've had the G1 2-lens kit for almost a year and a couple of weeks ago I bought a GH1 body from Amazon (the price was real good and I could not pass on it). I've been shooting with the GH1 and after 400+ shots I must say that IMO, the GH1 does produce cleaner images at higher ISO (800 and above) but the side effect of it softer images in return. I was also disappointed that DR was not any better than the G1 (not that the G1 DR is bad by any stretch of imagination). I shot some video with it and although it has great video capability, in my case, not being a big video shooter, I'm not sure it justifies the cost as I already have an FZ28, ZS7 and EPL1 for video shooting. So, unless you already have some m4/3 lenses and buy the GH1 body for cheap (less than $500), I'd say the G2 should be a good way to go. Of course this is my sole opinion.