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GH2 impressions

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Here some of the first shots I took in Shanghai tonight, decided to do this as video export from LR3.3 - not highest quality because of compression, but I can assure you the RAW files are!

Anyway I hope it gives you a feeling about what you can do with that camera. And YES, it is small and light enough to carry around.

I start to love that camera. Most of the night scenes were shot at ISO3200.

Enjoy

http://gallery.me.com/ptomsu#100021

Peter
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Some of the night shots - if not mentioned all with ISO3200.

First one: 58mm - f5.6 - 1/100
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Second one - 140mm (equals 280) - f5.8 - 1/10 - IS is working remarkably good, thi is hand held 280 at 1/10 !!!!
 
S

sagarmatha

Guest
There is a lot of debate going on regarding the jpeg colors in comparison with DSLRs. Do you have any comment about that?
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
There is a lot of debate going on regarding the jpeg colors in comparison with DSLRs. Do you have any comment about that?
For me JPEG colors were all right, the only thing I can definitely say is, that higher ISO noise gets much worse compared to using RAW and converting in LR3.3 - just standard conversion is already rocking.

Having said that, I am almost exclusively using RAW mode on any camera and I can say from the GH2 the whole process is really quick and delivers in combination with LR3.3. This could not be said from some other DSLRs, especially the K5 was really slow when image corrections were turned on in RAW / DNG mode. Here obviously M43 lenses (at least the 14-140 kit zoom) shows its strength - there is obviously no correction needed, or if so, it is done in a very fast way, even in RAW shooting. I for myself do not see any need for JPEG usage, but I understand that some have this requirement.
 
P

photolady

Guest
Saw your shots and love them. I am awaiting my own Lumix GH2 and cannot wait after seeing your results. Thanks
 
P

photolady

Guest
By the way, I almost always shoot RAW so am encouraged by your comments
 
S

sagarmatha

Guest
I presume you have or have had other DSLRs before the GH2. Can you make a rough statement about IQ comparison?
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
So first some more from Water Village (close Shanghai).

These were taken late afternoon and some indoors, so in many cases again higher ISO values (compared to the ones from Shanghai, which were most at ISO160).

The only thing I noticed twas that the EVF was kind of freezing when going from dark into bright light, which got away when I switched to a different mode setting on the camera. Not sure what that was (is) or if this needs a FW fix. But otherwise the GH2 worked flawlessly!
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Here my impressions after using the GH2 for some days. Please note that these are my personal impressions about this camera and are by no means scientific or a real review!

Let me start with comparing GH2 to other DSLRs first. I also own a Nikon D700 with several of the high speed 2.8 zooms from 14-200 in total focal length. There is NO DOUBT that the results from the D700 would have been better at all ISO. But how much better? Maybe 10 or 20%??? Definitely better WRT ability of printing larger at higher ISO images, so of course you can see the impact of the 16MP 43 sensor. Given that I want to use the GH2 on business trips or for casual photography the results are topping my needs in any case. And I would not have liked to carry my Nikon gear (nor Hasselblad) instead of the GH2. Or a Leica M9 - but this is a different story and I do not want to get into RF versus EVF discussions now.

What about other small APSC DSLRs? The most comparable would be Nikon D7000, Canon D60, Pentax K5, Sony Alpha 55, etc.etc. Well why did I not simply buy a D7000 and use some of my Nikon glass or add some of the great Nikon DX zooms? I asked myself several times before I choose the GH2, simple answer is that the GH2 form factor, size and weight is considerably smaller and lower compared to a Nikon D7000 (or K5 or even A55). Now would I consider IQ better from one of these cameras, as they have a larger sensor? In the area between ISO160 - ISO1600 probably not, at ISO3200 maybe and above ISO3200 for sure, although not very much IMHO. As you can see from my posts in this thread, one can nicely survive with ISO3200 and I could also have used ISO6400 or 12800 on the GH", although I so far had no real need (great IS of the 14-140). And be honest - back n film days I was happy to have good ISO800, so working ISO3200 are already a big leap forward.

As some of you might have noted I also shot a K5 for some weeks before I sent it back. This was not because of bad IQ or bad high ISO, this camera was really a great performer WRT IQ under several circumstances. But there was one main reason why I did - it was not so well and reliably working AF in some conditions, mainly of course low light, but not exclusively. I never found any AF unreliability in the GH2, only thing that can happen is that it is too dark for contrast AF, but then the GH2 will simply NOT do AF and leave you with MF, so you know about it in advance. Not like the K5 which did some focus, approved correct focus but then it was backfocused (in my case).

Which brings me to another major part of the GH2 - the EVF. I should say that I am an old Leica (R and M) guy, so I love good viewfinders ;) I could not get friend with several EVFs (G1, GH1, A55, and some others) so far, the first one which triggered satisfaction was the one coming with my EP2, but the EVF in the GH2 is again a milestone above that. Not in resolution, but in smoothness when you move the camera or at larger focal length, because the sensor is read out I think 120 times a second and the image of the EVF is refreshed 60 times a second in the GH2. So this results in a very smooth looking picture. Could this be improved? Sure there could be always improvement and before EVFs will be able to get used in Pro DSLRs there needs to be another improvement in my eyes, but I would think this is not too far away. For a camera like the GH2 which I would rate as a high end consumer camera, the EVF is absolutely perfect. And I prefer it to a OVF found in comparable DSLRs like mentioned above, because their OVFs tend to be so small (even if the are 100%) that MF will not really work under bad light, which is not an issue with the GH2 EVF, especially when you turn on all MF support in the menues.

I would dare to print up to 50x70cm from that camera, you have 16MP and they are very good to good quality, so especially when printed you will not see much difference even to a D700. WOuld a D3X do better, or a A900? Sure, but again then you would carry 5 (or more) times the weight and size and get maybe results which are 20% better? Or 30? Or maybe only 10%? Who can answer that????? I can't and here you see the reason why I think that a camera like the GH2 has become already so good that choosing it will not impact lot of the quality - really visible quality - in this type of leisure and travel photography.

If I really needed high IQ, I would take my H3D39 and lenses and blow anything away. Or upgrade for the price of 10xGH2s to a H4D60 and be even better in blowing away:) Or go for any of these S2s which are currently working if I had the luck to get one - for even higher amount of money. But would I want to carry these beasts around? Or bring on a flight with luggage restrictions???? NO DEFINITELY NOT!

Short answer her: in my eyes the GH2 has reached a level of maturity, that it is on the same level as a APSC DSLR or even better in some regards, and already very close in my eyes to a FF DSLR, but MUCH smaller! Comparing to MF does not make any sense. So for me this is an ideal travel camera, maybe add 1 or 2 M43 lenses, maybe even a higher speed prime, and you will be satisfied. Or use it as a complement to an existing MFD system, just to have something to shoot high quality around anything you shoot with your MF gear.

Hope that helps for now. I so far love my GH2 and do not regret having bought one!
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Thank you for a very useful writeup, Peter, and beautiful photos from Shanghai as well. Your thoughts are very similar to my own, having owned the GH1 for nearly a year now. For me, m43 is a very major step in photo technology, bringing it into an area we couldn't even dream of during the days of film. When used in a sensible way, the creative options, which to me always seemed endless, now have extended into yet another dimension.

And while weight and size have always been a constraint post-OM, I will now be able to place two bodies and 14-1000 eqv. of focal length (including the OM 50mm Reflex) in the bottom of my little Kata DR-467i bag, that also rooms 3-4 shirts (in the laptop pocket), extra underwear, shorts and a toothbrush. I even have space for a small Manfrotto fluid head in there, making video so much better. A Hong Kong company, Sirui, has come up with some carbon fiber tripods that fold down to around 40cm without head, and weigh 8-900g. They are a bit low, 130-155cm without and with extension, but surprisingly rigid, and with the articulated LCD of the GH1/2, I don't always need to have the camera at eye height. You can probably find the Sirui tripods in Shanghai too. Have a look at their ballheads as well. They are surprisingly good, and much better than other Chinese brands that I've tried.
 

Terry

New member
Jorgen -

How are you getting to 1000mm....I need very long lens but I think I need it to auto focus as well.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Jorgen -

How are you getting to 1000mm....I need very long lens but I think I need it to auto focus as well.
OM Zuiko 500mm f/8 Reflex. That's including the "crop factor" obviously. On the GH2, it can even become a 2000mm eqv. when shooting video :eek:

It's a bit low contrast, but still very good for video. Great fun to use, and a lens with a distinct personality. It's best hand held (requiring a lot of light), on a monopod or on a very sturdy tripod. For photography, it needs some sharpening and sometimes down-sizing to 6-8MP, but it easily beats a conventional lens with a TC, except for the real heavyweight Canikon lenses, but then we are talking 6-15 times the weight.

Be aware also that long focal lengths like that pick up a lot of haze, fog, smog etc., particularly in cities and when shot along the ground.
 
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ustein

Contributing Editor
>Short answer her: in my eyes the GH2 has reached a level of maturity

I second that and on top it can do amazing video.
 
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