[er1kksen]

idk about you folks, but how about opening up a K20D file with blue sky in LR with zero NR? Always gave me fine pattern noise. Same was true of my 40D, and sometimes of my K-x. Only camera that didn't was my old E-330, but that one wasn't worth crap above ISO 200, so who cares?

Showing fine-grained pattern noise in the sky at very high magnifications seems like an absolutely ridiculous thing to fault a camera for.

[johnmflores]

a bit ... just switch the NR off







and when I will sufficiently downsize my cell ph camera .JPGs they cam rival FF cameras ... you just can't see any noise there... never.




please, do not start this old trick about prints...



any camera can be used for a paid, published work - that depends on the photog in the first place, not the camera... and that does not make the camera better, only you.

This so-called trick about prints is not a trick at all. Some people do actually print their photos, and just like the 100% crop is a standard and reproducible measure. You're facetious cell-phone example fails when discussing large prints.

Can we try to keep this discussion about using the GH2 as a photographic tool, not a pixel peeping 100% cropfest? By your sig you appear to have one? Are you unhappy with it because you can't get clear blue skies? I'll gladly take it off your hands for $200 since it's so bad

[johnmflores]

ISO1600 F2.0 shot in a dark pool hall:

[jogiba]

Great shot , you should post that in the "GH3? When?" thread on DPR were some idiot posted "We've seen the latest and the greatest in video camcorders from Panasonic, GH2, any idea when they will come out with a camera that takes decent stills?"


GH3? When?: Micro Four Thirds Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

[johnmflores]

Great shot , you should post that in the "GH3? When?" thread on DPR were some idiot posted "We've seen the latest and the greatest in video camcorders from Panasonic, GH2, any idea when they will come out with a camera that takes decent stills?"


GH3? When?: Micro Four Thirds Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Thx sir. I refrain from the DPR forums because it has little to do with actual photography LOL!

I'm really liking the DOF with the 20 F1.7 wide open...

[DRabbit]

idk about you folks, but how about opening up a K20D file with blue sky in LR with zero NR? Always gave me fine pattern noise. Same was true of my 40D, and sometimes of my K-x. Only camera that didn't was my old E-330, but that one wasn't worth crap above ISO 200, so who cares?

Showing fine-grained pattern noise in the sky at very high magnifications seems like an absolutely ridiculous thing to fault a camera for.

I've compared the GH2 to the Kx in a side-by-side shooting the same photo and the Kx wipes the floor with the GH2 in terms of noise at base ISO.

Maybe for you it's not a big issue, but it is for me. There is a significant amount of noise at base ISO on the GH2, and I do a lot of photography of seascapes and landscapes that include blue skies. The biggest problem is that as soon as I start to push those files a little in post-processing, they fall apart. That's a bigger issue than the noise itself.

The GH2 is a phenomenal video camera, but it doesn't hold a candle to something like the K5 for photos. After today, I'm about "this close" to selling the GH2 I bought to help fund a K5. I'm still hesitating only because the GH2 is so good for shooting video...

I know some people think I'm silly and my own review of the GH2 didn't go over well is some circles... but here's the thing: For me, it has to be a great performing stills camera first, and a video camera second. For me, I have to feel good about the photos I'm working with from the camera, and they have to hold up well to the contrast and color push I may do in post. I cannot feel like I'm struggling to get the results I want. It's been years since I felt like I had to really struggle with any camera I bought... and the GH2 has been a struggle for me. Your mileage may vary, but it doesn't change my findings for myself. Because for me, it's photography first, my money may just be better put into something like the K5.

I've got one more test I'm going to do tomorrow to give it a fair shot... but should it perform as I think it will (with lots of unacceptable noise in the blues and shadows at base ISO), it's going on the for sale block. Trust me, I want to like this camera because it would solve a big desire for me to have an all-in-one solution for video and photography... but I'm not going to sacrifice on the photography side to justify the purchase.

On the flip side... I DID shoot video today with it and used the Pentax 70mm f/2.4 Limited Pancake. It was a great combo out in the field and I got some really nice footage. I'm hoping to put together a little finished-product tomorrow.

[johnmflores]

I've compared the GH2 to the Kx in a side-by-side shooting the same photo and the Kx wipes the floor with the GH2 in terms of noise at base ISO.

Maybe for you it's not a big issue, but it is for me. There is a significant amount of noise at base ISO on the GH2, and I do a lot of photography of seascapes and landscapes that include blue skies. The biggest problem is that as soon as I start to push those files a little in post-processing, they fall apart. That's a bigger issue than the noise itself.

The GH2 is a phenomenal video camera, but it doesn't hold a candle to something like the K5 for photos. After today, I'm about "this close" to selling the GH2 I bought to help fund a K5. I'm still hesitating only because the GH2 is so good for shooting video...

I know some people think I'm silly and my own review of the GH2 didn't go over well is some circles... but here's the thing: For me, it has to be a great performing stills camera first, and a video camera second. For me, I have to feel good about the photos I'm working with from the camera, and they have to hold up well to the contrast and color push I may do in post. I cannot feel like I'm struggling to get the results I want. It's been years since I felt like I had to really struggle with any camera I bought... and the GH2 has been a struggle for me. Your mileage may vary, but it doesn't change my findings for myself. Because for me, it's photography first, my money may just be better put into something like the K5.

I've got one more test I'm going to do tomorrow to give it a fair shot... but should it perform as I think it will (with lots of unacceptable noise in the blues and shadows at base ISO), it's going on the for sale block. Trust me, I want to like this camera because it would solve a big desire for me to have an all-in-one solution for video and photography... but I'm not going to sacrifice on the photography side to justify the purchase.

On the flip side... I DID shoot video today with it and used the Pentax 70mm f/2.4 Limited Pancake. It was a great combo out in the field and I got some really nice footage. I'm hoping to put together a little finished-product tomorrow.

Sorry to hear that the camera isn't working out for you. It is an excellent video camera, but most certainly a step behind the latest and greatest APS-Cs like the K-5. I'm close to landing a couple of projects that will pay for the GH2 and maybe a K-5 as well...

Speaking of video, here's one of my latest:

Vimeo

[DRabbit]

Nice video John... the GH2 really does excellent video (which is why I'm having such a hard time with this decision! LOL). I love the B&W/sepia look to your interview video... it's really beautiful.

I just do video for fun and put together some footage from the GH2 from the weekend... I shot the whole thing with the Pentax 70mm f/2.4 Limited Lens!

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKN65Hs-OKQ[/yt]

[johnmflores]

Nice video John... the GH2 really does excellent video (which is why I'm having such a hard time with this decision! LOL). I love the B&W/sepia look to your interview video... it's really beautiful.

I just do video for fun and put together some footage from the GH2 from the weekend... I shot the whole thing with the Pentax 70mm f/2.4 Limited Lens!

Nice one Amy. I'm getting a sense that you like to push pixels around, using color to create a mood. Maybe the K-5 will give you the latitude you seek - but won't you miss playing with video?

That's part of the driving force for me. I have, by no means, mastered the art of photography, but the idea of adding time to the creative palette intrigues. I feel like I'm stretching myself in a new direction.

What's your process for creating your videos? Do you have a storyline and shots in mind, or do you collect scenes and then play around with them like building block? Just curious.

Finally, here's a still from the video above:




As you can see, it's quite different. The poor WB is one of the things that drove me to sepia. The video, btw, has been mildly tweaked.

[DRabbit]

Right now, it's more just shooting and collecting scenes and then putting them together. Sometimes I have an idea of what I'm going for, sometimes not. With the family video I did, I had an idea in mind first. With the latest one I posted here, I had an idea of what I wanted, but I strayed from that quite a bit.

I do like creating a mood with color... both in my photos and video. I love the cross-process mode on the EP2 for video. Haven't tried it yet on the Kx. I like the Nostalgic mode on the GH2.

Yes, the color looks different than where you ended up with the video... what ISO did you shoot at? My husband who shoots with the GH1 (video only) always manually sets white balance (or 90% of the time). He carries white balance cards around his neck like they're press passes. LOL

[johnmflores]

Right now, it's more just shooting and collecting scenes and then putting them together. Sometimes I have an idea of what I'm going for, sometimes not. With the family video I did, I had an idea in mind first. With the latest one I posted here, I had an idea of what I wanted, but I strayed from that quite a bit.

I do like creating a mood with color... both in my photos and video. I love the cross-process mode on the EP2 for video. Haven't tried it yet on the Kx. I like the Nostalgic mode on the GH2.

Yes, the color looks different than where you ended up with the video... what ISO did you shoot at? My husband who shoots with the GH1 (video only) always manually sets white balance (or 90% of the time). He carries white balance cards around his neck like they're press passes. LOL

I'm on the learning curve with video so I used iA Movie mode for the shot, so I don't know the ISO. I had the subject pretty well lit with an LED light though, so I don't think the ISO was too high. What I forgot to bring with me was my tungsten gel for the light - that would have helped the situation immensely. But I knew that the WB would be an issue, so before hitting the movie button, I set the WB to match the LED. Unfortunately, iA Movie ignored that setting and set the WB for the room instead of the subject.

I haven't done any montages yet, but I may give it a try. I'm working on headshots and interviews right now because that's where the demand is. My inclination is to move towards documentary-style video. I'm also writing on the side, so someday those worlds may collide.

[blende8]

I only now discovered this thread.
Very interesting!
I think such a camera with EVF is the best tool for using the old MF Pentax lenses. Thank you very much for showing the video with the view through the view finder.
What about the colors? You said the colors are quite off in the banana shots. Is this a general problem? Do you have to use RAW always?

Well, such a camera from Pentax with in-body SR and APS-C sensor would be great for us manual focus shooters.

[johnmflores]

I only now discovered this thread.
Very interesting!
I think such a camera with EVF is the best tool for using the old MF Pentax lenses. Thank you very much for showing the video with the view through the view finder.
What about the colors? You said the colors are quite off in the banana shots. Is this a general problem? Do you have to use RAW always?

Well, such a camera from Pentax with in-body SR and APS-C sensor would be great for us manual focus shooters.

I shoot RAW 95% of the time, so my comments on the colors are related to RAW. I'm not too concerned that the GH2's RAW files are more saturated - I often do that to my K20d's RAW files anyways, and it's not a big deal to tone down the saturation if needed.

With JPGs the camera has many different "film" modes to try, or you can create 3 modes of your own, adjusting Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, and NR to your personal preferences.

And yes, EVF makes MF a breeze.

[deadwolfbones]

I've been playing around with the GH2 for a couple weeks for a review. Some pros/cons as I see it:

+ Very good IQ in general from a m4/3 sensor
+ Very good high-ISO capability given the small sensor
+ Fast, accurate AF in most situations
+ Quite compact/lightweight, especially when paired with the 20/1.7
+ Good ergonomics for a smaller body
+ Excellent video, as you'd expect
+ I like the shutter sound
+ Fun to use Pentax/Nikon lenses on it; nice that my Nikon-mount Sigma 100-300/4 becomes a 200-600/4 ($$$$$$ in Nikonland)

- Graining in blue skies at base ISO, as mentioned elsewhere
- Construction quality seems a bit iffy; plasticky and hollow feeling
- EVF is still no substitute for a good OVF (though improved over previous EVFs)
- Touchscreen can be really annoying

Overall I like it a lot, though it's not a very big improvement over the GF1 for my needs (don't really care about video). The 14-140mm superzoom seems like a pretty nice piece of optics, too. I've found it produces particularly good B&W conversions. Something about the sensor? I dunno...

Some photos, taken with the 14-140 and 20/1.7 and processed in LR3.2:

[johnmflores]

I've been playing around with the GH2 for a couple weeks for a review. Some pros/cons as I see it:

+ Very good IQ in general from a m4/3 sensor
+ Very good high-ISO capability given the small sensor
+ Fast, accurate AF in most situations
+ Quite compact/lightweight, especially when paired with the 20/1.7
+ Good ergonomics for a smaller body
+ Excellent video, as you'd expect
+ I like the shutter sound
+ Fun to use Pentax/Nikon lenses on it; nice that my Nikon-mount Sigma 100-300/4 becomes a 200-600/4 ($$$$$$ in Nikonland)

- Graining in blue skies at base ISO, as mentioned elsewhere
- Construction quality seems a bit iffy; plasticky and hollow feeling
- EVF is still no substitute for a good OVF (though improved over previous EVFs)
- Touchscreen can be really annoying

Overall I like it a lot, though it's not a very big improvement over the GF1 for my needs (don't really care about video). The 14-140mm superzoom seems like a pretty nice piece of optics, too. I've found it produces particularly good B&W conversions. Something about the sensor? I dunno...

Thanks for sharing the great photos - shows that the GH2, in the right hands, is very capable. Please be sure to post the review when it comes out.