Panasonic GH2 - Any one have one

[Deep6 7]

I'm dying for one. The best live view auto focus available. So you have more flexibility underwater...

 

I'm still waiting for some more reviews. The micro 4/3rds certainly is not quite as good IQ as dx. But not far off.

 

I'm betting the the sony nex 7 will be released within a few months, and it will be a gh2 killer - same functions, EVF & live view, and great contrast detect auto focus, all on a dx sensor. Likely the same sensor as the nikon d7000 and sony a580.

 

But then there are even fewer E lenses, than micro 4/3rds... What to do?

Well Don,

Thom Hogen has a "good" prognosis for Sony and the NEX(*) future. Scroll down to "State of Mirrowless" for his musings. You might just win your bet. That said, lenses, lenes, lenses, AND defunk the UI.

Bob

 

STATE LINK

[Ryan 48]

Panny 7-14/4 is not a fisheye, it is a super wide rectilinear lens with 114deg diag fov at 7mm. Tokina 10-17 has a 180deg diag fov at 10mm, two very different animals.

 

We tested 7-14 behind the 100mm hemisphere we use for DP-100, and I wasn't pleased with the corner sharpness.

 

 

panasonic 7-14 fisheye...

 

I see this lens and it looks like about the same as the tokina 10-17.

 

But the closest focus is 9.6 inches, rather than 5.5.

 

Does that mean it will not work well with a small dome?

 

Are domes available for the gf1 and gh1 housings already out there?

[derway 2]

Thanks Ryan.

 

Yeah, the prices they are charging for m4/3 lenses is kind of incredible. Especially given their less than stellar image quality. They are charging as much as a nikon or canon lens.

 

Nuts.

 

Another year before there will be enough sony E mounts

 

Guess I'm stuck with a d7000 or t2i or lx5.

[underexposed 0]

Thanks Ryan.

 

Yeah, the prices they are charging for m4/3 lenses is kind of incredible. Especially given their less than stellar image quality. They are charging as much as a nikon or canon lens.

 

Nuts.

 

Another year before there will be enough sony E mounts

 

Guess I'm stuck with a d7000 or t2i or lx5.

 

I got my 10Bar GH2 housing yesterday and will have it in the water this weekend. I look forward to seeing what it can do.

 

The 7-14 is a nice lens and sharp in the corners concidering how wide it is. The 10bar port is a different story and because it is a small port is prone to edge distortion. Here are a couple of shots from the 7-14 on my GF1 and you can see the edges are not sharp but some of that has to do with focal distance as well so take it for what it's worth.

 

I know I adjust the GF1's WB for video all the time and it is the same process for the GH2. It is quit easy but remember to switch it back because it's the same for photo's and will mess up your shots with the strobe.

 

 

 

[Alex_Tattersall 90]

Very nice photos! For (leaked) info, the Nauticam GF2 will be released shortly.

[JackConnick 76]

Have you tried stopping down the 7-14? I would shoot it at mid or higher aperture at the 7mm zoom. I can't tell from your photos. But to be honest it doesn't look much worse than some of the other rectilinear lenses like the Nikon 12-24 or Canon 10-20.

 

Jack

[underexposed 0]

Have you tried stopping down the 7-14? I would shoot it at mid or higher aperture at the 7mm zoom. I can't tell from your photos. But to be honest it doesn't look much worse than some of the other rectilinear lenses like the Nikon 12-24 or Canon 10-20.

 

Jack

 

I'm not sure of the fstop on these shots because I'm at work. I would guess it was 6.3 or less and most likely 4. The lens is fine out of the housing and you have to pixel peep to see anything. I will do some experimenting with it and see if it changes with the port stopped down. I'll have it on the GH2 in the morning to take it on it's first dive. If I remember correctly, the article I read on here about small dome ports says this is inherent and only a larger port can correct it.

 

I love this lens and use it a lot both above and below the surface.

[Kevster 6]

Very nice photos! For (leaked) info, the Nauticam GF2 will be released shortly.

Any news on a nauticam housing for the GH2?

[underexposed 0]

Unfortunately the Panasonic lens are very expensive(ebay prices), the fisheye($1080) & macro($940) are more expensive than their Nikon & Tok counterparts.

The lumix 7-14 mm wide angle is even more expensive than the fisheye.

 

These prices seem high to me. I know you're in a different country but I paid less then $900 US for the 7-14 and the 45 macro is on Amazon for $700. This is still a lot of money but I dive almost exclusively with these 2 lens's and they are worth it to me. I recommend both highly.

[derway 2]

Hi Mark.

 

Yeah, the thing is, the most popular WA zoom, on the dx sensors, is the tokina 10-17. Pretty much the equiv focal length. It is $590... Much cheaper than the pany.

 

It is fisheye, and it focuses much closer than the 7-14. Part of this means the corners are sharper, at a given f-stop, for small domes.

 

And it does better at CFWA, for getting the subject close and large.

 

The bulk and weight of the gh2 and housing, does not seem much less than a canon t2i, or nikon d7000. And it costs as much as the nikon.

 

Now that the oly epl2 is out, with much faster autofocus and shutter lag, maybe that is the way to go for low size & weight, at reasonable cost..

 

Around and around I go...

 

[Kevster 6]

These prices seem high to me. I know you're in a different country but I paid less then $900 US for the 7-14 and the 45 macro is on Amazon for $700. This is still a lot of money but I dive almost exclusively with these 2 lens's and they are worth it to me. I recommend both highly.

 

Yeah the prices i listed are based on a typical ebay store in Hong kong with delivery into Australia.

I had a look at B&H USA and the prices for panny lenses are typically cheaper by approx $200.

 

Buying gear in Oz is expensive. The high street prices for the Gh2, fisheye & macro lens are really expensive.

[underexposed 0]

I hear you on the money thing. I have to have things shipped to a friend in the states and then forwarded to me. The fisheye looks nice and I want one but I like the strait lines of the 7-14 better. There are times I'd like to get a little closer and some day I'm sure I'll get it but for now the 7-14 was higher on my list.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with any of these cameras. As long as you can trigger a strobe they are all quiet capable. I like M4/3's because the lens's are smaller then the larger sensor cameras but the sensor is still large. That said if the nex had been out when I got my GF1 I might have gone that route. I don't have any grand expectations of the GH2 being a lot better then the GF1 but the wife took over the GF1 so I needed to upgrade... I went with 10Bar because they are inexpensive and my last 2 Ikelite housings cracked so I needed to get something more robust without breaking the bank. I've been very happy with the GF1 10Bar housing and I love my Ikelite strobes.

[underexposed 0]

Weather is not great this weekend but I did get out and take a few shots with the GH2 in a 10Bar housing. The housing worked perfect and all the controls were easy to get to. The shots are not that good. There was a lot of surge and vis was bad but there's always next week. I knew it would be bad so I took the Macro 45 today.

 

 

 

 

 

[JackConnick 76]

The Nauticam GH2 housing is in the works, but will probably be a couple of months. Initial retail price I've seen was $2000, not sure about ports. First 10Bar GH2 housings should be into the US later this week, price the same as the GH1, includes 14-45/7-14 zoom port, carrying case, spare parts kit and gear set.

 

Jack

[Alex_Tattersall 90]

Latest price list I have received puts the GH2 housing at $1550. We will be showcasing this new housing, alongside new housings for the Panasonic LX5 and Canon D60 at the London Dive Show next weekend.

[bkkchriss4 0]

Thanks Alex,

 

If the housing is under 2k it might be exactly what I am look at to replace my 7D Nauticam (don't use the 7D on land so looking for something smaller/cheaper for only underwater).

 

Looking forward to getting some images of the new housing.

 

 

 

 

Latest price list I have received puts the GH2 housing at $1550. We will be showcasing this new housing, alongside new housings for the Panasonic LX5 and Canon D60 at the London Dive Show next weekend.

[meme.may.fire 2]

hey guys

 

check out the in depth review by dpr

 

the first time a m43rd camera being compared with a mid range dslr. (60d,d7000)

with the suggested price of the gh2 and the housing mentioned,

its very close to call between those dslrs and gh2.

 

There's also an announcement about nikon mirror-less camera aims for enthusiasts,

we just have to wait and see.

[derway 2]

where was the nikon mirrorless announcement? Not just a rumor? What lens mount?

[meme.may.fire 2]

where was the nikon mirrorless announcement? Not just a rumor? What lens mount?

 

well...

its a rumor of course..

but with evidence!

http://nikonrumors.com/2011/03/10/rumor-ni...-few-weeks.aspx

[derway 2]

On the autofocus they say it is just as fast as the DSLRs for stationary subjects, but does not doquite as well, for subjects moving towards or away. Could be things moving fast like bicyclists...

 

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/PanasonicDMCGH2/page9.asp

 

===========

Panasonic's G-series has set the standard for contrast-detection autofocus for some time now, and the GH2 raises the bar again. At 120Hz the GH2's sensor's readout speed is considerably better than its siblings, which pays off in noticeably improved contrast-detection AF compared to the GF2 and G2. In fact, for day to day (i.e. non-specialized) use we consider the GH2's CDAF system to be virtually on a par with most competitive phase-detection systems in terms of its speed.

 

As well as being pleasantly fast and responsive, focus accuracy is impressive too. As we've come to expect from cameras with high-end CDAF systems, the GH2 is unerringly accurate with static subjects, and you can be confident that when it confirms the subject is in focus, it really means it. It is easy to overlook Face Detection, but for casual photography it is enormously useful. We're not completely sold on the need for Face Recognition, but it works very well.

 

The GH2's AF tracking mode is also pretty effective, reliably following subjects as they move around the screen. Although it is undoubtedly slightly quicker than the G2 and GF2, the GH2's autofocus system has similar difficulties when it comes to following subject movement towards or away from the camera. Basically, the AF system isn't always able to keep up with the camera's understanding of where the subject has gone, meaning that there's sometimes a little shutter lag while it catches up. If you continue to track the subject the camera will tend to get the focus right, but this does mean you sometimes miss the perfect moment when working with fast-moving subjects. (You can of course turn Focus Priority off, but this risks the image being out-of-focus). Hunting - where the AF system is unable to stay with its target and makes large experimental adjustments to re-acquire it - can also be an issue with the GH2, but only occasionally.

 

To a large extent, this is simply a limitation of CDAF technology. A CDAF system has no way of knowing whether a subject is sharp or not without shifting focus back and forth to check the difference in contrast. When it comes to continuous CDAF, matters become even more complicated, since if the subject moves out of the plane of focus the system has no way of telling whether it has moved to a position behind the focal plane or in front of it, again, without shifting the focusing element/s back and forth to check. Not only is this more time-consuming than the equivalent operation in a phase-detection system, it also makes 'predictive' AF more processor-intensive. Obviously this creates problems when it comes to accurately tracking subjects moving towards or away from the camera.

 

The increased speed of the GH2's sensor readout compared to other G-series (and indeed the Olympus PEN) cameras means that it can output subject contrast information more quickly, and we're left in no doubt after using the camera for some time that the GH2 offers the best all-round CDAF performance of any current camera. Ultimately though, while it bests its Micro Four Thirds peers, the GH2's continuous AF performance isn't quite up there with the phase-detection systems of competitive DSLRs.

 

Where continuous AF comes in really handy is when shooting video. Although it displays the characteristic (and to some extent inevitable) CDAF 'wobble' when it initially locks onto a subject, focus is very smooth, and generally very accurate. Just as with still shooting, continuous AF can lag a little behind subjects which are either moving very quickly or are closing rapidly with the camera, but this is far less noticeable in movie footage.

[underexposed 0]

On the autofocus they say it is just as fast as the DSLRs for stationary subjects, but does not doquite as well, for subjects moving towards or away. Could be things moving fast like bicyclists...

 

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/PanasonicDMCGH2/page9.asp

 

What I can tell you from real world experience with mine is the dog running to chase something is fine but a fast object coming right at you is not always in focus. I have no DSLR experience so I can't compare.

 

This is with the GH2 and I can do this all day so I don't think it will be an issue underwater for what I do.

 

[derway 2]

Hey Mark, and all.

 

You can get a gh2 direct from panasonic, for $695, by becoming a fan on facebook..

 

I was about to pull the trigger, and then started looking at lens reviews.

 

Many people seem to think the macro lens is very slow to focus. Have you noticed that?

[underexposed 0]

Hey Mark, and all.

 

You can get a gh2 direct from panasonic, for $695, by becoming a fan on facebook..

 

I was about to pull the trigger, and then started looking at lens reviews.

 

Many people seem to think the macro lens is very slow to focus. Have you noticed that?

 

The macro lens is slower then the others and wouldn't be good for video but for macro work it is fine for me. I've been using it on my GF1 for about a year and a half now. Only had it out one time on the GH2 but it should be a hair faster on it. Most of my macro work is not that speed sensitive. The hardest things to focus on are fans and whips that have water behind them as it will hunt between the two but again these things aren't going anywhere.

 

[Kevster 6]

There are some interesting photos for the GH2 nauticam housing in the wetpixel London dive show thread.

 

Reef & photo have a listed price of $2000 for the housing (No photos available)

 

I am seriously considering the GH2. Will wait for more details on the Nauticam housing(weight,size & ports)

 

Regarding the 45mm macro lens, it has 2 minimum focus distances, 15cm & 50 cm. Will this produce 1:1 at 15cm & 50cm?

 

Any recommendations on what topside kit lens, the 14-140 or 14-42 to buy with the camera?

[underexposed 0]

There are some interesting photos for the GH2 nauticam housing in the wetpixel London dive show thread.

 

Reef & photo have a listed price of $2000 for the housing (No photos available)

 

I am seriously considering the GH2. Will wait for more details on the Nauticam housing(weight,size & ports)

 

Regarding the 45mm macro lens, it has 2 minimum focus distances, 15cm & 50 cm. Will this produce 1:1 at 15cm & 50cm?

 

Any recommendations on what topside kit lens, the 14-140 or 14-42 to buy with the camera?

 

The1 to 1 is at the 15cm because things only get smaller as you get further away. It has a switch to bypass the macro so it will focus faster when using it as a standard lens and the 50cm might be the minimum distance in that mode.

 

I got the 14-42 but if I had the money would have gotten the 14-140. From all accounts it is a very nice lens and much more expensive if bought by itself. It is also the best for video so I do want one at some point. I have not even used the 14-42 as I already have the 7-14, 14-45, 20, 45 and 45-200.