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GH3 user reviews and opinions
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  • 50M tests coming in part 4 which is redemption time for GH3 and 5D.

    @shian Yeah buddy, redemption couldn't have come a moment too soon!

  • @bannedindv

    From what I have come to understand, the color shift is common across the board for OLED. Seems like every new tech has its +'s and -'s. Using it with a loop from straight on is pretty nice though. I'm still a big proponent of using the eye cup though.

  • Perhaps it's just me, but I can't understand some of the comments from the negative side about the image of the GH3. I can understand complaints about the EVF and LCD or some other physical issue, but from all the videos we've seen comparing the 2 cameras it's obvious that the 2 cameras are very close in terms of quality and so how can one be so bad that it's "no competition" for the other? Just seems strange to me.

    One thing I do believe is a plus is the sheer amount of options we have now. You can record AVCHD, .MOV, ALL-I, IPB with different bit rates. You can make greater overall adjustments. We have 1080/60p. I mean the improvements seem to go on and on if you judge the entire camera. All of this is just the beginning of the GH3 life cycle. It seems the more users are learning the GH3 the images are getting better. It's still early in the game.

  • "It seems the more users are learning the GH3 the images are getting better. It's still early in the game."

    @Aria Amen brother! Well said.

    In the testing that @Shian and I did, we discovered after the 2nd day that the 72 All-I image clearly wasn't the way to go, especially with our across the board -5 settings. However, as you will see in part 4 of our shootout, the IPB at 50mbps in QT is simply amazing, IMHO. That look and the expanded DR combined with the new features of the camera AND the fact that the body now feels so much more pro is just awesome. I'm very happy with it. Not to mention that the battery seemingly lasts forever.

  • We'll I was just playing around with the Gh2 and 3 doing the old spaghetti strainer test. I used the Flowmotion v2 on Gh2 and it failed on me twice before getting 20 secs of footage.

    The ONLY thing the Gh2 has over the Gh3 is less moire. That's it. But like I said, it took me three times to record 20 secs of footage on the Gh2 even with the more reliable Flowmotion.

    Were the Gh3 wins (too me) is the increased DR, the body build and monitors, more options to set up color profiles, 3 codecs, 1080/60p. How that is not an upgrade is beyond me.

  • Oh yeah... Just hailed here really hard. I had NO worries about running around in it knowing the Gh3 is weather sealed. Forgot the weather sealing!!!!

  • The "reviews" segment where Collier and I discuss shooting with the cameras and our likes and dislikes is uploading now.

  • i have a GH1 a GH2 and a GH3. so which one do i take out as my 'main axe?' so far it's the GH3. the quality of the footage does seem to vary quite a bit with the settings. like many, i have opted for lowering the sharpness, contrast, and saturation settings. however, i can't say i agree with the idea that noise reduction should be dialed-down. my latest tests are Natural -3, -4, -3, 0. i have had good results from tests outside in late afternoon when the sun is going down and everything is blue shooting ISO400 with the mov container both at 50mbits 30P and at 24P all-I. lowering noise reduction seems to quickly smash the all-i codec, but at 0 it looks good at 24P. i think the GH3 is an improvement over the GH2, in the build, design and features.

  • @shian Great stuff so far, can't wait to see 50Mbps. Also, interested if you're test covers 24P movement issues that people seem to be remarking about.

    @clyde_t et. al.

    Can someone explain the benefits for and against bringing down noise reduction. How does this effect the images, make it easier/harder in post? Also, what happens when noise reduction is brought up into the positive?

    Thx!

  • This shootout is a good thing and is an early part of the process to get the maximum image quality out of the GH3. I love my GH2 and use Apocalypse Now Boom. The amount of work and collaboration, by many on personal-view, done on the GH2 to get to the point where Apoc Now Boom was introduced, is quite a lot, and occurred over much time. My point is...it will take some time until we see both 1) the best possible quality from the GH3, plus 2) the variety of looks possible on the GH3. So while it's always good to make assessments (for and against), it's also good to give all the testers, and all of us here on personal-view, the necessary time and patience for the mastery of the GH3 to come to fruition.

    My guess is that the people who are testing the GH3 are doing so because they have a feeling that this camera has some serious potential once it's been fully understood, fully tested, when Vitaliy hacks it, and when Driftwood and the gang start adding settings. I'm real curious to see what happens six months down the road. Maybe we'll have a cam doing some kick-ass imaging and maybe the price will drop to $999, which could mean the GH3 could end up being a real powerful tool.

    Thanks @shian and @collierlandry for doing this test, and thanks all for weighing in with opinions. Happy New Year - Rock on

  • We dropped the NR down to -5, and got the best looking images out of the 50M setting. IMO the NR just blurs the noise. You can see it moving behind the blur. I'd rather turn that noise over to GHrain Killer or Neat Video.

  • Hey @Collinlandry, the 5dMk3 is not a 26 megapixel camera. Other than that, cool review...

  • He said 23.6

  • @Shian.. It's not a 23.6 MP camera either, but your buddy did say 26.3 mp.

  • @shian @collierlandry

    Thanks for doing this fellas!

  • Тhanks again guys! Redemption is considered)

  • @shian Very cool, just watched it, can't wait to see 50mbps.

    Question all - debating between Voigtlander 25mm and Panny 25mm (video). On GH3, does Panny 25mm have any issues (aliasing/moire due to correction) that would influence decision? In low light on GH3 is Voigtlander significantly better?

  • @shian, thanks for the candid straight up honest test. its great to see you two share your insights, I got a good feeling for the different cameras and there positives and negatives.

    Good Job guys.

  • @jfilmmaker I have been shooting a lot with the Pana-Leica 25mm 1.4 and it has been going superb. Reviewing brickwork and chainlink fences in my footage, no moire issues have cropped up yet. It is quite sharp however, so you'll want maintain the lower sharpening settings to achieve the softer look that you prefer. The thing I like about it over the voigt is the ability to use autofocus in stills or video. This opens up the possibility of using the improved focus tracking feature for unique shots where a follow focus may be less than ideal.

  • After expressing a few opinions about the GH3 based on others sample footage, I finally got to test it myself. Side by side with the same lens, a Nikon 50mm 1.4. My first impression is that this is a serious camera, it feels wonderful, it looks sexy... I wanted to buy it just for that. After doing an indoor and outdoor test, I easily noticed where the GH3 had more DR in the shadows in all kinds of situations, it was actually a lot easier to see than I was expecting. In terms of highlights, I'm not sure if I like the roll off, the GH2 seemed to be smoother outdoors with bright sun washing over skin. The noise is considerably improved, it really looks decent now at 1600iso. The improvements are undeniable.

    That said, even after getting to use the camera myself along side my GH2, I'm not completely convinced at buying one new for the price they're currently at. In terms of image... I'll side with the minority here on personal-view and say that I do prefer the GH2's image for about 70-80% of the stuff I shoot (If I use phrases like more "cinematic, filmic, better motion cadence- I know I'm gonna get an arrow through my head... so I won't go there : ). The remainder, in which I might find myself shooting in low light, in need of higher ISO's, higher res slow mo, and more DR in shadowy areas, I would really like to have something like the GH3 handy.

    If I could get my hands on a BMC, I don't think I'd even be giving the GH3 any consideration at the moment... but it is what it is. It just might be worth picking up and playing with in the meantime though.

  • @shian @collierlandry

    Great discussion. I think your experiences with getting the best out of the GH3 is what many others are finding. Once people figure out the best practices with the camera we will see its true ability. People forget that the GH2 has had 2 years of messing with to squeeze every possible ounce out of it.

    My take on the GH2 vs the GH3 is that the GH2 image is at its peak. It will never be able to improve more where the GH3 in it stock state competes and exceeds in several areas (which are important to me but not everyone). The GH3 is full of potential still.

    The 'to upgrade or not' comes down to if you find $1300 expensive ($800 after selling GH2 and bits). For me its worth every penny to upgrade for others it may not be.

  • @Tron. Do you have shots on vimeo or youtube of the GH2 wth the PanaLeica 25mm 1.4?