@Sangye - personally, I find the lo-light difference between the gh2 and the gh4 to be night and day. I got bit so many times by FPN I began to hate that little camera. And working in 1080 after downscaling from 4k is fantastic.

Re-reading topics like this is making me feel like perhaps I might just go get myself another GH1!

As I need multiple cameras for covering weddings, so the extra cost of more expensive cameras can quickly add up when you need multiple bodies. So I'm thinking for next wedding season I will use a GH4 together with a handful of GH1 cameras.

http://www.personal-view.com/faqs/ptool/cameras-status-faq

Having long battery life and unlimited recording length is very important to me for weddings, something which sadly very few affordable cameras have. Largely restricted to hacked Panasonic cameras, thus my consideration of getting a bunch of GH1 cameras.

I guess the only other top consideration could be secondhand GX1 cameras? Means a better sensor, and the lack of a flip out screen or EVF (which are both rather important to me) doesn't matter when they're just unmanned supplementary cameras.

I've just bought a GH4. And it has nothing to do with any feeling the GH1 lacks image quality. I love the pics in my GH1s and will keep using them. The thing that most made me want to change is crashing. I bought both GH1s' pre-hacked' but only to 40Mbs. They crash occasionally - usually wide-shots, usually high contrast, sky, etc. (I think the only time I've crashed one indoors was under theatre lighting.) I'm pretty sure it's not the cards - class 10 cards should handle 40Mbs. That gives me a bit of heebie-jeebies when I'm doing interviews or doco type work, or anything that's critical to get first time. I keep stopping the camera, before I should, afraid I'll lost the whole shot. I plan to keep shooting on the GH1s but I'm really looking forward to the GH4. In camera audio, with headphones and gain control. 96fps could be a lot of fun. Zebras and better peaking and focus options could be life-savers. Better low light performance (no banding!) should be good too. Just have to learn zillion new menu options!~

@dlzn I do totally agree. Limitation also comes sometime from to the fact to get too much and too many things and people on the way.

For example, filming with a GH camera allows to work alone or with a very limited crew due its form factor: its viewfinder is enough, no need for an extra monitor and extra cables and batteries for it).

Being lighter, more flexible and more discreet means more potential creativity as there is no inertia in decision making. Compactness and camera layout (ergonomy) matters a lot. And the GH series got it right since GH1 until now.

The noise on the GH2 is annoying and there's some weird jitter things going on. When I cut the GH2 and the G7 together, side by side, the GH2 still has impressive sharpness, but the G7 just resolves more detail. There's less stairstepping with the G7. The main difference is the clumps in the noise patterns, and I prefer (shocker) the noise on the GH1 to the GH2.

So of course you can still use the GH1, GH2, but the 4K is just easier to work with in terms of color, log if you want it, crop, pan, zoom, etc. Anyone wants my GH2 you can have it cheap :)