Panasonic Lumix GH2 DSLR Video Shooter Kits for Sale: For Professionals and Starters
dslr4video asked me to point readers of the Nanofunk Blog to their current offer of Panasonic GH2 Video Shooter Starter KITS they are offering.
Their KITS offer not only the Panasonic GH2 Camera, but also 3 Lenses, high-quality Novoflex Adapter Systems and Tripods as well as other goodies such as the Rode VideoMic and Adapters to run the cameras from a power source.
Nanofunk already has the Panasonic GH2 and is totally hooked - currently the Panasonic GH2 beats the crap out of the Nikon D800 and the Canon EOS 5D MKIII when it comes to image quality in filming.
RECOMMENDED!
Olympus E-M5 OM-D System Camera is shipping in Europe!
The long-awaited and revolutionary camera for digital photographers and videographers is finally shipping in Europe! The Olympus E-M5 OM-D System Camera features a weather and waterproof case, as well as a new in-body image stabilization system!
The camera is perfect for low-budget film and video productions and if the only caveat (currently only HDMI out in "preview mode") would be fixed with a firmware update by Olympus, it could be used together with the Atomos Ninja HDMI Recorder or BlackMagic Design Hyperdeck Shuttle to record RAW video (respectively Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD).
Evoking the classic design of the original OM Series introduced 40 years ago, and transforming it for the modern age, the Olympus OM-D Series is a new and entirely unique Micro Four Thirds camera system. It combines outstanding features found in the Olympus E-System DSLR line with those of the compact Olympus PEN® Series to meet the requirements of discerning photographers who demand more performance and portability from their interchangeable-lens cameras.
Ordinary cameras have a 2-axis image stabilization system, and it is not implemented in the camera body, but in the lenses - such as the mega O.I.S. from panasonic. The really awesome part of the Olympus OMD is the built-in image stabilization in the body! Compensating and correcting 5-axes of shaking and shift, this new I.S. is the future of portable digital video: it corrects horizontal shift, vertical shift and rolling camera shake - the gyroscopic sensors in the camera detect the amount of camera shake and the IS unit automatically compensates.
Olympus OMD E-M5: combatting bodyshake for vertical, horizontal, pitch, rolling and yaw. IS compensation is effective up to a maximum of -5 EV.
[Update] Thanks to thayermc for pointing out that currently clean HDMI out is crippled. I hope this will be fixed in a future firmware.
Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera: 2.5K RAW Video in ProRes, CinemaDNG and Avid DNxHD
Black Magic Design unleashed the Black Magic Design Cinema Camera with 2.5K RAW Video in CinemaDNG (12-Bit), Avid DNxHD (10-bit) and ProRes (10-bit) support. The Camera can record on SSD drives internally and features a touchscreen with 5" and 800 x 480 resolution. But that's not all: it has Thunderbolt connection, so getting that recorded data out fast is not an issue.
The camera has a dynamic range of 13 stops (!) and supports EF (Canon) and ZF (Zeiss) lenses. Only disappointment seems to be audio support: one integrated mono mic, 2x 1/4" jacks for balanced analog audio (why no XLR?).
Oh, and wait - that's not all - for the suggested price of $3000 they also give you DaVinci Resolve, which is said to be "world's most advanced color correction software", as well as BlackMagic Media Express (Capture Software) and Blackmagic UltraScope software for waveform monitoring from the camera’s Thunderbolt port.
If that isn't something!
Panasonic GH2 beats the crap out of Canon EOS 5D MKIII (MK3)
"Now here we are nearly 4 years down the road from the original 5D Mark II that started it all. What do we have? A 5D Mark III with video quality dated to the tune of nearly 4 years." (eoshd)
I am a big fan of the Panasonic GH2, but since the Canon EOS 5D MKIII and the Nikon D800 were released to the public, I am thinking of switching gear. Currently, there is a fight between the D800 and the 5D3, but the Panasonic GH2 seems to still beat the crap out of Canon. Did Canon finally lose the DSLR wars?
The Panasonic GH2 is a bargain on amazon US:
($899)
($849)If you are into second-hand gear, you can get your hands on the Panasonic GH2 starting at $400. Go and get one, while they are still cheap ;)
Canon can still turn the wheel around, by releasing a firmware upgrade. Currently, the EOS 5D MK3 has very poor video quality - only the reduced rolling shutter and moire are worth an upgrade - although the price of the Canon is far too high. I totally have to agree with EOSHD on this one.
New Olympus OM-D Camera is said to beat Panasonic GH2 in video quality
A new camera from Olympus will be released soon: the Olympus OM-D, styled after the classic OM-1 manually operated 35mm single-lens reflex camera. The Olympus advert features the words "Oh My Goodness", with the O and the M highlighted in bold. The OM-1 is a 35mm SLR film camera harking back to 1972. It's likely that the new camera would directly compete with the Fujifilm X Pro1, which was announced at CES, and also features retro styling and interchangeable lenses.
According to 43rumors, the "New Olympus OM video quality is better than on the GH2!" - but what does that mean exactly? First of all, Olympus is said to have reduced the "jello effect" as well as improved the dynamic range of the sensor. The question remains, what's the new sensor that could achieve such specs?
Here is a roundup of the rumored specs:
Olympus OM-1n with 50 mm / f 1.8 lens. Body weight 510 g only Author: Jmak, Source: Wikipedia
* 16 million MegaPixel Sensor
* Micro Four Thirds Mount and Sensor
* built-in electronic Viewfinder
* weather sealed magnesium body
* new AF System
* ISO range: 200 - 25600
* EVF which will simulate the pentaprism design
* The built-in flash will have a GN=10 (Guide Number)
* 5-axis shake reduction
* Fast AF & 3D tracking
* Two colors will be available: black and silver
* Weather sealed magnesium body
* Camera width: 121mm
* Weight: 425g
Rumours suggest that the OM-D will be presented on February 8th, during the CP+ photography show, taking place in Japan (home of Olympus).
Still, the Panasonic GH2 is a good choice for film makers and photographers alike (starting at $650 in the US and €695 in Europe), since it is currently cheap and has the same mount as the upcoming OM-D. If the OM-D firmware can be hacked remains unclear - it is a fact though, that hacking will take its time, since the Panasonic GF3 hack is also not even done yet.
Panasonic GH2 Driftwood/Vitaly Patches 176Mbps AVCHD Intra up to 244Mbps Intra: A poor man’s RED?
Video: Tsawout Spit – Gh2 Test (driftwood 176mb gop1 hack) from mark wyatt on Vimeo.
There seems to be no day without any surprises with the Panasonic GH2. The latest hot-shit is a hack to get 176Mbps AVCHD Intra up and running on the camera. Right now there's no possibility to record in 25p but there are attempts by vitaly and others, so let's see what the future holds.
What is AVCHD Intra?
"AVCHD Intra is usually recorded to extremely expensive P2 cards on high end cameras and here it is on a consumer camera with an SD card. [...] This is a codec that uses i-frames only unlike consumer AVCHD. Every frame from the sensor is stored. Standard AVCHD is a Long-GOP compression format and works by estimating and guessing at frames in-between ‘real’ images but Intra doesn’t. [...] AVCHD Intra is very good for heavy colour grading, fast action, hand held footage and green screen VFX work. You certainly get a better result from AVCHD Intra on the GH2 than by outputting from any DSLR’s HDMI feed to a external recorder as well." (via eosHD)
How does it compare?
eosHD has a comparison on AVCHD intra 100Mbps vs 24Mbit AVCHD.
And if that's not enough: there is even a 244Mbps AVCHD Intra Hack, as outlined by Driftwood: "It's stable and with good lighting conditions can look amazing."
eosHD recommends: "AVCHD Intra at such high bitrates can be tricky to edit so I recommend transcoding it to ProRes 4-4-4 first."
Panasonic GH2 is a mobile video beast: hackable and extendable.
The Panasonic GH2 turns out to be the currently best Video-DSLr out there, although it is not even a DSLR. The micro-four thirds sensor is much smaller than a full-frame sensor, but the video footage that this great camera produces is far superior to those from lets say the Canon EOS 5D MKII
- no moires, no aliasing and a much better video codec: AVCHD. Besides the obvious facts, the GH2 gets hacked extensively: Vitaliy Kiselev first hacked the GH1 and after that the Panasonic GH2.
With the PTOOL firmware manipulation tool, you can get the following improvements, among many others:
- Change Video Bitrates
- Improved GOP patches.
- Improved MJPEG size patches.
- change the 30min recording restriction
- lots of other changes
Patching the firware was possible, after a GH2 Firmware update leaked.
Here is a short overview on what to do in 10 steps:
1) Get a Patch from the extensive patch repository.
2) Load the GH2 1.0E firmware
3) Check all necessary patches, Version increment must be always checked.
4) Save firmware. Just change last digit to any number you want. (e.g. GH2__V11.bin)
5) Copy firmware to root of SD card. Fully charge you battery. Do not even attempt to use AC coupler!
6) Power off your camera if it was on.
7) Power on camera. After this press (not hold) green play button.
8) You'll see hourglass and prompt to update.
9) Press down arrow and after this Menu/set.
10) Wait until upgrade will be completed.
happy modding!
Fujian 35mm F1.7 CCTV TV lens +Mount for MFT m43 (Micro Four Thirds) for $48,99
A great bargain for m34 (Micro Four Thirds) users (Olympus, Panasonic, etc): the Fujian 35mm F1.7 CCTV TV lens +Mount for MFT m43 (Micro Four Thirds) which sells for $48,99 including free worldwide shipping. We just ordered two of them, so expect photo and video examples soon. In the meanwhile, you might want to take a look at some youtube example footage.
This CCTV Lens is a high quality lens with alloy casing. It is ideal for use in bars, shops, parking lots, houses and warehouse, etc. It gives you the widest field of view image avaialble with a C mount lens. This CCTV Camera Lens provides ultra clear vision for your camera. Incorporates advanced optical elements to ensure all-around sharpness and efficient light conductivity. Its iris can be manually adjusted according to available light levels.
Specifications Fujian 35mm F1.7 CCTV TV lens
Mount type: C mount
Focal length : 35mm
Aperture:F1.7-C
Iris/ Focus operation: manual
Angle of view: 13.8
Object distance: 30cm -infinite
Compatible with cameras including:
Panasonic: G1, GH1, GH2 GF1, G2, G10
Olympus: E-P1, EP-2, E-PL1 fits C Mount Movie Lens
C mount M4/3 Camera lens Adapter to EP1 EP2 GF1 GF2 GH1 GH2
With a C Mount Lens to Micro 4/3 Adapter you can use C Mount lenses on your MFT system. You can use this camera adapter ring in conjunction with the camera adapters to complete the connection to a digital camera supporting a filter thread.
Redrock Micro creates Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds adapter with aperture control
Redrock Micro has created a Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds lens adapter which adds the electronics required to control the aperture on the mounted EOS lenses - 9V battery and a touch-panel allows the adapter to specify the lens aperture in 1/3EV steps. The adapter (LiveLens MFT) costs $442.50 and is available directly from the manufacturer's website.
The Redrock Micro LiveLens, Active Lens Mount for Canon EF Lenses
Redrock Micro's LiveLens MFT provides the required power and electronics to control Canon EF lenses when attached to a micro four-thirds camera body. With the LiveLens MFT's control touchpad, the EF lens' aperture can be open and closed in increments as small as 1/3 stop. The LiveLens MFT works with virtually every EF lens available today, including variable aperture zoom lenses, prime lenses, consumer-level lenses, professional L-series lenses and most third party EF-compatible lenses. A marvel of advanced design, the LiveLens MFT is incredibly compact and weighs less than 6oz. (via dpreview)
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Four Thirds Lenses on MFT (Micro Four Thirds) Cameras: but is there a way to mount FT on Canon EF?
With the Four Thirds Standard being around for quite a bit longer than the MFT (Micro Four Thirds) there is an actual way to use those lenses on a MFT System such as the Panasonic GH2 or any other Micro Four Thirds Cameras
Unfortunately, the optics of 4/3 and MFT (Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds) imply, that the image size projected on the sensor is smaller than any full frame or APS-C sensor so there would be a massive vignetting (a reduction of an image's brightness or saturation at the periphery compared to the image center), producing pictures as the ballon-picture on the left. A gradual decrease in light intensity towards the image periphery happens, so it actually does not make so much sense to use MFT or 4/3 lenses on systems with a larger sensor. Still it totally makes sense, to use lenses designed for 35mm or larger than four thirds on any FT/MFT system, such as the Redrock Micro LiveLens, Active Lens Mount for Canon EF Lenses. In another post, I will write a comparison on legacy lens systems and the usage on MFT/FT and EF systems.