Mercedes Benz making of made with the GH2! And GH2 on safari (Luminous Landscape).
You want to see some professional work done with the Panasonic GH2? Than take a look at the following two works:
1) Click on that link http://vimeo.com/25474377 to see the Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG making of shot in Malaysia! They used the following lenses:
The Nokton 25mm f0.95 -> Get that lens on eBay (Click here).
The Olympus 9-18mm -> Direct links at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
The Panasonic 20mm -> Direct links at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
The Panasonic 14-140mm -> Direct links at Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.
Glidecam HD-1000 -> You can get it on eBay (Click here).
Glidetrack -> You can get it on eBay (Click here).
2) Mark Dubovoy went on Safari with the GH2 (Click here ot read the full article at Luminous Landscape): “I was surprised by how well thought out this camera is. Far superior to anything Canon or Nikon or Sony or Fuji have to offer. As complicated and feature laden as the camera is, the locations of the controls and the ergonomics (other than the traditional film type shape of the camera which is all wrong, but no manufacturer seems to want to deviate from) are excellent. Much better than any other Japanese camera I have tested to date.” And now hear that: “On the other hand, the user manual establishes a new low point in my experience. It is the absolute worst manual I have ever seen. Shame on you Panasonic. If I had hired a crew with the sole purpose of writing the worst manual ever, I do not think it would have been half as bad as this one is.”
Those are the links to the GH2 Amazon, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay. For US readers, the Black GH2 with 14-42mm is in Stock at Amazon (Click here).
Just a reminder: Panasonic officially said they are working on the GH3 with new EVF and faster AF. My guess is that it will come by early 2012. If you know more about the GH3 drop me a line at 43rumors@gmail.com. Thanks!
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Recent comments
Comment from Nick Clark: Each to their own... I'd agree with LL c...
Comment from cL: "There’s something about a camera or l...- Comment from cL: Than I must be an Asian child worker the...
Comment from Esa Tuunanen: Fault isn't in your hands being too big ...
Bernd
10 months ago |must be very subjectiv…..
i found the GH2 ergonomics not so superior.
maybe my hands are too big (i am a 2.05m guy) but i did not like the ergonomics and handling of the GH2.
and this is (also from LL) so true:
“Unfortunately, the camera has this awful plastic low quality feel to it. The lenses are “sticky” and “jump” when you try to zoom in and out instead of turning smoothly. Just a little finger pressure affects the zooming and focusing rings, and so on. The whole camera body also exudes cheapness and cutting corners. It is almost a paradox that it can deliver such good results. I believe that if Panasonic took the time and care to make this camera and lenses of higher quality materials, with smoother and more durable mechanical components, it would have a much better camera and potentially a bigger commercial success (even if the price was slightly higher).
The other thing that drove me crazy was the viewfinder. I thoroughly understand the advantages of a mirror-less camera. However, out in the bush I felt like I was watching a bad movie, or living in the world of a Robot peering through the LCD finder. Optical finders are much more pleasant to use. To make matters worse, when shooting in continuous mode, or when shooting fast action I could not see the action. The screen either blanked out or showed previews of the previous images being recorded. Enough said about the viewfinder.
“
Lionel
10 months ago |I think it’s worth noting that LL were comparing it to a Leica S2, which is about 20 times the price. Which you didn’t mention.
jules
10 months ago |It was not exactly a head to head comparison. Both systems were meant to be complementary on that safari.
That said, the comparison is implicit in some ways. Mark Dubovoy is notorious for using Alpa, Mamiya, Phase One, Schneider optics, Leica, etc. All of which makes a D3x looks like low budget.
Esa Tuunanen
10 months ago |Fault isn’t in your hands being too big but in camera designed for Asian child worker size hand.
I’m 1.75m and it’s impossible to get even half decent grip from GH2 because grip is just too small and way oversized LCD for body eats all available real estate making buttons too small and crammed into way too small space without resting place for thumb (worsening lack of proper sized grip) causing accidental button presses when handling camera. Then there’s inexcusably only one control wheel and also centered EVF makes nose hit to body/LCD.
GH2 as high end product is same as Canon stopping making bodies above 600D and then calling it as new high end camera!
And that LL’s articles claim of GH2 having better ergonomy than other Japanese cameras is utter BS. Quite a lot of DSLRs are more comfortable to keep in hand (Korean Samsung NX11 being best mirrorless body) and out of EVF cameras Minolta A2 (reviewed by LL) doesn’t have the problem of nose hitting to body when looking into EVF, despite of smaller body width grip is lot better with good space for thumb in rear and there’s lot more direct controls which also utilize two controls wheels.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/konica-minolta-a2.shtml
cL
10 months ago |Than I must be an Asian child worker then…. I held G1 and I like it. I believe GH2 is slightly larger than G1. As for texture of the grip, G1′s grip has a velvet feel to it, which feels a lot better than Canon’s low end DSLRs (don’t know how long that G1′s “soft touch” plastic coating would last though). I don’t know if they changed the material on GH2 or not (I’ve never seen one in real life…. Panny really needs to get it on the market), but it’s not cheap feeling.
It’s very subjective, as Bernd said. Everyone probably has different opinion about a particular grip style. I personally find G1 or E-520′s size fits my hand better (and I’m pretty tall, not Bernd-size but pretty tall). I do like that little notch around the grip on G1, because it directs me where my finger would land and I could hold it perfectly every time. How you hold a camera can affect the final image result greatly, so maybe that’s what LL was trying to say.
Nick Clark
10 months ago |Each to their own… I’d agree with LL comments regarding build-quality, which is average for a $1000 body…
But ergonomics and interface? Terrific. It’s a camera that just works. Everything is where it should be and the size is right on the edge of being too small, while still being usable.
Henrik
10 months ago |Love the furious comment about the low quality of the manual. Also sad, because till now i proudly believed that my G2 had the worst manual ever. Understanding that the GH2 is a more complicated piece of tech, i guess the GHR2 manual is definitely even more lousy. (And i’m a dummy; i do read manuals; i don’t assume i know it all in a snap.)
It is sad really that Panasonic blocks access to interesting features by terrible handbook writing. Also the menu options in the G2 camera could have much better naming (without needing more characters).
bilgy_no1
10 months ago |It seems like the ‘making of the commercial’ was shot with the GH2, not the commercial itself?
Maley
10 months ago |yes
admin
10 months ago |Corrected! Thanks!
Brod1er
10 months ago |I think the GH cameras are a case (excuse the pun) of plastic feel but are actually quite robust. They have nil sex appeal but do the job. I have had mine for nearly two years and it has been hiking in the Andes, UK, New Zealand, mountain biking, mountain running etc with me and it has yet to miss a beat. It looks a bit worn but there are no creaks from the solid plastic case. I guess it would give second best to a full metal chassis and weather seals (E5 style) but it is much cheaper and I simply would not take it with me because of weight and bulk. A good camera case, some care, and a clear plastic bag cover most eventualities if you know what you are doing.
Mr. Reeee
10 months ago |+1
Plastic isn’t as sexy as a nice metal body, but the GH2 feels very solid.
I was using a friend’s Canon D60 over the weekend and it felt like a big, hollow piece of plastic junk compared to my GH2. The bad controls didn’t help, either.
Per
10 months ago |Some of you seems to miss the overall message from the safari experience: An art photography pro uses a m43 camera and finds the results satisfactory and useful!
Anybody surpised that quality and handling is better on a Leica? You do not only pay for the brand logo.
I agree that Panasonic manuals are more an obstacle to using the camera in the right way than a help.
Anonymous
10 months ago |+1 – a guy takes a $25k leica and a gh2? I think that says a lot right there
carpandean
10 months ago |Since the G3 went back to an aluminum housing, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the GH3 go that way, too. However, as Brod1er alluded to, I also wonder if modern plastics, which may feel cheap, are actual as durable as (maybe more than) a thin metal body. Just look at the automobile industry.
I agree with Per that the important part is that we see another case where a pro is using MFT. While other systems (e.g., DSLRs) may still have some advantages, they are clearly at the point where they are not practically significant in many cases.
Mr. Reeee
10 months ago |++1
The fact that an M4/3 camera gets equal and mostly enthusiastic comments next to a very high-end camera is all good for the platform. His comments about DSLRs were spot-on!
Yes, modern plastics can in some ways be superior to metals in terms of durability, it’s just the feel that needs to be worked on. There’s something about a camera or lens thats a little dense and a bit heavy, that gets a bit warm in your hand, that feels better. The feel is a big part of the pleasure of using manual lenses.
@Per… The GH2 manual is dreadful. I suspect it was written by the evil gremlins who invented VCR and answering machine interfaces, if you’re old enough to remember them.
I put the PDF of it on my iPad so that I can at least search for things.
carpandean
10 months ago |“The feel is a big part of the pleasure of using manual lenses.”
Until I got to this line, I was getting ready to write that I have Minolta MD lenses for that feeling. Actually, on my GF1, I also have a screw-on metal plate/grip (knurled) – like you can get for many Leica cameras – which combined with the metal GF1 body, a metal MD/MFT adapter, and an MD 80mm f/2.0 makes a very satisfying package weight-wise. Of course, satisfying weight can get old if you’re carrying it around all day.
A heavy body is nice for balancing a heavy lens, though. Since a GH2 is more likely to be paired with a big lens than, say, a GF3 or E-P3, so a bit of heft could be in order.
Per
10 months ago |The G3 dito isn’t any better
cL
10 months ago |“There’s something about a camera or lens that’s a little dense and a bit heavy, that gets a bit warm in your hand, that feels better. The feel is a big part of the pleasure of using manual lenses.”
I also second that. Metals do adjust to body heat better than plastic. Though not all metals are the same. There is something special about titanium which feels more like skin… and that is a very good feel (and it never gets really hot under the sun, or too cold in cold weather).
On top of that, some plastic can give allergic reaction. I know some variation of plastic would just irritate my skin. Some may not be that severe, but enough to tell your body that “something is wrong.” And we might interpret that as a bad quality plastic.
I know, it’s such a petty conversation topic, but anyways…. It’s something marketing should think about. Most consumers don’t know how to explain why they don’t like something, but they just know…. And this is one type of detail that could make a product sell or not sell well.
RT
10 months ago |Looking at the images made by both the Lecia S2 and GH2 I would suggest that Mark D at LL gives up on both systems and reverts to the so called ’35mm rigs’. Sub average dull photos except the 1 with the elephants and wild dogs….
ihateidiots
10 months ago |… I hate it when people decide to impose their own perception on others…
Not least, your statement has a certain disjointed logic that betrays your own bias.
Jonathan
10 months ago |A shameless promotion of my travelogue video I shot in April with the GH2. Enjoy.
http://vimeo.com/23507858