Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only)

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I bought this specifically to hack it for HD video, and I'm happy to say I could not have made a better purchase for the money. It also takes decent stills, enough so that I'm considering giving up my Nikon DSLR and using this one exclusively.

It's lightweight and small, which is great for someone with smaller hands like me, though it might be too small for some. Of course, that means using it for handheld shots is a lot more difficult.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

For me it was the perfect mix between a dslr and a traditional camcorder. It has great quality and depth of field. Also the on board mic is not bad for what it is. The electonic viewfinder is awesome and so is the swivel screen.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I really enjoy this camera, coming from a GF1. It is not the newest but it takes fantastic pictures and video. I noticed some minor banding but it is possible to work around it. For the price I don't think you can beat it in terms of features at this point (July 2011). Much more comfortable to use this with longer mft lenses than the gf1 - the compromise is size, this camera will not be going into your pocket even with a pancake lens. It does take much better pictures and iso 1600 is usable. I love taking it hiking with the 100-300. The flash is much better than gf1; I can use it with the 100-300 without shadow.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

Great easy DSLR to use. Outstanding video if you know how to change the firmware, just be careful in choosing the right SDHC card. Even the picture quality of digital images are also very good. You can also use any lens with the right adaptor. Definetly a great buy!

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I bought and used this camera for video only, so I cannot say anything about it's photographic skills. For video, I really like its autofocus, which is a big improvement compared to other HDSLR's like the Canon 7D that I used before. Also there are no rolling shutter or moirée issues, and it has a nice big flip-out screen, so no additional LCD display is required.
Handling is not as good as with a "traditional" camcorder, so I had to add an extra rig, which is ok given the very small size of this camera.
Image quality is excellent and in opinion, similar to the 5DmkII - except for low light shots: the GH1 only goes up to 1600 ISO an has nasty streaks resp. banding in low light (which can be removed in post, but is yet another step in the workflow).
This camera can produce a really nice shallow DoF, but in most cases, you'll need a faster lens that the kit 14-42 or the 14-140.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

Upon reading the manual for the GH1, I was surprised at all the technology packed into the camera, things I hadn't expected or known about. The auto focus is fast and better than any other I have used. Outrageous face-recognition and tracking improvements. I'm pretty sure I can use only the features I need, and not get bogged down with the multitudes of features.

Solid build, but would have preferred metal to plastic. Like the compact size. Also really like the swiveling LCD screen, but not a huge fan of the LCD viewfinder; would have preferred a real optical finder (not available in mirrorless design) or a higher res viewfinder.

I look forward to stressing it, hacking it, and receiving my adapter for Nikon lenses. Primarily purchased for the video capabilities.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

this camera is very good for daylight. if you need to use it at night, you might have to carry an extra light panel.awesome movie mode with tracking face detection working like a charm.excelent for [$]!!!

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I bought this Panasonic GH1 for video and man I am loving it. It looks very cinematic and beats my T2i in the aliasing department. Great Deal....

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

Upgraded from various P&S and Fuji Finepix S6000fd prosumer cameras. The GH1 with the well-regarded Lumix 20mm f/1.7 lens is more compact than I had imagined. It's significantly smaller than the Finepix. I have not had it side-by-side with some others I was considering (regular entry-level DSLRs like Canon T3i and Nikon D3100/D5100) but I think the GH1 wins considering its excellent video performance.

The AF during video however, is slower than I expected (which is why I steered away from the Olympus PENs). In this regard I think the Nikon D3100/D5100 and Sony translucent mirror cameras excel.

I am also happy that this generation does not use the touchscreen that is becoming pervasive now. The EVF is very nice.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

This camera is much cheaper than the GH2 and also with firmware mods can do excellent quality videos. I am very satisfied with my purchase. Great system and light weight. Autofocusing during videos is silent and much better than DSLRs i've tried. Another advantage is the 2x equivalent focal length making a 100-300mm lens 200-600mm

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

The GH1 is a GREAT camera! My first DSLR, however I Have shot a lot of video primarily on the T2i, and then the HMC150 as well. This camera puts out a great shot, 720p 60fps is what I shoot in and slow mo looks great. In low light it doesn't perform too well, but for a [$] body how can you complain! I don't think it takes the greatest photos (only up to 12mp?) but I don't know too much about digital photography. All in all this is a great buy and I'm super happy with my purchase. AVCHD is an awkward format though, FCP7 doesn't import it it, but the new final cut 10 does.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I bought this camera as a travel camera. My Canon 7D is a bit bulky and heavy to carry around everywhere. The Panasonic GH1 is perfect for my travel needs. I've paired it up with an old M42 screw mount lens from the 70's. With the right adapter, this little camera will take any lens due to it's smaller censor size. Manual focus is great. The screen is sharp enough and the electronic viewfinder is surprisingly sharp. The best thing about this camera is the video quality. After hacking the firmware, the quality is approaching film. Twice as sharp as the 7D's video. If you're considering a stills camera for videography, this is the one. Best value for your money. Super sharp, compatible with any lens system, only [$].

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

The camera looks small and fragile, but worth the money invested. The video is better when recorded in 720/60p. In 1080/24p the scenes with a lot of movement may show the blocks of compressed video. Lenses available to the system micro 4 / 3, are very dark.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

The panansonic Gh-1 is really one of the best if not the best DSLR cameras for video.
From it's ability to autofocues to it's fully articulating LCD screen, the GH1 fixes allot of the current problems that users have faced with other HDSLRs. Interestingly it's video quality closely resembles it's big brother the AF100 with the expect ion of iso performance.

Pros
One of the great things about the camera maybe the micro 4/3 mount. Currently this is one of the most adaptable arikatechture, it's great from the nikon f mount to CCTV lenses. The menu interface is very easy to navigate and learning to shoot stills and video is a fairly striate forward process.

The camera body is really compact making it easily to travel without having to carry around a traditional camera bag. Even when paired with a standard zoom lens the overall camera package is still move than manageable in term of portability. Although there are many things that This camera does well there are some pitfalls that need to be mentioned.

Cons
Firstly interns of continuous autofocus abilities that camera overall does a manageable job with the important expect ion of the face detection mode. The main issue with this feature is that it does not lock on to a subjects face especially When shooting wide open at f3.5 or faster. The body size is good in terms of it's compact size but not good interns of ergonomics. It's doesnt fit most hands and if you use the camera for long periods of time it can effect stability and overall comfort. There are some problems with the picture quality when one goes iso 1600 and above. At these ranges the camera suffers from fixed noise pattern problems and the famous Gh1 banding issues .

Overall the cameras is really amazing for the price it's video quality if far above many others and comes in a robust compact package.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

Hello my name is Rob, I recently bought the Panasonic GH1 for my company Knocked Films. If I could sum up everything about this camera into simple words, it would be "The most perfect bang for buck DSLR". Its mirror less system works great, it is light wait and portable. Rotatable screen is useful at times, although it does have motion blur when recording moving objects. But the biggest win about this camera, is its ability to shoot 1920x1080 at 24 Fps(when hacked). Note this is still a great camera without the firmware hack, but interlaced footage records at lower bit rates and is more choppy. It is highly recommended to do the hack if you are using this camera for video. Its competes with any DSLR on the market for video, does good enough in low light to compete with the 5DMK2 and 7D. For a still camera it is decent, it feels more point and shoot than how normaly DSLR's shoot when clicking the shutter. But it does substantial for its price. I highly recomend this camera for any cinematographer begineer to pro. It is great, I own 2 and a GH2.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I'll keep this short and sweet - Canon 5d mk2 beating video performance from a camera at this price is just an amazing deal.

You NEED to team this up with a fast prime lens - i recommend the pancake 20mm f1.7

By upping the bitrate on the video this camera shines magnificently

The interface is very intuitive

The photos are great too but you wont quite get the same lowlight as the canon apsc line up -by applying slow shutter effects however you can get amazing after sunset pictures by simply using a tripod and 1 - 25 second exposures (use a tripod) - this yields awesome saturated colors in virtually no light !

The light meter guides you to getting perfect exposures - even with these long exposures.

Simply the best value dslr for video right now - this purchase was a no brainer for me and i am so happy with the video performance- which i use for professional projects

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I just purchased this camera for three main reasons:

1. I am an amateur photographer (I have more experience with video), but I needed a near pro-quality item that could allow me to have a great personal-use tool while doubling for low-budget free-lance work.

2. As I highlighted, I need video as much (if not more) than I need photo; however, I am trying to increase my skill with photography and the mirrorless 4/3 technology with interchangeable lenses makes it an efficient piece of equipment to have for experimentation. Also, the video component is an incredible plus and with the hack, it is even better!

3. I needed bang for my buck. The price on this camera with the ability to swap in nearly any lens (with adapters) makes it an incredible buy.

The performance and capability of this camera are great, especially for the price. If you need video and photo in one, this and the GH2 are near the top of the market.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

This is my first week of using the camera.

The good:

- Light and compact--comparing against SLRs
- Good quality stills and video

The bad:

- Slow for action shots
- Not good in low-light situations

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I bought this because I needed to replace by outdated Nikon D100 and wanted something that could excel at shooting b-roll video. With its now under $400 price tag, I figured I couldn't go wrong and I didn't. It is a little different from a traditional DSLR and I wouldn't recommend it for sports or action photography. But, the live-view EVF let's you see what the picture is going to look like. It's a more deliberate approach to photography which can force you to think more about your images, which is a good thing.

Some have complained the images are soft, but I found they have a very film-like quality.

Video performance is very good. I shot B-roll that was included with main footage shot using a top-of-the-line DVCProHD Panasonic broadcast camera. Yes, there is a difference -- and with a 100 times difference in price, there should be! But, the GH1 video will hold its own against anything shot a "pro-sumer" HD video camera or video DSLR.

There are things you give up with this camera: as I mentioned, it's not ideal for sports. You don't have all the creative flash options of a dedicated DSLR system. Low-light performance is not as great and you don't have the audio options of a true video camera.

But, working with those limitations, this is an incredible camera. Plus, for those who travel, the ability to get a camera that shoots high quality stills and HD video, plus an assortment of lenses and accessories, into a small carry-on bag is an incredible plus.

Know that this camera is a little different than a DSLR or video camera, and it can open up a whole new world of shooting.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Digital Camera (Black, Body Only):

I use this camera for short videos, local commercial spots and sometimes conferences. It does the job well, better than my old JVC 500. Good quality and I can record 30min with no trouble.