Andrew from EosHD (Click here) posted a new markIII versus NEX-7 versus GH2 video quality comparison: “In my opinion unless you really need a full frame sensor the GH2 is still the best ‘DSLR’ to do video on. If only it had the same build and pro-looks as the 5D Mark III it would be taken more seriously. It isn’t a robust camera to throw around or rent out. The articulated screen (that only consumer cameras seem to have embraced) is a must-have though and the image quality is unbelievably good.”
That’s bad news for Canon as the new 5DmarkIII really should have continued the 5DmarkII success story by setting a new standard of video quality. Add the fact that it seems that the camera has Light Leaking issues (Read more about it at Canonwatch.com) and that it is currently being outsold by the Nikon D800 (See the ranking here).
I think it’s a great chance for Panasonic to grab the momentum with the upcoming GH3. All we know for sure is that the GH3 is weather sealed and that it comes in late August/early September. Weeks ago unconfirmed rumors (from unknown Asian sources) shared these specs:
Sensor: 15.5 mega-pixel sensor
Iso: Iso 160-12800, extends to 80-51200
Speed: 6.7fps
Body: Magnesium alloy body, weather sealed, thinner and lighter than GH2
LCD: 3.2″ ips, 1050k-dots, with capacitive touch screen (multi-touch depending on final setting in firmware). LCD tilt-able
EVF: new EVF with 2.06 mega-dots
Probably too good to be true?
43 Responses
Jajaj im selling my 5DMII ^^
gh2 is such a bargin
Admin stop telling bullshit!
It has not been officially proved up to now that light leaks with the Mark III in real shooting situations should cause problems. When you are talking about problems, then you also had to mention lock-up problems of D800…. just to be fair….
And GH2 still massively sucks of poor iso performance in low-light situations (stills)…
I will buy the 5D Mk III as soon as it is available here.
I don’t think anybody’s really comparing the Mk III vs. the GH2 for stills here. Of course the Canon wins out.
It’s in the video arena that the $600 GH2 bests the $3500 Mk. III, which is an impressive feat, given that Canon had ample time to up their game.
Thanks for using that kind language! WOW 🙂
And by the way. Check the test and proves here: http://vimeo.com/40042270 (visit the links on it).
WOW, that light issue really is a big problem! This is a great opportunity for Panasonic with GH3!
Great news!
Ohh poor u ^^ bobby!!
U dont have the nuts to admit that gh2 is better than 5DMIII In video , sure talking about photo, there’s no colour , in photography canon 5DMII as more dinamic range and a lot of features moree, but video is diferent , stop been slaves of brands there’s a lot to see , outside , CANON , nikon ,NIKON canon , buaa nikon uses a lot of electronics and post process things, and canon , if u buy a canon with the kit , or doble kit, 18-55mm or 18-55 – 55-200 , u r buying the wors combo ever , have u seen those 18-55 made of plastic , with no focus ring , with no ED LENSES, so barrel so big , eh eeh and i really love canon, great part of my equipment is canon but if u would to by canon , u need to go only for a body , and spend some money in a decent lenses!!!
In other case if u buy for exemple a symple plentax KR or and old cheap, E450 , those lenses in pentax or olympus ( zuiko) , are buaaa so good , do u ever feel a pentax optic a simple 18-55 is quite contundent, clearly , and at the same time soft in focus , and zuiko 14-42 mm , has ring focus, has ED LENSES works really good in the corners, is small but contundent , strong .
Thing is GH2 are one of the best cams for video , and canon Are one of the good ones , but SURELY I WILL SELL MY 5DMII , in order to get a real change in my equipment , and i feel EM5 is the one ^^
Guess what? I have a Gh2 an Nex-7 and an EOS 1Ds Mk III and others. Together with my daily work this gives me some insight too 😉
Mmm cool i really like u equipment , same as me except fot the nex 7 , i really love photography , and i hace a lot of cameras but there’s some that i really love:
Pentax K5
Canon 5 DMII
Olympus epm1
Nikon d90 , and an old olympus OM10 & contax
( but nex 7 would never be part of my equipment ^^)
Try to spend some time on finding out how to share your “insight”. Then we’l talk if you actually have one.
There is no reason for me to hide or to shut up solely because I have a different opinion than some “goddesses” here.
Currently my main finding and conclusion is that every modern camera, be it GH2, 7D, 5D Mk II/III, D800, D4,… can be sucessfully used to get decent pictures/videos. In contradiction to current trends in blogs, communities and forums, there is no need to make such a camera bad and to heat the fanboy war going on first between Canon and Nikon, then between Canon/Nikon and Sony NEX-7 and now between Olympus and Sony/Canon/Nikon. It always makes me puke *pardon* when I read someones is just trying to make a camera bad.
For me it is not all about video. My work depends on stills and video and while I could do my job with every cam mentioned (even with the 1Ds Mk III would it not lack video functionality), there are some differences between the cameras. I really like the swivel screen of my lightweight GH2 which made my work much easier during the last aerial picture session in the helicopter. I also like the GH2 for using on it my very fast M42 and Canon FD lenses. However for my portraits I need the higher resolution of the 1DS Mk III and like its low noise . NEX-7 and GH2 normally also serve me as second and third cameras for taking videos next to my Sony HXR-NEX5. Sometimes GH2 alone does it also. But again, there is absolutely no need to make ridiculous jokes about one of these cameras. If the equipment fullfills the needs then it is fine. I talked about lenses and this is an important point too. If you have invested a lot in lenses of one brand it becomes somewhat less unlikely that you will switche brands e.g. from Canon to Nikon unless you have severe disadvantages due to sticking to the current brand. Just to say that one camera is the best may be ok, but it’s not all about the camera, lenses and other factors (the whole eco system) is important too. It won’t help a Canon shooter that someone is making the fool about to say “hey you stupid, my GH2 is better” when he has no native M43 lenses or the right adapter for his Canon lenses (giving him the possibility to change the aperture of his Canon lenses too).
For other uses and people the equipment I have may not be good enough so more advanced cameras like the new Sony NEX-FS700, its predecessor or even more expensive cameras are needed. That’s right for me and I also respect this and do not make bad jokes about “fools spending too much money” (like nowadays a lot of people claim to 5D Mk III buyers). To be prepared for a lot of situations we should also not forget that it often takes much more expensive gear that just the priceworthy GH2, be it a shoulder rig from Edelkrone, a video tripod from Sachtler or Manfrotto, a Konova slider, … don’t even talk about the expensive Dedolights or the kinoflo’s.
To continue the story you also know that gear is just one part of the calculation. The best gear is useless when you do not have the right concept to depict a subject or tell a story. A big part of working with cameras/workflow is also learning. Nobody is perfect and you can help a person more with giving hints than making a fool about him…
Last but not least one either has to earn a living on taking pictures/videos or at least have fun with a marvelous hobby. Pixel peeping normally is contradictory to having fun and prevents you from shooting. Unfortunetaly pixel peeping seems to become more and more important on sites like this.
Vlad, did you get my message this time? I hope you can understand why the admin made me very angry bye joining the bashing of certain camera makers and trying to be cool and trendy this way.
One last word about the GH3. Do not expect it to be as priceworthy as the GH2 when it came out. In Japan they either already closed down the last nuclear power plant or they will do it within a month’s time. They rely now on thermal power plants with the effect that electricity costs a lot more now than before. Expect all prices of Japanese goods to increase. Also Nikon had to increase prices after the release of the D800. It is not only Canon that became very expensive with the 5D Mk III and the new EF-L 24-70mm 1/2.8 II.
So Bobby you’re all set to sell the Nex7 and the 1D mk3 to buy an E-m5 for the stills, and you already have some glass for it.
Bobby: You would buy the Mk II even with the light leak problem?! Why?
Thank you Vivek for asking this question. Do you think the light leak problem really matters and prevents you from taking any good picture? Admin gave a link and this is one opinion. If you read Canon Rumors you get a different opinion (see below). However as I lack a 5D Mk III I am not in a situation to check this personally. Funny thing: I already had an Acer laptop whose screen stopped working as soon as my studio flash went off (and it was not a mains problem). Nearly every product released nowadays has flaws. If I got the 5d Mk III then my workflow would not change meaning I mainly shoot in Raw and would have the possibility to correct the underexposure in lightroom in those cases where there is not much light and the light leak could express itself. I am aware that it could be implied with bringing in a bit more noise du to this correction. What do you think, can Canon really afford another “desaster” after AF problems with 1D(s) Mk III (I had to send in my camera about three times for having fixed it)? How could the testers not have seen this problem? What would you advise?
http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/04/the-light-leak-update/
“So is this an issue?
On the body I tested, it doesn’t appear to be. If the camera acts properly with the lens cap off, who cares how it acts with the caps on? So please don’t return your 5D Mark IIIs, or cancel preorders or overreact. This “issue” may have a simple explanation.
However, if Canon says something is wrong, I apologize…… it just doesn’t appear there is an issue to me.”
if it meters wrong, its shooting wrong. And BTW it isnt only Canon FF that suffers this, its an issue that goes back to older APSC
and as crop cameras go GH2 is quite competent, as competent as 7D
> That’s bad news fro Canon as the new 5DmarkIII really should have continued the 5DmarkII success story by setting a new standard of video quality.
Or, alternativaly, it could have had a lower MSRP.
The thing here is that we comparing two cameras of totally different classes. And they are comparable.
> Probably too good to be true?
Quite believable actually. Even a grain of salt is there already. Actually two.
Capacitive touch screen. I personally do not mind, but I know some people need resistive one.
And “thinner and lighter than GH2.” As if the GH2 is any of “large” or “heavy.” Also means that the battery life isn’t going to get better compared to GH2.
“The thing here is that we comparing two cameras of totally different classes. And they are comparable”.
Yes! quite right. Cameras are always comparable, the output is what it is all about. The output is comparable by looking at it. Using the eyes, and the imagination.
Call me strange if you wish, but testing that results in the making of graphs means nothing. The output result is the only criteria to be used to assess, video, or photographs. So ALL cameras are comparable, they just need to be assessed against their cost and benefit to the user in their quest to create.
It is also quite acceptable for the creator to wish that a different lens was available or a camera of a different type. But that all boils down to cost, personal choice, availability (damn, I left it at home this trip or simply don’t have) as well as ability.
Masterpieces are not all in sharp focus, they are not always exposed to my liking, they are not always to my taste or preferred treatment. But if the person who took it says they achieved what they wanted then its a great piece of work. Who cares about camera classes and sensor sizes. Look at the result.
“thinner and lighter than GH2”.
I hope not. That would suggest a smaller battery and smaller grip. I want the GH3 to have a larger grip and longer battery life, otherwise we may as well get a G5.
Check out German ColorFoto test of the E-M5 in no 5/2012. See summary in previous thread.
Steve is correct. If they keep making it smaller they might as well combine the GH and GF lines into one.
And in last place behind all m43 cameras is the EM-5:)
I bought an Ep2 because it had video, not good or great video, I have dedicated video cameras for that (rarely used). Because I could use it when an opportunity arose and it gave me a video that is totally acceptable for most purposes.
So the e-m5 seems to fill my requirement for video very well. Quite probably satisfy the majority of people who buy it.
If I want to do video I would possibly get the GH2 but I like the e-m5 better for my requirements and needs.
video can be worse as it will….
i have hd-video on my dslr and never use it.. so i don´t care a gay shit about video performance.
im a photographer not some youtube fag….
dont come with that “photography is more worth then videography” attitude.Lots of great videographers are photographers too.
+1000000000000
yes video is quite a lot more difficult than stills because you have to do all the same things, but at each end of a pan zoom or travel. Takes a lot more planning and patience, requires quite a lot more in hardware investment
Many clients want video along with stills. It’s a changing marketplace, and for better or worse, it requires photographers to also produce video. The most efficient solution is to have the capability to do both within a single camera. Currently, Panasonic is far ahead of its competitors, in this regard.
Oh, don’t forget the fixed shutter speed. Photography seems like cheating the way you just raise or lower the speed to get good exposure 🙁
The GH2 footage looks fine, but it has an enormous amount of sharpening applied to the picture. I guess that is done in the camera. Nothing wrong with that, but the other two cameras in the test do not, obviously. As far as i know, a lot of production companies that use the EOS 5D2 for commercials and minor productions, and they apply sharpening in the post production instead.
>>>but it has an enormous amount of sharpening applied to the picture.
FALSE
…The GH-2 video DOES NOT have much sharpening applied to it, and most of this can be turned off using the camera controls. The reason why the GH-2 image is sharper has to do with Panasonic implementing pixel-binning in down sampling the sensor image to create 1080 HD video. This is also why the GH-2 has very little moire and aliasing in the image, while many of the Canon DSLRs suffer very badly in comparison because they are using line-skipping to down sample their image to the HD video formats.
>>>As far as i know, a lot of production companies that use the EOS 5D2 for commercials and minor productions, and they apply sharpening in the post production instead.
Sharpening can help the Canon DSLR video image ONLY if aliasing and moire are not present in the video image, which is often a problem with highly detailed subjects, especially when shooting with wide angle lenses.
The bottom line is that the current GH-2 with the high bit-rate patch, outperforms both the Canon 5D MK3 and Nikon D800 when it comes to shooting video. Even Philip Blooms Xmas Camera Shootout showed the GH-2 outperforming the Canon C300 when it came to resolution.
The GH-2 still has it’s share of problems ( 8-bit image banding, moderate dynamic range, very noisy high ISO images ), but hopefully the GH-3 will solve some of these problems when it is released later this year.
“Body: …thinner and lighter than GH2”
What? Still worser ergonomy than current?
“LCD: 3.2″ ips, 1050k-dots, with capacitive touch screen (multi-touch depending on final setting in firmware). LCD tilt-able”
Bigger LCD means further ergonomical downgrade to already bad ergonomy.
And capacitive hype shit doesn’t work well/at all in cold weather. (and only with tilt?)
Looks like Panasonic is downgrading to compete with Canon Ixus in lack of ergonomy and functionality…
I am used to the lack of ergonomics but to take away that swivel LCD from the G/GH line just kills any desire to look for anything new from Panasonic.
It is just plain dumb if they make the LCD “tilt only”.
I can’t wait to get my hands on a GH3 but if they dispense with the articulated screen it removes one of the biggest plus points of the G series. I won’t buy it without an articulated screen. Weather-sealed and Magnesium body – yes please!
Did they say what lens on the NEX? It looks like garbage. Or is it the choice of the picture style “night”?
I know, it looks god-awful. I had a 5n briefly, I don’t remember the video quality as being particularly bad, although I never bothered with any side by side comparisons.
The GH2 with a high bit hack is capable of resolving more detail when shooting video at low ISO’s, but it gets pretty noisy in low light when you hit 1600, where the 5d3 is clean at 12,800 as tested by Mike Kobal and still very good at 25,600. Even when resolving more detail, the GH2 is very delicate in post, the 5d2/3 files have much more dynamic range and has much more latitude with color correction and lifting details out of shadows. The GH2 shoots great video, been using one along side my 5d2 for awhile now, but in low light or any situation requiring fast wide angle lenses the 5d is the tool for the job. They’re both great cameras and they both have a place on shoots, but there’s a reason so many productions favor the 5d2 over the GH2 and that’s the DR. Different horses…
p.s. Everything Andrew does needs to be taken with a grain of salt as he seems to dedicate a lot of time trying to prove that the GH2 is on par or superior to every video camera on the planet
Regarding the Canon EOS-5D III “red fogging effects”, is that really from light leaking into the camera? It looks more to me as it’s a sensor heat building up problem.
Heat build up during longer exposure times or during video shooting. Can be either due to battery circuits or from the processing power chips. Either or, it’s for sure hampering the camera’s performance, although perhaps not during normal conditions.
Are you using any of the recent Driftwood patches while shooting with your GH2? If you do some real color correction and color grading, you’ll appreciate the amount of detail retained in the shadows, even compared to the Mark III. Otherwise you can’t really compare the GH2’s stock video to the ALL-i codec in the Mark III.
Too early to spill the beans about the GH-3. And here only as a post scriptum in a message about GH2 video. Come on, it should have been given more attention than that!
Anyway, perhaps the GH3 is a co-developed product with Olympus E-M5, carrying Olympus signatures with respect to weather sealings, sharing sensor board and processor board, EVF, flash system, …???
P.S:
The next interesting news from Panasonic should be at the NAB 2012 show in Las Vegas, April 14 – 19. New video sensor, new lenses, new…?
Can’t carry an Alexa in your backpack so that loses a star for me.
What about the quality in low light conditions? I only see shots in daylight.
One is fullframe one is a small sensor system, not comparable
Post is the most important part.. This isn’t Jpeg, it needs to be taken care of in post. Check out Philip Bloom’s take on the 5D III and you will find out that it retains details better than the 5D II when sharpened.
The GH2 is just amazing for what it is. Just hope the GH3 is more ergonomic and includes the necessary features for it to become a hit on the video front.