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  1. #51
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    Golden
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    131
    The Panasonic LX5 and new Olympus XZ-1 are worth looking at as well if you're leaning towards the S95. I have a ZS3 for going light (great pocketable zoom range), but I've fallen really hard for the GH2 as a "do everything well enough" still/video combo. Work-related exams are keeping me busy until June, but I managed to take it out on a few ski days so far. Old manual focus lenses with an adapter are a blast too. Still a long and rewarding learning curve ahead...

    Not quite sure about the optimal settings for posting pics to TGR, but this was from two weeks ago:


  2. #52
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
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    north by northwest
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    9,456
    E-PL2:




  3. #53
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    20 steps from the hot tub
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    3,773
    Wicked awesome shots, f2f!

    Where is that? Chesterslough? Random field outside Calgary?

  4. #54
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
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    north by northwest
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    Frank Lake Bird Sanctuary east from High River on the 23. the birds were loud as hell.

    i can't take credit for the shots, the camera has a "dramatic effect" tone shift option that does all the hard work before the bytes hit the SD, but i take credit for the skies.

    here's what it looked without the dramatic effect. i'm so happy with the larger sensor, i haven't had to touch-up in photochop nearly as much as i did with the older camera, and that's not because i'm shooting in a different way (mostly landscapes) but because of the dynamic range.

    Attachment 97128

  5. #55
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    1,174
    just got an e-pl2 with 14-40
    it feels very nice.
    just learning to use it,but i love the size.
    came with a minolta adapter and 50mm and 28-80 legacy lenses with i did not need but might be fun
    if i like those,i will get the legacy olympus adapter to use my old om lenses .



    also thinking about the olympus m 4/3 40-150 vs panny 45-200

    i just dont want a full size slr anymore
    picador

  6. #56
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    27,308
    Panasonic just announced their new G3. Early reviews look very favorable:
    http://dpreview.com/previews/panasonicdmcg3/

  7. #57
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    RM trench
    Posts
    1,969
    I eventually went & looked at some cameras in person. Still could't decide what to get...so got nothing. Figure there is no point spending $$$ on something that *might* not be the right camera for me. I'll stick with the old c7070 until I figure it out.

  8. #58
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    2,248
    Quote Originally Posted by skiandbike View Post
    Flew home for the holidays and forgot to bring the USB adapter cord. No results until next week unfortunately, but there are a bunch of stills up on the DPReview m43rds forum and videos examples are on DVXuser.

    I'm very impressed with the GH2. Best jack-of-all-trades convergence camera on the market right now. What I don't understand is why Panasonic didn't push harder to have more ready for the holiday shopping season in the US. Tragic really.
    If you're still around, any further beta on the GH2? How have you liked it (both still and video-wise)? Anyone else used one since?

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    2,003
    I've been using a GH2 for about two months. Have the 20mm pancake, 14-140 and a Nikon 50mm 1.8 and Canon 28mm 2.8. I'm no great photographer, but I have really enjoyed the images from the Nikon and pancake for stills.

    I bought it primarily for video and have shot a fair amount, but have not edited any of it yet beyond scanning and deleting clips. So far I love what I'm seeing though.

    I've been following the Russian guy's hacks of the original GH1, then the GH1 with new firmware and I'm very interested what will come out of the GH2 hack. Testing has just begun on hacked GH2 firmware, but if what was done to the GH1 can be done to the GH2, then it should produce some excellent quality images.

    I bought a newer GH1 as a back-up cam just before they could be hacked (hoping he'd crack the newer firmware) and just uploaded a patch which allows for 720 60p with a peak bitrate of 75mbps. They're doing some really interesting things with these GH cameras and I have zero regrets chosing Lumix over Canon.
    ...And the greatest ice must crumble when it's flower's time to grow.

  10. #60
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    2,248
    Thanks for the update. What are the principle hacks your waiting for for the GH2? I was under the impression that some of what had to be hacked with the GH1 was built into the functionality of the newer cam. Is that true?

  11. #61
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    NYC
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    The GH1 lacked native 24p, which was "built" into the GH2. The GH2's 24p has a max bitrate of 24mbps, the hacked GH1 has a max bitrate of 100mbps.

    I'm looking forward to an increased bitrate hack for the 720 60p and possibly a stable high bitrate 1080 60p setting. Neither the GH1 hacked or GH2 were made with 1080 60p. I'll try to post some video taken with both sometime soon.
    ...And the greatest ice must crumble when it's flower's time to grow.

  12. #62
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    2,248
    Ah ok that makes sense. I'd love to see the footage. A GH1 might be a tempting option if I don't think I'm going to shoot too much in low light which I read the GH2 is better for.

    Also, how hard is the hack to implement? I haven't had much experience implementing hacks on cameras/phones/etc.

  13. #63
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    NYC
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    Neither had I, but it is simple if you follow instructions on DVXUser site:
    http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/forumdispl...-Firmware-Hack

    Or the site made by the hacker, Vitaliy:
    http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussions

    There is a shit show going on about attribution of hack settings which I hope doesn't derail the GH2 hack...

    Essentially you are uploading a firmware upgrade which the camera was built to do, but they have hacked in settings which can release some of the limitations of the original firmware. You can even set it back to normal in the same way if need be.

    I think it is pretty fascinating.
    ...And the greatest ice must crumble when it's flower's time to grow.

  14. #64
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
    131
    Still around and just finished an edit from a trip last weekend.



    Mostly GH2, a bit of GoPro at different resolutions too. Download the original for vastly better quality than the Vimeo encode.

    This was my first time really playing with the Ex-Tele mode (center 1920x1080 pixels on the sensor) and it works really well assuming you stabilize at longer focal lengths. Some very fine grain at full-res on a big screen if you put your face right into it, but excellent for adding range to primes or really reaching out with the 14-140.

    The GH2 is still the most versatile option for stills/video in one body if you shoot equal parts video or more. Make sure to shoot RAW in stills mode though.

    Looking for the new hack to really push things further. It seems as though there has been progress in adding B frames (better quality encoding process, already stock in the 1080p/24 cinema mode) to the GH2 720p already and that's after less than a week. 1080p/60 would be even better of course. Pretty straightforward to implement the hack, just not much available right now unless you already had experience with the GH13.

  15. #65
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    2,248
    Quote Originally Posted by skiandbike View Post
    Still around and just finished an edit from a trip last weekend.
    Well that's convenient. Thanks! And that looks like a great trip.

    I guess I need to decide if I'll be shooting enough video to make the GH2 worthwhile over something with similar/better still performance at a cheaper price. I like to think that I would, but I often overestimate my chances to do something like that.

  16. #66
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Golden
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    Canon T3i perhaps if you want a bigger sensor and a bit cheaper? Definitely some differences on the video side though. I know a lot of people are waiting to see what Canon does next on the video front, they have basically been iterating over and over on the recent models in terms of video improvements.

    Some of the upcoming Sony models could be nice as well if they get the video options right.

  17. #67
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    2,248
    Quote Originally Posted by skiandbike View Post
    Canon T3i perhaps if you want a bigger sensor and a bit cheaper? Definitely some differences on the video side though. I know a lot of people are waiting to see what Canon does next on the video front, they have basically been iterating over and over on the recent models in terms of video improvements.

    Some of the upcoming Sony models could be nice as well if they get the video options right.
    The T3i is probably my second choice at the moment. My girlfriend likes the idea of the slightly smaller Micro Four Thirds camera bodies (the camera will eventually be a wedding gift, so there needs to be at least some consensus), but I like (what I read about) the video capabilities of the T3i (or possibly even T2i) compared to most of the other 4/3 cameras on the market outside of the GH2. And it's supposed to be an even better stills camera.

  18. #68
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Golden
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    131
    Quote Originally Posted by MarcusBrody View Post
    My girlfriend likes the idea of the slightly smaller Micro Four Thirds camera bodies
    Small body (Pen or GFx) for her, GH2 for you, share lenses?

    In other news, the GH2 hack is really starting to heat up. If Vitaliy says he's reached a big breakthrough, it's big...

    http://personal-view.com/talks/discu...pment-topic/p9

  19. #69
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    2,248
    That would be ideal. We'll see if money permits, though. The GH2 is already on the high end of my budget and that's with no extra glass.

  20. #70
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Revelstoke
    Posts
    670
    The new Olympus EP3 sounds interesting. It's supposed to have the fastest AF yet of any micro-4/3 camera (they claim the fastest of any DSLR but I'm skeptical) and the high ISO pictures I've seen look pretty good. No word on the video though.

  21. #71
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    A Chamonix of the Mind
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    3,656
    I am getting off the 4/3 bandwagon, myself. Not enough power on the high end for my tastes and overpriced for Facebook-type snaps. YMMV, not slagging the system but it just doesn't suit my needs after months of shooting them.
    "Buy the Fucking Plane Tickets!"
    -- Jack Tackle

  22. #72
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Golden
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    Quick update on the hack progress. One of the tester's videos looking extremely good for mostly ISO 1250. Download the original file if you can.


  23. #73
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
    131
    A mix of hacked and unhacked GH2 footage from the past few weeks, along with some GoPro shots. Upping the bitrate really helps the 720p shots...stock 1080p was already pretty good.


  24. #74
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
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    north by northwest
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    just got the panasonic 20mm f/1.7 pancake. wow, i had no idea -- the low light performance and depth of field of this thing are better than anything i've played with before.

    i'm a noob without many aspirations when it comes to photopgarphy, but i'm looking forward to the best 1/1250s ski shot of my life

  25. #75
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    Feb 2005
    Location
    north by northwest
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    sweet nectar.

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