Panasonic Lumix GH1 – Video Impressions

Panasonic recently stepped into the ring with their take on a 1080p DSLR. I have to admit, I’m pretty impressed with the footage I’ve seen come out of this puppy. Shooting 1080p at 24fps, and 720p at 60fps, it provides users with a few options to play with when creating their own video masterpiece.

The one thing I really love about this camera is its price point. It’s in the range that I like to call obtainable by the masses. Of course $1,500 is not a drop in the bucket, by any means. But when compared to some higher end cameras the price of the new Lumix makes the purchase a bit easier to swallow. Including a pretty well-rounded, solid lens to the standard package doesn’t hurt either.

The direction these DSLR’s are moving really opens the arena and allows non-pros the ability to shoot stuff that looks fairly close to legitimate video. Oh yeah folks, picture pulling an incredible rack focus of your kid opening presents on their birthday! I have to bring up the Red One. It was revolutionary when it first came out. It’s revolutionary now. Shooting up to full 4K in a body that costs less than $20,000 is pretty impressive. I’ve seen some pretty impressive footage with this camera. What Jim Jannard (founder of Oakley and then Red) did was take his passion for cameras and his understanding of the price/quality curve that less professional people face and made a film comparable camera accessible to indy filmmakers working on far lower budgets. It’s still a bit too high to justify buying it, to shoot home movies.

This is where I feel vDSLR’s fill a huge gap. Canon dropped their EOS 5D Mark II and people were very excited. The 5D Mark II shoots in 1080p and allows for a real depth of field. I know a bunch of people that have these cameras, and the footage is incredible. The kicker here is the price tag. Retailing for $2,799 for just the body, means you have to spend more for lenses. Of course you’re only going to get so far without good optics, having a basic lens come with the camera is always a great way to get your feet wet. Getting the Mark II with a kit lens is going to run you roughly $3,500. In my opinion, this is a great price when you look at the quality of video you’re getting. But it may still be a bit out of reach to most home/pro-sumer users.

Check out Topher’s 5D Mark II Video Round-up

This is where “obtainable by the masses” comes in. The Panasonic Lumix GH1 may not produce film quality 4K footage. And it may not fare as well in low light situations as the Mark II. But for some basic shooting it sits high above the bar. And for even some more advanced work, get yourself some nice glass, and spend some time learning about lighting. You may find yourself seriously impressed with the product you can achieve with this camera.

Rather than talking your ear off with all the technical stuff, I’m sure you’d rather see some visual examples. Here are some great videos shot with the GH1.

http://www.vimeo.com/5981422

A great little film from Birns And Sawyer that mixes footage from the GH1, 5D Mark II, and the Red One. Each shot displays the camera and specs on the bottom. The GH1 footage looks great throughout, but this video really lets you compare between the three cameras mentioned in this article.

http://www.vimeo.com/4714724 http://www.vimeo.com/5033677 http://www.vimeo.com/4582107 http://www.vimeo.com/5683260