GH2...uhh...stills?
 

So far everything I've read about the GH2 dealt with video. I'm looking for something that does both video and stills equally well. If I wanted just a video camera I'd get the AF100. Isn't this camera's primary purpose to shoot stills after all? Does anyone know how it compares in that department to say the Canon or Nikon DSLR's?

Also, I haven't seen much about what lenses to get for the GH2. I was originally looking at getting a Canon 7D and was looking at the Tokina 11-16mm and Canon 50mm 1.4f to start, but now with the GH2 I have to start all over, and there don't seem to be many available options. First off it seems the majority of the lenses available are zooms. Secondly the primes don't seem to be very fast. I understand more 4/3 fast primes are in production, but how long until I can expect these? Also, with the mirrorless 4/3 design, is there a difference in lenses for video vs stills? I ask because according to wiki: "Unlike older SLR systems, Four Thirds has been designed from the ground up to be entirely digital. Many lenses are extensively computerized, to the point that Olympus offers firmware updates for many of them. Lens design has been tailored to the requirements of digital sensors, most notably through telecentric designs."

So basically, what are some good lenses to start with, and are the kit lenses included with the camera any good? Looking at B&H's page they don't sell the camera body by itself, but with one of two included lenses. Thanks!

Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 Micro 4/3 Nokton - this is very interesting lens for me for gh2
(Voigtlander f/0.95 25mm Micro 4/3 Nocton)
in vimeo u can find few great examples

Also i think to try panasonic 3d lens, cos i am interesting in video/3d stuff...
(Panasonic developing world's first intechangable 3D lens for Micro Four Thirds: Digital Photography Review)
dont know how it works, and havent seen any examples, would be interesting to hear about this one...

U can try even Leica 45mm f2.8 or just pick for your shooting stile here:
Digital Interchangeable Lenses | PRODUCTS | LUMIX | Digital Camera | Panasonic Global

A lot depends on what you plan to be shooting stills of; fashion, scenics, race cars… The GH2, like the GH1 and other micro 4/3rd camera, can take pretty much any lens out there with the proper adapter. That's one of the beauties of the thing. Older manual focus lenses like Canon FD/FL, Nikons, Pentax, Contax, et al, now have a new life and should take less of a bite form your wallet -- I bought a mint Canon 50mm f1.4 for $50. A buddy adapted an old Mamiya 645 medium format lens to his GH1.

I had a GH1 for a bit and did some testing of it and I liked the still capabilities a lot -- then, I've had 30" x 40" images made from a 8mp still camera that are hanging on walls. I loved the GH1's EVF, especially in bright light, and seeing the results of my exposure adjustments before I take the shot. The articulating LCD is a must have for me. AF while shooting stills and video, no limit on time when shooting video, lovely MF assist, etc.

Problem was I bought the GH1 near what I thought was the end of it's life as I heard the GH2 was coming any day. So I returned it only to discover the GH2 was quite a ways away. Oh well.

The thing to keep in mind with the GH2 (or any non-full frame camera) is the crop or focal length factor. The GH2 has a 2x crop factor so with the 50/1.4 will look like a 100 f1.4, it's still a 50mm but cropped. While you will lose a bit on the wide end (Panasonic's 7-14mm becomes a 14-28mm, which is still pretty nice) you'll gain on the long end -- A Canon 300/2.8 will look like a 600/2.8.

My personal lens choices are the Panasonic 7-14mm, 14-140mm kit lens, Panasonic 20/1.7, Canon FD 50/1.4, and maybe a 50 to 100mm macro. Again, depends on what you want to shoot.

One of the beauties of m43 is that it can accept almost any lens. Adaptors are all over the place. Most of the lenses will be dumb, though someone is working up a smart adaptor for canon glass. But it's going to be around $700-800.

I'm curious too about the still image quality. I know it won't give you Canon 7d still quality, you should expect that, but the question is what CAN you expect? Maybe someone will post a still review.

The 3d lens looks like it will only be useful for stills, as 3d filming isn't supported.

With m4/3 you can use pretty much any lens, as long as you have the appropriate adapter. So if you don't want to go with m4/3 or any of the Olympus 4/3 lenses, then you can use the Canon and Tokina lenses with the adapter.

If you haven't seen it yet, dpreview did a preview on the GH2 and another on Panny's new lenses.

Using the inexpensive mechanical adapters, you can use other manufacturer lenses with various levels of features such as autofocus, aperture etc. Here's one with decent range and speed:
14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II

Here's a little known webpage Panasonic publishes on compatibility with it's various lenses including regular FourThirds lenses such as the ones from Leica and Olympus.
Compatibilities of DMC-GH2 | Compatibility | Digital Camera | Product Support | Support | Panasonic Global

Remember, Micro Four Thirds is just about the mount, not the glass.

GH2 images
 

I bought it to use for both photos and video. A quick answer to your question is no, the GH2 is not as “good” as the D3s (and the video is not as good as that from my EX1R. However, it is far smaller and lighter and reasonably good at both. My GH2 just arrived Friday afternoon, so I have not done much with it. I did take a quick look at image quality comparison between the GH2 and hacked GH1. The GH1 resolved more detail than my GH1, and my Voitgländer 25 mm f0.95 resolved more detail than my 14-140 mm zoom.
GH2, ISO400, 100-300 at 300mm, f6.3,

http://gallery.me.com/billh96007/100...2921165190001*


GH2,ISO400, 100-300 at 300mm, f5.6

http://gallery.me.com/billh96007/100...2921165350001*


GH2, 100-300 @f5.8, ISO1600

http://gallery.me.com/billh96007/100...2921164560001*


D3s, 600 f4.0 plus 1.4x at f11 (in the tif, at 100 percent, you can actually see the veins in the squirrel’s eye).

http://gallery.me.com/billh96007/100...2921163180001*