How would you evaluate the GH3 for filmmaking?

[Al Gardner]

Thanks Bill and Chris for those awesome examples.

[William Hohauser]

I just received a Varavon LoupeEX for the GH3 and it's a big difference for live focusing and handholding the camera. Their website is temporarily off-line so no link right now. After I have some time with it, I'll post an opinion but it already feels good.

[Chris Duczynski]

Thanks Bruce and Al - always nice to receive feedback - especially if it's positive !!

[Chris Duczynski]

I got my Varavon LoupeEX as well today and I have to say it's GREAT!!! Just perfect for filming in bright daylight, and sits really well on the camera. Although it's just a loupe not an EVF, the articulation with the LCD makes it very functional.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

William and Chris, here is a simple way of adding a bracket to the Varavon LoupeEX:

Varavon Loupe EX UNI & GH3 : little tip on Vimeo

[Luc Spencer]

Thank you for opening this thread! It is of big importance to me (and I'm sure many others) since I am going to buy a GH3 very soon to use almost entirely for filming events.

My main income is from filming weddings and for a year and a half I've done just that SOLELY with a Pana TM900 (very happy clients too, if you can believe it). I would like to spice it up a bit by adding a GH3 to my (tiny) arsenal. My first thought was to get the AC90, but upon studying it closely, I realized it offers too few improvements over the TM900 to be worth spending that much money on.

Therefore, I thought that spicing up my wedding vids with shots that actually have DoF and a better dynamic range would be the smarter thing to do. However, since I'm new to DSLRs and especially filming with them, I find myself in need of advice pertaining to what lenses I should get for the GH3. I will probably buy it with the default 12-35 2.8 which, I think, should be a good starting lens. Since my budget is limited, what second lens do you guys recommend I get, if you had to shoot weddings with only 2 lenses?

Also, is the Merlin2 a good steadicam for it? Someone recommended I buy a Manfrotto 561 BHDV-1 (monopod) instead of a steadicam, but I intend to film while going up and down stairs and the like, and I doubt even an expensive monopod can make that look smooth. I'm open to any stabilization suggestions you might have, looking for a budget product that still offers decent results.

Thank you very much guys! :)

[Les Wilson]

Hi Luc,
Romania is such a beautiful European country.

Events are not filmmaking but I know some wedding folks are doing them more as documentaries than traditional events.....however, if you look you will find some other threads about using DSLRs in weddings. Many GH2 in use for that.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-...r+weddings+gh2

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-...r+weddings+gh2

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-...r+weddings+gh2

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panasoni...r+weddings+gh2

[Luc Spencer]

Les, beautiful country indeed, too bad its citizens make it a horrible place to actually live in, most of the time :)

Thank you for the links, will get to reading every thread there. I will probably order the GH3 this week, I am seriously excited!

[Luc Spencer]

Right! So I read one of the threads and I immediately have 2 questions:

Tokina 11-16 2.8
Sigma 30mm 1.4
Samyang 85mm 1.4

^---- these are the main 3 lenses recommended. Now, the first two have AF, the third one does NOT. How big of a problem is that? As a TM900 operator, I never have to worry about AF not helping me out (even though it does mess up occasionally), so I currently cannot figure out if the lack of AF is a big problem or not, especially since the DoF on the 85mm is significant. I do know the GH3 has pretty good AF as well. I would also be losing the very nice touch AF feature, which I think would have produced really nice results on an 85mm :(

Second question: I have found those lenses on our local supplier's website, both for Canon and Nikon fittings. I know you can buy an adapter from Nikon/Canon -> Panasonic, but does that still maintain AF functionality? And does it affect the image in any way? Vignetting or otherwise?

Thank you for your patience with me, I admit I am a true noob when it comes to photography.

[Bruce Foreman]

Originally Posted by Luc Spencer

Sigma 30mm 1.4

Instead of the Sigma, consider the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f1.4 which works with all features of the GH3 including autofocus. You have close to the same perspective as the Sigma, same "fast" maximum aperture, and the outstanding optical qualities of a lens worthy of bearing Leica in it's name.

You won't need the Tokina as the Lumix 12-35 covers a more useful zoom range. I'm not sure any autofocus on the 3 lenses you listed work with the Micro Four Thirds AF.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Les Wilson]

FYI ... the on his own, Luc moved the lens discussion to here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panasoni...s-options.html

Getting back on track, I now have a GH3 and 12-35mm f2.8 in my hands.

Two things are troublesome:
1) I have eye detection off yet whenever I use my right hand on the touch screen, it causes the screen to turn off and the VF on. Very frustrating.
2) Pressing halfway is so touchy, it usually fires the shutter. I have to press halfway and release fast. I am unable to press and hold (as I am accustomed to doing on my Canon when I want to focus then recompose).

[Ben Edwards]

If by filmmaking you mean drama then excellent. Run and gun documentary its not ideal but works well. Dont get me wrong, if you can afford a large sensor camcorder then go for that but the GH3 works well if you are on a budget. I would always go for it over a small sensor camcorder. I sold my Z1 to get a GH3 and would do it again (without hesitation).

[Luc Spencer]

Guys!!! Just received my GH3 and i'm panicking! It has a 29 min limit for video! Firmware is v1.1. Have a wedding tomorrow, help!

[Jase Tanner]

Luc, from what I've read this is a restriction on cameras sold in Europe. I don't believe there's a way around it .

[Les Wilson]

I think you'll get more attention if you create a different thread for these kind of things. You are doing events not filmmaking.