Hey everyone,

so I'm getting much more into videography and looking to upgrade my GF3X. I was wondering if you have any thoughts on the GH2 vs Nex-5N? I know for video the GH2 is praised, however I'm going by cost, and size as well (use it for travels and lots of hiking). If I can get 7D-like quality for video I'll be satisfied. I'm looking to keep my expenses under $650. Also, as I do have my GF3X lens still (the PZ 14-42x), I can keep that and factor that into expenses, meaning the GH2 body (which seems to be 600-650) will fit in my budget. I've heard different things about the Nex-5N video quality (moire, etc), but from a typical viewer it seems hard to distinguish from say the 7D for quality. Any thoughts, or recommendations on other cameras to pursue? Thanks in advance!

I should add that the gh2 meets my size preferences due to my various x lens. With that said, gh1 is also in the running. Body can be had for 350, but photo quality is of reasonable importance in this decision as well.

Have you hacked your gf3 yet?

I've read that the 7D has about 46 mbps bitrate.
A stable hacked GF3 does about 44 mbps, depending on the hack you use.

The GH2 provides better sensitivity, higher bitrates, better manual controls. But if you are satisfied with better video then you might as well try the hack before changing everything else.

I'll give it a shot. I was.about to do it but figured I'd hold off as I'm selling it, but I suppose it wouldn't matter. It would be nice to have something that shoots 60p though, whether that be in 720p on the gh2 or 1080 on the nex (for smooth slow motion)

Candidly, both the 5N and the 7D suck compared to the GH2 in video quality, though I would give Sony the edge over Canon. Also beware heat problems in the NEX bodies.

Of course GH2 won't do 1080/60p, so it clearly loses on quality there. But... the G5 will, and it will probably be hacked fairly quickly.

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Olympus E-M5, Sony A65, lenses.

Have there been any videos posted yet from the g5? I've only been able to see brief reviews of the camera; perhaps too soon for video tests.

It will be a bit pricey as well when it comes out compared to my other options, but I am considering it.

If your primary concern is video, look no further than the GH2. I'll have to see if I can find the article, but there was recently a competition, judged by well known movie producers and directors. The GH2 was compared to a number of other cameras, including professional, industry standards from Son, Red, and Arrriflex.
No one rated the GH2 less than equal to the professional cameras; some rated it the best of all. Pretty darned impressive.

Remember, though, that the quality of your video is also going to be dependent on your lens. If professional results are a requirement, so is a top flight lens.

Edit: Here's what I was referring to:

http://www.43rumors.com/zacuto-shoot...arri-and-sony/

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I'm not lazy. I'm energy efficient.

Yeah, I've seen many of those articles as well. And just from vimeo videos it is pretty evident the gh2 takes the cake. I think my biggest issue to figure out are compromises. Size (nex and g5 vs gh2) vs performance. I feel the video quality of the nex 5n would be sufficient for my needs, and it doesn't help that gh2 bodies are not easily available. The camera will also be used as my main stills camera, so IQ does play a factor. It would be nice to see if the g5 video quality will be comparable to the gh2.

Also debating how a gh1 with the vario x lens would be for a set up... how would you put gh1 image quality for stills against the gf3?

My experience may differ from others, but when I owned both cameras simultaneously I found that the GF3 was noisy above 1250; whilst the GH1 was clean up to 1600, but exhibited obvious banding from 1600 on up. The banding wasn't bad, but it was definitely there. It was nowhere near as bad as my old E-510 though. Between the two cameras, I guess it comes down to whether you prefer banding or noise.

jp - I have both the GH1 and GH2 and the GH2 is the clear winner for stills and video. As far as the 5N goes - better stills straight out of the box than the GH2, but for video, the deal-killers for me are: no standard external mic jack, no built-in viewfinder - overheats when you try to use it to record long events.

For your needs, I think a used GH2 body is the right choice and is worth the extra money ($696 from Amazon Warehouse). If size is an issue, get a pancake as soon as you can. I recommend the 14mm because, for video, it's a lot quieter than the 20mm.

Bill