Panasonic GH2

A branch from the original G1 style design that has many more sophisticated video features.

  • Sensor: 16mp Panasonic CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop)
  • Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
  • Images: 4608 x 3456 pixel JPEG or 12-bit raw maximum, 5 fps max 
  • Video:  1080P/24, 1080i/60, 720P/30, 480P/30, 240P/30 AVCHD or Motion JPEG for 720P or lower, stereo audio
  • Shutter: mechanical 60 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb
  • Exposure: multi, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 5 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-12800, AUTO ISO
  • Focus: ? point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
  • Display: 3" 460k dot swivel touch-sensitive LCD, built-in EVF (1.42m dot)
  • Flash: pop-up flash included (16m ISO 200 GN), hot shoe, 1/160 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync
  • Remote: optional DMW-RSL1
  • Other Notable Features: 
  • Cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC
  • Battery: DMW-BLC12PP
  • Size: 4.9 x 3.5 x 3" (124 x 90 x 76mm) wide, tall, deep
  • Weight: 14 ounces (392g)
  • Colors: Black, Silver
  • Price: US$1000 with kit lens
  • Current Firmware: version 1.2 (July 2018)
  • Announced: Sep 2010; to be replaced by GH3 in December 2013. (discontinued)

Olympus Lenses for the camera

Panasonic Lenses for the camera

Thom's Mini Review: if you don't mind an EVF and you don't press the ISO values up, this is a decent camera for still photography. It handles mostly like a mini-DSLR. One unique aspect is that the sensor is actually 18mp. You get 16mp (or near 16mp) for virtually every aspect ratio that it handles, including 16:9. Most cameras just crop the sensor downward to get other aspect ratios, but the GH2 has "extra" sensor to cover those formats. Focus performance is adequate for most casual photography. Where the GH2 really shines, though, is in video work. It was one of the first truly competent DSLR-like AVCHD cameras. Despite its small sensor, it does better in low light for video than you'd expect. It also has a few video "tricks" up its sleeve, including a center of the sensor crop that isn't sub-sampled, a clean HDMI signal you can externally record, and the fact that it has been successfully hacked to give access to higher bitrates and less compression. Originally shipped with the 14-140mm lens, which is a nice all-around lens for video work, though now you can get body-only and other lens kit options. It's pricey for a stills-only camera (consider the G3 instead), but it's one of the two seminal cameras that have driven many into DSLR video (Canon's 5DII being the other). With lenses like the Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 and running at the 24 fps rate, you can get that very dreamy "Hollywood" look everyone seeks. Surprisingly, many C-mount lenses work decently for video work with this camera, giving you still other fast lens options. It's getting a little long in the tooth as I write this, as these days we expect things like 1080P/60, but don't write it off yet--it's probably the smallest of the DSLR-type video cameras any serious videographer would consider as a main camera.

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