[hmurchison]

Credit to Ian Thompson from Dvinfo.net for bringing these links to my attention.

The Panasonic Lumix GH1 that does 1080p24 AVHCD video is now shipping in Japan and will soon be there in the states.

Panasonic announced MSRP pricing and it's spendy $1500 but we have to take into account a couple of things here.

1. You have a camera that shoots 14 megapixel and comes with a 14-140mm lens suitable for HD recording.

2. The quality of this lens beats buying a garden variety camcorder

3. The sensor is bigger so that the GH1 records well in low light.

4. Better depth of field.

Check out these videos.

YouTube - Comparison 3 DSLRs movie test D5000,5Dmk2,GH1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVkZf...eature=channel

YouTube - Lumix GH1 SUMMILUX 25mm/F1.4 video test night town

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EekW_aNq7M4&fmt=22

YouTube - Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Short movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnck4Elm1hM

Ok I know see the value of this camera. It's gonna hurt but since i'm in the market for a digicam and a camcorder I'm going to have to combine both into one here. That makes the price much more palatable. The night scenes just got me and I'm a sucker for that stuff.

[PB PM]

Very good performance from the GH1 there. The merging of video and still photography on a single device is nice, although I do hope that such joint use system don't hinder the improvement of one or the other.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by PB PM Very good performance from the GH1 there. The merging of video and still photography on a single device is nice, although I do hope that such joint use system don't hinder the improvement of one or the other.

I think in ways it does regarding the way Canon handles their HD DSLR line with care so as not to harm sales of their higher end cameras.

Nikon really is the darkhorse here. They have no high end HD camera biz to cannibalize but to date their video efforts haven't been all that aggressive IMO. Though they could turn up the heat.

I think I'd love to be able to take RAW shots and then switch up and capture some video. I hope that by the time I'm ready to buy this camera (If I choose) it's closer to $1299.

[Moogs]

Looks promising but posting comparisons on YouTube is pretty useless. YouTube video is putting all three samples behind the 8 ball from the start; their compression system sucks from a quality standpoint. There's no way to tell what the original video streams looked like. The night movie is pretty nice however, even if we can't see its original quality either.

[hmurchison]

There's a bunch of stuff on Vimeo as well that looks good. Panasonic has a winner here as far as picture goes.

YouTube's HD though does leave a lot to be desired.

[Moogs]

Looks like it's out next month and about $1500 with the 14-140 lens. Depending on the high ISO noise performance this might be a great camera to have as a unified backup for both DSLR and video cameras.

[admactanium]

I have one on pre-order. The results look pretty good up to ISO1600. Since we're expecting our first baby this is really the perfect camera for me. Rather than getting a canon HF-S10 in addition to my 30D or even going replacing my 30D with the 5d MkII I can grab this for the price of one of my old lenses. Since I'm coming from a 30D I still feel that this is an upgrade even for stills. The stills performance of the GH1 is at least as good as a 30D and obviously you can't even compare the video part (for even the 50D currently). I'm excited for it. I look at it as saving me money. Hahaha.

[Moogs]

I'm seriously considering an order, pending more samples on DPR and elsewhere.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by Moogs I'm seriously considering an order, pending more samples on DPR and elsewhere.

I'm in no position to order such a grandiose camera but it makes sense from my perspective to look at the benefits of consolidating both camera needs into one device. I should have it before next summer and having a blast recording everything.

[admactanium]

Originally Posted by Moogs I'm seriously considering an order, pending more samples on DPR and elsewhere.

Yeah. I'm already pretty impressed with the reviews I've seen of the G1. So I'm taking a leap of faith that the IQ of the GH1 won't be a step backwards. The G1 itself outresolves the Canon 50d and from the DPR reviews it seems to exhibit less CA in its anti-aliasing on their res tests. The dynamic range might be a concern but my Panny LX3 has a very good dynamic range for a small sensor camera. I really feel like this is going to be an upgrade for me despite the lenses being much slower. I just got back from a relative's Law School graduation and I was shooting with her Rebel xTI. While that camera didn't really feel great in hand, it reminded me how nice it is to have a light camera. I'm really looking forward to the GH1.

[Moogs]

Some ISO 100 samples and broad daylight videos available at DPR. Not really relevant as you'd expect them to be good at 100 ISO and relatively high available light.

[Moogs]

They added some ISO 1600 samples and a couple others at 400 and 3200. Some of the 1600 shots look pretty good. Some have obvious patterns/bands across their darker regions. So I'm thinking 800 is probably very clean and 1200 is usable in most circumstances.