Review Panasonic GH2
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The Panasonic GH2 was introduced at the end of 2010 as the successor of the successful Panasonic GH1. Currently, the Panasonic GH2 is the latest member of the GH series. This series of Panasonic's most expensive micro-43 camera's, differentiates itself from other Panasonic micro-43 camera's through its typical SLR-like design and its video features. Everyone is hoping for a Panasonic GH3 in the near future, but it will probably last a year before the Panasonic GH3 can be bought in the Netherlands. Panasonic has had large periods between the announcement of a camera and the actual introduction. |
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Panasonic GH2, Olympus M 75-300 @300 mm, f/8, 1/800 sec, 160 ISO |
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The targeted customers for the Panasonic GH2 will be serious videographers who like to use interchangeable lenses. But it's also an interesting offer for photographers. In this review we limit ourselves to the photographic performance of the Panasonic GH2. |
Imatest has been used for the measurements. The results can be viewed in our Panasonic GH2 test report. For the test method and explanation of terms, see the FAQ section.
Panasonic GH2 versus Panasonic GH1 |
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Panasonic GH2 versus Canon 60D, Nikon 7000, Sony NEX 7
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Viewfinder, LCD screen and menu |
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The electronic viewfinder of the Panasonic GH2 was the best available at the market at the time of the introduction of the camera. Now the EVF has better rivals like the EVF's of the Sony NEX7 and Nikon V1. An electronic viewfinder has several advantages over a traditional viewfinder. You don't have to change the viewfinder's groundglass in order to see a grid in the viewfinder. If you wish to overexpose or underexpose, you can see the effect directly in your viewfinder. But the dynamic range of an EVF is limited, which gives you blown out higlights and black in stead of dark tones. If you move your camera fast, the EVF image might adjust too slow ('smearing'). |
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Sharpness: resolution |
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| The Panasonic GH2 offers, combined with the Panasonic 14-140 mm kitlens, a jpg file with a resolution of 1800 LW/PH, which is a good score. The jpg files of the Panasonic GH2 show a higher resolution than the jpg files of full frame sensor cameras like the Canon 5D MK2! A RAW file, after a standard development applied in Lightroom, delivers a higher perceived sharpness and an average resolution of 2000 LW/PH. For a RAW file this is an average score, lower than the resolution of full frame camera's. It's no surprise thta RAW images of the Panasonic GH2 don't realize the same resolution as the Nikon D700 (2300 LW/PH) or Canon 5D MK2 (2800 LW/PH). These two camera's have in comparison with the Panasonic GH2 such low noise images, that RAW conversion yields more gain in quality if you develop the RAW files in Lightroom. | |
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Click on this image to get an impression of a 200 ISO jpg Panasonic GH2 file. |
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Dynamic Range |
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| The total dynamic range of the Panasonic GH2 is less than the total dynamic range of camera's with 14 bit sensors, like the Canon 60D or the Nikon D5100. This is an image of a few small houses in strong backlight. The Panasonic GH2 shows clipping of both shadows and highlights. No matter which exposure setting you choose, there will always be some information taht will be lost. The RAW files of Panasonic GH2 are less suitable for restoring overexposed highlights in comparison with RAW files of Canon or Nikon SLR's. Whenever you fear overexposed highlights, you better under-expose 2/3 stops. The testresults for the dynamic range are shown in the Panasonic GH2 test report. |
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More important than the total dynamic range, is the usable dynamic range, where the signal to noise ratio is taken into account. Here you see the same image of houses already shown above, albeit this time heavily edited to lighten up the shadows. Because of this treatment, a lot of noise emerges. The same scene, pictured with camera with a large usable dynamic range, like the D700, pictured under the same conditions, looks much better. Move your mouse over this image to compare this heavily edited Panasonic GH2 image with a Nikon D700 RAW file that received the same traetment. |
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Noise |
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Here you see a sample of a 1600 ISO jpg image, made at the Groninger museum. Shown at 100% on your screen, some noise will be visible. But even witout using further moise reduction, you can make a good print out of it. Click on the image in order to get an impression of the noise in a 1600 ISO jpg file. |
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Some camera's have good high ISO performance, as long as there is a lot of light. In low light, noise will detoriate the high iso image. Using the Panasonic GH2 in low light, you still don't have to bother about noise in 1600 ISO files. Noise reduction is well done. Here you see a picture of a moving lighted installation in the Groninger museum. Click on the image in order to get an impression of the noise in a 1600 ISO jpg file. |
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Color accuracy |
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The Panasonic GH2 RAW files show an average color accuray at daylight (Delta E 94 = 9,5). The same accounts for the color accuracy of jpg files (Delta E94) van 8. Manual correction of white balance greatly improves the color accuracy. In tungsten light, the auto white balance of the Panasonic GH2 wasn't perfect either, as is shown in our Panasonic GH2 test report. Both the color accuracy of jpg files (mean Delta E94 = 12,8) and RAW files (Delta E 94 = 11,4) yielded images with a strong orange cast, as you can clearly see in the image of a white lamb.
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Move your mouse over the image, made under tungsten light, in order to see how the color accuarcy improves after manual white balance correction. Taking your images in RAW and correcting the whitebalance afterwards, enhances the color accuracy very much (Delta E 94 =4). |
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Built in flashThe Panasonic GH2 has a built-in pop-up flash, but we haven't tested it. |
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Autofocus speedThe Panasonic GH2 focusses very fast. Even in combination with telephoto lenses like the Panasonic 100-300 and the Olympus M 75-300 @300 mm. The autofocus of the Panasonic GH2 is equally fast as the AF of SLR's, if you aim at static subjects. Bij het fotograferen van bewegende onderwerpen verliest de GH2 het nog (zie autofocus tracking). De Panasonic GH2 autofocus is tijdens het maken van video de snelste in zijn soort. |
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Autofocus accuracy |
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The autofocus of the Panasonic GH2 is not only fast, but also accurate. The Panasonic GH2 focusses using the sensor signal directly, so this is not surprising. SLR's use a AF sensor which is located at another location than the sensor, which not only can result in back focus or front focus, but also in higher variations in the AF accuracy. |
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Autofocus trackingAutofocus tracking is not the strongest feature of camera's with contrast autofocus. Traditional SLR AF systems are able to see whether a subject comes closer or goes uarther away. The AF tracking of the Panasonic GH2 was too slow to make sharp images of a slow moving (1 km/hr) model train. |
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Conclusion
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See our list of tested cameras to compare the performance of this camera with other cameras. |
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Pros |
Cons |
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The Panasonic GH2 performs well if you evaluate ease of use and image quality. For someone who switches the image ratio, this camera seems a good choice. The number of megapixels remains constant, no matter which ratio (1:1, $:3, 2:3, 16:9) you choose. The resolution of jpg files and the signal to noise ratio are strong image quality features. The automatic white balance seems lees accurate, but after a correction of the white balance the color rendition proved very accurate. The dynamic range of the sensor is, as expected, the achilles heel of this camera. In situations whre the risk of bleached out highlights exists, it is better to underexpose 2/3 stops in stead of trying to recover the highlights afterwards.
In this review we didn't examine the video qualities if the Panasonic GH2, which proves this camera short. Read the reviews in the list above! Someone who waits a little longer, when the Panasonic GH3 will be announced, will be able to buy the Panasonic GH2 at a very low price if you consider its qualities.
The measurement results can be viewed in our Panasonic GH2 test report.
