GF1 vs GH1

Getting too old to remember all the details. My question is, does the GF1 have any advantages over the GH1 other than price and size.

Thanks for the help,
Jake

From what I've read, the GF1 has the G1 sensor, but GH1 electronics. GF1 images are basically identical to those from the G1. I believe GH1 images are a little better - especially high ISO noise control.

Yes, that agrees with what I have read. ISO 1600 IQ is important to me, just didn't mention since that is a bit of a GH1 advantage and I was looking to see if I was missing anything on the GF1 side. My overall thought was, if I'm gonna have a zoom attached most of the time, the smaller size of the GF1 is not much of an advantage.

Jake

I often have problems in bright sunlight which washes out the lcd viewer, so a viewfinder is a must for me. The GH1 was the natural choice.

Just agonizing over this myself and then decided just the morning.

I just ordered the GH1. The size of the GF1 is great if you go with the pancake lens. Any other lens especially the 14-140, the camera size debate is moot.

Also, I want (and need) a more practical cam and the zoom is almost a must.
To throw in HD video .... well, I just reconvinced myself of a good decision .

Jake62260 said:

Jake wrote:

if I'm gonna have a zoom attached most of the time, the smaller size of the GF1 is not much of an advantage.

Click to expand...

That's true. My initial plan was to get the GF1. I got impatient (wasn't available at the time) and got the GH1 instead thinking that I might add the GF1 body later to save bulk on certain occasions.

As of yet, I haven't felt the need to get the GF1. A lot of it has to do with the 14-140 lens, the articulate LCD, the excellent EVF and the better video. As you said...if i want the 14-140 range or have to add a EVF on the GF1, then what's the point. Eventually, I will add a GF1, though. But the difference now is that I will be only buying it for a bit of "added" fun as opposed to buying it as a neccessity. And I also now can wait until I get one for a good deal instead of paying top dollar at present.

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Regards,
Karl B.

Jake said:

Getting too old to remember all the details. My question is, does the GF1 have any advantages over the GH1 other than price and size.

Thanks for the help,
Jake

Click to expand...

No, you've pretty much nailed it... price and size are the only advantages the GF1 has over the GH1. But there's a laundry list of things that are an improvement over the GF1, some of which are:

• EVF. Obviously it comes with one, the GF1 does not. And the optional GF1 EVF is no where near the quality of the one on the GH1.

• Articulating LCD. The GF1's LCD is immutable, whereas the GH1's LCD is articulating and folds into the camera when not in use for extra protection. The articulating LCD is extremely useful for odd angle shots, for video, etc.

• Video. The GF1 has 720/30 whereas the GH1 has 720/60 and 1080p/24. I have both cameras and can say with certainty that the 60 fps 720p mode is absolutely stunning. It's much smoother for panning, fast subject motion, etc. The 1080p mode is useful for slower subjects where you want to maintain film-like motion. The GH1 also has full manual control over shutter, aperture, and ISO when recording video... whereas the GF1 only allows you to do Exposure Compensation and "Peripheral Defocus" - which is a way to somewhat control aperture, but nowhere near as useful as full manual control.

• Sensor. The GH1 has a multi-aspect ratio sensor, which means you retain more resolution if you switch to 3:2 or 16:9 modes. The sensor is also claimed by some to have slightly better ISO noise performance, though it does exhibit some banding at high ISO.

• 14-140 lens. The GH1 comes with the excellent 14-140 lens, which is a 10x zoom with a very useful wide and telephoto range, silent inner focusing, smooth aperture changes during video recording, and IS. It's one of the most versatile lenses I've used, and certainly justifies the higher price of the GH1 kit over the GF1.

Hope that helps!

Travis
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http://travisimo.smugmug.com/

I'm not a video guy coming from older Nikon DSLRs (D100 and D2Hs) but may just need to give it a try. I wasn't aware of the full manual control difference. Also wondered about the quality of the 14-140 compared to the 14-45. Haven't read much about the longer lens.

Jake

A few small considerations which in relation to viewfinder/no viewfinder, articulated screen/no articulated screen, and good grip / poor grip does not matter much, but if you have both cameras which I do you do notice them:

GF1 has a nicer shutter sound. May be due to the metal body.

GF1 has a better (unbreakable) on/off button. The GH1 on/off lever is made of plastic and feels like it may break if pushed too hard (which can happen when you focus on the situation rather than being gentle with your camera).

The GH1 has one more button, which allows me to have dedicated buttons for film mode and aspect ratio. On the GF1 you can only have a dedicated button for either aspect ratio or film mode. I switch between black&white / colour and different aspect ratios all the time.

GF1 is slippery in relation to GH1

Both are good, but when I am out and about the GH1 is in my bag mainly due to the superb viewfinder. The GF1 viewfinder is very disappointing. I will sell the viewfinder when I get the time.

When I want to bring along the 7-14 I normally have that one on the GF1 and a prime or a normal zoom on the GF1 so I do not have to switch lenses in the field.

Hi Travis, I thank you for your GH1 vs. GF1 insights. I was very interested in the GF1 and in particular, its movie mode. You noted that there is a big difference in 720p, with regards to the 60 fps framerate of the GH1.

I went to my GF1 manual and looked up page 190 Recording quality. AVCHD video modes are described, and I noted the asterisk alongside each of the three modes. It reads:

Sensor output is 30 frames/sec.

is it your sense that the GH1's AVCHD Lite mode is without asterisks? That the sensor output is 60 fps, not 30?

Thanks!

Yes, the GH1's 720p mode is true 60 fps when you use a shutter speed of 1/60 or higher. The difference is immediately noticeable in videos with panning or fast subject motion. The GF1's 30 fps is not bad by any means! Unless your sole purpose is videography, I would not let the movie mode alone be the determining factor when choosing the GH1 or GF1. That said, I have both cameras and almost always use the GH1 for video. Not only is it smoother, but the articulating LCD is highly useful when shooting video since you can shoot at the hip or on a tripod and just adjust the LCD angle.

Travis
--
http://travisimo.smugmug.com/

One more difference: the GH1 records in stereo; the GF1 in mono. The GH1 allows an external microphone, the GF1 does not. Both, however, have autogain - no manual control of audio levels, sometimes with horrible consequences.

Wrong comparison.

If you expect to shoot a lot of video simply get the GH1.

If you want ultimate portability get the GF1.

Better to compare the GF1 to the G1 than the GH1. The GF1 and G1 share the same sensor while the GH1 uses a slightly larger sensor that permits it to shoot in 16:9 format (something particularly attractive to video folks.) If you can deal with a slightly bigger camera than the GF1 but want a viewfinder, a swing-out LCD and you want to spend nearly 30% less then the G1 is a real bargain.

I think prices will drop once we get into the holiday season. It's reasonable to expect to see $599 G1 kit, and an $849 GF1 kit, and the GF1 price might even go down a bit more if Olympus introduces a rumored G1 competitor that's halfway in size between the GF1 and the G1.

I too wonder about G 1 vs. GF 1. I have thaought of adding a GF1 to my kit but wonder whether the modest size difference, and the 20mm lens, would make it better for indoor event shooting. Any thoughts?



Henry F. Smith Jr
Http: www.glensummitimage.com

Nothing stops you from putting that lens on any m4/3 camera....

Travis, Bill and others,

Thanks for your help in this discussion. I got the GF1 and I'm sold on it as a still camera. I loved my Lumix LZ5, rip.

I feel I need to compare the quality of the 720P AVCHD Lite movie recordings on both the GH1 and GF1. There is still time to exchange up to GH1.

I am focusing on their respective sensors and if there is a technical difference that translates to a better movies in 720P. I thought the only technical difference, in terms of final movie image quality, was the GH1's 24p-in-30i mode. But Travis has them both and seems to indicate that the shutter cannot be changed on the GF1 during movies (or at all?) which may mean a better "look" even if the sensors were the identical.

and now Bill says that the sensors are indeed different. Again, will the sensor difference if there is one, mean better quality AVCHD 720P recordings?

Best,
M

Skeris said:

and now Bill says that the sensors are indeed different. Again, will the sensor difference if there is one, mean better quality AVCHD 720P recordings?

Click to expand...

I have no idea. The sensors are of course closely related but the GH1's is slightly larger.



I doubt the sensor itself will make much difference in recordings, but the silent zoom of the GH1 (plus the other differences like Dolby Digital Sound Creator) sets it above most other cameras for video recording.

Personally, if I were interested in video I'd look at a good camcorder, not a hybrid unit that will be seen as primitive in just a year or two. Then again, I'm not interested in video at all. :0

Instead of getting hung up on all the minute details, it's best to look at the big picture: the GF1 is a compact "system" camera with great portability. The G1 is a well-rounded still camera without video but retaining the superb EVF and LCD. The GH1 pretty much has it all, but you pay for it and is not as compact as the GF1.

The first choice you need to make is whether you're willing to sacrifice some features for portability/compactness? If having the smallest "system" camera with internal flash is paramount, then the GF1 is the best choice.

If compactness is not paramount but you have no interest in video , then the G1 would be a great choice and is the least expensive of them all. You lose video and the multi-aspect ratio sensor, but retain the rest of the GH1's features (sans the 14-140 lens which is included with the GH1 kit).

If compactness is not paramount and you are very interested in video , then the GH1 is the best of best worlds and has pretty much everything you could ask for. It's the most versatile of the bunch, but also the most expensive.

Compactness. Video. Price. Lens kits. Those are the main differentiating features.

Travis
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http://travisimo.smugmug.com/

Thanks for the diagrams, Bill. Actually, I am OK will the imperfect sound that these DSLRs provide. Mostly, I want the best movie picture quality, given the choices in my price range.

This is a good trend in general. I am no longer satisfied with HDV camcorder image quality. I accept that each year there may be big improvements in these big chip, interchangeable-lens hybrids- the DSLR I really want is not available yet at these low prices: uncompressed video, straight to memory chips, ready for editing on my favorite software. Nonetheless, I wanted to get started in this direction- and enjoy a superb digital still camera at the same time.

My question about GH1 vs. GF1 is still all about 720p movie mode frame rate and sensor size- at this point, it sounds like Travis' hands-on comparison is my best guide.