Panasonic GH2 førsteinntrykk

Fotografer har ulike preferanser og behov. Høyt på min liste står kompakt utstyr og gode videoegenskaper, noe som har gjort Panadonic GH-1 til en fast følgesvenn. Det er derfor med stor interesse jeg leser Michael Reichmanns omtale av nykommeren GH-2. Reichmann tester kamera med fokus på praktisk bruk, uten alle mulige målinger, og forteller derfor vettuge ting om hvordan et kamera er å ha med seg i felten. Denne typen systemkameraer, uten speil, er i ferd med å ta en vesentlig del av markedet, og Panasonic G1 var det første kameraet av denne typen, da det ble lansert for et par år siden.

Reichmann viser forresten til en interessant samtale: "You know – the future doesn't belong to either of those two. The future of the photographic industry belongs to Sony and Panasonic. They get it. As for as I can tell, neither Canon nor Nikon do. They're simply putting higher resolution and cleaner sensors in the same old boring cameras. That's not just what the future of this industry is about. Wait – you'll see. " - interessant fordi nettopp Sony og Panasonic er enorme selskaper innen konsumentelektroikk, samtidig som de dominerer markedet for profesjonelle videokamera. Det setiller disse selsakpene i en særstilling når det gjelder å mestre overgangen til hybride kamera.

Det er ikke lenge siden Panasonic lanserte G2 er en oppgradering av G1, og storebroeren GH-2 tar nå G-serien ytterligere noen hakk videre.

Så hva mener Reichmann om GH-2:

It's hard for me not to sound a bit overzealous about the GH2 and these two new lenses. I was predisposed toward the GH1, and now with the GH2 Panasonic has mostly fixed those few deficiencies that the GH1 had – video quality, a no longer competitive 12MP sensor, and poor high ISO image quality. The GH2 checks all of the boxes with feature, specification, and image quality upgrades that make it a worthwhile product upgrade for previous Panasonic G series owners, and a very viable alternative to similarly priced APS-C sized sensor competitors.

As for its most direct competitor, the Sony NEX 5, I would judge them comparable when it comes to overall image quality. But the GH2 leaves the NEX 5 in the dust when it comes to ease of use, especially for the more serious photographer who doesn't want to have to fight the camera to find needed functions buried in deep menus, and who value traditional mechanical controls rather than multi-modal buttons. Yes, the NEX 5 is smaller than the GH2 even though it has a larger sensor, but not by that much. But the GH2 has a high quality EVF, and is about as small as a camera can be and still have a full range of mechanical controls so beloved of serious photographers.

When it comes to video the GH2 has it all over the NEX 5. Full manual video control, 1080 /24P, 24 Mbps AVCHD vs a highly feature constrained video offering on the NEX, and no EVF. No contest.

The Sony VG10 offers a NEX lens owner a robust video capability but the GH2 is actually a more full featured video camera than the dedicated VG10. And when it comes to stepping up, the forthcoming Panasonic AF100 video camera looks to be a killer product, with the GH2 likely to become a preferred B cam for its owners.

Kilde: Luminous Landscape