New Panasonic GH3 comparison vs. GH2

Video equipment Griffin uses: griffinhammond....
Griffin receives his Panasonic GH3! And compares it to the previous model: GH2.
Watch: Side-by-side low light (high ISO) test: • Panasonic GH3 vs. GH2 ...
COMPARED TO THE GH2, THE GH3 has:
Slightly taller body, more weight (new splashproof/dustproof magnesium-alloy body)
Bigger battery-1860mAh vs 1200 (but the battery charger is no longer wall-mountable)
Bigger neckstrap!
101-page user manual (319 in the extended digital PDF version)
Dedicated 1/8" Headphone jack, 1/8" Mic jack and remote jack
OLED touchscreen (614,000 dots) vs GH2's TFT (460,000 dots) with better touch sensitivity (capacitive, rather than resistive)
Three dials instead of one
Wi-fi (remote control from smartphone)
1080p60 at 50Mbps, and up to 72Mbps All-I shooting in 720p60, 1080p30 and 1080p24
MENU SETTINGS I PREFER:
MOTION PICTURE MENU:
Rec Mode-MOV
Exposure Mode-M
Rec Highlight-On
Silent Operation-Off (On enables touchscreen control of exposure settings)
Mic Level Disp-On
Headphone Sound-REC SOUND (vs. real-time)
CUSTOM MENU:
Histogram-On
Eye Sensor-Off
Shoot w/o lens-On
SETUP MENU:
Beep-OFF
PHOTO REC MENU (in photo mode)
ISO Increments-1/3 EV (which changes how many ISO steps are available in video mode)
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Ex Tele Conversion doesn't work when shooting 60fps.

[@RaySaxophone]

That is superb news! Good to hear it's working well for you! I was also waiting for my GH3 for over a month now, but from B&H. I couldn't wait any longer since I was going back to NZ. I arrived in my home country and bought it instantly at the local camera shop. Finally! I bought it as a Video Priority user and I'm pleased with the GH3, and extremely happy with the custom function buttons. The screen is clearer than I expected. Coming from the Canon APS-C line, I'm happy with this upgrade :)

[@SuperSetCA]

Great side-by-side. Stoked about getting my new GH3 soon!

[@shane8109]

Good info! I've been looking for a video like this since the GH3 was announced

[@FencinGrl23]

Thank You so much this really helped me out! I'm getting away from my t2i and i really needed this video to confirm the direction i wanna go in Camera wise.

[@MrSF28]

Awesome comparison Griffin! Really informative!

[@GriffinHammond]

I had the same worry about bitrates and SD cards, but realized I was mixing things up: The camera shoots 72 Mbps (megabits per second), and class 10 cards handle a minimum of 10 MBps (megaBYTES, not megabits), so that's 80 megabits.

[@GriffinHammond]

I've seen other people complain about that too. (I rarely if ever use the electronic viewfinder, so it won't affect me, but it does seem a little hard to focus.)

[@robbyboyo]

Thank you for the camera tour. Looks good. I like videoing with the eye piece on the GH2 as it keeps the camera nice and steady.

[@raqcoonmammal]

Thanks for the detailed info. Yours is the first I've heard about the LCD having higher res than the GH2, which is very helpful with the Zacuto Z-Finder. I grapple with the Z-Finder on the GH2 screen which seems a bit coarse, and considered buying a SmallHD, a major expense that's a big hassle outside of shooting features. However, if the GH3 has significant LCD improvement the Z-Finder should be fine.

[@GriffinHammond]

Like Dave said, you can focus through the touchscreen, although I never use that. I always push the shutter half-way, and have never had as issue with accidentally ending recording. Moire isn't reduced as much as some cameras, but it's never been an issue to me on the GH2.

[@jrworthy]

Thanks for the reply. After posting my question I started to think about it and I realized that I may have been confusing Mbps with MBps. Your answer confirmed this for me. With the recent price drop on the GH2 I may just go that route. While the GH3 looks amazing, The GH2 is still quite appealing.

[@stacy6903]

Thanks Griffin! Yeah if the GH3 handles moire as well as the GH2 does, I'm 100% with it! Also I've enjoyed Indy Mogul and am enjoying your videos there! I met William Shatner too (and got a little bit of video of him with my GH2) but I'm a bit envious as my time was very brief with him! He seems like a genuinely kind and passionate thespian (besides being the Captain Kirk I grew up watching).

[@username55ify]

If you ask me, the GH3 is so much better. Not only does it have better picture quality, but it was the first Guitar Hero game to introduce online, and almost none of the songs are covers anymore, but actual original songs. It also has a great selection of which as well. Then the series went on a downward spiral.

[@GriffinHammond]

The built-in intervalometer appears to work fine-up to 9,999 photos. Yes, built-in HDR bracketing for photos, although you can't shoot HDR and time lapse simultaneously. (That's where a third-party intervalometer would be handy-it could activate the shutter in HDR mode.) I have a Lumix and Sigma lens. The wi-fi app can control aperture on both, but for some reason the focus only works on the Lumix. Seems logical they could do a firmware upgrade, but they never added those features to the GH2.

[@stacy6903]

Griffin: On the GH2 (not 3) in the (Creative) Movie Mode under AFS focus mode, one can only re-establish focus during video record by pressing the shutter button half-way - being careful not to do this full way or the recording stops. The only way I've found to full press focus is to use a photo mode, but then you lose your manual video controls. Does the GH3 fair better? - perhaps a dedicated focus button (a-la the FZ200) or one that can be programmed to a function key? Also: moire/aliasing?

[@Jbtorresmedina]

Hello Griffin long time follower of Indy Mogul. Also first time watching a review on the Panasonic GH series. I've been researching about cameras in a min

[@GriffinHammond]

No, you get the NTSC version or PAL version depending what country you buy it in.

[@DaySoze]

Hey Griffin after I seen you were getting this I started looking into it. Ive been saving for the canon 5d mark ii cant afford the mark iii yet but I really love the GH3s features I really love 1080 at 60fps

[@MirrorlessCentral]

Great comparison, Griffin!

[@LunerversalFilmTV]

Thank You Griffin for a wonderful review on the GH3. I'm actually switching from Canon to Panasonic GH3 for many reasons. Still going to keep my 60D though.

[@DaveLundy]

I'm curious about that also. There is a silent shutter mode on the GH2, but it's fairly low resolution JPG only, but with a very fast burst rate. I'd love to be able to shoot RAW silently.

[@HamsterRocketeer]

Thank you for your comment, I just saw it. I would have to say that, that is not a good thing, being stuck with lets say 60fps if I purchase it in the US and then travel to Europe I'll get flickering lights because I am unable to switch to 50fps, Well at least at 24fps nothing flickers so that is usable. (I am talking about using 60/50fps for twixtored slow motion videos).

[@GriffinHammond]

B&H, but I ordered it on day 1: Sept. 19. I hear even October orders have been fulfilled already, so they must be getting them out at a decent speed.

[@Jordanwoodsmedia]

Very informative. I always learn something new when I watch one of your videos Griffin. I am looking at purchasing my first dslr for video. The most important thing for me is that there is no recording time limit by the camera. I understand that the Panasonic GH line of cameras do not have this limitation like some other dslrs do. What would you suggest as to which camera to purchase? Thanks!

[@GriffinHammond]

I shot this with my Panasonic TM700 camcorder-a camera I'll likely be looking to sell once I'm done making side-by-side GH videos! Doesn't look like the wi-fi/app can accomplish anything terribly game-changing yet, but we'll see if any improvements/hacks come out of it.

[@santanu-io]

It looks he is determined to argue that GH3 is better than GH2 no matter what. One of the main reason of buying M4/3 than usual DSLRs is the size and portability, and I don't see any point of buying a huge GH3 with a smaller sensor than APSC. Rather, GH2 is superb in both video and stills, there is no point of buying a bulky GH3. And nobody really uses the fancy things like controlling camera by mobile phone (atleast any serious photo/video-grapher). All that matter is the quality of video and photo, and the size and portability. GH3 and GH4 cant beat GH2 in any way.

[@GriffinHammond]

Santanu Sinha, You're right: if portability is your primary concern, the GH2 wins-it's a better lightweight body for snorricam, for example. But I generally prefer the GH3 because it's a nice response to what many filmmakers asked for after the GH2. It adds a headphone jack, regular-sized mic jack, higher bitrate recording, and better low-light performance. And the battery life is amazing. I've loved all of the GH cameras, and as someone who's logged hundreds of shooting hours on each one, I can say the GH3 works better for me and produces better results. But that's not to say the GH2 isn't also a great camera. Anyone who has one will be able to create great video.

[@EvilMeans]

Griffin Hammond Surprised it wasn't a GH2 hacked version vs GH3

[@stayfocusedmedia]

So your the gh2 is better than both?

[@stayfocusedmedia]

Griffin Hammond so you are saying the gh2 is better than both?

[@GriffinHammond]

Crop factor of approximately 2. One of the most obvious downsides of the m4/3 sensor, compared to other less cropped crop sensors.

[@GriffinHammond]

I don't know, but the app "Lumix Link" is free, so you could try downloading it before getting the camera.

[@DaveLundy]

Even with the GH2, you can refocus by touching the touch-screen LCD or focus on a different point. I seldom use the LCD, though, so I end up using half presses of the shutter button. It's my understanding that auto-focus has been significantly improved with the GH3. I'm certainly hoping that's the case. Still, the GH2's autofocus while shooting video seems to be better than any of the DSLRs. I briefly owned a Nikon D7000. It was a great camera, but video autofocus was lousy.

[@GriffinHammond]

Doesn't look like you can fullscreen the iPhone video, nor does it continue to stream live once video recording begins.

[@TheSubziMr]

Thanks for this quite in-depth overview!

[@lukasmohl4716]

Great video Griffin!

[@thejerrymobile]

Great review! Though I think I'll give it a year before investing this time... I made the mistake of getting the GF2 right when it came out thinking it was going to be more like the GX1... A year later and we're at what- the GF5? And with the release of the GX1, the GF2 is more valuable as a paperweight than a resale. So I'll give this one time to prove itself first, even though it's in a whole different class :P

[@justinspirational]

thanks for sharing Griffin- regarding timelapse you said you thought you could get rid of your intervalometer but what..you didn't finish the sentence as to whether the intervalometer is needed or not - does it have in built HDR (for stills)? Regarding wifi control-changing aperature, adjusting focus etc only works with panasonic lumix lenses or will it work with other lenses? you think they can add focus peaking and zebras in a firmware upodate or even a hack? thank you for your reply

[@GriffinHammond]

B&H. First few hours it was available for pre-order on Sept. 19.

[@GriffinHammond]

The biggest difference I have to get used to: Higher bitrate shooting means much less video on each SD card. I used to get 2h04m on each 16GB card. Now I'll get 29m in 1080p24 All-I (72Mbps) or 42m in 1080p60 (50Mbps).

[@Dominion-1]

Nice side by side review, I'm going to purchase the GH3. Can you get uncompressed video from the HDMI port? Thanks

[@TimmyTechTV]

Is the GH3 better enough over the G5K (for say product unboxings) to justify the price difference?

[@GiveEmHellMCR]

@Griffin Hammond Wow that's a massive crop. I find even my 7D's 1.6X is too much for me. All your talking about the GH3 has really got me wanting to have a go on it though! 72MB/second is awesome.

[@GriffinHammond]

No, the 50 and 25 framerates are only on the PAL version.

[@GriffinHammond]

I'm a fan of Panasonic, so I say go with the GH3 at only 43% of the price. But for that extra $1,691, the 5D Mark III gets you a full-frame sensor (more depth of field, higher quality images) and access to Canon's much deeper line-up of lenses (bigger market for used lenses too). But you also won't get 1080p at 60fps, a flip-out LCD, or wi-fi with the Canon 5D Mark III.

[@Femanic1]

Great review, thanks for making and posting it. My question: does the focus assist magnifier work while recording?

[@ThePhotoSoup]

I've had my GH3 do the off/on blank screen and just hit the shutter button and the screen turns on... see if that works for ya.

[@danpoleon]

Thank you! Great overview.

[@ljfogel]

Love this video. New to your channel. Question for any assembled here. I own the GH2 and think the picture quality is great. I'm using it mostly for man on the street interviews. I'm trying to figure out the best way to do sound using this camera. I've gone out with an audio guy and used a ME66 and K6 w a Zoom. Any ideas for a mic I can mount and go out with on my own? Or is that unfeasible without a preamp? Other videos I can watch on this topic?

[@jrworthy]

I have been thinking of buying a GH2 but after the first extended look that you have posted here I am wondering if I should just save up and for a GH3. I am somewhat new to shooting video on still cameras so I have a question, what type of memory card are you using? Class 10 cards say the write speed is 30Mbps but you mention that the some of the data rates are as high as 72Mbps. Am I missing something? Please advise. Thanks. Great video as well.

[@LunerversalFilmTV]

Hey Griffin! How is the GH3 handles Moire and Aliases. I'm really interested in the picture quality. I owned a Canon 60D and I want to see if the GH3 is better in when it comes to moire and alies,..

[@holco10]

Hi thanks for this great review :) But wat I like to know is if the GH3 is shooting video is the live view thru the HDMI port in 1080P 50fps useable? the problem with the GH2 is that when I use the HDMI out on 720P 50fps the camera turns itself to 1080i 25fps en therefore with remote aerial shootings (multirotors) this is not useable :(

[@GoldenPidgeon]

This has probably been asked already but I can't find it: what were you recording this on? I like the iphone app to control the camera, great for some covert action. Can you live stream to google hangouts with the wifi as that would be amazing! (I'm guessing some custom software would be required for that). The build is much more modern than the GH2.

[@videomaniacion]

NIce Griffin. I have a question. Do you think i should go with the Canon 5d mark iii or the Gh3. Thanks, awesome job

[@NunezVisualOnline]

Whats your preferences on your setup on your gh3 for wedding videos? what speed,frames,resolution?

[@gabaktech]

what camara are you using to record this video

[@Stargaze79]

Very helpful! Thank you so much!

[@liao657]

nice comparison but ''focus peaking '' is what i concern .

[@rdaffon23]

Thanks for the review! I plan on purchasing this model. Does the GH3 require a specific software version for Android for the wifi to work? For example, Jelly bean versus ICS? Thanks ahead of time for your reply.

[@3gpBlingeeAfterDark]

Great video Griffin :)

[@SirioSechi]

Hello, I am cameraman working in caves, I would like to know what mean exactly "splashproof" can I wash the mud remain on the GH3 under the tap?

[@HamsterRocketeer]

One question - does the camera have 2 video systems (PAL/NTSC) because it would be nice if you could switch from 50 to 60 fps.

[@GriffinHammond]

No, that's the biggest disappointment of the wi-fi. (Although, I wonder if you could record the HDMI output (without pressing record), and use the wi-fi as a monitor.

[@ArranAGreen]

Yes I did enjoy the video, THANKS! ...maaaaaan - yeahh that does suck about not being able to adjust the audio levels through the function buttons :/ Panasonic may introduce that in a firmware update :D ....looking forward to the quality comparison! (I have the GH2 and am going to be getting the GH3)

[@MrApplewine]

I wish fuji would release an x100 camera with the video features of the GH4 and with no rolling shutter artifacts under normal gentle operation (like camcorders). Fuji needs to get image stabilization in the lens too. If Fuji can do all that I'd call it the x100v to follow up the x100s. S is for still and V is for video.

[@Xandervandijk]

great review!

[@ManoloDelBosque]

hey! nice review! thanks a lot. one question: is the GH3 "hackable" like the GH2 ( with all those bitrates hack and chroma sampling hack ). would be great to record in better compression.

[@JonLaTonaBass]

I use my GH2 with the PIX 240 from the live HDMI out… I find the GH2 rather slow compared to my Sony EX3.. needs MUCH more light and I'm afraid to bring up the ISO too much. Is the GH3 chipset any faster allowing a lower ISO?

[@justinspirational]

thank you - very helpful to know!

[@DaveDwyer]

What is the flashing highlights? Please don't tell me that is the GH3's 'Zebra' ?

[@GriffinHammond]

I can say that I've been happy with the dynamic range of the GH2, and the GH3 is improved, but I don't know how it compares to the VG20.

[@videomaniacion]

Thanks Griffin, but i have read that the GH3 can sometimes lag and turn off in the middle of the scene. Is this true? The reason that i am asking is because i am shooting a short film that i want to send to moguler made, filmfights and i want to enter a contest and also i need a new camera that is light and can have imports for mic and headphones and good image of course.:) thanks for the help

[@GriffinHammond]

I like to think I make lots of videos that can help videographers improve their shooting. This one certainly doesn't teach photography-it's aimed at new GH3 owners, or prospective buyers, sharing my observations to help others understand the feature set quicker.

[@YAMIYAD]

Have the GH3 now, thinking of getting a GH2 as side camera. And I believe they are worth it.

[@wwhsc]

A question: good for 1080p recording compared to iphone 11+ video? I'm considering gh3 for that purpose

[@YAMIYAD]

@@wwhsc gh3 is perfect for 1080p recording. Iphone is funny to use, but on a biggerscreen it looks rubbish.

[@wwhsc]

@@YAMIYAD Thank you. Great help.

[@TinTinMonkey]

Thanks for the review. How is the still picture quality? I currently have OM-D and thinking about getting a GH3.

[@davidp158]

I'm quite happy with my GH2, but Panasonic has obviously listened to their customers and added a LOT of significant improvements to the GH3.

[@GriffinHammond]

I don't really use them for photos. I was always disappointed with the photo quality on the GH2-we'll see if I like the GH3 more for photos. Could just be I'm bad at photos!

[@GriffinHammond]

I agree about the GH2 taking underwhelming photos. We'll see if the GH3 is any better.

[@pierangelo86]

Hi Griffin, great review! one question: does the lumix adaptor (to use your sigma lens) worth the money? does it allow autofocus with canon or nikon lens? or it depends from the lens? cheers

[@rashmedo]

great video man.. really interesting

[@TheGameTeddy]

Can it really roll for 99 minutes? Is there no cap at 20 or so minnutes?

[@dfabella85]

Is gh3 better than omd em5 in terms of still photography? Thanks in advance.

[@petelandry4813]

do you use micro 4/3 lenses or an adapter with a standard size lense

[@GriffinHammond]

It is their version of zebra stripes. I don't like it as much, but I've gotten used to it. Still very helpful.

[@PaulTheillusionist]

Than you for this video!

[@RaySaxophone]

Hi Dave, from reading above you have ordered your GH3 and yet 3 months waiting? Wow that's a long time! If I may ask, where did you order?

[@juliannevillecorrea]

thank you

[@EvilWizardMaltheore]

great vid, very thorough

[@mp4podcastDOTcom]

How is the sharpness for video on the GH3?

[@randomtvusa]

hey Griffin are you going to talk about this on indymogul?

[@toms900]

Thanks! Now I'm just waiting for it to be instock at my local camera store so I can mess around with it haha!

[@gabaktech]

are those cameras better than Canon Rebel T3i / EOS 600D ?

[@HyperspeedMedia]

great video....

[@peppebadala]

hey Griffin thanks for the vid... do you know if it has slow shutter? or frame accumulation on slow shutter mode?

[@UrbanoModa]

very helpful video

[@GriffinHammond]

Sorry, I'm keeping it-but I may have a Panasonic TM700 for sale soon!

[@DaveLundy]

I ordered it from Amazon. I'm about ready to also order one from B&H - they might get higher priority from Panasonic.

[@acsel25]

Can you use your phone via wifi as a monitor when recording video?

[@triathl33t]

This is a key question... is it worth the extra cost over the GH2?

[@toms900]

Griffin, how much dynamic range does the video mode have? Does it handle highs and lows well? Really thinking about switching from my VG20 to this.

[@CodyBridge]

GRIFFIN! when the GH4 comes out, if you get it, you should do a competition to win your old GH3 (if you will no longer use it) :D

[@GriffinHammond]

I wouldn't expect so. My GH2 has shot for at least 90 minutes before I stopped recording.

[@InlightmediaUk]

Very helpful! Thank you very much :)

[@4thornorth]

Спасибо за обзор! Thanks for review!