@mimirsan the only photos I take is if I accidentally switch it from C3 mode and press the shutter :-)

@mimirsan Yup, I took a fair amount of the photos with the GH2 over the last year, from bracketed HDR to concert photography to portraits of parents and children, etc. Oh and astro photography. Got some moonshots with the GH2 and Canon 600mm f/4 L with EF III Extender. (2X).

The small size of some of the lens choice and sm camera also having a all size make it informal and easy to use in a variety of conditions and people do not "stiffen up" like they sometimes do when I shoot with larger lenses on a 50D. The biggest drawback is the buffer, of course, which makes burst mode photography MUCH more difficult on the GH2 than mid-range DSLRS like the 50D or 7D (let alone the Canon and Nikon flagships). One thing that would be great is if they made it easier to enter focus assist on manual lenses without having to tap the screen. Right now it is cumbersome and counter-intuitive to try and do it if shooting via EVF.

Oh, and the f/0.95 Noktons are such a bargain for lowlight situations and (once again) not that big compared to some other options.

I am surprised you feel the JPEG performance is "piss-poor". I mean, would I also be happy if they improved it? To some extent, but when I am worried enough to care, I am usually shooting RAW+JPEG.

@thepalalias you don't need to touch the screen for focus assist w/ manual lenses. Just press the wheel w/ your right thumb. Seems pretty intuitive for me when shooting with EVF (always...) :-)

@thepalalias: I use the shutter speed dial (press in) for manual focus assist on the gh2. I personally like the burst mode on the gh2. I find it very fast even with raw + jpeg, although it has to empty the buffer in-between bursts. But yes, I agree that it could be improved further. There should be some great possibilities with sequence shooting (also burst mode) if the rumours about an electronic shutter and fully utilized card writing speeds are correct..

Sorry astraban, I didn´t see your reply. :)

@astraban @RRRR Got it, so just hold it in like I normally would to switch the selection from aperture to shutter speed, except hold it longer. Thanks! Still not at all intuitive, but should be a lot easier. :)

@RRRR The burst mode seems good, until you compare it. Like you say, the speed is not that bad compared to a 50D for the first few pictures. But buffer is gone almost immeadiately and during concert photography (especially with RAW+JPEG) that is pretty frustrating. The Canon 50D is several years older than the GH2 and the used prices are modest, but the buffer is much, much better. And the 7D is better still. And the D4 and the 1DX make me wish I could justify their purchases right now, just for the buffers and ISO alone (let alone lowlight AF).

But maybe the GH3 can do something on the lowlight AF front. :)

@RRRR Jo, peaking vore ju roligt att ha. Hoppas det kommer funka. :)

@oscillian Roligt, va? :)

So what do people think is going to happen with the buffer? With the emphasis on video in the leaked specs, will the burst mode buffer likely remain about the same?

Really it all comes down to what do you need? If you don’t need wifi, better stills, electronic shutter, 1080p @ 60 FPS, or any of the other new features then you won’t buy the GH3. If you do need any of those features then you have to decide whether the extra money is worth it.

The things that they have added are very specialized features. They simply are not going to help everyone. However, for the people that want them and know how to use them they could be very beneficial.

For the most part 1080p @ 24 FPS isn’t going to improve a great deal unless they really can achieve a significant increase in dynamic range. If you only shoot 1080p @ 24 FPS then the image quality probably isn’t going to change much.

@allenswrench -I really cracked up too about your earlier rant re: the consumer camera and your clients and the cranes.

[advertising/corporate] Clients will almost always show you a bad time if they can't get good set photos and videos with their iphones to show their dates that they work on set. When it comes right down to it, clients almost always need to be educated, and sometimes schooled, about filmmaking.

I was thinking we should design and procuce [in China] an inflatable camera bag for the [gh3] that makes it look and sound like an arriflex 35bl3.

THese little panny devils are enough for most non-fx work, but really, with a big video village and a lot of hand wringers around, I'd try to get the PM to rent a bigger camera for clients to look at, while you grab all the shots you need in one hour with the little consumer camera.

I WILL buy the gh3 if the build is higher quality than the gh2 - even with the same specs as the gh2 I would buy a more solid feeling, ergonomic cam. My big sausage fingers alway get sweaty and cramp up using the gh2 on a hot day. Also, please forgive the typos.. ;)

It'll be interesting to send a jpeg capture from MTS from Gh3 to iPad wirelessly. Then analyze vectorscope and waveform if there is such app.

@LPowell - Or just simply my old arri SR HS with some worn out 16mm prints loaded into the mags... :) New lenses...always!

@bheath "I was thinking we should design and procuce [in China] an inflatable camera bag for the [gh3] that makes it look and sound like an arriflex 35bl3."

I'm sure it is quite possible.

Want to make people think your car has really expensive Brembo brakes but don't have a couple of thousand dollars to buy them? Well how about spending just $18 on some fake clip on Brembo caliper covers and you will have most people fooled... Oh and just one thing. Don't expect them to stop your car like real Brembo brakes! ;>)

FAKE Plastic Brembo Brake Caliper Covers...