@Shaveblog "The metric system is the tool of the devil! My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it." --Grandpa Simpson
Until we see a GH3 hacked, we are not going to know its full capabilities or limitations. And until Panny makes enough of them to sell, and gets a chance to do their own initial firmware updates we can't really do much more than complain about SD card access door problems.
One thing we have learned is that contrary to the fact that we all keep telling each other that we are a minority and Panasonic really designs and sells the top of the line cameras to Harriet Housecoat and Joe Sixpack for vacation photos, this time it was pro and semipro users that snapped them up. At $1300 without a lens, and selling out original production based on anticipation, rather than recommendations and seeing them in stores, I think WE bought all of them.
Which is just as well, since they seemed to have listened to what WE wanted, and incorporated most of our wish list.
But since all of the GH3s are gone, and Panny has admitted that they aren't making any more GH2s, what ARE they making? Are we just waiting for the slow boat to get here?
In the meantime, I have two "extra" GH2s and I'll start the bidding at one MILLion dollars...
@neededandwanted "So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Gimme five bees for a quarter, you'd say."
I don't claim to understand Panasonic's roadmap at all. GF1 was a hit, so they followed it with 5 (!) generations of successors that threw away a bit more soul with each rev. GH3 (which I don't own yet so naturally it's PHAYLE) seems like a better GH2 all around but it's really a different beast entirely, a much larger and heavier Canon DSLR style body. To me the beauty of the GH2, which even unhacked gives great image, is its small, lightweight stealthiness. It is absolutely a prosumer camera, the best of the breed. GH3 to me is a pro camera, which despite the panting of the spec rap video crowd "about to shoot my first feature so wuts the best patch", is not always the best choice. Give me a GH2 and a few Canon FDs in a Domke satchel any day over a C300 and all the assorted support crap that comes along with it for even basic operation.
Let's put it this way with my GH2 and contemplating buying a GH3 I figured I was fine, liked the GH2 better, etc. When my producer offered to buy me a GH3...let's just say my opinion changed somewhat haha.
@neededandwanted What you said!
I swore I wasn't going to buy a GH3 because of the consumer warranty....but did (and I bought a 3rd party warranty) because it does do a lot the GH2 doesn't. The Hacked GH2 is still the winner right now IMO, but I'm convinced Vitally will (and I suspect already has) hack it and it will be heads above the GH2.
It's a wait and see game now!
I did keep my 2 GH2's though.
Development:
Last week I put a GH2 on hold w/Samy's Camera. The price is $679.00 new body only. Yesterday, a friend sold me his brand new never used same for $550 (I tried to talk him into keeping it. He said he never used it.) Meaning, the on hold Samy's GH2, will be on hold until tomorrow, and I won't be buying it, unless I'm really crazy.
If anyone here wants it, you can shoot me a PM and I'll give your the order number and sales reps name, so you can have what is perhaps one of the last reliable dealer new GH2 camera's around.
Sadly for me I was waiting for the price to drop. Next thing I knew it was listed as discontinued at BH. I ended up buying a used one on ebay for the same price as a new one...hah.
The price of GH2 on ebay is the rise it seems, a used GH2 body was sold for $600 recently
Well, one member here got the new one from Samy's I posted about above for $679. I've noticed a trend from conversations which is hopeful. A good number of folks have GH2's that they've almost NEVER used. That can be a good thing down the road.
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