@rajamalik Battery is not still the same. It increased by over 500 maH (don't remember the exact number off the top of my head).

But if it works as well with the ATC 15,000 maH add-on as the GH2 seems to be (still testing) then we could have a way around that. So far indications are that it should easily run for well over 5 hours - I have not had a chance to test it much yet.

But with the grip and 2 of the new batteries we should be looking at at least 3:30 to 4 hours or more.

As far as the higher bitrates: I think they are better for the hacks. Panasonic is doing better than their competitors at 50P and 60P (28 mbps Sony?) and these bitrates are stable. We cannot even get dependable spanning except on a very specific range of cards - so unless Panasonic was ready to release specially branded cards, raising the bitrates too far would have alienated a lot of users that could not get it to work with their cards.

And let us not forget how good SMBU v1 looked about a year ago at very similar GOP1 bitrates.

BUT, if VK can have similar success with the GH3 as the previous ones, higher bitrates for those willing to work at it should be possible again. I think that may be the way to go.

Honestly, I think there is much more reason to be outraged about the sensor change. Why did they stop using multi-aspect? It is very, very frustrating.

@Tobsen, there gotta be an effective way of letting the GH3 team hear and know about the need for 4:2:2. That's something I was betting that they will/must have on the GH3.

@Toben, @mrgroove said he did. So @mrgroove if we can get a petition going for 4:2:2, can you relay that info to the GH3 team that it's a must have?

@mrgroove

I totally overlooked your comment about you having been in close contact with Panasonic and gave them some ideas. What did you suggest? 4:2:2 as well? If so, what did they say?

Are you still in contact with Panasonic????

@christianhubbard 720p 120fps...would be nice as well. let's see how many people jump on board.

4:2:2

720p 120fps

peaking

@Kihlian sony fs700 is gonna add its new firmware with 240 fps 1080p and 4k 24fps 25fps and 30fps support.

@Manu4Vendetta that's really impressive at 1600 and 3200 iso. Great low light performance no matter how obnoxious the chick is.

I REALLY want to see some back to back comparisons of the gh2 and gh3, especially in scenario's where clearly the gh3 is going to kick the gh2's ass. Color, DR, Low-light, slo motion, 11 steps, huge amounts of customization...

4:2:0, the price, and the new sensor are the biggest disappointments for me as well, and I don't think we should give up on figuring out some way of getting to 4:2:2 from Panasonic. It's an absolute must. If they figured out a way for clean hdmi I wouldn't mind forking over the money in a pre-order. However, I'm still very impressed with all of the features of this camera. It might not be the camera I want, but it is a significant upgrade otherwise, and if it's hack-able, there's absolutely no reason to not choose it over the gh2.

I can totally understand why some people consider some features "must have" features. For me, it is aliasing, for others it is focus peaking, zebras, and so on.

IMHO focus peaking is a nice feature, but even well implemented on a big external monitor it really doesn't help as it shows too much that is "in focus". I kind of use it for a quick DOF gauge. But you have to ask a basic question, which is if you have focus assist, and you still can't focus, well, that's a bigger problem. It means you can't tell what is in focus.

Ideally, you should have zone peaking, where the center spot is red, the near field is blue and so on. But just drawing boxes around objects on a tiny screen, well, OK. If it helps, but doesn't seem like a deal breaker--if you have trouble focusing, basically you need a bigger screen.

Now False Color, that would be a very nice feature, although you can get by with zebras.

I predict that even with the smaller sensor, the camera will be a success, because it will appeal to a wider market that is not interested in hacks but ease of use. And here I think the sensor was, shall we say "simplified" as part of marketing to a wider audience. If the GH3 really does not have better IQ, which so far it doesn't, well, why shouldn't I just spend my money on a Marshall monitor or something that will really make my vid better, like lights or rigs. And if the IQ really is better, well, can't wait for the price to go down, because realistically, it isn't going to be a big difference. It's even remotely possible that the hacked GH2 will just be a teenie weenie bit sharper then the GH3 with the fabulous work of the people here and the larger sensor.

Let's not turn this into a Panasonic vs its competitors. That current spec list is already good. But there're somethings that the GH3 should have must have like; 4:2:2 uncompressed out.

@DrDave Gotta say it...that was the best thing Ive read in this thread.

@DrDave I agree. Personally, I don't need peaking so much, but many people want it. So I through it in again. I am not a tech guy, but peaking and zebras (which I really would like to see also) shouldn't be a big deal ti implement, right? 4:2:2 is my main concern.

@kihlian The price with the 12-35 is justified and I was expecting it to be higher. You realize you are getting 1300$ lens with that cam body right?