• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Archive
    • Camera Reviews
    • Lens Reviews
    • Accessory Reviews
    • In-Depth
    • Galleries
    • Guest Post
  • About Us
  • Our Websites
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Youtube

MirrorLessons

Mirrorless camera reviews right at your virtual doorstep!

You are here: Home / Panasonic Reviews / GH3 / A quick night video test with the Panasonic GH3

A quick night video test with the Panasonic GH3

14/02/2013 By Mathieu

UPDATE: our in-depth review of the GH3 for video is online!

Last week, we did a very quick video test with the new Panasonic GH3. We shot for one hour or so in Turin before going to get something to eat.

I was very excited to test the quality the GH3 as several professionals claim that it can easily compete with high-end HDSLRs such as the Canon 5D mkIII. I currently own a Panasonic AF101 for my work in video, which has the same four-year-old sensor as the GH1, and I saw the capabilities of the GH2 last year. The GH3 has very interesting new features, such as a clean HDMI output and an ALL-I 72 mbps codec, which is supposed to give better results than AVCHD.

With this first video, I decided to test the camera at high ISO, as this is where quality tends to deteriorate the most. All shots were performed with settings between 1600 and 6400 ISO, except for the shot at 1.26 minutes. The video was shot hand-held as I didn’t have my tripod with me. (I apologise if some of these shots shake a little bit.) The two lenses I used were the Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm f/2 and 45mm f/1.8. I set the recording format to the new ALL-I 72 mbps codec.

I have some footage in Dropbox if you want to download and play around with the video using your editing software.

At the moment, my first impressions are very positive: the images look very clean, even at high ISO. I also like the color rendition – 6400 seems more than acceptable. There also seems to be an improvement in the way the sensor handles highlights. (Highlights are the Achille’s heel of my AF101!) I didn’t grade anything in my timeline, but I did some quick tests with Premiere Pro and the new ALL-I format seems easier to handle compared to the AVCHD format. A downside is that it remains an 8 bit 4:2:0 color space codec, so you won’t get too far in terms of color correction. I will also try to record some footage using the clean HDMI output, which is supposed to give a 4:2:2 color space, and make a comparison later on.

I like how the GH3 feels in your hand – ergonomically, it is very nice. I will describe this part in my first impressions review from a photographic point of view. For video, it is better to use some proper accessories such as rods, follow focus, etc.

Stay tuned for the upcoming full review, and in the meantime, enjoy our first video!

Filed Under: GH3, Panasonic Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: best panasonic mirrorless camera, GH3, gh3 video test, micro four thirds, new panasonic gh3, Panasonic DMC GH3, Panasonic GH3, Panasonic GH3 hands on, panasonic gh3 review, Panasonic GH3 test

About Mathieu

Mathieu Gasquet is a professional photographer with French and Italian origins. Besides running his own video and photography studio 3Dit Lab, he is also the official photographer for the National Cinema Museum in Turin. You can follow him on Google+, Twitter or Facebook!

Primary Sidebar

Reminder

We have moved! Our latest reviews can be found on Mirrorless Comparison and YouTube.

DISCLAIMER & COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Heather Broster is participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Heather Broster is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.

Heather Broster and Mathieu Gasquet are also participants in the following affiliate programs: B&H Photo Affiliate Program, Ebay Partner Network, Skylum (Impact Radius), Expert Shield, The Inspired Eye, and Mediterranean Photo Tours.

To read more information, visit our full Disclaimer page. Thank you!


© HEATHER BROSTER/MATHIEU GASQUET AND MIRRORLESSONS, 2013-2024

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Heather Broster/Mathieu Gasquet and Mirrorless Comparison with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.