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Taking Pictures with GH2.. need some advice shooting properly
  • 178 Replies sorted by
  • i must ad, that i have try also the canon 10D and Nikkon D3100, only the gh2 gave me the not so sharp pictures. i did try them to see if it was me who had the problem of not so sharp pictures, with the other two, i had no problems...

  • Only real reason I see is the mass of camera and lenses.
    It also can be some difference in settings or auto mode, but I doubt that it is big.

  • Yes, sometimes the weight or grip on the camera helps stabilize. Smaller is not always better in this regard. A little weight can remove fine trembling. Also different lenses have different IS. But if in same low light situation, the same low shutter is used, I doubt one camera will turn sharp, and only the GH2 blurry.

  • @Mimirsan

    Definitely Pixies with Fairies a close second.

    Of course shooting hyperactive children @ 1/8th second had absolutely nothing to do with the OP's blurred images did it?

  • As it happens, I personally like the selective blur in this pic -> image

  • Man.. i didnt mean to make people mad because of my stupidity.. If you feel im an idiot, dont comment and move along.. Im just a guy trying to better myself.. Im sorry im not a Professional like all of you Geniuses, who hate on a newbie.. To the people who really want to help.. THANK YOU...

    True i could have used Manual mode, but im doing it in iA mode, which is supposed to work for all situations.. I wanted to find a better solution to using iA, because my wife uses this camera to take pics of our kids.. Yeah i know faster shutter speeds, better glass, etc etc.. I did own a Nikon D300s and multiple F2.8 Lenses.. I know WTF im doing.. Maybe i should rephrase my question and see what comes out..

    I want to know if anyone has better tricks to take pics of moving objects, in iA modes..

    Anyways.. I wanna thank the people who really tried to help.. Stonebat and Driftwood were very nice in PM'in me about how to hack my camera and how to put in patches.. Thanks..

  • @WRLEO

    I removed all personal remarks.

    If you come to forum, especially with strong words and conclusions, do not expect that people will go rounds around you and will try to formulate their thoughs like you like them.

  • Everytime i've heard people say how awful the GH2 is with stills, i've usually found a way to take some nice pics with the 14-140. Its a viable option under 5D. GH3 will be amazing i'm sure. Agree with @John_Farragut. I think its just a familiarity with cam and basics.

    http://photos.jamesthorpe.com/Other/VoF/18964783_mP26cw#!i=1472743036&k=LwkTNFT&lb=1&s=A

    Here was more an action shot and will probably make a poster of. GH2 came through. http://photos.jamesthorpe.com/Other/Cats/15525350_7JFdSt#!i=1879830428&k=gGMH2qf&lb=1&s=A

  • @WRLEO why not use the flash when taking indoors pics off the kids....
    If you shoot in IA it does not flips up automatic... (or in any other mode)...

  • @WRLEO my guess is that you've still to sus out the camera and settings, and what works best for you with the lenses that you have. Like with every new camera it takes a while to get accustomed to it's features and quirks... There is not a wealth of info on GH2 stills out there like other cameras but maybe this blog http://docmatix.blogspot.co.uk/ can help you get started and achieve the results you are looking for, i found that it helped me somewhat when i got started with the GH2. Hope this helps. I also strated with the 14-140 coming from a canon background and it took me a while to adjust but now i've learnt the ins and outs of the camera and lens i love the results that are coming out of this little beast. I now have a bunch of legacy lenses and the results are on par with canon if not better IMHO. My advice to you is to stay away from the Ai mode. If your wife wants to learn the camera then set it to P and work from there. Good luck i'm sure you'll get it all figured out.

  • @WRLEO Just to follow-up on what some people have already said about AI mode.

    AI mode won't serve you as well if you are having trouble with shutter speeds and lowlight. It can be very conservative about ISO - especially if it does not understand that you want to freeze motion.

    Here are some other options that work better in the same situation.

    • Switch the mode dial to Scene and select Sports. If you want to keep it simple, make sure that the WB is still set to AWB so that it will change as you change scenes.

    OR

    • Switch the mode dial to P. With WB set to AWB, set the ISO to Auto ISO. Go into the REC menu and one or two pages down you'll find "Auto ISO Limit". Set this to 800, 1600 or (if you want are more concerned by blurry pictures than noisy ones) ISO 3200.

    I just tested my shooting results. Here were the resulting setttings of shooting in 3 different modes (lens was wide open in all cases)

    • AI: ISO 400, 1/10
    • Sports: ISO 800, 1/20
    • P (auto ISO 1600): ISO 1600, 1/40
  • @thepalalias +1 good advice this is a great starting point

  • @wrleo Let the kids run. Run with them. Have fun indoor. Forget about photography. Next day bring them outdoor. Yeap. Photo time for kids. Have fun.

  • To everyone else with positive advice.. THANK YOU...

    @Diffusion33 what legacy lenses have you found to be best? I was thinking about the 12-35mm Panasonic f2.8 lens.. Any good lenses for recommendation for video and or photography? Fixed lenses? Zeiss?

  • @WRLEO I've got a couple of Helios the 44-2 which IMHO are fantastic lenses. It has a declicked aperture ring so it's great for film making and photos too. It's pretty sharp at f2.0 and sharpens nicely at f4.This lens is a steal at about $30-$40. There are many variants of this lens so be sure to make you research before buying anything. A M42 adaptor shouldn't set you back more than $20 and i highly recommended it. Also take a look at the asahi pentax super takumar 50mm 1.4 great glass. Be careful when purchasing glass on ebay as you could get a lemon!!! There is no IS old legacy lenses so remember to keep a reasonably high shutter 1/80th upwards for photos. The 12-35 is pretty expensive and for the money you could get a decent set of primes. MFT primes if you need AF or invest in legacy glass if you are comfortable with manual focus. Check these lots of great advice there ;-) http://personal-view.com/talks/discussion/80/hidden-gems-among-lenses/p1 http://personal-view.com/talks/discussion/369/-50mm-lenses-fast-ones/p1

  • I really like GH2 at stills. I have long history with canon. And I am still photographer 25 years But last 19 I shooting video so much. But now I really don't want take 2 different bodies with different lenses if I need make some pro stills portraits. Yes, right choosins lenses for stills is required for make you satisfied. But now I bought also unexpensive still flash for M43 and now I bring less heavy equipment but more M43 lenses. I really impressed by ability Noktons analog and no AF lenses make sharp and artistic still photos.

  • use high shutter speed! if you dont have light- use flash! otherwise: sit still, and also subject must sit still- those are your options. choose. :)

  • the gh2 with the 14-140 is the first camera i have ever owned. I bought it exclusively for video, but have since fallen in love with photography using it (knowing 0 about photography before getting it). I too struggled with the blurry shot syndrome. All these sci/tech answers aside, here are my 2 cents on how I fixed that problem (and have had some shots published for that matter!)

    1. Set aside some quality time (not much, a large pot of tea and a half pack of smokes would do...), use Google, and learn how aperture/shutter speed/ISO are all related and how they work together. This will fix your blurry shot problem with any camera you pick up, not just the gh2. Now then, turn your camera on with that book learning in mind, and go play.

    2. FORGET AI MODE FOREVER. Use Aperture Priority mode. Set your 14-140 to f4, and let the camera do the rest. Still getting blurry shots? Crank the iso. Getting to much "noise" in your non-blurry shots? Time for Google again! (hint : post processing, noise reduction,) Shoot in RAW!

    3. Lens. Listen man, i feel you. I started with the 14-140 lens, then had it stolen on a paid video gig. Best thing that ever happened to me. Went out and got a fast prime, a wide prime, and the 45-200 zoom all online, all used, and all for about the same price as the 14-140 new. IF you want sharp images in low light, you need a faster lens.

    4. Forums and tech heads are no substitute for a charged battery and good old fashion fun.

    Cheers! (long time reader, first time poster...)

    (p.s. Some of the best shots in my collection where shot at night, on the street, with the 14-140 with the iso cranked to all hell. Noise? oh yeah. Blur? yup! Impact? you bet...)

  • Example for previous P.S

    case and point (1 of 1).jpg
    800 x 600 - 277K
  • I also have a D7000, so for me, the GH2 is more of an "artistic" camera. I use the D7000 for absolute quality, while I use the GH2 for messing with colors/split toning/etc. and the pseudo Tri-X mode. I shoot mostly in Aperture Priority, just like with my D7000, unless I'm looking for something specific. Haven't run into any noticeable issues when using it compared to the D7000, besides the lack of phase detection AF. The only AF lens I have is the 14-42 OIS kit lens, and for what I use it for, it's perfect.

    I shoot in RAW + JPG at ISO 6400, on Dynamic B&W with +2, -2, -2, which does a damn good job of emulating Kodak Tri-X 400 film. Just a slight bit of Gaussian Blur needed to get rid of the digital sharpness on the noise. That way, I have a Tri-X style JPG plus a RAW file to mess with as I please (surprisingly hard to reproduce the in-camera B&W JPG). You can also use it in ETC mode around ISO 1000 for the same look. It's incredible looking if you have a lens that vignettes a bit! :) Works the same for video, as well.

    Sure the RAW's noisy at 6400 (noticeably less than I expected), but it still retains a film grain appearance and is great for a vintage look. Just went to NYC 2 weeks ago, and I have an insane amount of pics from the GH2 to work on (let my friend borrow my D7000, since he's never used an SLR before). Loving the look so far.

    That said, the GH2 for normal photos is still very good looking up to around ISO 1600. The GH2's RAWS definitely respond differently in ACR than the D7000's RAWs. They do look sharper, though, even when compared to the D7000 with $$$$ lenses and primes. Wonder if it's the sensor or in-camera RAW sharpening based on the lens...

  • @wrleo iA always choses a shutter speed that is too slow when indoors. No way round this. Setup the camera for her (like I do with my wife) so it shoots minimum of 1/30 shutter speed and you should get less blur. Extra time to setup but at least you get useable shots.

  • I've shot much better photos with my Canon S400 point and shoot than with my GH2...much much sharper photos.

  • @Mimirsan @WRLEO Anyone can achieve great photos with the GH2, some basic equipment and knowledge of how to adjust settings correctly.

    Not saying these are great photos, but they were all shot with the GH2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenbandanakid/

    If you expect crap you're going to get crap.

  • @WRLEO Just curious: did your family have better results in those conditions with Sports or P mode, or have you been sticking to AI at this point? Thought it would be interesting to see how things had progressed a month later.