There are so many non image improvements in the GH3 that I think it's a clearly better camera. IMO the one major request I had before the GH3 came out was that Pany would give us greater levels of adjustment of the image and they did just that. It's been shown that you can in fact lower the the sharpness more than on the GH2 and not having that baked in Contrast also helps to make the image IMO a bit better. I can see clear improvements in the footage i've seen in the shadows over the GH2. It may not be a HUGE improvement but it was clearly visible and IMO more acceptable.

Then when you add in all the new features, 60p, more buttons and dials etc. I think it's a very nice package. I'm still trying to make up my mind whether to get 2 GH2's or a GH3. The GH2 is an INCREDIBLE bargain. I'm still using my GH1, which I also think is a very good bargain for what it can do. Heck I even considered another GH1 :)

@ vitaliy

have you had a chance to shoot with the gh3 yet? curious to hear your impressions.

i returned my gh3 and bought a $500 gh2 after running some basic comparison tests. 50mbps gh3 mode vs fm2.2, both transcode to 422hq, then into pp cs5 w/AE for grading. didnt really see anything that different in the files. id have thought that with with increased rate of sampling the results would be much better w/less macroblocking. the hacked gh2 held up better in post. 60p and body style is cool, sure.

I don't understand all this talk about the GH3 not being as "filmic" as the GH2. We've seen direct comparison footage that proved that both cameras can look extremely close in terms of image but with the GH3 having better shadow and lowlight handling. Perhaps even a little bit better highlight handling, No Green Tint problem. The only issue seems to be a bit more sensitivity to Moire. Overall IMO if you know what you're doing I can't see why you can't get a similar "filmic" look from the GH3 that you once got from the GH2.

The levels of adjustment are much greater on the GH3 and thus you will see footage that varies much more from user to user than was possible on the GH2 with -2/+2 as the extent of the adjustment levels. It seems now that you can pretty much turn off in camera sharpness, contrast etc. Whereas the GH2 was limiting in how much you could effect that. I think mostly the detail differences are probably due to the GH2 having more Contrast and Sharpness baked in. Whereas many of the GH3 test shots have been -5 across the board.

the GH2 had analog-to-digital conversion directly on the sensor, and the GH3 does it all afterwards.

It is incorrect statement. In GH3 it is all the same :-) And sensor speed is bigger, hence, more sampling, not less.

@Butt @bwhitz did that sensor plus the hacking cabal just get something perfect about 24p cadence?

@Manu4Vendetta - all looks so by video - not as cinematic as the GH2

@PhilMyself what are you thoughts on the x2 digital zoom for video. How much does quality suffer?

I have to say I was reluctant to buy this cam because of the moiree, but after seeing the test at Provideocoalition, I was quite amazed to see that the stair stepping is better on the GH3. Personally, I find the stair stepping to be more annoying than the moiree, although either can ruin a shot. The silent shutter is a huge plus, in fact, I would buy the cam just for the silent shutter feature if I can use it reliably for stills. So I guess I will join the upgrade avalanche barring a January surprise from Canon.

@RatLabProductions Battery grip has no extra battery with it. You'll have to buy extras separately.

Does anyone know if the battery grip comes with a battery or is it another purchase? I've had trouble finding clarification online.

@Jspatz thanks for the info.

The Ninja was very slightly different but not better. I just sold it as it is not needed on the GH3 and I get less detail on the D800e with no discernible improvement in my ability to key.