Panasonic LUMIX DMC GH2 Review | 108 Data compared

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 is a speedy and feature-packed interchangeable lens camera that targets photo and video enthusiasts rather than entry-level upgraders. It is heavily praised for its excellent video capabilities, offering a higher native sensor frame rate, a maximum AVCHD bit rate of 24 Mbps in 24p mode, and a highly versatile variable frame-rate movie mode. The camera produces sharp, clean video with minimal artifacts and features a quiet, reliable autofocus system during recording. Additionally, it includes a well-defined, responsive articulating touch-screen interface, clear built-in stereo microphones with adjustable audio levels, and a comfortable, deep, rubberised grip. Still-shooting performance is also remarkably fast, locking focus and shooting in just 0.3 seconds in good lighting conditions. Despite its strengths, the GH2 has several notable drawbacks that may frustrate users, particularly those focused primarily on still photography. While its new sensor improves image quality, JPEG shots taken at midrange-to-high ISO levels are plagued by severe color noise and an annoying yellow cast in low light, making it necessary to shoot in raw to get consistently high-quality images. The 14-140mm kit lens...

The Panasonic GH2 is highly praised for its exceptional hybrid capabilities, standing out as an excellent option for photographers needing a lightweight and versatile system for both high-quality stills and video production. A major strength is its class-leading video performance, featuring true 1080P/24 capability, fast autofocus while filming, and a 1:1 Extra Tele Conversion (ETC) video mode. Despite utilizing contrast-detection autofocus, its speed is remarkably fast and pairs effectively with a brilliant manual focusing magnification system. Ergonomically, the camera excels due to its intuitive user interface, which relies on dedicated mechanical knobs, levers, and custom programmable buttons rather than buried menus. Additional pros include its articulated, responsive touchscreen LCD and a high-resolution electronic viewfinder (EVF) that provides helpful display overlays like a live histogram. Furthermore, its short flange-back mirrorless design eliminates mirror vibration and allows nearly any vintage lens to be mounted via inexpensive adapters. However, the reviewer highlights several distinct cons, most notably the camera's poor battery life, which is limited to just 200 to 250 frames per charge. The inherently smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor size introduces a...

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 is a hybrid mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera that delivers exceptional performance, particularly for videographers, outclassing many contemporary DSLRs in video quality. Tested with a video-optimized 14-140mm kit lens, it stands out for its innovative 3-inch tilt-and-swivel touchscreen, which enables effortless "rack focus" transitions during filming. The camera features an ultra-fast "Light Speed" autofocus system, full manual controls for both video and stills, a comfortable ergonomic grip, and extensive hardware controls. It shoots high-definition 1080p video at 24p or 60i, boasts an impressive boot-up time of 1 second, and supports an optional 3D lens for still photos. However, the GH2 is relatively bulky and heavy for a mirrorless camera when paired with a large zoom lens, making it more akin to a small DSLR than a pocketable model. It lacks an optical viewfinder and in-body image stabilization, and it carries a premium price tag. Furthermore, its still-image quality falls slightly short of standard DSLRs in its price bracket, producing muted colors and gray whites in Intelligent Auto mode unless users manually adjust settings. Minor design quirks, such as...

The DPReview evaluation of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 highlights it as a state-of-the-art mirrorless camera that sets a new benchmark for hybrid video and still performance, featuring a 16-megapixel multi-aspect ratio sensor with excellent RAW quality and a fast 120Hz contrast-detection autofocus system. Pros include advanced 1080i/p video, an extensive feature set with manual controls, a high-resolution electronic viewfinder, and an optional fully articulated touchscreen. However, the review cites cons including aggressive default metering that produces flat, underexposed JPEGs and poor out-of-camera skin tones, along with significant noise reduction at high ISO levels. Additionally, the camera lacks an on-board headphone jack, uses an uncommon 2.5mm external microphone input, and omits built-in ND filters or power zoom, limiting some professional video applications.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 is a sophisticated, highly capable Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera that performs similarly to a DSLR but in a much more compact form factor. The review highlights several major pros, including its exceptional 16.05-megapixel image quality with sharp detail, excellent Full HD video capabilities with smooth continuous autofocus, and a versatile touch-sensitive swinging LCD screen tailored for 16:9 shooting. Furthermore, it boasts an impressive burst shooting speed of up to 40 frames per second at a reduced image size, clear performance up to ISO 1600, and a stereo microphone positioned above the flash with an option for an auxiliary input. However, the camera comes with notable downsides that may deter less experienced users. On the con side, the reviewer notes that the rear control buttons are nearly flush with the body, making them frustratingly difficult to activate with certainty. Additionally, the massive 200-page user manual is entirely ruined by the absence of an index, making navigation quite tricky. Lastly, performance drops off heavily at high ISO settings, with noise becoming stridently obvious at ISO 6400 and...

The ePHOTOzine review highlights the Panasonic Lumix GH2 as a highly responsive, high-specification mirrorless camera featuring a 16-megapixel multi-aspect sensor that delivers sharp images and impressive Full HD video. Key pros include an ultra-quick autofocus system, excellent image quality up to ISO 1600, and a fast 5fps continuous shooting mode. Conversely, the review notes cons such as a slow switch-on time, limited buffer depth for raw shooting, and slow performance when using the flash. Additionally, image noise becomes significant at ISO 3200, making higher settings largely unusable.

Despite these impressive capabilities, the review highlights several notable drawbacks, particularly regarding its complex and bloated interface. The camera is overly feature-laden, requiring up to a week for users to fully understand its extensive functions. Furthermore, enabling these settings heavily clutters the 3-inch LCD screen with icons, making it difficult to clearly see the shooting subject. Several of the display's touch capabilities—such as the Touch Guide and Touch Shutter—are described as more troublesome than they are worth, forcing users to turn them off. Finally, image quality deteriorates significantly at higher sensitivities like ISO 6400, and the camera carries a pricey tag that may deter budget-conscious buyers.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 is a mirrorless hybrid camera designed for high-quality 16-megapixel stills and advanced Full HD video capture using the Micro Four Thirds standard. A standout pro of the GH2 is its class-leading contrast-based autofocus system, which is incredibly fast and quiet, outperforming many budget DSLRs in speed and accuracy while eliminating front/rear focusing errors. Videographers will appreciate the camera's ability to output a clean 1080i feed over HDMI during recording, its manual exposure control, and its innovative touch-screen "focus-pulling" feature, which lets users refocus between subjects simply by tapping the display. Furthermore, its "Extra Tele Converter" mode acts as an excellent feature for extending focal reach by cropping the sensor without dropping the video resolution. However, the camera comes with several notable cons, particularly regarding action photography and battery life. Despite sensor upgrades allowing for 5fps continuous shooting, utilizing continuous autofocus (AF-C) drops the actual burst speed down to a leisurely 2fps. Because it relies entirely on a Live View system, the electronic viewfinder displays the previously shot image rather than a live stream between bursts, forcing...

The Trusted Reviews assessment of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 highlights a versatile mirrorless hybrid camera with 1080p HD video and a 16-megapixel multi-aspect sensor, packaged with a 3-inch articulating touchscreen. Pros include a compact, lightweight body, excellent video capabilities, and image quality that challenges traditional DSLRs, alongside extensive manual controls. YouTube · Conversely, the review identifies a high initial price point as a significant drawback, making it a substantial investment. Additionally, the camera's continuous shooting speed and buffer performance, while good, do not fully match the capabilities of high-end, dedicated sports DSLRs.

The Amateur Photographer review highlights the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 as a highly responsive Micro Four Thirds camera featuring an intuitive, sensitive touchscreen alongside extensive physical controls. Key advantages include exceptional dynamic range for its class and a hybrid control scheme that balances modern functionality with traditional tactile operation. Amateur Photographer Limitations noted in the review include visible image noise in shadow areas when pushing file recovery, and a potentially cramped handling experience for users accustomed to larger camera bodies. Despite these drawbacks, the GH2 is praised as a versatile, fast-operating tool suitable for diverse shooting styles. Amateur Photographer

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 is lauded by Photo Review for its sophisticated mirrorless design, earning an 8.5/10 rating for its quick "Light Speed" autofocus, 9.0/10 rating for versatile 1080p full HD video capabilities, and user-friendly, high-resolution electronic viewfinder. The camera offers excellent handling and fast shutter response, making it highly capable for both stills and movies. However, the review notes drawbacks, including a tendency for the automatic white balance to produce a blue cast in outdoor lighting and a preference for shooting in RAW, as JPEG output can be flat, resulting in an 8.0/10 for JPEG image quality. Additionally, the rear control buttons are nearly flush, which can make them challenging to operate reliably.

The Panasonic Lumix GH2 is a compact Micro Four Thirds camera purchased primarily for professional TV production due to its lightweight profile and economical advantage over renting heavy video gear. It delivers highly impressive full HD 1920 x 1020 video resolution, even when shooting in challenging low-light environments. Key design upgrades include an exceptionally fast 0.01-second autofocus system, an integrated electronic viewfinder for bright outdoor shooting, a flippable swing display panel tailored for filming, and top-mounted built-in stereo mics alongside a dedicated external stereo mic socket. Additionally, the camera body features a separate compartment for the SD card slot and offers an expansive ISO range that scales all the way up to 12800. Key Pros and Cons Pros: Superb Video: Excellent full HD video quality in low light. Rapid Focus: Blazing fast 0.01-second autofocusing capabilities. Audio Upgrades: Features integrated stereo mics and an external microphone jack. Design Functionality: Useful flippable swing screen and built-in electronic viewfinder. Cons: Laggy Touchscreen: The touch sensor screen is laggy when flipping through photos. Soft Previews: Photo previews lack sharp edges, making it tough to...