GX7, G7, or something else?

[TheKDub]

Hi, I've been trying to decide on a camera to get for a while now, and was wondering if anyone had some suggestions.

 

Cost: Under $500 for the body alone. Under $350 or so is preferred.

Usage: Little bit of everything, mainly macro photography and theatrical video recordings. (With permission)

Battery life: Needs to be good, or there needs to be a way to plug the camera in for indefinite use time. (I know stuff like that exists for the GX7 and G7, not sure on the GH2)

Resolution: Video needs to be at least 1080p 30fps, photos need to be at least 1080p, 4k+ preferred.

Low light: Should be able to handle low light decently, theatre can change from bright to very dark very quickly, so whatever can handle that best.

Additional: Video recording can not be limited to 29:59, I need to be able to record constantly for a few hours.

 

Right now I'm between the Panasonic GX7 and G7, I could also go for something like a GH2 and hack it if that would be a better option.

 

The nice part about the G7 is that it has a mic input and can record 4K, though it's also a fair amount more expensive. (I found one used for about $500, and some new for $600, whereas the GX7 and GH2 are both under $400)

 

Thanks!

[AkiraDaarkst]

12 minutes ago, TheKDub said:

Video needs to be at least 1080p 30fps, photos need to be at least 1080p, 4k+ preferred.

How many megapixels is 4K?  Think about that.

 

12 minutes ago, TheKDub said:

Video recording can not be limited to 29:59, I need to be able to record constantly for a few hours.

Good luck finding that in a photo camera, especially with your budget.  What you need is a camcorder.

[TheKDub]

17 minutes ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

How many megapixels is 4K?  Think about that.

 

Good luck finding that in a photo camera, especially with your budget.  What you need is a camcorder.

4k is only 8.3MP, which is pretty easy to find.

 

All three of the cameras I listed are capable of recording for as long as I want, because Panasonic knows what's up. (The limit is there on most cameras because of some stupid shit with the EU that classifies anything that records 30+ minutes as a "video camera", and that would mean it'd be subject to more taxes or some shit like that. Panasonic got the very smart idea to ignore that limit for US models, so the US models for any of the three cameras I listed, and plenty more of their cameras, all have "unlimited" recording lengths, whereas the EU versions are limited to 29:59)

[AkiraDaarkst]

29 minutes ago, TheKDub said:

4k is only 8.3MP, which is pretty easy to find.

 

All three of the cameras I listed are capable of recording for as long as I want, because Panasonic knows what's up. (The limit is there on most cameras because of some stupid shit with the EU that classifies anything that records 30+ minutes as a "video camera", and that would mean it'd be subject to more taxes or some shit like that. Panasonic got the very smart idea to ignore that limit for US models, so the US models for any of the three cameras I listed, and plenty more of their cameras, all have "unlimited" recording lengths, whereas the EU versions are limited to 29:59)

Then make sure you buy the US version of the G7 or GX7.

[TheKDub]

1 hour ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

Then make sure you buy the US version of the G7 or GX7.

[AkiraDaarkst]

11 hours ago, TheKDub said:

Well if Panasonic is the only brand that differentiates the settings for the US and EU market, which I wasn't aware of, and I'm sure Canon, Nikon and Sony doesn't do that either... and you were aware of this, then why ask in the first place.  It's kind of stupid isn't it, asking a question when the answer is pretty much obvious.

[TheKDub]

7 hours ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

Well if Panasonic is the only brand that differentiates the settings for the US and EU market, which I wasn't aware of, and I'm sure Canon, Nikon and Sony doesn't do that either... and you were aware of this, then why ask in the first place.  It's kind of stupid isn't it, asking a question when the answer is pretty much obvious.

 

I wasn't asking for which brand of camera to go with, I was asking for which of the cameras would suit my needs best, or if there were any ones out there that would be better for the job.

[AkiraDaarkst]

44 minutes ago, TheKDub said:

 

I wasn't asking for which brand of camera to go with, I was asking for which of the cameras would suit my needs best, or if there were any ones out there that would be better for the job.

Certainly there are better ones out there that can do better jobs.  The questions are: can you afford them?  How much experience do you have using cameras to do what you want to do?  How do you want to use the cameras?  How do you want to rig them up?  What sort of accessories do you already own?

 

22 hours ago, TheKDub said:

Little bit of everything, mainly macro photography and theatrical video recordings.

Macro photography: almost any camera is capable of doing that, ideally just get a good macro lens (or lens setup for macro photography) with the focal length necessary for what you want to do or the kind of magnification factor you want.

 

Theatrical video recordings: I can think of at least a dozen camera models better than Panasonic for this kind of work.  Most of them will cost around 10x the cost of the Panasonic cameras, if not more. 

[TheKDub]

5 minutes ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

Certainly there are better ones out there that can do better jobs.  The questions are: can you afford them?  How much experience do you have using cameras to do what you want to do?  How do you want to use the cameras?  How do you want to rig them up?  What sort of accessories do you already own?

 

Macro photography: almost any camera is capable of doing that, ideally just get a good macro lens (or lens setup for macro photography) with the focal length necessary for what you want to do or the kind of magnification factor you want.

 

Theatrical video recordings: I can think of at least a dozen camera models better than Panasonic for this kind of work.  Most of them will cost around 10x the cost of the Panasonic cameras, if not more. 

 

Don't worry about accessories, they're not what I'm asking about with this specific thread.

I already addressed my budget in the original post. I know there are cameras that will do a decent job at what I want within my budget, I'm just trying to find out if anyone knows one one that will do it better, while also remaining within my budget.

 

 

Last night I decided that I'm going to go with the G7.

[AkiraDaarkst]

9 minutes ago, TheKDub said:

Don't worry about accessories, they're not what I'm asking about with this specific thread.

I already addressed my budget in the original post. I know there are cameras that will do a decent job at what I want within my budget, I'm just trying to find out if anyone knows one one that will do it better, while also remaining within my budget.

Well these are the kind of details that help in determining the ideal or close to ideal camera system for use.  When I go to my supplier to buy a new camera, I explain to them the way I want to rig things, the sort of accessories I intend to use, the workflow I'll be using, etc. and we look at various models to see how they would fit my needs.