Sony NEX-VG20 and Panasonic GH2 as still cameras

Comparison of out-of-camera JPEG stills - shot with kit zoom lenses in full auto:

Sony NEX-VG20 shot with Panasonic DMC-GH2, 25mm, f4.7, 1/25th sec, ISO 800

Panasonic DMC-GH2 shot with Sony NEX-VG20, 51mm, f7.1,1/50th sec, ISO 3200

Sony NEX-VG20, 200mm, f6.3, 1/320th sec, ISO 2000

Panasonic DMC-GH2, 140mm, f5.8, 1/80th sec, ISO 400

Sony NEX-VG20, 46mm, f9, 1/250th sec, ISO 100

Panasonic DMC-GH2, 32mm, f7.1, 1/200th sec, ISO 160

As a still camera, the VG20 compares quite well with the GH2 in JPEG image quality and responsiveness - turn it on, switch to still mode, and you're ready to shoot.  With its 16 megapixel sensor (same as the NEX-5N), the VG20 produces decent high resolution stills with impressive low light sensitivity and dynamic range.  But, as with video, changes to most settings require a drill down into the touch screen menu.  And, without a built-in flash, the VG20 is only marginally useful as an indoor camera out of the box (especially with the slow kit lens).  Yes, it has an Alpha hot shoe, cold shoe and external flash sync, but for $1600, Sony should have included a flash (this is not unreasonable, built-in flash is included with other, less expensive, Handycams).

That said, if you want high quality JPEG and RAW stills from an interchangeable lens camcorder, the VG20 is the only game in town (sadly, I did not have the software or the time to compare the two cameras' RAW capabilities).

Please check back over the next few days as I update this comparison and add video.  In the meantime, if you found this side-by-side valuable and it helped you decide that you want either the GH2 or the VG20 (or both!), please support this blog and future hands-on reviews by buying them through these links from Adorama, Amazon, Crutchfield, OneCall, and Unique Photo.  Thanks!

GH2 and VG20 compared - first English language hands-on w VG20!

One month after the ship date of the Sony NEX-VG20, there are no (to the best of my knowledge) English-language full reviews, or even hands-on previews, of the camera. Contrast this with the roll-out of its predecessor, the NEX-VG10. Between Sony's announcement of the VG10 on July 13th, 2010 and its September 10th, 2010 US ship date; Luminous Landscape published a hands-on field report, Digital Camera Review published a first look review and Canadian retailer, The Camera Store, posted a hands-on review video with sample footage.

These early reviews were posted because Sony put the camera into the hands of well-known English-language sites. Something they are not doing this time around.

It is difficult to explain why Sony did not do this with the VG20 (Lack of confidence in the product? A strategic decision to emphasize NEX-5N/NEX-7/A65/A77? Sensor/parts shortages due to earthquake/tsunami/flooding in Asia?).

Whatever the reason, potential VG20 buyers in North America, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the rest of the Anglophone world have little to go on when trying to decide whether to buy this $1600 (body-only) camera.  Frustrating.

That is why I decided to go out and rent the camera for 3 days from borrowlenses.com at my own expense. Working around my regular job, I shot a few side by side comparison shots with the VG20 and the Panasonic DMC-GH2 (widely acknowledged as the best video camera in the DSLR/DSLM form factor [with M standing for mirrorless]), which I will post here soon.

But until I can post the full hands-on comparison -- here is a quick preview of what I found:

Ergonomics

I come from a film background, so for me, the camcorder form-factor makes a difference in the ability to hold the camera steady without a rig. For some reason, I have less trouble with the two-point stability of the camcorder (right palm on the handgrip facing upward and viewfinder pressed against my eye) - than the three point stability of the DSLM form factor (left hand cradling the lens, right hand on a vertical grip, viewfinder pressed against my eye). This is very subjective, and may not make a difference for most people.

The lack of external controls on the VG20 was problematic, however.  After learning the knobs and switches on the GH2,  I can now change ISO/White Balance/Shutter Speed/Aperture and other settings without taking my eye away from the viewfinder.  Not possible with the menu-centric controls on the VG20.

Image Quality

The VG20 image seems softer to me. To my eye, the GH2 -- even without the hack -- beats the VG20 on image quality. On the other hand, the VG20 seems to have better high ISO/dB performance than the GH2.

Control of Audio and Video

Both cameras allow manual adjustment of picture and sound, with some important differences.

Both cameras have full manual control of aperture, shutter speed and white balance, but the GH2 has multiple picture profiles and the ability to adjust color and sharpness, which the VG20 does not. The 2.6x Extended Tele Converter function on the GH2 is also an advantage for the Panasonic.

But the VG20 has some advantages too. The headphone jack and high quality in-camera audio with manual gain control significantly reduce the need for dual system sound. With the GH2, if I want decent sound, dual system is a must, with all of the challenges that poses during shooting and in post.

Other Differences

There are other subtle advantages for the Sony beyond the principal advantage of the camcorder form-factor. With the VG20, for example, it is not necessary to go into the menu to switch settings in order to use non-Sony lenses. Contrast this with the GH2, where you have to drill down in the menu and switch a setting every time you change from a Panasonic m4/3 system lens to a Canon or Nikon (or other) manual lens.

Please check back over the next few days as I update this comparison and add stills and video.  In the meantime, if you found this comparison valuable and you've already decided that you want the GH2 or the VG20, please support this blog and future hands-on reviews by buying them through these links from Adorama, Amazon, Crutchfield, OneCall, and Unique Photo.  Thanks!

Slashcam Reviews Sony NEX-VG20 (in German) - GH2 still the champ!

First hands-on VG20 review that I have been able to find, after trolling Japanese and German sites for weeks, has been this one at Slashcam Deutschland.

If I understand Google Translate correctly, it sounds like they liked the ergonomics, but were disappointed with compression artifacts (moire) and the lack of picture profiles.

Here is the moire and picture profile critique from the review (Google translation is a little rough, but I think you'll get the gist):

"One [negative] is the scaling artifacts by the sensor. Since a picture is used with a converter optimized for photo pixel count, it must scale down the image of the camera now about 16 megapixels to 2 megapixels. And that will Sony not very good. So it is like its predecessor [the VG10] significant aliasing artifacts. The Canon EOS models while struggling with similar problems, but with the GH2 Panasonic shows that it is also cleaner. And that for about half the price of a VG20.

Moreover, we still bother to virtually complete lack of control for adjusting the image characteristics. The open secret of why, for example, the rather fuzzy Canon EOS 5D for many users the ne plus ultra of the indie film, is simply that one can create custom gamma curves here and can exchange data via the network. Because only this one you can create a dynamic that is similar to a film camera and you can later use by a professional color grading in post. 
Most filmmakers use this one "flat" look, the one with a VG20 simply can not reach. While the VG10 nevertheless still offered pre-Picture Profiles are now no longer even those present in the VG20. Only one Cinegamma tone curve is fitted, but the expression does not particularly flat. 

We strongly suspect that Sony is well aware that just such features for a DSLR camera users interesting. Finally, the Japanese also sell flat image profiles such as the S-log update for the professional camera F3 for a lot of money. It is therefore likely to be a pure marketing decision to make no additional gamma curves for the VG20. However, Sony should not be surprised if many buyers avoid the VG20 for precisely this reason." 

They also complained about the lack of XLR inputs and ND filter (but we knew that).

I am still interested in the camera for its headphone jack, manual audio level control and 60p -- but it looks like the GH2 is still the no-moire video image quality champ below $2000. Heck, it's the no-moire video image quality champ below $1000!

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Best interchangeable lens hybrid under $2000: Sony NEX-VG20?

I had high hopes for the A77, and I love just about everything about it as a still cam -- but, as a motion picture cam it is a *fail* due to the lack of manual audio control.

The GH2 is still the champ in the DSLR/DLST/DSLM form-factor. At least Panasonic gives shooters *some* control over audio levels.

But seemingly lost in all of the A77 hoopla is the very impressive VG20. With new 24 and 60fps progressive frame rates, manual audio control, headphone jack and ability to shoot 16MP stills in RAW, it addresses most, if not all, of the shortcomings of the VG10 -- and appears to be the new still/video hybrid camera to beat based on specs alone.

If the new Sony image processor solves the VG10's moire problems, then this could become the camera of choice for those of us who want pro-level control over our stills, moving images and sound in an all-in-one camera.

There doesn't appear to be any moire in this Sony promo video, but I will wait until I see high quality Vimeo downloads before I make a final judgement.

Sony NEX-VG20 Promotional Video from H. Paul Moon on Vimeo.

Looks like I might be changing horses from Panasonic to Sony this Christmas!

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Sony A77 or Panasonic GH3?

Neither of these cameras have been announced or released yet, but thanks to the Internet rumor-mill, we believe that both cameras are likely to incorporate the new higher bitrate AVCHD 2.0 codec, 1080/60p and improved EVFs. And, according to sonyalpharumors.com, the A77 will have a metal weather-sealed body, while, according to eoshd.com, the GH3 will shoot 3D video.

It looks like GH1/GH2 shooters are going to have a tough decision to make when it comes time to upgrade - especially if, as has been suggested, the body-only price point for the A77 is around $1000 (and Sony is able to overcome their moire, overheating and shot duration limit challenges).

In the meantime, GH2 shooters will keep shooting moire-free video, while waiting to see what these new cameras can do. Exciting times to be a motion picture maker!

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New Switronix Adapter for the GH2!

Good news for GH2 shooters. Switronix issued a press release yesterday announcing an adapter that connects their high capacity Pro X Li-ion battery to the Panasonic DCC-8. This should provide a real solution for folks who want to use the camera in remote locations.

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RED Delivers Epic Convergence

I don't usually repost interviews, but there are several profound insights on the imminent convergence of stills and video in this interview with DSLR pioneer Vincent Laforet at aphotoeditor.com.

Laforet is now shooting with a RED Epic-M, and is able to pull high quality stills from 5K 96fps or 200fps streams.  In the interview, he tells this awesome story:

"For example this morning I was about to leave my home to go to work. I had my Epic with me and my daughter got into her ballerina dress for the first time. And I had a choice between my Leica M9 or the Epic, two very different tools, to very different ways of shooting, and two very different results obviously. One’s noticeably heavier. But with the Epic, I get 5k resolution stills. I’m shooting it at 96 frames a second, at a 200th of a second. And I’m able to get incredibly sharp 14 MP stills from the camera.

I’m most likely not going to print poster images of my daughter- as much as I love her. But I will definitely print 8×10, 11x14s with a 14 megapixel camera, which is what the 5k can do. And it’s going to allow me to pick one of 96 frames every single second. And I also have the benefit of having a video clip to go along with it. Slow motion video that is @6 times the resolution of 1080p content as a result. So why would I choose the Leica other than the form factor, obviously? And the fact that it’s a still image and slightly higher resolution.

You’d choose it for price.

We’re talking about the future here. Not what things cost today. My iphone shoots better pictures than my $20,000 Canon D2000 shot 10 years ago."

In a decade or less, we will be in a world where a 5K camera costs $5K. In that world, there will be a lot more people creating big-screen quality motion pictures -- and pulling high quality still images out of them -- putting a lot of ACs, camera assistants and still-only photographers out of work.

People have been predicting this since Laforet shot Reverie a little less than two years ago -- but the 5DMkII (and even my beloved GH2) were just harbingers of this revolution.  The Epic represents the main force.

Take a look at what revolutionaries Laforet and Bloom are doing with the Epic and tiny crews:


EPIC #308 from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo


Great Wooden Boats: RED EPIC from Philip Bloom on Vimeo

Welcome to the next chapter of the hybrid camera revolution. More power to the people!

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