Hacked GH1 info needed

Hey guys,

Lately more and more, hacked GH1 has been getting my attention. Mostly will be shooting shorts. I know hacked GH1s produce amazing quality and here are a few questions I have.

It seems that there are a few hacks including: Blackouts, Ptool and I believe Panasonic has an update software on their website. I read reviews on PTool but want more info.
Which hack is the best? And I assume they are all free.

GH1 vs t2i? take ur pick and why?

Also, I sampled through threads here and I know there are some cheap lenses and some expensive ones for GH1

Which lenses should I be looking into? GH1 has a crop factor of 2x so I am not too sure which lenses I need. Trying to keep to a minimal budget.

Thanks,

Roman
 
PTool is the tool you use to hack the GH1. The Blackout/Powell is a patch with specific settings. Panasonic has released firmware updates, but that's not a hack. I have a GH1 and have been using the peak reliability patch with good results for the most part.

As far as glass goes, I'm a fan of vintage lenses like the Helios 44-2. I've also had good luck with some vintage Sears and JCPenney lenses.

Also, I would go for a GH1 over a T2i any day, though I know others who would say the opposite.
 
PTool is the tool you use to hack the GH1. The Blackout/Powell is a patch with specific settings. Panasonic has released firmware updates, but that's not a hack. I have a GH1 and have been using the peak reliability patch with good results for the most part.

As far as glass goes, I'm a fan of vintage lenses like the Helios 44-2. I've also had good luck with some vintage Sears and JCPenney lenses.

Also, I would go for a GH1 over a T2i any day, though I know others who would say the opposite.

How is Helios 44-2 for video? I read its a cheap lense, but how is it for video?
 
I have a hacked gh1 aswell with the 100mbs max lat patch. It has never crashed on me. Much better quality then the t2i on the side by side tests ive seen. Gh1's are probably really hard to find though right now im sure. My brother just got a gh2 and the quality on those are even better. Good Luck!
 
Also, the GH2 is hacked as well by the now legendary Vitaliy Kiselev, AKA "Tester 13". The hack is in its early stages but there's a lot of excitement and the developers are saying its upside is bigger than the GH1.
I think a body only GH2 is around 700 or 800 bones. Theft.

About lenses, some of the m43 lenses are cool, but they're not cheap. Get some vintage glass, Canon FD or Cameron's recommendations. I'm a Pentax SMC fanboy myself. If you go with a Canon, and if you intend to mainly shoot video, don't get conned into buying expensive L glass. Big waste of money, all the sharpness of those lenses is useless in video mode. AF isn't that useful either. Ditto for IS. Save your money.
 
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Thanks for the replys guys. Ive checked the footage cameron posted and that is exactly the look i am going for, for my next short. What did you grade in? AE? also, ive searched ebay for JCPenny and Sears and lense and they seem to be pretty cheap. Are they worth investing into? Being cheap, are they good? Also, how do i know which lenses are compatible with GH1? Obviously not all JCPenny lenses are compatible with GH1, how do i pick.

Thank you all

Roman
 
Thanks for the replys guys. Ive checked the footage cameron posted and that is exactly the look i am going for, for my next short. What did you grade in? AE? also, ive searched ebay for JCPenny and Sears and lense and they seem to be pretty cheap. Are they worth investing into? Being cheap, are they good? Also, how do i know which lenses are compatible with GH1? Obviously not all JCPenny lenses are compatible with GH1, how do i pick.

Thank you all

Roman

I've been mostly investing in lenses with an M42 screw mount and getting an adapter. There are a TON of vintage M42 lenses out there, from a variety of manufacturers. The advantage to the GH1 is that because it's a mirrorless camera, the adapters don't have any optics in them, so you don't lose light like you do with a Canon or Nikon adapter. Adapters are pretty widely available for almost any common mount you can think of. I paid about $25 for my M42 to m4/3 adapter (Fotosy brand) on Amazon.

I got my JCPenney and Sears lenses from Etsy, and paid about $75 for 3 (a 28mm, a 55mm, and 135mm). For the price I paid, they're definitely worth it. I wouldn't pay more than that, though. They're not bad lenses at all, though lens flares can be an issue (a matte box or hood would pretty much solve this problem).

I've spent less than $200 on lenses so far (the Sears, the Helios, the JCPenney, and a cheap plastic Holga lens), and the only thing I'm really missing is a good wide angle (I'd like to get the 14mm Panasonic pancake, and the Panasonic Leica 25mm, but the second one especially is out of my price range at the moment). I don't see many really wide angle vintage lenses (more than a 28mm or so), so that's the real place where vintage is lacking.

I would definitely also look at vintage Leica or Voigtlander glass if you can find it/afford it. I'm a big fan of the Leica look, though not everyone is. Zeiss glass is also nice, but it tends to be pretty contrasty, and since the GH1 is pretty contrasty to begin with, you might not like the result. But sorry, I'm going off on a wish-list tangent here. :blush:
 
So wait, what kind of an adapter to i need?
Am i getting this correctly? I need one adapter to use on JCPenny lense? and i need one adaptor to use the the helios lense?
 
So wait, what kind of an adapter to i need?
Am i getting this correctly? I need one adapter to use on JCPenny lense? and i need one adaptor to use the the helios lense?

No, the M42 screw mount lens should work for both. Just verify that the JCPenney lens is a screw mount. The one I have is, but that doesn't mean they all are.
 
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