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Shooting With the GH3 in Sub Freezing Temperatures

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I am currently in Whistler, BC shooting a series of documentary themed commercials for a travel company. I am shooting the vast majority of the project on my GH3 and was initially concerned about shooting at such high altitudes and in such low temperatures with the camera. The GH3 is of course weather sealed, but having never shot in these conditions I was still worried about the camera acting up, freezing or slowing down.

My GH2 would have been virtually unusable in these conditions. Even shooting in temperature several degrees above what it is here, the camera would seriously lag. Any Panasonic lenses would have a huge delay when focusing, the LCD screen would start to ghost and the overall functionality of the camera was very poor. I always found that to be one of the weak points of the GH2.

Over the past 4 days, I have been shooting with the GH3 outside constantly in these conditions and have had absolutely no issues. The camera runs as it would at room temperature. Even when bringing it inside and outside rapidly, there are no fogging issues and it works as advertised. Again, this is a feature that most buyers of the product are aware of from the get-go, but I really had to see it to believe it.

When the spots are done I will release them on the blog, but for now here are a few very lightly graded stills:

 

 

About Author

Noam Kroll is an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker, and the founder of the boutique production house, Creative Rebellion. His work can be seen at international film festivals, on network television, and in various publications across the globe. Follow Noam on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more content like this!

6 Comments

  • David
    at

    I’m curious to know which film mode you are using on your GH3 and what settings. I’m experimenting with mine and still trying to find that film look.

    Reply
    • Noam
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      Hi David. I typically use the standard setting with everything set to -5, except for Saturation which is at 0.

      Reply
  • Dr. John R. Brinkley
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    Very good to know. My GH3 arrives in a few days. I’m curious what gear you are using with the GH3.

    Reply
    • Noam
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      Glad to help and congratulations on the camera, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I was using a pretty stripped down kit last weekend to keep light on my feet, but even so I usually only have a small kit with me even on larger shoots. For me, one of the perks of shooting on DSLR is being able to be very mobile, so I try not to lose that luxury by adding too much weight! My favorite piece of gear in the last year that I picked up would probably be my Sachtler Ace Tripod. Really great head, great for buttery smooth pans. They’re priced well too.

      Reply
  • Xiong
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    Yeah, when they first announced that it woud be weather sealed I was extremely excited, this is a very handy feature. I wonder if someone has ever tested how weather sealed it is? DigitalRev did an extreme test with the 7D and that thing is a tank: frozen, dropped down stairs, shot at, set on fire, melted. Still worked. I wonder what the limit for the gh3 is.

    7D test
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCT-YMgjm9k

    Reply
    • Noam
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      Thanks for sharing the link Xiong – Will check it out today. Not sure how it would hold up to the 7D, but from a practical standpoint I don’t think it could have done any better!

      Reply

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