I am currently filming a series of documentary themed commercials for a travel company in Whistler, BC. I shot most of the project on the GH3 and was initially concerned about shooting with the camera at such high altitudes and in such low temperatures. The GH3 is certainly weatherproof, but I’ve never shot in these conditions and I’m still concerned that the camera will malfunction, freeze, or slow down.
My GH2 is nearly unusable in these conditions. Even shooting in temperatures a few degrees warmer than here, the camera suffers from significant lag. Any Panasonic lens will have a huge lag in focusing, the LCD screen will start to show ghosting, and the overall functionality of the camera will be poor. I’ve always thought this was one of the weaknesses of the GH2.
I’ve been shooting outdoors with the GH3 in these conditions for the past 4 days without any problems at all. The camera operates the same as at room temperature. Even when taking it outside quickly, there were no fogging issues and it worked as advertised. Again, most product buyers are aware of this feature from the get-go, but I really had to see it to believe it.
When these spots are finished I’ll post them on the blog, but for now here are some very low grade stills:
About the author
Norm Kroll
Noam Kroll is an award-winning Los Angeles-based filmmaker and founder of boutique production company Creative Rebellion. His work can be seen at international film festivals, online television and in various publications worldwide. Follow Noam twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more content like this!
