DSLRs for video

Started by RegularKarate, April 13, 2010, 01:16:17 PM

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wilder

Definitely agree with matt35mm about that GH2 footage.

I haven't been following this stuff too closely but late last year I stumbled upon some GH1 footage that involved some kind of camera hack to allow it to record at a higher bitrate. The resulting footage is the best I've personally seen anything coming from a DSLR look, but like I said I haven't been tracking this stuff in the meantime so maybe you guys have seen better. Anyway here's the video, hopefully this hasn't been posted before:

GH13 Canon FD 50mm f1.4 - http://vimeo.com/12961268

Canon 7D vs Hacked GH1 full series of tests (scroll down) - http://tinyurl.com/3gtzatd

Apparently the hack bumps the bitrate from 20mbps to 32mbps, and can be further fucked with to bump the bitrate to an insane 50mbps but can only record for a short while at that higher level.

How To Hack Panasonic GH1 to Shoot Super High-Quality 24p Video and More - http://tinyurl.com/2wavvtd

matt35mm

Thanks for those! Yeah the comparison videos there are stark.

That GH13 video is great. It has that quality that you hope for from a still camera that also does video, where it feels like great quality photos coming to life.

The GH2 has a 24mbps maximum, which is higher than the plain GH1 by a bit. It's also got a larger sensor. If there's ever a hack to bump that up, I'd do it. The GH2 also outputs a clean HDMI image that can be recorded at 100mbps ProRes if you get an external recorder.

I'm gonna go get this thing today and maybe in a few days or weeks I'll post a video.

Ravi

GH2 vs EOS 7D Tests Part 1



I've looked into the GH2 a little bit, and so far it seems less soft and less contrasty than the 7D. I like the GH2 footage I've seen so far. 5D/7D footage can be a little too contrasty for my taste.

It has a 4/3 sensor, which is a good deal smaller than the 7D's APS-C sensor, so the GH2 will have deeper depth-of-field and probably less dynamic range and low-light sensitivity.

I don't know how much glass is available for the GH2, but I assume that the Canon cameras have more lens options.

polkablues

Speaking of lenses, I just picked this up this morning, and I'm already in love.

My house, my rules, my coffee

matt35mm

Well I've had the GH2 for about 5 weeks now and I really like it. Here's one of the videos that I made with it: www.vimeo.com/matt35mm/brutalday It's just a video that I made from shots taken while my friends were playing Ultimate Frisbee, so I'm shooting pretty wild and loose there, but I think the camera would perform very well when I use it for more controlled shots.

I think the quality looks great before it's compressed on Vimeo/YouTube. It still looks okay, though--as good as anything else on those sites, anyway.

I've also just gotten an additional lens that is much better in low-light, and am looking forward to shooting with that. Taking pictures and making videos has become a lot more fun and I've been doing it so much more since getting the camera.

I'm definitely glad that I got the GH2 over the 60D, although I am envious of the greater lens selection and quality that you have access to with the Canons. The lenses that were made for cameras like the GH2 are actually quite good, though the longer lenses are really slow, and I wish that they had a mechanical focus ring instead of the one that just keeps turning. I'm aware that there are adapters for pretty much any lens that I want, but I'm happy enough with my current set up, for now.

pete

I'm producing and shooting a feature length action film this summer. We just got the new Sony FS100. Slow Kit lens, but we're getting an adapter and we're gonna have fun.
that thing can really look into the dark.

a slo-mo test:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_G-wZYcKaE&feature=feedu
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

OrHowILearnedTo

^^^
That's some weird light pulsing going on there

pete

"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

OrHowILearnedTo

wait, so is that an in camera feature? does that mean it's shooting the equivalent of 96 fps? (did i do the math right there?)

pete

yeah it does these short bursts.
I wasn't there to supervise the camera test, but I imagine the flickring is something that can be taken care of with shutter speed that matches the flourescent etc. etc.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

wilder

The (somewhat unstable) GH2 hack is up to 176mb/s (up from the 24 the camera records out of the box). Some video examples below. Make sure HD is on, and try to ignore the shit music choices in some of these. In fact, queue up a score you like and mute the other audio -- it makes a difference I'm telling ya.

http://vimeo.com/30589254


http://vimeo.com/30598805

http://vimeo.com/31332122

http://vimeo.com/31502731 (88mb)

If you have a Vimeo account try downloading the less compressed versions linked on the right-hand side of each page after logging in.

matt35mm

What's the instability you're talking about? Have you tried it? Do you think it's worth it?

Thanks for posting these!

wilder

I've installed a lower 44mb hack which is tested and completely stable. Initially I tried installing the 176mb hack but I didn't do it right, I don't think, I'll try it again later. The higher bitrate hacks are still going through testing, so their settings haven't been perfected -- which can result in frames being dropped or going white sometimes. The 176mb hack only came about around a month ago, and it seems like every week progress is being made in improving it. SanDisk Extreme Pro cards are recommended to use with the hack, especially at the higher bitrates. It seems totally trial and error, though, as I've heard of people just doing take after take to get something usable (without errors in the recorded video) especially at 176mb. I'm not really sure about the frequency of the errors, but people have advised against using the 176mb hack for time-sensitive professional purposes.

As long as your camera doesn't lose power while updating the firmware (it's recommended you use a fully charged battery and not AC Power while doing it), there's no danger in damaging the camera. If power were to disconnect while the firmware was being updated the camera would need to be sent back to Panasonic to be serviced and reset. Reverting back to the original firmware or to a lower level, more stable hacked firmware is as easy as copying a new file to your memory card and loading it up.

I've seen some still comparisons -- if you can get usable footage I think it's definitely worth it: even at 44mb the detail in the images seems to dramatically increase. The biggest difference I see is in the blacks and shadows...whereas at lower level bitrates (and especially at the 24mb the camera records out of the box) low light areas can become muddy, the higher level bitrates allow for smoother, cleaner blacks.

Reinhold

canon just announced plans for a 24fps 4k HDSLR for $20,000 -- no word on availability or schedule yet. http://usa.canon.com/cusa/about_canon/newsroom?pageKeyCode=pressreldetail&docId=0901e024803cf0aa#

they also just released this, due out in january-- a much less exciting 1080p camera. the HDSDI output is a nice feature-- it'll be interesting to see if they break into live broadcast with the C300.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/03/canon-launches-c300-cinema-camera-prepares-to-take-on-red-scarl/
Quote from: Pas Rap on April 23, 2010, 07:29:06 AM
Obviously what you are doing right now is called (in my upcoming book of psychology at least) validation. I think it's a normal thing to do. People will reply, say anything, and then you're gonna do what you were subconsciently thinking of doing all along.

matt35mm

I've installed the GH2 hack at 42 Mbit. Tested it out a little and it seems to work just fine and it looks pretty good. I'll be shooting something with it soon, so we'll see how it goes.