Which mode is most filmlike?

[Indyreel]

Barry,

You mentioned that 1080 on the GH1 looks more film-like.

Is that still true when 720 60 is converted to 24?

[Barry_Green]

Well, true 24 will beat converted 24 any day. Converted 60p->24p can look pretty good though.

[Mike@AF]

I shot 720 and 1080 for a recent project. I did the 720 only because there was some back and forth camera movement and I didn't want to risk mud. I actually shot those specific takes both ways (720 and 1080). I can definitely see a difference in the motion. All the 1080 shots look more fluid whereas the 720 shot do show a little jitteriness. Whenever possible shoot 1080 if you want to end up at 24fps. Use 720 when you're moving the camera a lot.

[Kholi]

Definitely shoot as much 1080/24 as you can. Avoiding mud is completely plausible, a lot of the times doing so may be unecessary due to the typical audience member not noticing; barring content is worth paying attention to.

[Oedipax]

Hey Mike (loving the tripod by the way!), did you convert the 60p stuff to 24 or just drop the 60p clip on a 24p timeline? I've definitely noticed shots feeling too staccato when doing the latter, but I've been pretty impressed with Compressor conversions (and I'm sure Shake can do it even better, although I haven't yet tried - takes forever).

I really want to love the 1080p24 mode on this camera but I find it just falls apart too easily for my liking. I'll be first in line to order The GH1 Book which will prove me wrong, though!

[Mike@AF]

Hey, glad you like it!

I convert 60p to 24p in Compressor. I hate having to render or use unlimited RT while I edit. The conversion from 60p to 24p takes forever too, which is another reason to just shoot 1080.

I haven't had any issues with 1080 falling apart on me except for a handheld shot where the camera got moved suddenly. I didn't want to do the shot, but I didn't have a choice since the decision wasn't mine. No one else seemed to notice the jello and mud though.

[Indyreel]

I shot 720 and 1080 for a recent project. I did the 720 only because there was some back and forth camera movement and I didn't want to risk mud. I actually shot those specific takes both ways (720 and 1080). I can definitely see a difference in the motion. All the 1080 shots look more fluid whereas the 720 shot do show a little jitteriness. Whenever possible shoot 1080 if you want to end up at 24fps. Use 720 when you're moving the camera a lot.

Mike, I'm a bit confused. It sounds like your saying that 1080/24 looked better in the "back and forth camera movement" shots? Is this what you meant, as I thought that 1080 looked worse than 720 in this situation?

[Ben_B]

I do 60p-24p in compressor from shots that have specific kinds of motion, like a steady tilt, or pan, or lateral motion in the frame. Otherwise I just do 60p in 24p timeline and it looks fine.

[Mike@AF]

Mike, I'm a bit confused. It sounds like your saying that 1080/24 looked better in the "back and forth camera movement" shots? Is this what you meant, as I thought that 1080 looked worse than 720 in this situation?

That is correct. I'm referring to motion and not mud. I haven't really seen any mud issues.

[Indyreel]

Well, that's awesome. How fast were you panning back and forth with the camera?

[Mike@AF]

Probably around 90 degrees. Now that's not too far, but the pans were fairly rapid. Shot 4 takes at 1080, then I realized the pans were quick enough that I should shoot some 720 also. Shot 5 takes at 720 and those ended up being used in the scene due to performance and editing, but there was nothing wrong with the 1080 takes. The trick is if you anticipate the actor's actions you can start easing into the pan/tilt sooner and build up the speed. That equates to a better shot overall anyways.

When I did my testing of the camera when I first got it I noticed rapid/sudden pans and tilts broke up the image. But easing into them didn't. I think the camera/processor tends to adjust recording (bit rate maybe?) when it detects that you're going to be panning or tilting. So start slow, build it, and all seems okay.