A Guide To Setting Your GH1/GH2 Up For Video

Ben_B said:
Set EXPOSURE MODE to M to allow for control of aperture and shutter during video. This is perhaps the most important setting in the menu, and is often missed by new users.
Click to expand...

I am new to dslr video and for the most part I just use auto settings, so I keep the exposure on A. If I leave this setting here, will the shutter speed be at 1/50th like I want it? Can I change the shutter speed to a certain setting and leave everything else in auto? I need this for pictures as well. Whenever I take pictures the shutter speed is too slow and peoples images blur and I dont have time to change all the settings on every shot.
 
Basic settings?

Basic settings?

Is there any sort of basic settings one must change in the GH2 (similar to what has to be done to Canon DSLR's) that make it work better for video shooting?
 
Many ways to approach it, but one strategy is:
Manual Movie Mode, 24H
1/50 shutter
ISO 200-400
"Nostalgic" or "Smooth" picture profile, all settings at -2
If your image gets a green shift, WB with +5 towards Magenta
 
Enable the histogram and place it in the bottom left corner (or wherever else, that's just the most connvienent for me).
 
is it possible to set GH2 to automatically focus on a particular object in the frame?

For instance - if I put a object on a table and move 5 feet from the table, focus it, then walk slowly toward the object. Can GH2 figure out to focus in that situation? I'm trying with "GH2 & Focussing - Auto Focus & Manual Focus Tips" thread on personalview website, locking AE AF but it doesn't help.

also, side question, is GH2 supposed to make a sublte silent squeak when powering on?
 
The squeak is probably the sensor cleaning running.

Ummm...yeah I've had mixed luck with autofocus during video, but in theory setting a point on the object using the touch screen and then holding down the shutter button halfway with autofocus on should help it hold focus, but the best bet is probably manual focus.
 
Excellent sticky! Just picked up a GH2 to use as a b-cam to my af100. Hacked it and loving the quality. This sticky pointed me in the right direction being new to DSLR video. Thanks!
 
I will be adding the GH3 to this just as soon as I get mine and we get some more input from the community on the best way to set it up.
 
I dont know if the GH3 mounts up the same way as the GH2 (I don't have a GH3 just yet.)
But for gearing up a rig to shoot video on my Driftwood Hacked GH2, the SYSTEM ZERO Follow Focus Standard Panasonic GH2 from IDC is pretty damn awesome and very easy to change midshoot.
I spoke to a guy from IDC at CES and he told me they were running a special on it too.
$100 Off right now.
(I paid full price for it about a year ago!)
http://www.idcphotovideo.com/store/system-zero-follow-focus-standard-panasonic-gh2
I highly recommend it, especially for impromptu shoots where you don't have a lot of assistance.
I lot of the work on my website was done with this rig.
www.numbir9films.com
 
Unhacked GH2: can frame rates be selected?

Unhacked GH2: can frame rates be selected?

Hello all; new owner of unhacked GH2 here, US model, firmware 1.1.

Following Ben's setup directions (and needing to shoot only 720p) I cannot see how to select between the various frame rate options: these do not show anywhere I can see.

Present approach to setup:

Mode dial: movie camera + M (between "SCN" and "C3)

Pressing Menu/set button brings up CREATIVE MOVIE; options here are Manual Movie Mode (MMM), HBR, Cinema, and Variable movie mode.

Select MMM

Use four-way to select next item down from CREATIVE MOVIE; this looks like a movie camera

Move right, then down) past FILM MODE (get to that later) to REC MODE

Three options here: AVCHD 1080i, AVCHD 720p and MOTION JPEG; select AVCHD 720p

Then down to REC QUALITY; two options: SH and H; assume these refer to the 17Mbs and 13Mbs the manual refers to; select SH

Move down to EXPOSURE MODE; select M

But where's frame rate selected??

Or, after reading the manual, would my choices be only between 720p50 and 720p24, and this by making the selections between MMM (720p50) and 24P CINEMA on the CREATIVE MOVIE line of the menu; but 24P on this menu looks like 1080 only.

If 720p50 (at the two qualities) is the only option would the best way be to shoot at this rate all the time and conform to 24p on the FCS (FCP 7) timeline using Cinema tools?

Or, I suppose I could hack the camera!

TIA, KL
 
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