A robust codec?

lee caropolo

lee caropolo

Active member
Hello everyone, I was wondering if someone could explain to me what the downside of the codec is for the gh1? Im shooting my first feature in june and am very interested in the GH1 for this. I plan to buy my camera in april so im just researching all of the dslr,s. Im guessing it gives you more latitude in post? If anyone has a link to this info that would be great!!! Im more than happy with the cinema like images from this camera!

Thanks
LEE
 
I am not an expert at all. What I know however from reading around A LOT is that the GH1 cannot handle beautifully very sudden wips with the Full HD resolution and cannot be very much colour corrected.
Otherwise with careful lighting and normal motion it is satisfactory and the image is more than adequately fine...
 
The codec is only 17Mbs, which doesn't leave a lot of Color Space for post correction work. It also doesn't record B-Frames, which is the reason for the codec breakdowns during complicated scenes
 
I see thanks for the replies guys. awelgraven a complicated scene would be the sudden wips or pans? Or as the Q&A here says stay away from forests with lots of swaying branches or running water(ocean)? My whole film takes place in a dark forest. So if i stabilize the camera well and use a dolly to move in slowly i should avoid the codec breakdowns? For action i would do what was reccomended which is 720p at 60p. I really am a newb here and trying to get the terminology down up until now i was going to shoot 16mm!
 
In controlled environments the GH1 can deliver excellent results. In situations with tons of detail and lots of motion (such as running through a forest) the GH1 cannot handle it and the image turns to mush.
 
I've shot in a forest in fall, handheld (aka, tons of different, wildy varying leaf colors and constantly changing, complicated environments) and the codec has occasionally broken down. If you're shooting in a forest, I'd shoot 720p60, because it seems to me that the codec breaks down far less than in 1080p mode.

Basically, anything that surprised the camera could make it break down. Whip pans and complicated scenes alike.
 
Barry_Green said:
In controlled environments the GH1 can deliver excellent results. In situations with tons of detail and lots of motion (such as running through a forest) the GH1 cannot handle it and the image turns to mush.
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Honestly why do we/myself own a camera that has these limitations? Is there another camera within the Gh1's price range that is better?

Does the new Canon coming out provide better video ( spec wise )?


I guess my real question is, is the Panasonic Gh1 a professional camera that can be used professionally as a career or is it more of an entry level/ amateur camera that should not be used or depended on if you on planing to make a living off of it.

SLightly off topic but I just got my Gh1 and I do not want to run into these problems in the future if true. Also so many say 720 yields better results for movement, etc. so why even record in 1080p then?


thanks
 
I have considered the 7d and the gh1 just seemed better for a 1 man show. The 7d would have the same problem i believe also their 720 mode is supposed to be horrid compared to gh1. Thanks for the link to night light! I especially liked the night shots at the end. Im going for an excalibur look for this film so it will involve lots of backlight and smoke. Since im going to take the plunge in april ill just hold out and see what pops up between now and then. Maybe the gh2? As i said before i was going to shoot 16mm but after discovering these dslr's there's no going back now. ill wait and see how the 1d and 550 pan out i guess. Oh and scarlet.
 
The 7D has a much stronger codec than the GH1, thus making the 1080p mode quite usable. The 720p mode does have some aliasing, but all DSLR's suffer from Aliasing and Skew to some level.
 
tears2040 said:
Honestly why do we/myself own a camera that has these limitations? Is there another camera within the Gh1's price range that is better?
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Depends on what you mean by "better". Better codec, yes. Better images, no.

Does the new Canon coming out provide better video ( spec wise )?
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It will likely have a more robust codec, but all the canons have their own set of problems. Canons can't record for more than 10 minutes, they overheat, and they have purple/orange rainbow moire contaminating the image.

I guess my real question is, is the Panasonic Gh1 a professional camera that can be used professionally as a career or is it more of an entry level/ amateur camera that should not be used or depended on if you on planing to make a living off of it.
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NONE of the DSLRs are "professional cameras that can be used professionally" -- at least, as per video. For stills, sure, but as video cameras? No. Now, you will undoubtedly find people who are plenty happy to go use them professionally. I am most definitely not among them. You're talking about an $1189 still camera, and wanting to use it as a professional video camera. No possible way. These things don't even have headphone jacks. They are not made for professional use, they were never designed for professional use.
 
lee caropolo said:
Im going for an excalibur look for this film so it will involve lots of backlight and smoke.
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Backlit smoke is not friendly to the codec, just be aware and run tests.

Since im going to take the plunge in april ill just hold out and see what pops up between now and then.
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Definitely wise.

As i said before i was going to shoot 16mm but after discovering these dslr's there's no going back now.
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Just be aware that 16mm would be relatively headache-free. You want the low (microscopic, actually) price that comes with a DSLR, you'll pay for it one way or the other; codec limitations or overheating or aliasing or all the other ways that they're limited.

If your shooting scenarios don't involve the kind of things that the camera's limitations complicate, then a DSLR would be ideal for you. If your shooting scenarios specifically run into the kind of things that the DSLR doesn't work well with, then forget the DSLR. Price is irrelevant if the thing simply won't do a good job at what you want done.
 
I think an important distinction to point out is that while the 5D/7D/GH1 are not professional cameras and ideal in any way for professional video productions, they can deliver professional results when used properly. If I were a pro I would absolutely consider having one of them in my kit, but it wouldn't be wise to have one as the only means of video capture, and of course at $1189, there's no question the GH1 is not a pro still/video camera body in any way, it lacks way too much - but I would say that when it comes down to it, for the right projects it can deliver simply stellar images, that rival pro video cameras or even do things that many pro video cameras can't do.
 
Yes, just like many product categories, amateur products can be shoehorned into professional scenarios.

However, by fundamental design, you're talking about an $1189 still camera that's sold at Best Buy, that just so happens to have a video feature on it.

And yes, used properly, it can deliver stellar images; we have a film premiering in next month's SXSW festival that was shot on a GH1.

My summation on it is this: for the price, the images can be incredible, and the hassle factor is massive. The minute (the MINUTE) that a proper video camera comes out, that can do what the GH1 can do, will be the minute I sell my DSLRs and kiss goodbye to the whole concept of shooting video on a still camera.

Until then, they're the only choice for cheap shallow-DOF footage, so if you want cheap and shallow DOF, you're going to have to work around the severe limitations. Philip Bloom's solution was to use about $5,000 of Zacuto gear to kit out his 7D to make it a usable filmmaking rig. Add it up -- you could have a heck of a professional video camera at that price.

What you save in one area, you'll spend in another (either in additional gear, or hassle, or fixing footage in post, or ... whatever).
 
Well i better start familiarizing myself with the other camera sections on this board then. I thank everyone for their input.
 
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