GH2 and once more: SMOOTH vs CINEMA ???

Every line is 1/3 of a stop. This matches the "ticks" in Shutter and/or Aperture which go in increments of 1/3 stop. The meter goes +/- 3 stops.

FYI, another helpful tool for exposure is setting REC HIGHLIGHT to "On" in the menu so that areas of the image that are clipping will flash. This works even while you are recording video, so it works much like zebras on regular camcorders.

I've found that most film modes on the GH2 will clip 1 and 2/3 stops above middle gray. That's not a whole lot of room in the highlights compared to the big boys like RED, Alexa, and 35mm. But hey, it's fantastic for the price and you work with what it gives you. :-)
 
thanks, yea i shot all the latest footage with the rec highlight it's a must tool.
but then again sometimes you have to burn some highlights for enough exposure
 
roei z said:
thanks, yea i shot all the latest footage with the rec highlight it's a must tool.
but then again sometimes you have to burn some highlights for enough exposure
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If it's a static shot, you can always shoot an underexposed plate and then mask and feather those parts into the overexposed bits.
 
OK, listen up. On this and other threads I've been advocating "Smooth" over "Cinema" based on of test charts I shot. Well, guess what? Charts are just charts, and the real world is telling me another story. I shot some outdoor footage today (finally!) with some freshly delivered Nikkor primes. "Cinema" is better than "Smooth". It's flatter and has more dynamic range. And the big thing I noticed is that it retains proper color in the highlights compared to "Smooth". I'll link some video soon, but in the meantime here are 2 stills of clouds in the sky. Notice how "cinema" has more yellow in the clouds where Smooth just shows them as white. In reality, they were yellow. "Cinema" wins in this regard.

Cinema
Cinemacloud.jpg

Smooth

Smoothcloud.jpg


I stopped down 1/3 stop on Smooth to compensate for the fact that it meters 1/3 stop hotter than Cinema. You can really tell Cinema holds more detail and color in those highlights.

I shot some other things with both settings and realized "Cinema" is a flatter setting, more forgiving in the highlights and better for grading. So I've pulled a 180, based on real world shooting compared to charts.
 
Ian-T said:
So...dvbrother....where the heck can I go see "Candy Apple Red?"
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It's playing in a few small festivals in the Midwest in the next few months. In April, it will most likely play in the Kansas City Film Fest. And I've submitted it to many others, so I hope it will make it in to more. In the meantime, I just sent you a link to it on Vimeo. Take a look when you get the chance.
 
thanks for the test dvdbro, interesting conclusions :)
if you find the time, could you upload MTS of extreme dynamic range situation shot between the two ?
(with exact settings - mode tweaking and aperture)
btw, you don't happen to have an ultra con filter for testing i presume..


i'll also try to test.
 
dvbrother said:
I've actually used "Nature" to good effect when I want colors to "pop". And if you really, really want super-saturated candy color, set it to "Vibrant". The cool thing is that you can use different film modes for different moods. But yeah, Smooth is pretty much the best for general use.
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+1 I use smooth about 95% of the time. On occasion I have switched over to Natural to get a bit more color emphasis. I have used Vibrant a few times as well. It seems to handle noise better if you turn up the contrast and the noise reduction.

I never used cinema mode after my initial tests because it just underexposes too much.
 
dvbrother said:
....in the meantime here are 2 stills of clouds in the sky. Notice how "cinema" has more yellow in the clouds where Smooth just shows them as white. In reality, they were yellow. "Cinema" wins in this regard.
Click to expand...

I really appreciate both your tests. And I know that I did not see the sky with you, but when looking at mixed clouds and sunshine, colors and shapes change almost every second and lighting is very fluid. The chart being static gives more "real" information. Of course I can try this for myself, but in my short time with the GH2, I have been using Smooth and have been very happy with the results. Once I have finished some work and studying my lenses, I will explore some of the other settings.

But thanks again and I would appreciate a link to your movie as well if possible.
 
stoneinapond said:
...but when looking at mixed clouds and sunshine, colors and shapes change almost every second and lighting is very fluid. The chart being static gives more "real" information.
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That's true. What the stills don't show is that when I would toggle the film mode between "Smooth" and "Cinema" (which you can't do while recording), you could instantly see the difference. The interval between those two stills is about ten seconds, i.e. not enough time for the sky to significantly change.

I'm still a big fan of Smooth. All I'm saying is Cinema surprised me. I took a shot of a padlock in my back yard in overcast daylight using both modes. I assumed Smooth would have a lower contrast look. But when I looked at both versions in FCP, the Cinema version was less contrasty and had more realistic look in the highlights. My guess is that Smooth is still going to be best on contrasty sunny days and for contrasty interiors. But in situations where the light is very even, like overcast days or gymnasiums, or any room full of fluorescent light, Cinema might be the way to go.
 
roei z said:
thanks for the test dvdbro, interesting conclusions :)
if you find the time, could you upload MTS of extreme dynamic range situation shot between the two ?
(with exact settings - mode tweaking and aperture)
btw, you don't happen to have an ultra con filter for testing i presume..
Click to expand...

I'll give it a shot when I can. So far, it's cloudy today. I don't have an UltraCon filter yet. I plan to get one soon. BTW, how do I upload the MTS files?
 
I ran a quick picture profiles test last night which can be viewed below. I tested Standard, Cinema, Smooth and Nostalgic with the default settings and -2,-2,0,0 for each to see the difference it makes. Found cinema to underexpose mid tones compared with the rest and as a result I much prefered Smooth. Take a look below:

 
I like cinema the best, I feel it gives the most natural highlight falloff. Additionally, I feel like smooth and other flatter settings like nostalgic pump up the shadows in a manner that causes the image to degrade.
 
After my inital tests plain old standard looks best so far,i thought i would like nostalgic as neutral was my Canon setting but the yellow look is too much.Just pointing my GH2 out of the window upstairs and going through the choices show standard as being most accurate field tests show the same, smooth is close as well on mine.
 
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The hatted ones findings:

GH13

Smooth all the way. I DO NOT go to -2 sharpness is removes detail and resolution (or what APPEARS to be) however I agree with the earlier poster of using it on women for close ups.

I use vibrant now and then for extreme color popitude.

GH2

Cinema all the way or you are GHEY!
 
Blackout said:
The hatted ones findings:

GH13

Smooth all the way. I DO NOT go to -2 sharpness is removes detail and resolution (or what APPEARS to be) however I agree with the earlier poster of using it on women for close ups.

I use vibrant now and then for extreme color popitude.

GH2

Cinema all the way or you are GHEY!
Click to expand...

Only issue I have with Cinema is it appears to make things a bit darker compared with the rest! I think that's fine for well lit material but I tend to use mine quite a bit for shooting music related material and the light levels are often not that great which means higher ISO settings. I think for that type of thing Smooth might be a better option!
 
i get you, but it might be that smooth is exposing more in advance, so you either overexpose cinema or under expose smooth
 
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