Assistance with re-hacking GH13

[Blutarski]

I will be shooting my first feature this Summer using a hacked GH13. The current settings are not optimal, we were under the gun and needed a conservative setting for a commercial shoot the following day back in November 2010. We also had the camera for less than two days before the shoot, so we didn't want to push the limits of what was safe.

Now that we have more time, I want to re-hack this camera. We are planning a film noir feature and will be shooting mostly at night. Back streets, alleyways and less than optimal lighting conditions. Can anyone recommend a good patch to use that will be reliable for night shooting? I would like to have a reliable patch that will have a similar look to the GH2 for editing purposes. I will be using two cameras the GH13 and the GH2.

Also I still have the hack settings on my Sandisk 16GB class 10 card, from the original hack I did months ago. I tried to re-format the card and it read error. I attempted to do this on my Macbook Pro laptop. Is this card damaged? Or is it because the hack is on it and it cannot be used anymore? Is lpowell's high reliability patch the way to go?

 

[Lpowell]

While you didn't detail specifically which video mode you'll be shooting in, I expect you'll want to take advantage of the GH2's 24Mbps 1080p24 mode. For best match with the GH1, I'd suggest setting both cameras to Smooth Film Mode, and adjusting GH1 ISO to 2/3rds stop lower than the GH2 (e.g. GH2 ISO 160 along with GH1 ISO 100).

The 40Mbps AVCHD High Reliability Patch has earned a solid track record for reliability, but its conservative bitrate makes it less than ideal for low-light nighttime video shoots. In addition, using a Native 24p patch on the GH1 would be preferable for combining footage with the GH2's 24p video files. For these reasons, I'd recommend trying my recent Blackout-Powell Native 24p Patch.

Bear in mind that the AVCHD encoder's bitrate will vary over a wide range, depending on image details, sharpness of focus, and lighting conditions. In particular, underexposed areas will be encoded at much lower bitrates than highlights. For film noir, I'd recommend shooting with bright illumination and a near-gray black level, clipping the brightest highlights when necessary. This will give you maximum latitude in post for grading low-light details with as much high-drama contrast as the camera can deliver.