GH2 Clarification on GH2 Exposure and Settings

A

alkota

Active member
Shot a variety of stuff on the GH2 and still figuring this little camera out. Shot some run and gun even this weekend and everything was really over exposed when I thought it was good

Generally shooting Smooth -2 all the way across lately. I'm finding that getting good exposure on this camera is tricky. LCD seems useless, viewfinder is more helpful.

Looking to keep my footage and results consistent in the long run.

My questions are:

1. Are there any benefits to overexposing by +1/3...+2/3 EV when using Smooth or other profiles?
2. What are the best metering modes/practices to nail proper exposure? Is the histogram accurate?
3. Is there a difference in sharpening in Camera vs. in post (quality wise)?
4. How does the in camera NR affect footage? When is it optimal to dial it down and up?
5. Is shooting -2,-2,-2,-2 the optimal for a "flat" profile/image to grade?

Please share your thoughts, workflow, and experiences. Obviously getting out and shooting is the best solution, which I have been doing. Looking for some more technical explanations vs. "adjust your settings to taste" responses.

link to my videos here: http://vimeo.com/alkotabeats/videos
 
for starters, I find having the highlight exposure warning tunred on is very useful.. i always used zebras when shooting with camcorders. i prefer the cinema preset with -2,0,+2,-1, iRes off, iDR all the way up (only kicks in when needed) and have had to do very little in post to get good results. with these settings, i get awesome dynamic range, and very evenly fill the RGB parade analyzer in Adobe Premiere with most shots. with my GH1, that was not as easy, and with a 7D nearly impossible. if you want to grade everything, these may not be for you, if you want an awesome image that you find needs little grading, try this. heck just try this anyways as an experiment.

most of this was shot with a GH2, some GH1, and some 7D. I use the former two, my crewmate the latter. he is highly considering picking up a GH2 after he's seen what mine is capable of
most of the beginning stuff was 7D (or GoPro) though all the interviews are GH2 and 80% of the rest of it

watching the image for blown highlights, i will only allow the slightest blown highlist, maybe a sliver in the sky or some bright white paint. at first the shadow areas will look too dark on your lcd and maybe even a bit on the viewfinder.. though trust the highlight warning. then watch the footage on your pc and be ready for some awesome footage.
 
alkota said:
1. Are there any benefits to overexposing by +1/3...+2/3 EV when using Smooth or other profiles?
2. What are the best metering modes/practices to nail proper exposure? Is the histogram accurate?
3. Is there a difference in sharpening in Camera vs. in post (quality wise)?
4. How does the in camera NR affect footage? When is it optimal to dial it down and up?
5. Is shooting -2,-2,-2,-2 the optimal for a "flat" profile/image to grade?
Click to expand...

  1. Nope
  2. The histogram is very accurate, I use it constantly.
  3. Sharpening in camera is only useful in low light. If plenty of light, in-camera sharpenng can cause ghosting and artifacts around sharp edges in the image. I use it at high ISO but never at low.
  4. NR doesn't really do anything except kill sharpness, I never use it, regardless of light.
  5. No. Smooth -2,0,0,-2 is generally agreed upon as the flattest profile which retains the highest dynamic range. Cinema -2,0,0-2 has been talked about, but it tends to darken the image overall, from what I've been told. Cinema is the only film mode that wasn't on the GH1 so I can't give the best estimate, that's what I've heard. But Smooth is the best of them.
 
I find the viewfinder impossible to use. I think that the LCD is much more true to the picture, but I also went through the trouble of calibrating it as well..

However, you need to test the EV readings to a light meter. I've found that the in-camera EV meter can vary DRASTICALLY from shot to shot no matter what mode you use.

I find nostalgia at -2,0,0,-2 to be the best for most things but you'll have to adjust the color profile manually to reduce the yellow tinge.

Also, change your color to AdobeRGB in the menus.
 
sam rides a mtb said:
for starters, I find having the highlight exposure warning tunred on is very useful.. i always used zebras when shooting with camcorders. i prefer the cinema preset with -2,0,+2,-1, iRes off, iDR all the way up (only kicks in when needed) and have had to do very little in post to get good results. with these settings, i get awesome dynamic range, and very evenly fill the RGB parade analyzer in Adobe Premiere with most shots. with my GH1, that was not as easy, and with a 7D nearly impossible. if you want to grade everything, these may not be for you, if you want an awesome image that you find needs little grading, try this. heck just try this anyways as an experiment.

most of this was shot with a GH2, some GH1, and some 7D. I use the former two, my crewmate the latter. he is highly considering picking up a GH2 after he's seen what mine is capable of
most of the beginning stuff was 7D (or GoPro) though all the interviews are GH2 and 80% of the rest of it

watching the image for blown highlights, i will only allow the slightest blown highlist, maybe a sliver in the sky or some bright white paint. at first the shadow areas will look too dark on your lcd and maybe even a bit on the viewfinder.. though trust the highlight warning. then watch the footage on your pc and be ready for some awesome footage.
Click to expand...
Nice piece. Wow...what a major difference in quality between cameras.
 
wow. it looks good. Great job! Actually I thought the cameras went together pretty well.
 
Find a calibrated video production monitor or TV, then change the LCD settings(brightness/color) to match the external unit. Not very scientific but it makes it much easier to work with the small LCD and trust what you'll get from the camera. The other choice is to use an external monitor that is designed for video production usage.
 
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