GH2 ETC Noise @ ISO 160 Removal Options?

A

ajcourtney

Active member
[video]http://player.vimeo.com/video/66207891[/video]

Ran a quick test today to determine the viability of ETC mode @ 1080P/30 vs a teleconverter for greater reach. Optically, this looks very good but the snowing noise in the bokeh is annoying and renders this option pretty much useless unless someone can show me how to eliminate the noise - and this is after my attempt at removal with the Neat Vid plugin.

Does anyone have any other suggestions to turn this footage into acceptable footage? I can render pre de-noised clip as a comparison and it is quite worse, but I'm wondering how much better footage from this mode can become. And I can upload the original MTS file if that helps...

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
I've never really heard of any instance where ETC was NOT problematic like this. However, the noise of ETC was used BRILLIANTLY by a fella here who figured out how to use it to simulate Kodak Tri-X Pan 8mm film IN CAMERA. ETC and profile settings that include switching to B&W and some other tweaks. It really looks like 8mm Tri-X and it's really gorgeous.
Sorry, I was just looking for a bright side here...
 
if feels more like something in the image to be honest... was it slightly raining?
it would be a good idea to upload the MTS files.... or you can simply take them into after effects and look at the RGB channels individually.. there is normally comparatively very little noise in the green channels... which unfortunately looks like where most of your noise is visible.. if there was that much noise in the green sections of your image... there would be ALOT more in the rest...

...leading me to believe its not digital in this instance.
 
thanks for the conversation everyone. the vimeo compression actually helps smooth out the artifacting so it's even less noticeable. i think it would be too difficult to intercut this with crisp non-ETC footage, so i'm going to try an old school 35mm 2x TC.
 
Are you using Adobe Premiere? Apparently there's a bug with Adobe's AVCHD encoder that wreaks havoc on GH2 footage... I'm not a premiere user so i've only read about it... might be worth looking into.
 
Problem with Premier Pro and GH2? I have been using Ppro 5.5 and 6.0 with my GH2 for the past couple of years with no issues whatsoever. I use the standard GH2 firmware until 8 months ago when I switched to the Flowmotion hack and in all that time I have never had a failure to import or render footage and it always looks great. I have also shot some very long clips that were spanned and Ppro always put them together. I have also read on other boards the complaint of Ppro and GH2 but from what I have seen most of the people reporting this "issue" don't seem to have any first-hand experience, just heard it from "someone".
 
Using vegas, not PP, so that's not it. Picked up an old Canon 2X TC today from KEH for next to nothing - should be here next week. I'm expecting really good results from this route compared to ETC.
 
ajcourtney said:
Using vegas, not PP, so that's not it. Picked up an old Canon 2X TC today from KEH for next to nothing - should be here next week. I'm expecting really good results from this route compared to ETC.
Click to expand...

I use the gh2's Ext tele feature regulary {which was one of the major reasons why I bought my gh2.....being a prime tele user}, and personally find it to be of great value for wildlife/bird video. I always refrain from any major tweaking {especially colour adjustments/saturation etc} with this feature though.....as the Ext Tele results tend to deteriorate more noticably than when shooting without this feature {to my eyes}. I have also experimented with the other option of using teleconverters {although for me, this was mainly to remove the need for nd use}. Although this is a useful option/alternative, I personally find that it can introduce noticeable CA......especially noticeable in the catchlights of a birds eye, so I prefer to continue with the Ex Tele Conv feature instead. Maybe you will get better results with the canon 2x, than I do with my Nikon and kenko 1.4 tc's though. Maybe the display choice makes a difference {all my wildlife video is shot with tv display via bluray in mind}, but I rarely notice any visible IQ difference between clips taken using the Ext Tele Conv feature intermixed with non Ex Tele clips, when viewing the finished video on my tv.
 
Last edited:
^^^I agree the IQ with ETC is fantastic - no complaints whatsoever with me. It's the noise that is simply unavoidable even after de-noising with the Neat Vid plug. If your framing has deep DOF then the noise might not be a factor since it would probably be obscured by imagery.

The old Canon 2x showed up today and here's a quick sample with it on an old Sigma 70-210/2.8 shot @ f8 at about 170mm on the lens (ISO 160, no ND). No noise whatsoever - IQ is excellent IMO - perfect for beauty shots during event filming. What a fantastic $35 investment! Think I'll pick up a few more.

[video]http://player.vimeo.com/video/66478941[/video]
 
Now you just has a ton of CA. Magenta in the front and cyan in the background.

The second video is private and won't let me in to download. How come the first one is only 720 and an mp4? Any possibility to post the original clips?

Cheers,
Pete
 
Second vid is now viewable - forgot about my Vimeo defaults. 720 because that's vimeo's default playback rez. Second vid looks fantastic on my iPad. It will intercut perfectly with the 6 other GH2's for multicam work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top