GH2 Excessive colour noise / grain on GH2

[dvbrother]

If I was not "onthe road", I'd run some low light tests under fixed lighting looking at full frame stepped gray chart and pull each of the channels (RGB) and look at each channel's noise levels. You could run this on ISO 160, 400, and 800 and compare all of the GH2 profiiles for noise levels. This may offer more info and be less subjective.

I already did that a long time ago with an unhacked GH2. Check out the actual Vimeo page for an explanation of what I did.

However, the paradox is that less noise equals more banding. Both excessive noise and banding are considered bad. So the trick, I guess, is to find the right balance, where both are acceptable. Intuitively, I agree with PaPa. I think 400 ISO is that sweet spot. It is most likely the true native ISO of the camera. 200, 400, 800 and 1600 are ISOs that use analog amplification of the signal. The worst ISOs for noise are the ones right above these, which have digital gain added to increase exposure. Avoid 250, 500, 1000. Anything above 1600 is just digital gain added to 1600.

 

[FrameFarmMedia]

Thanks for that test. It really highlights the differences in grain/noise between iso settings.

 

[Stevet]

I already did that a long time ago with an unhacked GH2. Check out the actual Vimeo page for an explanation of what I did.

However, the paradox is that less noise equals more banding. Both excessive noise and banding are considered bad. So the trick, I guess, is to find the right balance, where both are acceptable. Intuitively, I agree with PaPa. I think 400 ISO is that sweet spot. It is most likely the true native ISO of the camera. 200, 400, 800 and 1600 are ISOs that use analog amplification of the signal. The worst ISOs for noise are the ones right above these, which have digital gain added to increase exposure. Avoid 250, 500, 1000. Anything above 1600 is just digital gain added to 1600.

Uh...
Actually, no you didn't
Please read my post again.
Also, you fell for the ISO bug.
It's well known. I'm sure you know, that's why ISO 320 appears to have less noise than ISO 250, and the same for ISO500 displays more noise than 640.
You need to step down to you targert ISO, not up.

 

[Fresno Bob]

This step down rule, does that count for 200, 400 etc?
i.e. - you have to step down to every ISO you use?

Also, what is the exact process for this.
Do you have to select the ISO above. Shut the ISO screen, then go back into the ISO screen and select the one below?

 

[Cosimo Bullo]

No, 400 and 800 should be safe, as is 160.

 

[Fresno Bob]

No, 400 and 800 should be safe, as is 160.

I just shot a video indoors last night with 400 and it still looks terrible. I'll post the video here in about 20 minutes

 

[Fresno Bob]

Here's the video, shot at ISO 400 in Smooth (further settings below the video).

It still exhibits the really bad moving noise I have been getting.

http://vimeo.com/35048866

 

[ras815]

Here's the video, shot at ISO 400 in Smooth (further settings below the video).

It still exhibits the really bad moving noise I have been getting.

http://vimeo.com/35048866

Hmm...that clip doesn't look bad at all. Am I missing something?

 

[Fresno Bob]

It's better than the outdoor one I linked to earlier, but I'm still seeing way too much dancing noise on the camera files.

 

[Kholi]

I don't think there's an issue with your camera, to be honest with you. I think that you don't like the noise that you're seeing and the only way to avoid it is to always have a ton of light. You can try denoising as mentioned before, but if that's out of the question then there's only one thing you can really do... sell sell sell.

The higher the hack, the more fine noise you'll get, some of us like it and some people won't. Just gotta make the call.

Sucks that you're experiencing that though.

 

[Fresno Bob]

I've had the camera for 3 months. I've been more than happy with it up until a week or two ago around the time I put the v5/v7 patch on.
The colour noise has gone through the roof since then.

I was using Seaquake before without any problems. Now whatever patch I use I'm not happy with the noise.

The last vid was a bad example because of the well-lit shots of the hands.

 

[DevonH]

Anyone have a cheatsheet for the ISO bug?

 

[RPLace]

Ya know, all this is why I think the GH2 is just too much of a finicky camera. The picture styles both aren't well explained and expose the image unnacurate to the light meter, the iso's have faults and require step-downs and very strict selection, and to me, the white balances are very strange, no to mention that the camera body controls are confusing as heck. The camera also just has too much contrast regardless for me to trust it.

Amazingly small body though, and some folks seem to get amazingly clear footage (I didn't really see anything on mine that beat my Canon, but the camera really was to finicky for me to do any proper tests before I sold it.)

 

[Cosimo Bullo]

Amazingly small body though, and some folks seem to get amazingly clear footage (I didn't really see anything on mine that beat my Canon, but the camera really was to finicky for me to do any proper tests before I sold it.)

Fanboyish response, but I all but can't stand to look at our 5d footage next to GH2 with the Driftwood hack. Still have the 5d and still give it props, but that ship has sailed.

For what it's worth (possibly nothing), I think some of the problems people are having with the GH2 and hacks have more to do with post workflow and viewing options than anything else.

 

[DevonH]

Full disclosure: I'm not working on a color calibrated monitor (27in iMac)

 

[PaPa]

Fanboyish response, but I all but can't stand to look at our 5d footage next to GH2 with the Driftwood hack. Still have the 5d and still give it props, but that ship has sailed.

For what it's worth (possibly nothing), I think some of the problems people are having with the GH2 and hacks have more to do with post workflow and viewing options than anything else.

Yeah, now that i've seen the power of the GH2, anything else is going to be difficult to digest. Just need more DR.

Correction, would "like" more.

 

[Cosimo Bullo]

Yeah, now that i've seen the power of the GH2, anything else is going to be difficult to digest. Just need more DR.

Correction, would "like" more.

Try Kholi's 5dtoRGB workflow. Very helpful to the DR (though I don't subscribe with quite the same enthusiasm re. ETC mode), I think, bringing it to a 5d (DR speaking) level.

 

[Oedipax]

I've had the camera for 3 months. I've been more than happy with it up until a week or two ago around the time I put the v5/v7 patch on.
The colour noise has gone through the roof since then.

I was using Seaquake before without any problems. Now whatever patch I use I'm not happy with the noise.

Fresno Bob, just an idea - try patching the camera back to stock firmware, then reapply Seaquake or whatever you'd prefer. See if the noise clears up any.

 

[Fresno Bob]

Fresno Bob, just an idea - try patching the camera back to stock firmware, then reapply Seaquake or whatever you'd prefer. See if the noise clears up any.

I'll give that a go. Cheers

 

[dvbrother]

Uh...
Actually, no you didn't
Please read my post again.
Also, you fell for the ISO bug.
It's well known. I'm sure you know, that's why ISO 320 appears to have less noise than ISO 250, and the same for ISO500 displays more noise than 640.
You need to step down to you targert ISO, not up.

Wow, that's kind of a mean response.
Anyway, I suppose I should have mentioned in my original post that the test was done before the ISO bug was discovered. However, the ISO bug theoretically should make 320 and 640 ISO MORE noisy, not less. Anyway, just trying to be helpful. Sheesh.