GH Camera Hacks for Dummies (List)

  • Thread starter Thread starter jimmykorea
  • Start date Start date
J

jimmykorea

Guest
How about we pool peoples experiences with hacks in one place. Camera hacks for Dummies.

1.Please post a hack, why you use it, its strengths/weaknesses and how you found using it etc.

2. Please try to keep things in laymans terms related to the image and keep technical info to a minimum unless necessary like file size, bitrate, 24p, 1080p/720p etc.

3. Also post an example clip to illustrate your findings. Either your own or one from somone else.

4. Ideally a download link to the patch.

**Please don't post unless you do the above things. Can Moderators delete posts that don't keep to the criteria. And maybe make a sticky if people use it.

So hopefully then we would have a clear list of the hacks for people to use and make the most of the great work many are putting into them but some dumb asses like me are clueless about.
 
Last edited:
There is no easy button for the hack (actually the
folks (VK) that make the hack would prefer that there is just one hack but a
multitude of "settings" for it).
I would hate to think that the folks in
development would slow down enough to write a 'beginners' guide each time they
come out with a new iteration (IMO Driftwood should only slow down enough to
open another Red Bull)
That said: The latest Driftwood patches are the
cutting edge of quality, the best ones require expensive (95MB/s) cards and do
best shot at 24p. If you aren't going to pony up for the card or aren't
comfortable with 24p as a standard then test test test. I personally am looking
for a great HBR NTSC setting. The Driftwoods (and others) whilst having great resolution also
exhibit red banding and a lot of noise. Both conditions Nick is working on.
Your plea for "keeping things in layman's terms" is answered best by Lee Powell; no one has been more polished or clear in explaining the creation of a setting and the thought process behind it. Mr. Powell has a proven track record of providing the "layman's" patch; that is, works well with almost everything without putting you on the cutting edge..which is easy to fall off of. His skills as a writer are a valued bonus. Other work (like Cake, Sage and Cbrandon) are also valuable.
Bottom line: (after a few years of this) If you want safe: stick with Lee Powell, if you want cutting edge, get on the Driftwood train but be prepared to test for your particular circumstance. My personal quest of NTSC HBR has a disadvantage as most testers live in PAL land.
Here is an clip of Driftwood HBR X 5c: it has noise and red banding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbfrQJxLvv0
that's why it's a test. I went back to LPowell's Flow for the real thing. I will test the next Driftwood and continue to do so.
Hope I played by your rules. (didn't mean to leave anyone out)
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the props, royfel, and for an impartial assessment of current activity in the GH2 hack community. For those interested in my GH2 Flow Motion Patch, click on the link in my signature below.
 
Wow, you really think people are going to take time out of their day to post such a comprehensive listing along with samples? Why don't you install some patches (you can easily mix 'n match) and decide which one you like for you?
 
I just viewed some GH13 footage shot last summer and compared to recent footage I can say this about GH13 hacks:

1 lpowell max. latitude settings in good conditions and with no major movement in the image will give the sharpest and most detailed image.

The issues are

- Low bit rate in low light thus creating less controllable noise pattern
- Major motion in the image (camera pan, large subjects moving in the image) do not look right due to long GOP format

2 GOP-1 settings give the best motion rendering and high bitrate in low light thus creating a more constant noise pattern and gradable material

The issues are

- Very high bit rates that may lock the camera
- Bit rate still not high enough for very detailed image

No hacks for the GH1 or GH2 will be able to completely eliminate banding and posterization. These cameras are so-called "blue light cameras", meaning the red and blue channels are crippled. You will need to amplify both channels during filming to allow for the least banded and gradable material. I have had very good results using blue and purple filters on the lens and am in the process of developing suitable curves and settings for grading in film style in After Effects.

More about this hopefully sooner rather than later.
 
Wow, you really think people are going to take time out of their day to post such a comprehensive listing along with samples? Why don't you install some patches (you can easily mix 'n match) and decide which one you like for you?​
Click to expand...

There you go.
 
Gary Huff said:
Wow, you really think people are going to take time out of their day to post such a comprehensive listing along with samples? Why don't you install some patches (you can easily mix 'n match) and decide which one you like for you?
Click to expand...

No I just thought people could post a link to their flavour of hack they used and post a clip to illustrate that one hack. It would take as much time as you posting your pointless post. Basically no different to a 'post your work here' thread which never gets this much opposition. Anyway you guys win you came over from arguing with me on another thread and messed up my attempt at having a thread that brought the knowledge in creative terms of the hacks together in one place. I offically give up, you can find me over at personal view with I'm sure countless hundreds maybe thousands reading hundreds of threads while scaratching their heads.
 
Last edited:
NeoSlashX said:
http://www.eoshd.com/content/6563/eoshd-releases-hacked-gh2-patches-and-film-modesI"m new to the whole GH2 hack scene but I found this extremely helpful.
Click to expand...



Thanks thats helpful. I've seen this before, it seems like the success of this site is based on communicationg the hacks in striaght forward english. Still what I really hoped for this thread was a collection of clips that showed each hack's performance and look. It seems like its not enough to say oh this hack is best cause each has very different settings, ie GOP, how it deals with movement, bitrate used, low light, color. In some ways I'm someone who can only judge what is good with my eye, not a bunch of technical boxes ticked.
 
It's a tall order I think jimmy. How do we really compare each hack's performance and look? For example: all GH2 looks brilliant in daylight. How about high ISO lowlight? How about lit interiors, etc? How about complex scenes that stress the codec? Simple scenes?

There's just too many variables. I think the hacks have gotten to the point where's theyre all basically "good enough". Especially since Musgo was shot using a 44mbit hack. The camera's already great. The hacks are just a nice to have.
 
mentatDUKE said:
It's a tall order I think jimmy. How do we really compare each hack's performance and look? For example: all GH2 looks brilliant in daylight. How about high ISO lowlight? How about lit interiors, etc? How about complex scenes that stress the codec? Simple scenes?

There's just too many variables. I think the hacks have gotten to the point where's theyre all basically "good enough". Especially since Musgo was shot using a 44mbit hack. The camera's already great. The hacks are just a nice to have.
Click to expand...


I think your point is fair maybe the individual hack settings are too many variables to really get a handle on things. The thing is even though I got a lot of criticism for not doing my own research I did watch a ton of GH2 Hack clips on Vimeo and Youtube. I felt like there were certain patches that stood out. e.g I feel like the Driftwwod 176mbps Gop1 was a sweet spot for a relatively filmic look that had a lot of detail. I also felt the KAE patch has the most filmic qualities. Their seems some work on getting the movement better on hacks and I can see that in specific hacks. Honestly its not like there is all this information out there that I people just need to not be lazy and look for cause I personally think the information I'm talking about dosesn't to some extent exist. No-one as far as I can see have compared hacks that much in terms of picture feel and motion. I saw a few vimeo clips where some guys had done some tests side by side with the hacks but like I said I don't think the artistics discussion has really existed rather a technical one. For me looking at a lot of clips I think the Driftwwod v9 Gop1 and Kae hack are the most interesting in terms of film quality. So far the newer hacks have not impressed me in terms of clips seen so far but maybe thats down to people not using the hack that creatively. Sometimes you need a camera to film a real world situation rather than a tree stump or an apple to get a feel for the camera (and hack). Anyway these are my personal impressions so far.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top