GH2 GH2 ISO blockade - any chances to take it down?

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WielkiCzarnyAfgan

Member
Hello. I am wondering if there is a solution for this particular problem- as we all know the ISO ( ASA ) option stays locked during recording video on GH2 ( and GH1 ) - is there a way to pass by this issue? Maybe some of the hackers is on the way to take down the ISO blockade in future as an option for future ptoools? I find the ISO blockade a real problem ( because always when I want to increase exposure I need to stop recording :/ ) and it should be considered as No1 to fix.

Greetings :thumbsup:
 
AS far as I know, no DSLR/EVIL camera has implemented a similar feature. The ENG style cameras often have a variable gain control, so if that is important to you, that would be a potential place to look for it.
 
Actually the solution is simple. Shoot in Shutter priority mode(For m4/3s lenses) and Aperture priority mode(For MF lenses) with the Auto ISO feature. If you are going to adjust ISO at all during filming you might as well let the camera adjust it automatically.

I actually shoot everything in shutter priority mode with Auto ISO. It works perfectly for maintaining a consistent exposure in environments where the lighting cannot be controlled.
 
mpgxsvcd said:
Actually the solution is simple. Shoot in Shutter priority mode(For m4/3s lenses) and Aperture priority mode(For MF lenses) with the Auto ISO feature. If you are going to adjust ISO at all during filming you might as well let the camera adjust it automatically.

I actually shoot everything in shutter priority mode with Auto ISO. It works perfectly for maintaining a consistent exposure in environments where the lighting cannot be controlled.
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what he said =) I do it a fair bit when im lazy or run'n'gun. works quite well considering.
 
I agree with the original poster in that it would be a great feature.

Example: I'm shooting a concert in a dark bar. I set my iso at 2000, aperture is at 1.7, shutter at 100... I'm looking good, but suddenly the lighting changes on a slow song. Everything goes dim... I drop my shutter to 50, and I'm still barely getting any light. In order to jump up to 3200 iso I have to do one of the following:

1. Stop filming, change iso, then resume filming.
2. Shoot with auto-iso on to begin with and hope the computer can keep up with me.
3. Shoot at 3200 to start with, despite the noise, and just adjust aperture/shutter as needed.

OR... 4. Just let me change iso while shooting.

Shooting in shutter priority mode with auto iso on can be a complete nightmare! Subject walks infront of a sunny window... Suddenly the internal computer says 'woaah, too much light, gonna drop the iso down'... Now the window is properly exposed but I have COMPLETELY lost my subject in darkness.

This feature has bugged me since day one. Iso should be adjustable on the fly, but I doubt it can be. Vitality would have already opened this up if it were a possibility. I have a feeling this setting is one that simply can't be adjusted to what we are asking. Like Per Lichtman said, no cams on the market can currently do it!
 
or 5....... Get a good variable ND filter, set exposure higher and bring it down for the brightest moments using the filter. When the light changes, gently adjust filter.

Takes some practice, but can be done, even handheld. Needs to be a good filter though.
 
GH2 is insanely noisy at high ISO... Thats what I want to avoid. If we had a full frame 5dmkii sensor, sure, I'd just shoot at 6400 to start with and make adjustments as needed. I'm with you though. Its definitely an option.
 
@HotConductor I empathize, though I personally I would say that the noise level needed would be from a D3s (at 720P) or D4 (at 1080P). The 5DMkII does not get to the same level, tough a 5DMkIII or 1D X might (and in the latter case, I would be really surprised if it didn't).

You can see how much better the 5DMkIII is in lowlight video here.




As Oleg said in response to one of the comments on that video "
5dmk2 suffers heavy noise, I'd put it close to GH2 at ISO 1600 and higher. "
​
My solution in those situations is to shoot with an f/0.95 Nokton as opposed to the 20mm f/1.7. Then I can shoot at ISO 1600 or 1250 instead of ISO 3200.
 
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The one thing that you are neglecting is that clicking buttons and turning wheels on the camera while filming ruins the video WAY more than any change in exposure can.

You can't possibly tell me that you can click the buttons or turn the wheel while shooting video and not shake the camera at all. Try hitting the buttons right now and see if you can shoot good footage.

Shutter priority works perfectly. You need to just control how you are shooting better.
 
mpgxsvcd said:
The one thing that you are neglecting is that clicking buttons and turning wheels on the camera while filming ruins the video WAY more than any change in exposure can.
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Not sure if this is a response to my post since there was no quote. However, just in case it is, nobody is talking about pressing buttons and turning filters at the same time. Obviously you start the camera first.

Ever pulled focus while the camera is shooting? Sure you have. So, same idea but with the control in a different place.

Don't dismiss something until you've tried it. I have and although it needs practice and it's really not recommended handheld, it can be done. But especially if you have a good tripod and a good filter.

YMMV.
 
stoneinapond said:
Not sure if this is a response to my post since there was no quote. However, just in case it is, nobody is talking about pressing buttons and turning filters at the same time. Obviously you start the camera first.

Ever pulled focus while the camera is shooting? Sure you have. So, same idea but with the control in a different place.

Don't dismiss something until you've tried it. I have and although it needs practice and it's really not recommended handheld, it can be done. But especially if you have a good tripod and a good filter.

YMMV.
Click to expand...


I wasn’t replying to anyone specifically. However, in the camera’s current form the only way you would be able to control ISO would be to click buttons or spin the non-continuous control wheel. Both of those things would cause vibration.

Now if they had some sort of continuous dial for adjusting ISO(Like a smooth focus wheel) it might be possible to get a steady shot with it. However, that doesn’t exist in the camera currently.

I think they left this feature out because their philosophy is that doing as little adjusting to the settings as possible during video is the best option. I tend to agree with that.
 
I'm with you on clicking the wheel/changing settings. It definitely affects footage negatively. Thats no the issue. Whether its dimming a light or changing shutter speed with the click wheel, the footage I have during that time is unusable. However, thats not the issue. I want to keep rolling. Frequently I will shoot a concert in which I take a soundboard recording with a field recorder, and run around run-n-gun style with my GH2 on a Halo rig with a Comer 1800. I have had a few other rigs in the past but I really like this setup. The end result is edited however I want, but the audio is generally a matrix of the soundboard and on-camera mics. Every time I stop the camera to change ISO (due to insane lighting changes), it means I'm loosing that on-camera audio. Many folks would just take the board but I really like using a matrix to compensate for the rawness of a direct board patch.

Keep in mind, I am an insane audiophile who would much rather multi-track the entire thing, than do a simple promo with an audio matrix, but this is just one example. I have had a similar situation happen at a festival. Field recorder ran out of battery (last act went 2 hours longer than anticipated, and it was killer) so I had to plug in my wireless Sennheisser transmitters with a mini/micro adapter, leveled way way down, directly into the GH2. Well, if I need to adjust ISO that could mean missing an entire chorus of a a song.

The other thing is that I have gotten very smooth at making minor adjustments. I'm not saying it isn't noticeable, but that I am able to make minor changes and still use my footage without cutting. So yes, I would very much like a camera to implement the simple ability to change ISO on the fly. If the internal Panny compy can auto-iso, why can't I manual-iso? :thumbsup:

Iso is a verb now.
 
@HotConductor Okay, ISO is now a verb. Got it. :)

Since you are a fellow audiophile (I can relate, most of my speaker systems are custom made by engineers I know personally and respect professionally) I have to ask if you have had any experience with one of my old clients, at http://www.blumenstein-ultra-fi.com?

On the recording side, I definitely get where you are coming from in terms of both the ideal (personally, I am used to recording in the studio with a mixture of Neumann small and large diaphragm mics or a Telefunken ELAM 251-E, mixed with a Royer ribbon) but also in terms of the practical. It is that latter part that made start patching the AGC settings back in October. Have you been using the newest settings, either from my site at http://www.pasadenapulse.net or as incorporated in Driftwood's Sedna and Mysteron?

I find the new patched settings helpful both for metering and for being able to reduce digital gain almost entirely (or add a lot without getting into AGC level changes throughout the recording).
 
Give Shutter priority with Auto ISO(Never use Intelligent ISO) a try. Seriously it works better than some of you have indicated. However, it only works with M4/3s glass. Shutter priority with auto ISO will not function at all for MF glass.

If you are using MF glass then you are just S.O.L. They would definitely have to implement Auto ISO in Manual mode or allow you to change the ISO yourself for it to work.
 
GH2 can't do this? Man. I regularly adjust my ISO on the 7d and nex-5n on the fly and it's a great feature that I thought was on every camera. I've had many shots saved where I had to adjust the exposure quickly. No problems at all "with clicking" or buttons. Auto ISO is the "solution?"

I just took a great shot of an explosion where the initial amount of ISO was quite wrong (hard to judge before it actually explodes) but I managed to save a good chunk of it by manually going down very quickly. With the GH2 I would've gotten an unusable shot.
 
Isn't AUTO ISO not good due to the ISO bugs (e.g. 320/640)? Or have they been solved since? Been off the radar...
 
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