GH2 GH2: Moire with Smooth Mode ... and no moire with Cinema Mode

Steve_Karl

Steve_Karl

Well-known member
Interesting ...

I was doing some test shoots for an interview I'll be doing in 2 days, setting up lights, hanging a black backdrop,
testing audio with the ATR3350 into a DR-05 and checking sync ...
and initially I had the GH2 set to smooth with -2 on all, and was getting very obvious moire on the red tie I was wearing.

Not thinking to try to cure the moire, I soon switched to Cinema Mode with all set to 0 because things were looking a bit too flat with Smooth,
my skin tone was too washed out, and the moire on my tie disappeared totally.

The only thing different was Cinema Mode and all zeros. Everything else was exactly the same.

I shot for an other 20 minutes or more of me just sitting and talking, wanting to see how syncing audio would be with a long take,
and the moire was totally gone for sure, in Cinema Mode.
 
I prefer Cinema myself. It's actually the flatest exposure curve of the bunch, with other modes booting the curve or changing the colors.
 
PaPa said:
Could you provide some stills please?
Click to expand...

Ahhh ... I found the moire clip which I thought was deleted. First one is Smooth Mode with all at -2,
and then the second take with Cinema Mode all at 0.

moire.jpg

no_moire.jpg
 
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It looks like you zoomed out a little bit on the bottom picture, is that right? It's a little hard to tell because the pictures are different sizes, but it looks like you may have zoomed out a tiny bit. If so, that's your answer right there. You changed the frame size, which changes how the pixels line up to the tie pattern, and that eliminated the moire.
 
Barry_Green said:
It looks like you zoomed out a little bit on the bottom picture, is that right? It's a little hard to tell because the pictures are different sizes, but it looks like you may have zoomed out a tiny bit. If so, that's your answer right there. You changed the frame size, which changes how the pixels line up to the tie pattern, and that eliminated the moire.
Click to expand...

No zoom as far as I can remember but it's possible that the first might have been very slightly zoomed in, like maybe to 16mm.
I also wasn't always sitting exactly the same way, sometimes leaning a bit into the camera vs sitting up straight.

The real size difference is just sloppy crops of the full 1920 x 1080 grabs.
Lens was the 14-42mm kit lens.

If I get a chance then I'll test again ... wide open at 14mm and a few other closer in, and on both Smooth and Cinema.
 
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Ah. Well, if it's the exact same distance, then the next thing I'd guess at would be a different detail level in cinema. I don't recall on the GHs if it works the same way, but it's possible, because the GH's "CINEMA" mode has basically the exact same gamma curve as the broadcast division's CINE-D gamma. And on the broadcast cameras, putting the camera in cine-D will also substantially cut the edge enhancement/sharpness/detail setting basically in half. So maybe something comparable is happening in CINEMA mode?
 
Steve can you do another test with the camera locked down and a stationary subject like hang the tie from the back of a chair or something? That will eliminate any possible reframing questions and give everybody a solid answer to if the cinema mode really does reduce moire. If it does that is an interesting find. May also explain why some GH3 users get more moire than others.
 
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