GH2 official discussion thread

mpgxsvcd said:
Well it looks like I am wrong then. Thanks for the post. lot's of good info there and I hope they do continue to push the limits of the 4/3s sensor.
Click to expand...

I'm not a CMOS sensor guy, but the underlying fab processes are related to one another so I can only cross apply my knowledge. That said, performance wise, when you look at what Red has done with their MX sensor, I am truly amazed at how much ahead of the competition they are in terms of raw processing power. 5K and 120fps is absolutely amazing to me. Imagine the speeds they could get with 1080p sized sensor!!! When you look at pixel size to pixel size, it just amazes me what they've achieved.

For Red, they've spent a long time TOTALLY focused on CMOS for video. For Panasonic, Canon, Sony, they've spent a lot of time at the pro level with CCD for video and CMOS for consumer. As they continue to experiment with designs, I am sure they will catch up, in some of those aspects. However, what you've said is true too. The circuitry AFTER the sensor AND the firmware or software can always be tweaked further as well, so you are not totally wrong! :)
 
I don' t want to sound rude and am no moderator here, but it would be nice if we could stick a little bit to the subject now. It is very good that everybody wants to help everybody, but in the end it is a thread on the gh2 that many of us want some concrete information concerning this camera. When you have to read post on post on some subject that have been discussed a lot in so many thread that a little search would be nice. Imagine if we had to start talking again about the 4/3 crop factor, wide angle lens for 4/3, b-frames, cabac etc, etc... all the info on the gh2 will be drown in it. I am myself a novice into video and have taken my time searching and reading about all this. Things like concrete test of hdmi output are things that we are not 100% sure now. What we don' t know, are the things that are the more important about the camera. If somebody needs to know if his editing software can edit natively mts, I think it has been discussed a lot (from the gh1 to canon cameras) and he could create another thread on the subject if need be. We are at page 192 and I have read all of them, I hope that everyone has some respect for that.
 
Not to be rude back but the title of the thread is "GH2 official discussion thread" and we are in fact talking about the 4/3 sensor inside the GH2. I only compared other similar technology to refute the notion that the GH2 sensor has maxed out on physical limitations because of it's size. Honestly, at 1922 posts, anything being discussed here would be better served in a specific thread that actually dealt with that aspect of the camera since most people aren't going to want to read through 1923 posts (now) to try and get any information about the camera). This has been a constant mix of all things GH2.
 
PappasArts said:
Am I the only one that finds it perplexing with the GH2's now surfacing and the now clean HDMI out that we all have been screaming to have for some time- that not one person has managed to run some HDMI out tests to a nano or other method of recording a clean HDMI output.

Pappas
http://www.facebook.com/PappasArts
http://www.pbase.com/Arrfilms
Click to expand...

it's either someone will say he tried and it didn't work- or- we would have seen it already (i could try again only on sunday sorry)
so probably no one really tried yet.
and don't forget you have a budget camera people buy cheap- against capture devices that most people don't have at home..
the more "serious" people still don't have the camera in their hands for tests.
 
High quality HDMI capture cards & devices are relatively inexpensive and have been available for quite some time.

For example, the BlackMagic Intensity Pro PCI card is one of many such devices, and it sells for well under $200 US:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...c_Design_BINTSPRO_Intensity_Pro_HDMI_and.html

If anyone has done even a rudimentary GH2 live HDMI output record test I hope they will share the results (either good or bad) here or on YouTube, etc. as soon as possible. :-)

Philip Bloom has both a GH2 and a KiPro recorder, but hasn't posted a test yet. Here's hoping! Of course, if Philip does post footage shot using this combination, I hope it includes some fast pans & other fast action to stress-test a high-bitrate ProRes codec! :-)
 
Yeah, but as an owner of the Intensity Pro, it is a VERY finicky card. Some HDMI things just REFUSE to work with it. If someone is trying that card, they might be running into those problems. If anyone I know gets their hands on the GH2, I will ask them to come and try my card.
 
I am not good at English.
I did as follows.
・"ＧＨ２"MTSfile(1280*720 60p) → "adobe Premiere CS4" No_compressed_AVI(1280*720 60p) → "Windows Media Encoder" WMVfile(1280*720 60p 20Mbps) → Youtube.

・Youtube is automatically compressed.
 
Hmm I wonder if the GH2 is outputing 1080p60 via the HDMI when on 1080i60 recording modes or even liveview. As alot of the blackmagic cards don't support 1080p60, only the more expensive Decklink HD Extreme 3D and the Multibridge of their PC products
 
Peter J. DeCrescenzo said:
High quality HDMI capture cards & devices are relatively inexpensive and have been available for quite some time.
For example, the BlackMagic Intensity Pro PCI card is one of many such devices, and it sells for well under $200 US:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...c_Design_BINTSPRO_Intensity_Pro_HDMI_and.html
Click to expand...
Hmm, from the spec-page:
Video Formats HD: 1080i50, 1080i59.94, 720p50, 720p59.94
SD: 625/25 PAL, 525/29.97 NTSC
Click to expand...
Conspicuously missing is the 1080/24p native format. Which is perhaps the reason why Roei was having problems with his Blackmagic card. If it is the Intensity pro make sure that HDMI output format is set to 1080i or try getting output in LiveView mode (which is output as 1080i) first before trying to capture 24p.

I doubt many people will have their GH2 tethered to a desktop, so a more practical solution ATM looks to be the UltraStudioPro which is a USB3 device, much pricier, and requires a laptop with specific motherboard (x58 chipset), but has great feature set, including native 24p support, variety of output formats including uncompressed 4:2:2 10-bit raster and multi-port output. Another interesting solution is the Pro H.264 Recorder which also supports native 24p (as well as 1080/60p!), is cheaper, but only outputs H.264 files. However, the website states that several High-level profiles are available, so perhaps one of them is something like High 4:2:2 Intra Profile making it a very attractive option. I am definitely interested in checking out some files produced by this little gem.
 
PappasArts said:
Am I the only one that finds it perplexing with the GH2's now surfacing and the now clean HDMI out that we all have been screaming to have for some time- that not one person has managed to run some HDMI out tests to a nano or other method of recording a clean HDMI output.

Pappas
http://www.facebook.com/PappasArts
http://www.pbase.com/Arrfilms
Click to expand...
LOL Michael, word. You are not the only one ;-)

EDIT -- But it does seem I will have to buy one myself with japanese interface :-( in order to test it. I'd even appreciate to buy at least two or four for once with close manufacturing, so I practically come here in a single daily basis just waiting for :-)

Greetings from Rome,
E. :-)
 
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svecher said:
Hmm, from the spec-page:
Conspicuously missing is the 1080/24p native format. Which is perhaps the reason why Roei was having problems with his Blackmagic card. If it is the Intensity pro make sure that HDMI output format is set to 1080i or try getting output in LiveView mode (which is output as 1080i) first before trying to capture 24p.

I doubt many people will have their GH2 tethered to a desktop, so a more practical solution ATM looks to be the UltraStudioPro which is a USB3 device, much pricier, and requires a laptop with specific motherboard (x58 chipset), but has great feature set, including native 24p support, variety of output formats including uncompressed 4:2:2 10-bit raster and multi-port output. Another interesting solution is the Pro H.264 Recorder which also supports native 24p (as well as 1080/60p!), is cheaper, but only outputs H.264 files. However, the website states that several High-level profiles are available, so perhaps one of them is something like High 4:2:2 Intra Profile making it a very attractive option. I am definitely interested in checking out some files produced by this little gem.
Click to expand...

Hmm ... it looks like B&H's spec page for the Intensity Pro is wrong?

On Black Magic's own website they say the Intensity Pro's tech specs include:

"HD Format Support 1080i50, 1080i59.94, 1080p23.98, 1080p24, 720p50 and 720p59.94"
http://www.decklink.com/products/intensity/techspecs/

Another device which may work is the Matrox MXO2 Mini ($450 US @ B&H). It _might_ be able to capture a GH2's live HDMI output, and it's available for use with laptop & desktop computers, but of course it needs be tested for compatibility:
http://www.matrox.com/video/en/products/mac/mxo2_family/mxo2_mini/
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/618347-REG/Matrox_MXO2_MINI_L.html

... and also the portable recorders like Ninja, KiPro Mini, nanoFlash, etc. etc.
 
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Emanuel said:
LOL Michael, word. You are not the only one ;-)

EDIT -- But it does seem I will have to buy one myself with japanese interface :-( in order to test it. I'd even appreciate to buy at least two or four for once with close manufacturing, so I practically come here in a single daily basis just waiting for :-)

Greetings from Rome,
E. :-)
Click to expand...

Emanuel, I figured I couldn't be the only one perplexed.... Rome- Nice! :-)

pappas
http://www.facebook.com/PappasArts
http://www.pbase.com/Arrfilms
 
roei z said:
i have HD extreme at work.. not the 3D
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Just an FYI: I noticed on page 15 of the Decklink HD Extreme user manual it says:

"Setting Blackmagic Preferences:
Progressive HD1080 video:
By default, progressive HD1080 video frame rates are treated as progressive segmented frame, ie 23.98PsF, 24PsF and 25PsF. If you enable "Use 1080p not 1080PsF" progressive HD 1080 video frame rates will be treated as true progressive, ie 23.98p, 24p and 25p."

With your GH2 I believe you want to set the Decklink card to "Use 1080p not 1080PsF". As previously mention, insure also that the latest Black Magic/Decklink software drivers are installed.

Decklink HD Exteme documentation PDF files can be downloaded from:
http://www.decklink.com/support/documentation/

Good luck!
 
Peter J. DeCrescenzo said:
Just an FYI: I noticed on page 15 of the Decklink HD Extreme user manual it says:

"Setting Blackmagic Preferences:
Progressive HD1080 video:
By default, progressive HD1080 video frame rates are treated as progressive segmented frame, ie 23.98PsF, 24PsF and 25PsF. If you enable "Use 1080p not 1080PsF" progressive HD 1080 video frame rates will be treated as true progressive, ie 23.98p, 24p and 25p."

With your GH2 I believe you want to set the Decklink card to "Use 1080p not 1080PsF". As previously mention, insure also that the latest Black Magic/Decklink software drivers are installed.

Decklink HD Exteme documentation PDF files can be downloaded from:
http://www.decklink.com/support/documentation/

Good luck!
Click to expand...

good info- thanks!
tomorrow i must get it over with.
 
So nostalgic is the best for the overall image storage, but it messes w/ the colors.
I took the nostalgic vs. smooth images into the color suite to see if I could match.
My findings are that there may be hope to this:
The answer may lie in the saturation and fine tuning WB settings.
If someone has a gh1 or 2, could you test out these changes -
With nostalgic, increase saturation, perhaps +1 or +2.
In the white balance fine tuning feature, slide it a bit towards the blue side.
Film and compare to smooth. (don't worry about luminance differences, but the color - in particular, blues and the sky)
 
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