GH2 Timelapse (Video mode)

Ben_B

Ben_B

Veteran

Video-mode timelapse (1/2 second shutter) I shot before the eclipse. Clouds got too thick during. Lumix 20mm f/1.7, GH2. No color grading or other post work, other than a speedup from 15 min to 30 seconds (after effects with simple time remapping, original MTS file then exported to PNG sequence, converted to ProRes, back out to H.264 for web.)
 
Did you use the 300% variable frame rate + speed up the 15mins to 30secs? I currently have 300% set to 24H, and think it looks great.
 
DanDOF said:
Did you use the 300% variable frame rate + speed up the 15mins to 30secs? I currently have 300% set to 24H, and think it looks great.
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Nope, I used a 1/2 second shutter which means its really only recording 2FPS which means (in a long-GOP codec) you can go for a good long while.
 
peterwphoto said:
this is brilliant.

kind of makes up for not having an intervelometer or whatever its called.
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Yeah, I don't have an intervalometer so this worked out great. I am glad they allowed slow shutter speeds in 1080p on GH2. on Gh1 it was only 720p and was added in a firmware update by Panny. I still wish they were available in other exposure modes (only works in M) so timelapses could adjust their own exposures for things like sunrises, etc..but I understand why they didn't enable that...would screw people up shooting video on auto.
 
How?

How?

So... how exactly do you get to 1/2 second shutter? My GH2 only seems to let me go to 1/25 shutter... I am in Creative Motion Picture mode, exposure mode "M". Am I overlooking something?
 
Ben_B said:
Nope, I used a 1/2 second shutter which means its really only recording 2FPS which means (in a long-GOP codec) you can go for a good long while.
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Wow, that's awesome to know. When I had the GH1, I noticed if I accidentally slipped below 1/60 shutter, my framerate dropped, but I didn't realize I could drop the framerate this low. Is there a unique framerate for every low shutter speed, and is 2fps as low as it gets?
 
Griffinity said:
Wow, that's awesome to know. When I had the GH1, I noticed if I accidentally slipped below 1/60 shutter, my framerate dropped, but I didn't realize I could drop the framerate this low. Is there a unique framerate for every low shutter speed, and is 2fps as low as it gets?
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1/15th would mean 15 FPS, etc. Yeah. So 1/2 second shutter means 2FPS. The camera is still recording 24FPS but because the codec only records data that is different frame to frame you basically only write two frames per second. If you convert it to an I-frame codec on your computer (for editing in FCP for example) it will get huge. In post I usually keep my timelapses in Long-GOP form until they're sped up for this reason.
 
Ben_B said:
1/15th would mean 15 FPS, etc. Yeah. So 1/2 second shutter means 2FPS. The camera is still recording 24FPS but because the codec only records data that is different frame to frame you basically only write two frames per second. If you convert it to an I-frame codec on your computer (for editing in FCP for example) it will get huge. In post I usually keep my timelapses in Long-GOP form until they're sped up for this reason.
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wait wait....you mean you edit the original .mts file? with AE ? on mac OSX ? am I understanding right? then export to .png ( photoshop?) and with what convert to prores? I never heard/thought of that!
Which softw. can edit original .mts files on mac???
I knew of the lower shutter speeds in MF on GH1 but the GH2 now can go even lower than 2 ? what does it show= 0.5 ?
 
After Effects and Premiere both do it. On mac you can just export it straight to ProRes from After Effects after speed-up. Or, you can use Clipwrap ($50) to rewrap the MTS files to H.264 MOV files and bring that into final cut. Or if you're crossing platforms (for example edit in FCP on a mac but have a fast PC tower because they're cheaper) you can bring it into AE on PC and export to PNG sequence, then convert that to ProRes on mac. I also think Adobe Media Encoder might be able to do a timeremap but I am not sure...if it can you can just convert the MTS to ProRes and have it remap the time.
 
It appears that on 300% variable speed setting the lowest capture rate is 1/8 of a second?

Do you have to be on manual focus?
 
it is better to be in manual focus. but it depends what you shot and how you want it to look like.
and yes. capture rate is about 7,9933333 frames per second.

I only shot this way though because of the situation. Lots of people. No time to set up everything. No permit.

Otherwise i would have used a intervalometer. just more freedom of choice that way.
 
Ben_B said:
After Effects and Premiere both do it. On mac you can just export it straight to ProRes from After Effects after speed-up. Or, you can use Clipwrap ($50) to rewrap the MTS files to H.264 MOV files and bring that into final cut. Or if you're crossing platforms (for example edit in FCP on a mac but have a fast PC tower because they're cheaper) you can bring it into AE on PC and export to PNG sequence, then convert that to ProRes on mac. I also think Adobe Media Encoder might be able to do a timeremap but I am not sure...if it can you can just convert the MTS to ProRes and have it remap the time.
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What version of AE? I tried it with CS3 and not worky....
As soon as I upgrade to CS5 Adobe will probably come out with CS6.
 
Nice video. I also make time-lapses, but I have bought the Pixel TC-252 intervalometer. It is quite cheap and good. In the video below, I took one picture every 1o seconds, and then made the video at 20 frames per second. I have used an old canon 50mm fd lens.

 
I did try this with my GH2 in 24p and was shooting just for fun some minutes with 1/2 shutter speeds, trying to capture the moon aswell. But there was need for quiete high ISO, around 2500 with 1.8, so the quality isnt really good. Wonder what ISO was used on the moon video. Will try to render a part of it and see how it looks like.

edit: was stuttering a lot until I did find out that i missed the compression hehe, works now.
 
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