GH3 GH3 recording limit
- Thread starter Zim
- Start date
Fran Guidry
Active member
If you drop the files on your editor timeline do you experience gaps? In my experience the files span perfectly without a single dropped frame. So there's no need to plan your shots to match the limit you're experiencing.
What format are you shooting? The limit is due to file size, so the 72 Mbps or 50 Mbps codecs create files that are shorter in time compared to the 24 or 28 Mbps MTS files.
The utility software mentioned above is PhotoFunStudio that was included with the camera.
Fran
What format are you shooting? The limit is due to file size, so the 72 Mbps or 50 Mbps codecs create files that are shorter in time compared to the 24 or 28 Mbps MTS files.
The utility software mentioned above is PhotoFunStudio that was included with the camera.
Fran
It's actually Mac users we have to 'thank' for this little bit of asinine design. Sony and Panasonic, the developers of the AVCHD format, wanted to keep Mac compatibility, which can't natively read and write to the superior NTFS format so they went with the least common denominator, FAT32.
M. Gilden
Canon DSLR Moderator
Zim- understand that this is actually how the AVCHD codec is SUPPOSED to work! Did you wonder why the MTS files are buried in all those pesky sub-directories? The reason is more-or-less because they don't want you to just copy those out- they are split to work around a limitation in storage card media, and the idea is that any editing software will know how to import and stitch it back together properly. Those other directories contain metadata that will inform the editor which files are part of one giant clip and which are independent. Most editors have an import footage function that will read the card and show you the entire recorded clips (instead of individual mts files), but if you just copy the little files out without the directory structure, you might lose that metadata! That's one of the reasons they are buried in a directory marked "private"- by going in directly, you are circumventing (and making more complicated) a system that was put in place to make this whole process transparent!
...I can't tell you how many editors make this mistake. Canon DSLRs spoiled a lot of people by stopping at the recording limit and just throwing nice, tidy files capped at 4GB in the same directory as the photos. In order to span, you have to treat this footage like the days of working with tape. Don't just copy out the MTS files. Pretend you are still using tape and use the import functions of your editor, and everything will be peachy.
...I can't tell you how many editors make this mistake. Canon DSLRs spoiled a lot of people by stopping at the recording limit and just throwing nice, tidy files capped at 4GB in the same directory as the photos. In order to span, you have to treat this footage like the days of working with tape. Don't just copy out the MTS files. Pretend you are still using tape and use the import functions of your editor, and everything will be peachy.
Zim
Veteran
I tried dropping the files into the timeline and yes it seems to work. I knew you could record continuously but didn't know it did this. First time I'm using the GH3 for longer interviews for a film. Good to know. I did look in the manual and on page 25 it says "though a MOV motion picture can be recorded continuously without pause when its fils size exceeds 4GB, the recorded content is played back with multiple files" Not a big deal but glad I found out . Thanks
DVXSanDiego
Well-known member
Remember, this is not a GH3 problem, though - it comes down to software really. I use the GH2s and GH3s for event videos and they run for hours, recording AVCHD. I end up with single files by importing them in Sony Vegas Pro, which stitches the smaller files together on import. I've found they can be imported, after the Vegas import, into Premiere Pro and FCPX. Whatever Vegas does on its import seems to be permanent.
Sadly, I can't recommend using Vegas for edit though, given that versions 10, 11, and 12 crash constantly. Software engineers at Sony say that version 13, coming out this month, mostly addresses stability issues. We will see.... I'll try the 30-day free trial before purchasing...
Sadly, I can't recommend using Vegas for edit though, given that versions 10, 11, and 12 crash constantly. Software engineers at Sony say that version 13, coming out this month, mostly addresses stability issues. We will see.... I'll try the 30-day free trial before purchasing...
Vegas Pro 12 crashes on one of my computers (first gen i7 quad core), but Vegas Pro 9/10/11/12 are completely solid on my other i7 computers. Vegas is definitely picky about the hardware you use.
...And Vegas Pro 13 will be out by the end of this month.
DVXSanDiego
Well-known member
Vegas Pro 13
Vegas Pro 13
Yes - I'll be curious to try VP 13, as a 30-day trial. Hopefully it will be the first stable in years - fingers crossed. Nothing beats the speed and audio tools of Vegas Pro - this coming from a die-hard Apple fanatic who also runs FCPS, FCPX, and Adobe CC.
Vegas Pro 13
Yes - I'll be curious to try VP 13, as a 30-day trial. Hopefully it will be the first stable in years - fingers crossed. Nothing beats the speed and audio tools of Vegas Pro - this coming from a die-hard Apple fanatic who also runs FCPS, FCPX, and Adobe CC.
PegLeg Media
Well-known member
does it matter? I film 1+ hour long presentations every week and yes it breaks up the files once they pass 4 gigs but I just drag them into the timeline and it plays all the way through the presentation perfectly. If I make any changes i can copy and paste them to the other files in a matter of seconds, or you can highlight all the clips in the timeline and turn them into one clip. So really this does nothing but add about 20 seconds of work for every hour presentation you film.
...I've also found that a complete new re-install of Windows can totally stabilize what I thought was flaky software/hardware. I try and do a complete Windows re-install every 18 months or less. Win 7 has been very good, but it still "falls apart" over time like every other copy of Windows I've used.
DVXSanDiego
Well-known member
M. Gilden
Canon DSLR Moderator
I also really enjoy using Vegas. I've avoided versions past 10 because of stability complaints, but I've been using them alongside my Adobe suite since VP5, and I've thankfully never had a more rock solid experience editing. I wonder what happened to their later versions- for now, I'm happy enough to get by with version 9 for most speed edits. Anything more complex (or collab projects) I'll hop over to CS.
But that's neither here nor there- the reason Vegas' importing "Fixes" the file, is because it does exactly what logged footage is supposed to do, namely find the individual files that were spanned and stitch them together upon import. It doesn't re-encode or anything like that, rather it just copies the stream, byte by byte, into one file. The end result is something that is universally compatible and easy to archive/keep track of. The idea is that this should be transparent to the user, and you'd never know that there were little broken up files in the first place!
But that's neither here nor there- the reason Vegas' importing "Fixes" the file, is because it does exactly what logged footage is supposed to do, namely find the individual files that were spanned and stitch them together upon import. It doesn't re-encode or anything like that, rather it just copies the stream, byte by byte, into one file. The end result is something that is universally compatible and easy to archive/keep track of. The idea is that this should be transparent to the user, and you'd never know that there were little broken up files in the first place!
GPU acceleration is the main stability problem, but with the right hardware build and GPU drivers Vegas 1x is quite solid. For some people, the quick fix is to simply turn off Vegas GPU acceleration, which lowers performance, but it does get rid of many stability problems.
Zim
Veteran
I tried putting them in the timeline after Fran ask me. Yes it works. I couldn't tell it was different clips. Most of the time I wouldn't go that long but I was interviewing a WWII vet and was letting it run. It wouldn't be a big deal to stop for a second between question either.