Hacking the GH1 to record RAW???
- Thread starter dan_aka_jack
- Start date
pix2pixels
Well-known member
I am afraid that while activating the HDMI output during recording, the EVF or the LCD display will go, as it happens with other combocams.
I'd love to see a better NLE friendly codec with less artifacts and decent transcoding time.
Ideally, RAW recording with good wavelet compression like RED or Cineform.
I'd love to see a better NLE friendly codec with less artifacts and decent transcoding time.
Ideally, RAW recording with good wavelet compression like RED or Cineform.
Peter J. DeCrescenzo
Veteran
It's been discussed here & elsewhere for weeks that the GH1 only outputs HDMI during playback, and composite video only during preview & playback. No video is output from a GH1 when it's in record mode.
See also:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=173291
Dan Hudgins
Well-known member
Free solution to developing RAW Footage
Free solution to developing RAW Footage
With regard to the RAW development issue, I have a free solution to developing RAW footage, both Bayer data and non-white balanced image data at sensor native saturation and white balance on my Web site now in file DANCINEC.ZIP (tm).
DANCINEC.EXE (tm) can be run on MAC if you have windows installed and runs up to Windows 7 64bit Pro (tm) as far as I know on PC, and down to Windows ME (tm).
If you record the RAW sensor data there are some problems if it is only 8bit H.264 like compression. The native sensor balance is very low color saturation and if you convert the linear 12bit or 14bit sensor data to 8bit format the contrast would be very low. When the footage is graded up in contrast and saturation the histogram gaps will enlarge quite a bit and the block artifacts will increase in prominence.
When you increase the color saturation with the needed chroma matrix to compensate for the low color saturation of the native sensor saturation you will increase color fringe artifacts that may look a bit like chroma moire due to the compression making small un-evenness in the red-green-blue color planes.
If the camera could be hacked to save the image at a higher bit depth with a lower level of compression you could get closer to the results of a wavelet compressed RAW camera, but the only way to eliminate the color artifacts is to do one of two things,
1) Record uncompressed using bypass of the internal image processing to save the sensor ADC values through the HDMI or a hardware hack direct to the sensor pins.
2) Do all the color correction and grading in the camera's circuits BEFORE compression as the GH2 was intended to be used.
Even just making the 8 bit data low contrast for Cineon (tm) Log-C while still being white balanced is not such a great idea since when you grade the contrast and saturation higher you are still going to get histogram gaps and color artifacts along with more prominent block artifacts.
You can see some examples of 12bit linear RAW recording converted through my de-Bayer program on my Vimeo page now, shot with the KineRAW-S8p (tm) camera. If you have any questions about processing RAW footage from any camera, Bayer or 3-Chip, or anything else feel free to contact me by email with 'RAW camera support' in the subject line, my programs may already do what is needed, or I can look into what additional code could be added to get things working well.
Free solution to developing RAW Footage
With regard to the RAW development issue, I have a free solution to developing RAW footage, both Bayer data and non-white balanced image data at sensor native saturation and white balance on my Web site now in file DANCINEC.ZIP (tm).
DANCINEC.EXE (tm) can be run on MAC if you have windows installed and runs up to Windows 7 64bit Pro (tm) as far as I know on PC, and down to Windows ME (tm).
If you record the RAW sensor data there are some problems if it is only 8bit H.264 like compression. The native sensor balance is very low color saturation and if you convert the linear 12bit or 14bit sensor data to 8bit format the contrast would be very low. When the footage is graded up in contrast and saturation the histogram gaps will enlarge quite a bit and the block artifacts will increase in prominence.
When you increase the color saturation with the needed chroma matrix to compensate for the low color saturation of the native sensor saturation you will increase color fringe artifacts that may look a bit like chroma moire due to the compression making small un-evenness in the red-green-blue color planes.
If the camera could be hacked to save the image at a higher bit depth with a lower level of compression you could get closer to the results of a wavelet compressed RAW camera, but the only way to eliminate the color artifacts is to do one of two things,
1) Record uncompressed using bypass of the internal image processing to save the sensor ADC values through the HDMI or a hardware hack direct to the sensor pins.
2) Do all the color correction and grading in the camera's circuits BEFORE compression as the GH2 was intended to be used.
Even just making the 8 bit data low contrast for Cineon (tm) Log-C while still being white balanced is not such a great idea since when you grade the contrast and saturation higher you are still going to get histogram gaps and color artifacts along with more prominent block artifacts.
You can see some examples of 12bit linear RAW recording converted through my de-Bayer program on my Vimeo page now, shot with the KineRAW-S8p (tm) camera. If you have any questions about processing RAW footage from any camera, Bayer or 3-Chip, or anything else feel free to contact me by email with 'RAW camera support' in the subject line, my programs may already do what is needed, or I can look into what additional code could be added to get things working well.