GH2 Hacks and Burnt Pixels...

B

Brandon Freeman

Well-known member
Hey guys!

So, I've been loving my GH2 when using a 176mbs hack. Unfortunately this morning I discovered my biggest fear: burnt pixels. There are actually several, four or five. Now, I have After Effects, so it's easy enough to fix with the Simple Wire Removal plugin, but I'm still considering sending it in for repair.

My question is... if I were to do that, would I have voided my warranty by using the hack? Should I just forget about sending it in? Thanks for any input you guys might have.
 
Just restore it to its default settings then send it in to Panasonic then prepare to wait at least a few months to get it back.
 
Why it was your biggest fear? is this happening to a lot of people doing the hack? cause this is the first post that I've seen so far...
 
bad luck. I doubt it was caused by the hack. Just usual crap lcds of the modern world. You could always try massaging the pixel to mark it flip back to color. You could google that and see if it's appropriate for your issue.
 
It's my biggest fear with less than $2,000 cameras in general, not anything specific to this camera (I've dealt with burnt pixels on my 7D as well). And it's not really a fear, more an annoyance. :) After Effects' Wire Removal plug-in is a beautiful thing for this... Not sure I want to wait months for the repair when that works just fine. Nonetheless it is a bummer that my unit, not even a month in my possession yet, has turned up with several dead pixels at ISO levels of 640 and above. But, hey, I paid what again? :)
 
Actually my GH2 died 1 week after installing the latest hack (high ISO). I cannot turn it on again, it won't power up. Not shure of course if it is really related to the hack. But it would be interesting if other report similar things.
 
@GMC
I have 3 GH2. The last one I bought died 3 days later without any hacking.
The other 2 with the hack is still kicking after a year :)
 
I hate to pipe up here at the risk of offending, but seriously? There's a reason it's called a "hack". I would say, on principle, if you choose to use a hack, then you void the warranty. Is it possible that the problem you're having is totally unrelated to the hack? Possibly, but like everything else, who knows. Installing the hack, having problems, then putting back a factory build on there and trying to pass it off as just another warranty claim isn't fair to Panasonic and the rest of the engineering team who released the product certified to work under the parameters they deem to have passed muster in the test labs.

Just to be clear, I have no beef with anyone hacking a GH2, but just own up to the risk you're taking and have fun with the capabilities you're able to unleash, but don't come crying to Panasonic if you start having problems.
 
@azonicbruce - On principle, I call BS. There are no cases I'm aware of of the hack hurting the camera. In what way can you imagine the hack having hurt pixels in this guys GH2?? How about a little brotherhood of man, bro? Panasonic either will or won't fix it, no reason to pile on this guys bad fortune. Panny delivered many lemon GH1s (excessive banding, etc), and so maybe they're lowering standards on the GH2 now too. Who knows.
 
Cosimo Bullo said:
@azonicbruce - On principle, I call BS. There are no cases I'm aware of of the hack hurting the camera. In what way can you imagine the hack having hurt pixels in this guys GH2?? How about a little brotherhood of man, bro? Panasonic either will or won't fix it, no reason to pile on this guys bad fortune. Panny delivered many lemon GH1s (excessive banding, etc), and so maybe they're lowering standards on the GH2 now too. Who knows.
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My intention was and is not to offend, but apparently it comes across that way. Look, I'm not piling on the OP's bad fortune. I think he should do exactly as you stated. Send it in. Panasonic will either fix it or not. If they deem the warranty is void because of the hack, then so be it. If the problem is related to quality issues, then Panasonic should take responsibility and stand behind their product, based off what they specified and its intended performance. This is key.

I'm not an electrical engineer, but I am a design engineer (hence my defense for engineering teams), so my only guess as to how the hack could possibly adversely affect the camera is primarily heat. Higher data-rates and throughput probably puts more stress on the electronic components. Again, I don't know for certain, but we also don't know for certain if there are conclusive cases that have determined what if any adverse effects the hack has on performance, reliability, and lifespan.

Where's the Panasonic rep when you need them :)
 
Cosimo Bullo said:
@azonicbruce - On principle, I call BS. There are no cases I'm aware of of the hack hurting the camera. In what way can you imagine the hack having hurt pixels in this guys GH2?? How about a little brotherhood of man, bro? Panasonic either will or won't fix it, no reason to pile on this guys bad fortune. Panny delivered many lemon GH1s (excessive banding, etc), and so maybe they're lowering standards on the GH2 now too. Who knows.
Click to expand...




To be fair to azonicbruce, the hack is now out of control (imo)

The GH1 was a problem that cried out for a solution - and the relatively modest increases in bitrate transformed the camera.

The GH2, hack, otoh, seems to be more of a solution in search of a problem - and that solution seems to be getting more extreme by the week.

Crazy bitrates, GOP1, changing every parameter they can get their hands on - and for what? Frankly, the footage all seems pretty much the same, and certainly not the startling difference of the hacked GH1 to a stock GH1.

For my money, I've yet to see any GH2 footage that betters Andrew's 'Longshan's People', done with an early GH1 hack.

I daresay that you *could*, if you invested enough time and money, make a 50cc engine do 300mph - but it would oly do it once.

Likewise, the next few months might start producing an awful lot of GH2's that have simply been pushed beynd their limits and have given up in despair and died. :cheesy:
 
Well, I disagree. I shot plenty with the stock GH2, and I've shot plenty with a 66mbps hack, and for my money, I do see a difference. Out of the camera, I don't notice it much, but when I get into the grade, I can appreciate the huge drop in macro blocking when I'm pushing the shadows around.

Granted, I think the hack becomes less and less "visible" the further you push it... diminishing returns and all. But I've seen a very real difference in the macro blocking I see in the shadows. To me, that's worth it.

Not to mention 30 minute removal, ability to use high ISO's, MUCH improved 720p, and hopefully customizable picture profiles in the future.

I'm sure there are those people who are pushing the codec just to see how far they can push it... but I think there are a lot of regular users out there who appreciate the hack for the real world improvement it brings.
 
That's always my argument against the 5Ds If your GH2 breaks, just buy a new one and you're still under the 5D sale price.
 
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