What am I doing wrong? Teach me!

Azmyth

Azmyth

Veteran
I'm on my 4th set of tests with the GH1 and I'm not sure what i am doing wrong. I cannot seem to figure out how to avoid this banding. I've tried to make sure its properly exposed by using the meter, and the histogram and either I'm not doing it right or something. I'm setting my GH1 up next to my Canon HV40 and shooting the same "lit" scenes as it, and the HV40 is crushing my GH1 right now just because of the banding. I'm shooting at 200 or 400 ISO most of the time, with 60 shutter speed and a Canon 1.8f 50mm lens, with the iris all the way open. Is there something else I need to be doing. I've seen tons of amazing stuff with the camera, but usually all of it is so small on the web, that if there is any banding in it.. you can't see it. I'm shooting things to put them on a big screen or at least an HDTV and the banding is appaling. Last night, EVERYTHING I shot is plagued with it. And I can't seem to figure out what it is thats causing it. I read that being 2 stops underexposed would do it, but that doesn't seem to be it either.

Here's a screenshot. I need some help before this camera gets sold. :(

263vnm9.jpg
 
There's noting wrong. That's low quality compression. And why people were very pleased to get hacked versions of the camera.
 
Make sure you have the absolute latest version of VLC player. Previous versions have real problems playing back mts files correctly. Or try evaluating footage on an HDTV using HDMI cable and camera to play back.

This is unlikely to be the real problem, but just thought I would point it out.
 
NPrincen said:
Make sure you have the absolute latest version of VLC player. Previous versions have real problems playing back mts files correctly. Or try evaluating footage on an HDTV using HDMI cable and camera to play back.

This is unlikely to be the real problem, but just thought I would point it out.
Click to expand...



As far as players go - Media Player Home Cinema is good, especially if you use the CoreAVC codec.

However, 'Splash' player is currently the best one that I know about - you'll need the $20 version to get all the features - but it's silky smooth and has some good colour/detail controls.

Unless anyone knows of anything better? (not VLC - I've never liked it)
 
Its like this on every player and on my HDTV.. and the camera is hacked with C settings, so.. I'm still lost.

I only posted the cap in VLC because windows media player classic won't screencapture for some reason.
 
I found that I got banding sometimes at any iso over 400... but then I doscovered pixel refresh in the menu and I use it and sensor clean 5 times before I do a high iso shoot, and I have completely got rid of bands....



This is the kit lens at 1250 iso with only a 60 watt bulb:



No banding anywhere to be seen... although youtube compression did not fair as well on this as some of my other projects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbVeZEX5zwo&fmt=37
 
I don't want to be the guy, and don't take too much offense because I don't know how else to say this, but maybe you'll want to get back to one of the many other threads you started looking for help and actually interact on them or say "thanks, that helped a lot". It's no fun helping a ghost or left wondering if our suggestions helped you on those particular issues. You might also want to consolidate the issues you're having to a single thread so it's not all over the place. Makes it a bit easier to trace things and it's more interesting to actually interact. Just my opinion on you overcoming these camera issues; getting off the soapbox now.

OK, is it just me or are you noticing a lot of horizontal pixelation as well. Look at the immediate fall-off from the practical lamp and the offscreen character's fingers.
 
vcassel said:
I don't want to be the guy, and don't take too much offense because I don't know how else to say this, but maybe you'll want to get back to one of the many other threads you started looking for help and actually interact on them or say "thanks, that helped a lot". It's no fun helping a ghost or left wondering if our suggestions helped you on those particular issues. You might also want to consolidate the issues you're having to a single thread so it's not all over the place. Makes it a bit easier to trace things and it's more interesting to actually interact. Just my opinion on you overcoming these camera issues; getting off the soapbox now.

OK, is it just me or are you noticing a lot of horizontal pixelation as well. Look at the immediate fall-off from the practical lamp and the offscreen character's fingers.
Click to expand...

I just never got around to saying it on the other thread your talking about.

This is a totally different issue, and thats why I made a new thread. I'm not disagreeing with you.
 
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Blackout said:
I found that I got banding sometimes at any iso over 400... but then I doscovered pixel refresh in the menu and I use it and sensor clean 5 times before I do a high iso shoot, and I have completely got rid of bands....



This is the kit lens at 1250 iso with only a 60 watt bulb:



No banding anywhere to be seen... although youtube compression did not fair as well on this as some of my other projects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbVeZEX5zwo&fmt=37
Click to expand...

I could understand if I was shooting at high ISO's but I'm shooting well lit scenes, at 200 ISO or less. The highest being 400. This is with production lighting.
 
Azmyth said:
I'm gonna go look for these threads to see what your getting at.
Click to expand...

Not really interested in throwing any of your threads in your face - that's not really what I was getting at. I would like to know if you found this helpful and what conclusions you came to on the only thread I tried to help you on - http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?p=2079644#post2079644 - before I try to do so again. Just want a bit of communal back and forth is all :happy:
 
vcassel said:
Not really interested in throwing any of your threads in your face - that's not really what I was getting at. I would like to know if you found this helpful and what conclusions you came to on the only thread I tried to help you on - http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?p=2079644#post2079644 - before I try to do so again. Just want a bit of communal back and forth is all :happy:
Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't even think I got to read much of that before it was buried. I did get to read the wiki article but again alot of it is "greek" to me. I'm starting to understand though, so yes it was helpful. I apologize for not replying as such. I'm actually fairly busy shooting a feature film right now on a different camera, so sometimes I don't get that much time to respond like I'd like to. I was supposed to be shooting a short for thrillfest, but if I can't get these issues ironed out with it I won't be doing so and I will be getting rid of the camera for a different option. :(

I called myself researching thoroughly before buying it. I know they all have issues, but I have not seen anyone complaining about the vertical banding on the canon cameras like they have with this GH1..

I am one of those people who doesn't shoot anything without proper lighting, but its almost like even lighting it properly doesn't get rid of it.
 
vcassel said:
Did you try the leaving-the-cam-on-at-1600-ISO-with-the-lens-cap-on trick?
Click to expand...

not yet because I read from different sources that it works or it doesn't work.. I will definitely try that though before getting rid of the camera.. thanks!
 
How much light did you have? Can you put this in perspective. If that's wide open with an f/1.8 lens @ ISO 400 there can't be much light because it's still sort of under exposed. Anyway, one quick trick for getting some more light if your scene doesn't have too much movement in it, if you're shooting 24p is to change the shutter to 1/30th. Gain a whole stop.
 
we were in a small libraryish type room. The lighting was the room lighting over head, and 2 400 watt CFL's in softboxes, and that practical lamp.

The HV40 footage looks great in these conditions. The GH1.. at 100, 200, 400 iso.. all had banding. (I was changing the ISO each take to see if it made a difference.)I also tried.. 30, 40, 50, 60 shutter speeds.. all had banding. I shot everything wide open.
 
Here's another cap.. same lens, 200 ISO lighting was the same two softboxes, and an extra 500w tungsten a good distance away, and a smalll street light. The meter said I was underexposed. I don't see any banding here.

5my25i.jpg
 
wow I definitely see it very strong all over in that last vid. What ISO was that at? I'll be honest I've never heard of it being that strong you might just have a dud/lemon for a camera. I would strongly recommend renting or just getting someone from DVX to let you shoot with theirs for a few minutes/hours, find someone local in your area etc and see if theirs is better then perhaps return or exchange/sell your camera because I've never seen it that obvious before. I wonder if GH1 doesn't respond well to flourescent lighting or something since you said you used CFL softboxes
 
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