Panasonic GH2 Cinegraph 1080/24p
The Panasonic GH2 is the ultimate light-weight travel camera for pro quality images and hacked 42Mbps AVCHD video. I gave the GH2 a solid workout for 7 days shooting both video and stills. All video was shot at 1080/24p and the stills were shot in RAW, later to be stitched together for 34MP-46MP panoramas. Read on for details of the images and video created below. The video section has several great tips that apply not just to the Panasonic GH2, but to all HD video DSLR’s.
In the past, my landscape gear included a Nikon D2x or Canon 5DMK2 and several prime lenses, 24mm, 35mm, 60mm, and sometimes even the 85mm. All this gear, when packed into a Lowepro Vertex 200 AW Backpack, easily weighs in at about 25 pounds…..40 pounds with the tripod, ballhead, and panorama L-bracket. A heavy and steady tripod is important for those high scenic overlooks. The wind is always seems so calm in the parking lot 
Gosh, this backpack is almost as heavy as the 4″x5″ view camera I used to schlepp around on vacations between photoschool semesters.
Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park 42MP 9078x4676 Pixels Panasonic GH2
Traveling Light
For this photo/video trip, I decided to travel as light as possible and find out just how well the Panasonic GH2 and the G Vario 14mm-140mm HD zoom lens combination would perform. I still used my trusty 25 year old Bogen 3021 tripod and a newer Cullmann Magnesit 35 Nm ballhead along with a homemade steel L-bracket. The GH2 fit into a tiny Lowepro backpack, complete with memory cards, light meter, microphones, batteries, etc….and just under 6 pounds…and 1/4 the physical size of my DSLR camera backpack. I added a padded strap for the tripod and now I can hike for miles without loosing my breath or mind
Custom Homemade Welded Steel L-Bracket for Multi-Row Panorama Stitches
Panasonic GH2 w/Handgrip Front View
Panasonic GH2 w/Handgrip Bottom View
Pre-Trip Online Research
Several days before the trip, I read up on the reviews for the Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO HD 14-140mm F4.0-5.8 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. reviews. All the reviews concluded that the lens performs at its optical best at f8 and between the zoom settings of 20mm-100mm. For all the trip images, the lens was manually set to f8 for both video and still…set it and forget it philosophy. All still images I shot between 20mm and 50mm using the built-in 2 second timer as my “cable” shutter release. In summary, the lens offers the highest image resolution and least distortion at f/8 and between 20mm and 100mm…simple as that.
Pinnacles Overlook, Badlands National Park 34MP 7402x4639 Pixels Panasonic GH2
Still Images Processing
For still and video exposure I used the GH2′s built-in exposure meter and simply balanced the shutterspeed to fit nicely in the histogram. Leaving plenty of room in the “shadows” and “highlights” so nothing is blocked or blown out. The resulting RAW files were processed in PhaseOne CaptureOne Pro v6.2 for 16bit Prophoto Tif files. Finally, I imported the individual 91MB Tifs into AutoPano Giga to create the large 34MP-46MP panorama stitches. Final exposure adjustments were done using a simple “s-curve” in Photoshop and final image sharpening in NIK Sharpener v3.
In case you are wondering, between 4-6 images are used in each stitch. I overlap images by 25% – 30% when shooting panos. Better to shoot extras and play it safe, one can always delete extra images at home.
Yellow Mounds Overlook, Badlands National Park 46MP 9407x4876 Pixels Panasonic GH2
DSLR Video Technique
Cedar Pass, Badlands National Park 43MP 9122x4710 Pixels Panasonic GH2
For HD video on DSLR’s I use a simple technique. I shoot the GH2 at 1080/24p with a 180 degree shutter setting of 1/50th of a second. This just happens to be the “film” look I like. Other folks may like the “Saving Private Ryan film look” of using a 360 shutter….or 1/25 of a second. Either one works, but 180 shutter or 1/50 second looks more natural for my tastes.
How do we control exposure if the camera is locked in at f/8 and 1080/24p and 1/50th second. Here is a super simple and nifty little trick I learned…the variable neutral density filter. My favorite one is the Light Craft Workshop™ Fader ND adjustable ND filter (ND2~400). Just screw it to the front of your lens and now you have absolutely step-less and infinite exposure control. With a twist of the filter I can dial in perfect exposure instantly…and never have to fiddle with the camera menu or dials. This is easily the best and fastest method for critical exposure control if one can not change the f/stop and/or shutter speeds or cinema shutter when shooting video on a DSLR!
Grass Prairie, Badlands National Park 45MP 9808x4615 Pixels Panasonic GH2
Custom DSLR Settings for Video/Still
Experimenting with different Panasonic GH2 custom settings for video and stills, my best results are with a custom “My Film” setting. Panasonic has a “Smooth Gamma” curve, that I further refine by changing the saturation to -2, the contrast to -2, sharpening to -2, and noise reduction to completely off. Save this as your modified setting to one of the C1, C2, or C3 presets and your done! Shooting video at 1080/24p video with the 42Mbps AVCHD codec looks very similar in quality to that of the Canon 5DMK2. The Canon does produce slightly better video image quality, but the GH2 has ZERO rolling shutter (jello video), full auto-focus during video, a pretty decent audio preamp, 1/2 the price and a few other features that I just love…but escape me as I type.
I use the exact same custom video preset settings for RAW still files as well. Yes I know that RAW files do not actually use the custom settings, but the histogram does display this input. The histogram display influences how we set exposure. I have also found that the RAW files now look very similar when imported into the CaptureOne Pro histogram.
Video Codecs Workflow
My recipe for processing the AVCHD .MTS files is Apple or Mac specific. Simply convert the AVCHD to ProRes422HQ with VoltaicHD and import into Final Cut Pro 7. Apple’s new bastard video stepchild, as it is jokingly referred to, FCPX, will render AVCHD into ProRes 422 automatically. Whatever OS platform you are on, Mac or PC, do yourself a favor and convert to a high-quality low-compression codec for editing. Your computer will thank you and your final video will look all that much better.
Complete article with full instructions for the GH2 42Mbps Firmware Patch.
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7 Comments
Hi, Thorsten. Thanks for sharing your experiences and photography/video tips with the GH2. I was wondering, if for a noobie like myself, you might be able to tutor how to conduct the hack, what dangers or risks there are, if there are any changes to other areas of the camera’s functionality, etc?
I purchased my GH2 last week and would love to apply the hack, but haven’t seen enough detail (through Vitaliy’s site or EOSHD for example) to make me feel comfortable applying it, or understanding a pro/con difference versus the stock firmware. Anyway, I appreciate your time and willingness to listen. Thanks.
Hi Brandon,
The GH2 hack from Vitaly is safe to apply and stable if one changes the 1080/24p settings from 24Mbps to 42Mbps only. The other settings for 720p bitrates are still being tested and we should have more stable results soon. I ONLY use the 42Mbps patch and run the camera in “Cinema 1080/24p” and the “SH Quality” setting in the camera menu.
OK, I will make a tutorial today and post it. Also, keep in mind that this hi-bitrate also uses way more space on the SDHC memory card. My 16GB card fills up after 48 minutes vs.120 minutes. I also recommend a fast and high quality Class 10 SDHC card. Slow cards will fill up the camera buffer and cause “can’t write to your crappy $5 sdhc card” errors.
Pro quality Mbps bitrates require pro quality cards.
Thorsten
Thorsten,
Thank you so much for your quick and thoughtful response. The tutorial assistance (post) would be great for laymen like me. Even just the tips in your reply are reassuring. Thanks so much for this, it would be much appreciated (and I think, a side benefit, something to get others to come see your site). I have a Mac (but with paralells, so I should be okay), but even having the card with the hack, and being able to remove it, then be able to reapply the original firmware information if desired (for whatever reason, stability, etc.), all of that is confusing to me.(Also, it seems you can apply changes to specific areas – such as specifically to video/filmmaking as you suggested), which is so nice. I’ll definitely be checking out more of your tutorials and photography as well.
Looking forward to it.
Brandon
Hi Brandon,
As per your suggestion, I will provide a complete firmware hack and video workflow for the GH2. Yes, we can switch firmware back and forth, but there is very little reason, if any, to do so. We are just affecting the “Cinema 1080/24p” setting and leaving all other functions the same (U.S. NTSC model GH2′s). All other video functions and still functions remain the same.
OK, off to work on the article, it will take most of the day to write and record screen-capture video and images, at least it will be thorough and easy to understand. While my workflow is Mac, everything will apply to Windows users as well.
Thorsten
sorry but the 5d does not even come close the image from the hacked gh2.Not in any category .cant understand why you would say that if you own one .Have you actually shot resolution charts?The only place that would be true is unhacked very low light and only the color gradients would be better.Also there is no need to transcode for editing anymore.put avchd right on the timeline and get to work
Thank you for your comment James.
I do not shoot resolution charts because I feel that chart results have little to do with real life shooting and working conditions. Also, my video content delivery is Vimeo and YouTube embedds, any slight noise differences and resolution quality are only seen in the original footage.
I have compared still image quality between the 5D and the GH2 and the Canon simply has lower noise levels at print resolutions. I use Capture One Pro for RAW conversions.
For transcoding AVCHD I prefer to do it manually because FCPX converts to ProRes422 and I prefer the extra headroom of ProRes422HQ……220 Mbps vs. 145 Mbps. Manual transcoding also allows you to disable the 1.8 to 2.2 gamma adjustment that can occur if RGB material at 2.2 gamma is misinterpreted as 1.8. Again, I base my results on real life situations as myself, and many others, have had similar gamma issues. I just don’t have the time to do things twice, and with a few manual adjustments, the batch processed work files always look great and are ready for color grading and exposure tweaks.
I love the GH2 for situations described in the article above….light weight hiking still panoramas and video. If weight were not an issue I would use a 5DMK2 and prime “L” lenses. If I am shooting video of a moving subject, I prefer the 57Mbps hacked GH2 because of the cameras video autofocus capability. Sitting interviews and non-moving subjects, the 5DMK2 is great.
Audio wise, the GH2 has a built-in preamp that is actually usable with external digital recorders (H4n & DR-100) and external mics. I found in GH2 comparison testing, that the Canon sounded horrible with external mics and H4n or DR-100 plugged in.
I had a shoot with a model standing against a bright window (backlighting). The GH2 with its LCD viewfinder….simply turned her into a silhouette and I was unable to determine if the camera had indeed focused on her. A traditional DSLR with prism and mirror will not do this,
Imagine having a paid shoot and not being fully confident that each image is in focus. I can’t shoot tethered with the GH2 as that feature is not supported in any RAW software that I am aware of.
Today I use the Nikon D7000 because the AF is so fast and accurate. I never could get the 5D to focus this accurately for moving models or lifestyle images. This could be “shutter finger input error” on my part
In summary James, I can certainly understand your views in a controlled lab situation. However, I just don’t shoot in a lab
The real world of photography is about using the right tool for the job. Check out the tech specs of a movie on IMDB and you will find several different camera brands/models are used, depending on what the camera excels at.
Thanks again James and I hope I provided more facts behind the article,
Thorsten
Great post ! I would like to point out that the GH2 does hava rolling shutter (less then 5D: http://www.43rumors.com/5d-and-gh2-rolling-shutter-comparison-slrmagic-and-panasonic-lens-test/.
However it’s moire is almost non existant.
-Nick