Tag Archives: Vitaliy Kiselev

Updated 42 Mbps Panasonic GH2 PTool v3.62d Patch Visual Instructions

By Thorsten | Published August 18, 2011

UPDATE August 22,2011: I have had great stable results with the 56Mbps patch setting for 1080/24p and also 720/60p. Auto Quantizer Details set to 4-All to Details for 1080/24p and 720/60p. Patch is not stable in 1080/60i, don’t even try it :) Hopefully we will have a fix for this soon.

I think we may have a solid Canon EOS 5D MK2 video rival on our hands with the newly released Panasonic GH2 PTool v3.62d patch by Vitaliy Kiselev and Chris Brandin. For still images the much larger Canon sensor is still clearly superior. Your donations helped make this incredible new version possible, so please keep the donation pool flowing. This update took only a couple of weeks to release…donations do help  :)

Reader Lars in Berlin, kindly informed me of the new patch release, and I quickly had to try it out today. Yes, everything works as promised and PTool v3.62d is completely stable on my NTSC GH2 using the 42Mbps patch for 1080/24p and 720/60p with the 14-140mm lens and Sandisk Extreme Pro 45MB/sec card. I shot for 30 minutes in 1080/24p and 720/60p, zooming in and out on the family cat and other moving targets, at all the GH2 native ISO’s of 160, 320, 640, 1250, and 2500. Shutter speeds were the standard 180 degree shutter or 1/50th and 1/125 as it is commonly referred to in cinema circles.

Lars just post this very delicious 42Mbps short film. Very well done :)

Here is a particular lovely video shot by mpgxsvcd using the GH2 42Mbps patch. Be sure to download the original 1080/24p file, it looks superb.

My custom gamma setting for maximum video dynamic range are the “smooth” setting with the additional -2, -2, -2, -2 in the drop down menu, GH2 folks know what I mean ;)

OK, what is so fabulous and new with the latest PTool v3.62d patch? First off, the video quality in the shadow regions is now just stellar. My quick test demonstrated that ISO 1250 looks better than ISO 160 in the default Panasonic factory firmware. The little “blip” we saw in the first second of video in the previous 42Mbps PTool v3.61d patch is now fixed :)

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Panasonic GH2 42Mbps Firmware Patch Instructions

By Thorsten | Published July 29, 2011

UPDATE: PTool v3.62d Firmware Screenshots and Visual Instructions. Please refer to the new article for updated STEPS 4. Link will open in a new tab for easy comparisons. The new PTool v3.62d adds much better shadow detail and fixes the “blip” or hiccup in the first second of video and is super stable :) Steps 5-10 below still apply.

Simple instructions with visual aids for applying the Panasonic GH2 42Mbps firmware hack. This firmware hack changes the default Cinema 1080/24p bitrate from 24Mbps to a staggering 42Mbps. The firmware hack, developed by Vitaliy Kiselev, can be found on his personal website. Consider making a small donation to Vitaliy on his website, he spent the last 6 months creating this fabulous firmware update and is generously providing it for free. Damn near Canon 5DMK2 video quality for a fraction of the price.

This firmware hack is not for everyone, especially if you are not technically inclined….be warned. While I wrote these super simplified instructions, please do not ask me for tech support, all you will hear is chirping crickets from me, not trying to be rude….just sayin’ :) Tech support can be found on Vitaliy’s site, he wrote the software and knows it best.

FAQ regarding the 42Mbps firmware hack

  • Best uses for indy film videographers and video enthusiasts
  • This works for the Panasonic GH2 only…period!
  • Is it stable…yes. I have shot over 4 hours of video with zero issues
  • Will it “brick” my GH2, not if you follow the directions very carefully :)
  • Can I return to the default firmware version…sure, just uncheck the boxes in the patch and your back to default settings
  • Will my cheap ass class 2, 4 or 6 card work? Eh, why risk frustration and lost footage, I recommend a good Class 10 card, they start at $27
  • How many gigs do I need? My 16gig card holds 48 minutes of 42Mbps footage. Before the hack, the same card held 1 hour and 30 minutes. So the 42Mbps uses about 50% more space for the same shooting time. This is a good thing folks….nice clean video like the Canon 5DMK2 which shoots at 39-45 Mbps!
  • How does the video look? At 3200 ISO I see zero grain and noise in the shadows, looks like it was shot at 160 ISO.
  • This works on NTSC & PAL versions of the GH2. However, the PAL version of the GH2 will remove the 30 minute recording time limit :) . The only drawback for our European friends is that they loose 25p. PAL cameras will shoot 1080/24p….not 1080/25p. Vitaliy will update this and other features in future releases…so make a donation :)
  • I only post stable releases that I have personally tested and verified for commercial video shooting and paid shooting gigs.

OK,  all aboard, lets go! Continue reading »

Posted in Panasonic GH2 | Also tagged , , , , 36 Comments