Sara

[quote author=Giovassi link=topic=290.msg1878#msg1878 date=1329716774] Very instructive Sara, and the explanation of the Linear Gamma helped me to understand some of my frustrations. I'll do my homework, experimenting also the hacked firmware for the GH2. Thanks for now. [/quote] Ya im still learning too.  My boyfriend works with crews who shoot commercials for Ford and GM using the Alexa - thats how I know about skin tone.  The Alexa is one of the best digital cameras in the world (perhaps the Sony F65 as well) for skin tone.  An actors skin tone is the #1 thing they stress over on set.  It is easy to change the color of a car, wall, sky etc.  But skin....tricky. Another guide that colorists use when working with video is to make sure that skin tone has the right amount of cyan, magenta, and yellow.  There is a rough % balance that leads to pleasing skin tone and these guides are useful for anyone shooting stills or video. [url=http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/93363]http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/93363[/url] My boyfriend used that guide (above) a lot when he shot digital medium format - helped him make a ton of money and close deals other photographers struggled with.  Now his video crews have similar percentages on their macbeth charts for the post production team to understand the tone they are going for.

I personally don't agree that the skin tone on the Canon (any model) is superior to the GH2.  Ten's of thousands of people shooting GH2's get superior skin tone. [url=https://vimeo.com/35321519]https://vimeo.com/35321519[/url] (example - he did a great job with his girlfriend even if it leans towards a baby soft pinkish hue) Remember that even with the Magic Lantern rate improvement hacks for the Canon 5D, it is capturing FAR less video information than current 88mbs-154mbs Quantum X GH2 settings.  Seeing a smoother waxy skin tone is the first sign of a cheap digital production. A couple things to know about skin tone.  First, skin tone lives primarily in the histogram-right of the mid tones.  Poor exposure means poor skin tones. This Adobe pdf will explain why pro's rarely underexpose skin when shooting digital (stills or video - same rules): [url=http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/products/photoshop/pdfs/linear_gamma.pdf]http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/products/photoshop/pdfs/linear_gamma.pdf[/url] Second, skin tone is comprised of nearly all the colors of the rainbow (no matter what race).  Accurate white balance is essential because we are dealing with a limited color space and do not have access to a raw video file. Third when making global color changes in your video editor (you really shouldn't too much - read above) work with vibrance settings before messing with saturation settings.  Vibrance leave alone skin tones and works with the least saturated colors first before messing around with the most saturated colors. If you are finding that your GH2 is capturing "too much" detail - hair, freckles, wrinkles, etc. - use Black Pro Mist filters or my favs Schneider Hollywood Black Magic or Tiffen Glimmer Glass.  Examples:  Results will be similar with video - [url=http://public.fotki.com/makofoto/work/black-glimmer-and-m/]http://public.fotki.com/makofoto/work/black-glimmer-and-m/[/url]  (and no, this can't be duplicated in post production) Take care.

looks like a nice stills camera but for video - nope.  I can't even shoot 24p.  Sampling from the 60i/30p down to 24p is post production is actually tricky for software and results are rarely the same as shooting native 24p. :( $10 says the new Pentax K-01 will shoot better video. More exciting from Olympus are the new concept (end of 2012 release) 70mm F1.8 and 60mm macro lenses. Cheers!

"Vitaliy_Kiselev February 6 New PTool will certainly come before 15 February. Alpha version will be available first to core team, after this beta for active testers, and final version after it." Shouldn't take that many months. Read more here:  [url=http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/50/official-gh2-stalin-hack-development-topic/p16]http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/50/official-gh2-stalin-hack-development-topic/p16[/url]

In under a weeks time, Vitaliy Kiselev will release a new version of PTOOLs.  This version allows for massive tweaking of AVCHD settings that will allow hackers to fine tune existing (and create new) patches. If you don't already own a GH2 - buy one now.  Fun times ahead! Amazing. :)

[quote author=hmcindie link=topic=256.msg1698#msg1698 date=1328690614] You can't use a RED the same way you use a DSLR. I mean, just one redvolt lasts for maybe 30 minutes. [/quote] RedBricks last 2 to 2.5 hours. [quote author=hmcindie link=topic=256.msg1698#msg1698 date=1328690614] But it is a cheap film. Even compared to non-action films like the Social Network. Social Network cost 50 million dollars. Act of Valor 10. The other is an action film with a lot of stuff to shoot. It wouldn't have even been possible to get all those shots on the Epic. They shot the boat attack scene in six hours with 10 DSLRs. It probably took as long to light an office in Social Network. [/quote] Gotta pay the actors.  And again you are wrong about the social network.  Watch videos of Jeff Cronenweth explaining their lighting.  Many scenes were lit in under 5 minutes. [quote author=hmcindie link=topic=256.msg1698#msg1698 date=1328690614] "They should've shot with the GH2!" WTf is this? The GH2 didn't even exist then. And considering how much Shane loves Full Frame, I really doubt they would've used a GH2. The 5dmark IIs were fitted with Panavision Primo Primes. Can you fit those on the GH2 without losing the wide angles? It seems like you are mad because a pro might not use the GH2. That's just ... really sad. [/quote] Not what I meant.  Never suggested he should have used a GH2.  Just mentioned that the results do not impress me or anyone I know.  Thats it.  Don't read anything else into it. [quote author=hmcindie link=topic=256.msg1698#msg1698 date=1328690614] Instead of saying stuff like "They should've done this and that..." you should be fucking excited that they actually shot a film completely differently than is the norm. With a DSLR! Why aren't you excited? [/quote] I am excited.  We have a Nikon D800 and D4 because of the Canon 5DMK2.  Though I question their abilities - as does Andrew. [quote author=hmcindie link=topic=256.msg1698#msg1698 date=1328690614] By the way, they did also shoot some scenes on 35mm film and the aerial shots with a Sony F950. Can you spot them from the film? [/quote] Sampled down to 1080?  Now you are making me laugh.

[quote author=moebius22 link=topic=256.msg1695#msg1695 date=1328662845] The cost of a Red One is off the charts compared to a full frame camera. [/quote] But a GH2 isn't. Renting a Red Scarlet is around $1200 a week.  Unless you shoot every month a FF DSLR makes ZERO sense for shooting movies imo.  (unless you need the smaller size - but then again thats where a GH2 gains an edge)  For a hobbiest - "maybe" a FF DSLR makes sense if you want the stills.  But for movies and indi shorts?  Nope. And yes my friend is a member of the American Cinematheque and was at the screening of Act of Valor (Canon 5DMK2) at Sundance in Utah - it looked terrible he said - very cheap.

One more interesting thing - the obsession with FF being the "be all end all" for low light is pure garbage.  It is an outdated philosophy that Canon and Nikon shooters cling to when justifying their purchase of DSLRs.  A waxy, mushy, no detail video in low light doesn't impress movie goers. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMUi8tOEqF0#]The Social Network - The Visuals[/url]  (ignore the fist few seconds of stupid intro - the interviews with Jeff and David Fincher are fantastic) Watch this Video about the Social Network and how they shot on the Red One in near perfect darkness (granted they used F1.3 Arri / Zeiss Mater Prime lenses - but rental houses rent these cheap these days).  The Red One is always dissed as being a "noisy" sensor camera - but at least it captures detail ! Watch the scene in the Club where the use of lighting equipment was VERY minimal.  And yes I know that the Red Code Raw files were edited by professionals but I have used Neat Video on Red Epic Raw files and it is not difficult to achieve stunning results.

The biggest problem I see is with B-frame compression that Nikon uses for the D800 and D4. Canon is already prepping advertisements that attack Nikon's use of B-frames vs the All I-frames Canon will use on their 1DX (and probably 5DMK3).  Regardless of what the end user see's, people purchasing DSLR's will lean towards Canon for the ultimate in video quality. I am not a Canon "fangirl" but Nikon's video dominance (if it can even beat a hacked GH2) will last 6 months at most. These Nikon cameras are for still image shooters.  Pro's will use GH2 at the low end, and Scarlet, Alexa, Sony F65 at the high end.

Renting Glass is the best way to figure out what you want.  Borrowlenses or Lensrentals (personal fav) have cheap prices and a great selection.  You can rent exotic lenses for under $100 a week. Adapters are a fun way to try out expensive glass for video shoots. [url=http://tiny.cc/z4l6g]http://tiny.cc/z4l6g[/url] That one above lets you use Leica M lenses (expensive but used ones are not that bad and renting is fun). Take care!

[quote author=Max link=topic=256.msg1682#msg1682 date=1328639850] This camera can sweep the floor with GH2,GH3,GH4 or any camera in the market No words are needed just to watch [/quote] Not with video. Do you really think it is a coincidence that EVERY sample video posted by Nikon from EVERY one of their photographers is soft and mushy?  I might buy a D800 for production stills...but until I get a sample of its "raw" video I doubt it will compete with a hacked GH2.

If the close focus is as good as the 25mm is, im sold. Great news!

[quote author=ChrisJ link=topic=243.msg1623#msg1623 date=1328318627] Pentax have just unveiled a mirrorless version of their K5 called the K-01. The video on a K5 was pretty much an afterthought, it will be interesting to see what they have done with this new mirrorless version. [url=http://www.pentaxforums.com/news/pentax-k-01-officially-announced.html]http://www.pentaxforums.com/news/pentax-k-01-officially-announced.html[/url] Chris [/quote] Taken from Imaging Resource: Movie mode. When Pentax debuted the K-7 SLR back in 2009, it was a little ahead of the game, being the first to offer aperture control for video capture. Since then, its video functionality hasn't developed as quickly as the rest of the market, and recent models have rather lagged the competition when it came to video capture capabilities. The company has clearly put quite a bit of work into resolving that for the K-01, and its movie-mode functionality has received quite an overhaul. Like the tiny Pentax Q, the K-01 now records videos with more modern H.264/MPEG-4 AVC compression, which is rather more space-efficient than the archaic Motion JPEG compression used in its SLR cameras. (Of course, it also takes a more powerful computer to edit, and some might argue that Motion JPEG has the potential for higher image quality, but with the Pentax K-5 requiring as much as 600MB of storage per minute of video captured, it was clear that a more modern compression format was needed.) The K-01 also bests Pentax's enthusiast flagship in terms of video frame rate, being able to capture Full HD (1,080p; 1,920 x 1,080 pixel) video at a rate of 30 frames per second, where the K-5 was limited to 25 frames per second. Better still, it's possible to opt for frame rates of 25 or 24 frames per second, if that better suits your target for the recorded video. In addition, at 720p (1,280 x 720 pixel) resolution, it's now possible to record at 50 or 60 frames per second. There's still a VGA (640 x 480 pixel) mode, as well, if you prefer to capture in standard-def, and this offers the same frame rate options as the Full HD mode. That's not all, though. The K-01 now offers a choice of either aperture or shutter-priority capture, where--with the exception of the Pentax Q, which offered a choice of Program or Manual exposure--previous Pentax models have been limited to only program or aperture-priority. (It's not yet clear whether full manual capture is possible with the K-01, however.) The K-01 also inherits the Pentax Q's ability to create time-lapse movies in-camera, great for making a video of a flower opening, tides ebbing and flowing, or weather patterns in a cloud-scattered sky. Movie audio has also been revisited, with a built-in stereo microphone in place of the monaural mics of past models, plus a stereo mic jack for external mics. There's also both a wind noise suppression filter, and a manual audio gain control, although we don't yet know how fine-grained this is. Pentax has also rethought its movie-mode interface, and now offers not only a separate Movie position on the Mode dial, but also a dedicated Movie record button, suggesting that movie capture may now be possible from other modes, as well. (That would be a very worthwhile improvement, as having to change modes makes it less likely you'll be fast enough to grab a spontaneous clip, when an unanticipated opportunity presents itself.) The Pentax K-01 also includes limited in-camera movie editing functionality. It's possible to split videos in-camera, extract still frames from movie clips, or delete frames from videos. ------------------- Should be on par or better than what Sony offer atm though I doubt huge bit rates or GH2 GOP1 without a hack.  I think its a fun camera and there are lots of great Pentax lenses.  In body IS is nice as well.

[quote author=scott link link=topic=235.msg1601#msg1601 date=1328068141] I'd like to hold one before I make a purchase? Which stores carry the GH2? [/quote] Where do you live? If you are in the US - most Fry's Electronics retailers carry them.  Why don't you call stores and ask?

[quote author=P4INKiller link=topic=227.msg1579#msg1579 date=1327843129] Just thought I'd clarify, the sensor crop in video mode on the GH2 is actually 1.86x, and not 2x. So your 11-16 would approximately act as a 20.5-29.8. [/quote] correct.  my bad.  thanks.

[quote author=peterpix link=topic=226.msg1571#msg1571 date=1327794891] Why of course! How silly of me.  Many thanks. [/quote] Done that myself.  Take care!

[quote author=VFRE link=topic=227.msg1574#msg1574 date=1327807542] Hi, I shoot video walk-through tours for real estate.  I have been using my stills camera, Nikon D7000 with a Tokina 11-16 for the video(not happy with noise at low ISO, resolution and aliasing).  I'm looking to purchase a new camera specifically for video, the GH2 and deeply discounted 5D ii are top of my list.  The most important thing for me is a camera that works well in low/poor light.  So, my question...is there a lens for the GH2 that is wide and as fast as the tokina on my D7000?  So I guess I'd need something around 6-7mm for the GH2?  Any recommendations?  Maybe I'll wait for a GH3 or 5D III...just looking for some of your thoughts. Thanks, Chad [/quote] If you shoot video walk through videos for real estate you do not need a camera that excels in low light.  You control that light.  Either buy lighting kits or use available light during sunrise or sunset - this is EXACTLY how the best agents in the world (Beverly Hills, Park City, Aspen, NY, Bellevue) shoot (or hire crews to shoot).  Second, nothing is stopping you from using the Tokina on the GH2.  The Tokina is 16.5mm wide on your D7000 and 22mm wide on the GH2.  Close.  If you need wider - careful though, some agents get a bad wrap by using distortion to exaggerate room size, could come back to haunt you - Sigma makes a few options, and I am sure there are forum members that could recommend a few other options. As far as GH2 vs Canon - save your money and go GH2.  Vastly sharper video and you already have a great stills camera with the Nikon D7000.  Spend the money on lighting and glass and tripods. Take care!

[quote author=peterpix link=topic=226.msg1569#msg1569 date=1327767408] Was shooting video last night with the  25 1.4. In stills mode the view looked  correct but when i switched to manual video the view was magnified?  Don't know if this is  problem or or an incorrect setting? [/quote] The Extra Tele Conversion is probably on.  Turn it off and your good to go.

Browse KEH.com - largest collection of under $100 primes in the world.  Great deals on Pentax and Nikon glass right now.

Awesome.  Great focal length for m4/3's ie around 48mm/50mm - do it all length.  Great place for videographers to start.  Friend has the 85mm on a GH2 for tight crops - and wow its great for the cash. I bet it will be sharper than the voigtlander (obviously not as fast), panny, and Nikon/Zeiss (wasn't impressed with the 25mm Zeiss I rented apart from great color).  The only question is the bokeh look.  Min focus distance is around 10 inches - not as good as the voigtlaner but again this lens is $400 less.  $800 is a bit much I think for many people to spend on this unless it really is as sharp as I think it might be.  BHphoto might sell this or the Bower version for less perhaps. If I didn't have the voigtlander I would get this.  Great news! Update:  Wow!  Just read the following:  "It should be noted that 4 lenses has been made of the low-dispersion glass (ED), while two another are aspheric lenses."  Nice!  Thats why it is slightly pricey.

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5FrB0c8DyQ#ws]How to hack the GH1 and GH2[/url]

[url=http://youtu.be/mpo5AC-wETY]http://youtu.be/mpo5AC-wETY[/url] Mix of D7000 and D4 - though nobody can tell the difference (yikes!) Interesting and fun subject matter - three fiddy -, however the F1.4 shallow depth of field gets annoying after a while.  Color temp is very cold - strange.  I know that the previous Nikon videos were made fun of for the yellow cast and excessively warm tones.  Seems like this one is the complete opposite.  Weird. Download link: [url=http://www.mediafire.com/?4nla03itio1m81j]http://www.mediafire.com/?4nla03itio1m81j[/url]

[quote author=mozes link=topic=194.msg1419#msg1419 date=1326982617] The color profile also does a lot for the grain. Just tested all settings with the same shutter, iso and exposure. Smooth give here for me far the most noice/grain. [/quote] I will have to try smooth again - Since I live in Seattle our light or lack there of is so grey and drab that the warmth of the Nostalgic setting is always welcome.  Notice how the close up snow shots in my video are still somewhat white and clean but the warmth clings to the shadows and other colored clips.  [quote author=Andrew Reid - EOSHD link=topic=194.msg1425#msg1425 date=1326996433] Some nice shots in there Sara  :) Amazingly detailed and clean for ISO 3200 and 6400 isn't it? How do you like the 20mm pancake? [/quote] The 20mm is ok for tests when I don't want to damage my voigtlander 25mm.  I think the 20mm F1.7 is a little boring.  I can't stand the 40mm focal length and I am not big on the flare ... it is like the lens half ass's the flare.  IMO I either want the lens to fight it (like my old Leica M primes) or go crazy with it (voigtlander 25mm wide open).  I actually like lens flare a lot and want to purchase the 12mm SLRmagic (why is it not on their website) "because" it blooms and flares and has such great close focusing performance.  [quote author=Sercan link=topic=194.msg1429#msg1429 date=1327005642] Hi, I'm just curious about hacking the new firmware v1.1. No body is talking about it. Like its forbidde!! Many pros was desperately needed 25p before 1.1 . But as a pro I need 25p in higher bitrates like 88mbps and high iso like 6400 or 12800. Whats your opinion will it be possible?? [/quote] Sercan, I think results without high-bit rate with 1.1 are nothing to sneeze at.  Contact the video author of: [url=http://vimeo.com/34621256]Panasonic GH2 New High Bit Rate 25P[/url] He is working with 25p a lot and getting good results. OT - I wish the Pentax K-5 would get hacked - 25p and in body stab, and weather sealing, and great build quality.

Glidecam just released their XR series.  Obviously for travel and quick shots it is not worth it but for work you might sell nothing beats it for the price. [url=http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/816524-REG/Glidecam_XR_2000_XR_2000_STABILIZER_2.html]http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/816524-REG/Glidecam_XR_2000_XR_2000_STABILIZER_2.html[/url] Or tripod all your shots - Adrew wrote some incredible articles about small light tripods. Cheers!

Awesome tutorial. :) You inspire us!  I did a quick high iso vid - color.  (download it - don't stream) Next one will be iso 12,800 B/W! I am not afraid of grain anymore! You have cured me Andrew! [url=http://vimeo.com/35307811]RoadSide Picnic - GH2 Quantum v9b Hack Test - ISO 3200 and 6400[/url]