npa201

Axel: Thank you for the response in layman's terms.  What is interesting is when I initially set up my camera I set up all video record to Smooth with I think Sharpness, and Saturation to -2 and Noise Reduction to -2 as well.  I guess I just shot these when it was just really beautiful out and it caused these issues.  I will try nostalgia for indoor shots as this is where it really bugs me.  And I will also try out the filter as well.  Thanks for the info. Do you think that using any other software like Final Cut Pro (or express) would help improve the output?  Are there good grading tools in it (iMovie really lacks here). Also, when taking photography I've been advised to underexpose and then pull shadows later on.  Would you suggest the opposite with shooting video and slightly overexpose and just deal with blown highlights? I appreciate the time and effort in explaining these issues to me.  For the most part, I think my friends/family don't notice the issues but my daughter's legs in the high chair seem so obvious that anyone would notice.

This is something I've had to really try to get used to and manage.  The Olympus stabilization looks quite interesting but I'm put off on the lack of 1080P @ 24fps (I think the new OMD is 1080i @ 24fps).  In particularly, I love using some of my prime lenses that have much larger apertures but no image stabilization.  On handheld shots, I've read a lot about either using over the shoulder rigs or things like the Merlin Steadycam.  Unfortunately, these are quite expensive and somewhat impractical for amateurs just shooting home video.  Cheesycam.com have come up with much cheaper alternatives for steadicams (<$200) but again these steadicam's require a lot of skill and initial setup in terms of balancing weights on it.  And it's one more thing to carry around. I think the most practical option for amateurs may be Manfrotto Fluid Video Monopod W/Head.  I have not used one but have seen wedding videographers and it seems to be a great mix of stability and portability.  Having already spent money on a manfrotto carbon fiber tripod and video head, I've opted to get my investment out of this.  For speed, I won't always spread the legs and will use it as a monopod.  In addition, I've seen some videos on youtube that suggest holding the camera with the tripod in the air as the tripod creates the weight balance that helps stabilize video.  I've actually found this does help somewhat as well.  See the video below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW6AWmqa8ZM&feature=related Now if I don't use a tripod, my best bet is to just find something to lean onto or rest my elbows on.  Finally, just make sure you shoot with your arms tightly pressed against your body and your camera up against your nose to add yet another point of stabilization.  Hope that helps from someone that is very much a noob at this stuff. 

One other thing. I haven't messed around with hacking the GH2 to increase the bitrate but was wondering if this could help the situation at all?  Perhaps not since I'm just using iMovie '09? 

I saw the article EOSHD posted the other day but I'm unsure if this is the issue the author was describing.  My current setup is a Macbook Pro 2007 using iMovie '09.  Yes.  I know outdated.  I'm willing to upgrade both software and computer but am trying to wait until this year's Macbook is released (with hopes there will be a retina display).  Anyway, I've noticed when importing video onto my Macbook that there are significant banding (w/ lots of noise) in darker scenes.  In addition, shots with a lot of bokeh create this issue and I even run into this issue during bright scenes.  I've been trying to isolate what is causing this and I'm a bit unsure what is causing this.  Help would be appreciated in understanding what is happening.  Below is a video I recently put together of my daughter and the issue pops up several times (times listed below).  http://vimeo.com/42740933 0:31 - notice the black sweat pants particularly where shadow is cast by the arm 0:59 - the out of focus blacks 1:26 - the blue tile on the top left 1:39 - the most serious offense is my child's leg 2:18 - bottom left - my wife's jeans in the dark area are creating this weird banding/noise issue Now to be fair, it's a little worse on this Vimeo vid than elsewhere as I've lowered the bit rate considerably to meet the non-pro limitations on uploading.  However, I've noticed these same issues when outputting at 24,000 bits/s (I think that is what a non-hack GH2 is recorded at correct?).  Also, when imported and just playing it while in iMovie '09 i see it.  Unfortunately, I don't have these files in MTS anymore (perhaps I should save those from now on) but when I've shot test footage after noticing these issues and watching it direct from camera to TV and then importing it onto my computer I've noticed these issues are not on the original mts files.  It appears to me that iMovie is really having an issue understanding large areas where the color is somewhat uniform.  Unfortunately, I love creating that creamy Bokeh (otherwise I would have stuck with a crappy cheap vid camera) and this is where these issues pop up the most.  Any help would be much appreciated.  Camera gear used in video Panasonic GH2 Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 Olympus 45mm f/1.8 Fader ND Filter Computer & Software Macbook Pro 2007 iMovie '09 (I don't seem to see any option other than import file at original resolution - no other preferences)