Hacks and Patches

Trying to flash camera w/apefos settings; getting general error

smrlo — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 18:05:03 +0000

So I've been trying to download any of the settings by apefos to see if they reduce the "rain" artifact but cannot get ptools to recognize any of them. It works fine with most of the other settings I've downloaded (just did so for sanity), although there have been certain ones that it would not recognize previously. Is there something I'm missing? There are other people who have been able to download his patches, so I'm somewhat confused why this is happening. When I open the file in ptools it just gives me a generic "error" message; when I try to open the file in windows it says "the Compressed (zipped) Folder is invalid or corrupt." Appreciate any help offered.

P.S. I sent Apefos a message but am still waiting to hear from him, just thought I'd try all possible avenues to figure this out.

MJPEG FPS setting for Timelapse on GH2

GH13Timelapser — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:47:46 +0000

Hi, I'm the author of GH13Timelapser - a tool to process timelapse video made using the mjpeg video mode on the GH13.

It works by taking footage from a GH13 with the mjpeg frame rate changed to 2fps using ptool - it can stream copy the frames out and reassemble them losslessly - but more interestingly has interval/shutter settings that will blend frames together to simulate a longer interval/shutter as required. The frame blending has the added benefit of reducing low-light noise significantly.

I put together a demo here:

Here's the tool GH13Timelapser: http://timelapser.net/

I've had a few people contact me about using GH13Timelapser with a hacked GH2 but from what I can tell, the MJPEG fps setting hasn't been implemented in GH2 ptool - probably because it was deemed as not being useful (it has no purpose other than timelapse from what I can tell)

Is there any way to add MJPEG x/fps support for the GH2?

Best GH2 Hack for Documentary Filming in 2015

Italianshox — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 15:22:10 +0000

Hey guys. Just got my GH2. I have played around with it, unhacked for about 30 hours. I will be filming a documentary on it next week. Due to the large selection of hacks, I cannot try them all out in time. Could somebody tell me the best hack for documentary filmmaking.

Highbitrates, and storage are not a big issues for me Crashing is not a huge issue either, because I will have a laptop on site (less crashes is better of course) I really care about sharpness, overall image quality, and ability to grade in post.

Which of these will give me the best image quality (Detail)

Italianshox — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 15:24:16 +0000

I have tested all of these, but I have not have had time to use them extensively. Can any long term users advise on which of these will deliver the best Image quality.

Moon T7 Moon T8 Driftwoods 176MBit/s hack Driftwoods 244MBit/s hack

I dont not care about stability at this point, as I am only going to use these shots for B-Roll. Also, will the 244Mbit/s hack give me more flexibility when grading the image, realistically, or will i not see a difference

Cheers

A patch for doc. with GOP 1 and LOW mbps max?

treibholtz — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 03:56:12 +0000

For documentary i have used Sanity 5.1 @Ralph_B and Space @Driftwood , that i use also in ETC MODE. Now i try to use Pictoris v5b hybrid cbr, but i have note same banding in shadows. On gh2 monitor i noticed less jaddering in motion than 24p and HBR). Maybe it's my old pc. There is posibility to create a patch with last matrix (2014/2015) that have:

50i GOP 1 (like SMBU V1, EOSHD 88 UNIFIED, PICTORIS)
HBR GOP1
50p low GOP
bitrate max FSH 40 mbps intraframe,
good for doc.,
Death Charts

thanks

Info GH2 Hacks.

antonio — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 03:56:28 +0000

Hi back on the forum after a long time, and I want to ask, now, today in 2015 which is the most powerful Hack available on the forum for GH2?

thank you.

Could someone explain the scaling tables in Ptools v3.64d

Ralph_B — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:27:19 +0000

Title says it all. I want to work with the new scaling tables, but haven't a clue how to do it. A guide would be most appreciated.

GH2 Hack most similar to BMPCC quality

Enzo101 — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 13:31:23 +0000

I'll try to make this as short as possible. I already own a BMPCC, but I found it frustrating to use sometimes due to its battery life and the fact that it can't take pictures. So I recently bought a gh2 so I can take pictures and records videos all in one camera, instead of having to carry 2 cameras with me all the time. I'm aware that I can't get the EXACT same quality as the BMPCC, but I wanted to know whats the best hack that gives quality most similar to it and produces the flattest image. I have a 64GB 80mb/s sd card, so storage shouldn't really be a problem.
Thanks

Most Cinematic Patches For GH2

Fontee — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 14:22:00 +0000

If this thread is redundant and it exists somewhere else feel free to point me in the right direction.

I'm using Moon T7 right now. Just looking for opinions on patches that lend itself to a cinematic look.

I realize cinematography is founded on light use & quality, lens selection, location, grading, etc, etc. - but I am looking for some shooters to weigh in here on patches specifically, preferably with examples. I remember seeing a Valkyrie patch video once that looked a ton like RED footage - does anyone hve extensive use with these patches?

Thanks to all that contribute.

Strange Pulsing Diagonal Pattern in GH2 Hack Footage aka rain

apefos — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 20:09:09 +0000

There is a link below in this topic to download an avi file to see the problem, first let me explain it:

I did a firmware hack only changing the iso limit and set the avchd datarate to 40 Mbps.

What happens is a strange pulsing diagonal pattern in flat color areas in the image.

When I play the original mts file with windows media player there is no problem, but...

When i transcode the original mts file to avi with neoscene the problem is there in the avi file. When i render the original mts file to a h264 file the problem is there in the h264 file.

Would it be a problem in the hack footage or an issue when decoding avchd?

Link to download the mp4 video file (10MB) to see the problem:

http://www.apefos.com/upload/pulsing.mp4

Any help or knowledge share will be much apreciated. Thanks

Spanning at 24H-- does this exist?

Brian_Siano — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 14:07:05 +0000

I've finally acquired a Sandisk Extreme Pro card, 95 mbps, 32 gig, and I'm trying to find a patch that will span reliably at 24H.

I've been trying various patches, at 24H and 24L, and here are my results: Sanity 5.1 and Flow Motion don't span in 24H, but they span in 24L. Intravenus 2, Quantum 9b, Quantum 2 don't span in either mode. I'm trying Cake 2.3 right now.

Now, I understand that one needs a Sandisk Extreme Pro 64gig card to be absolutely sure that spanning can work. I'm not sure why that is, but that's been reported. But others seem to be able to get some of the above to span on the 32gig card (for example, Quantum 2's supposed to be able to do it).

So I have two questions. Is there a patch that reliably spans the 32gig card? And is this an indication that I got a bum 32gig card?

ADDENDUM: Cake 2.3 seems to be spanning in 24H m mode. But my questions still stand.)

Sony A55 language patch?

needforspeed — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 16:12:02 +0000

Hey I have a Sony a55 japanese camera. I wanted to patch the firmware to make the lanaguage on the menu english instead of japanese. Has anyone done this mod before?

GH2 AVCHD spanning

sohus — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:01:41 +0000

Spanning is discussed a lot on these forums. It probably doesn't matter that much if you are a narrative filmmaker, but it is very problematic if you shoot events, documentaries, interviews, weddings where you can't have the camera stop recording. These people still want to shoot at the best possible settings, which is not really possible at this moment. I think the goal should be a 24H and 24L settings (in one set) with 24H not spanning but shooting higher quality and 24L spanning reliably (ideally all settings would span, but I don't think that is possible). Spanning is also very important if you shoot dual system audio as it safes a lot of time syncing clips.

What we know:

@KAE's 65M settings spanned (PTool 3.61)

After the release of PTool 3.62, spanning became more of an issue (at least it appeared to). Does this have something to do with the AQ settings that were opened up?

With PTool 3.62D, I have confirmed the following settings to be spanning:
@CBrandin 44M/32M at 24L setting (32M) --> GOP12, 32M, AQ4 (44M setting is not spanning)
Stock settings

Let me know if you know other settings with good quality and reliability that do span.

These two examples are extremes in terms of bitrate so I am pretty sure the bitrate alone is not the sole cause.

Driftwood's setting has no AQ set and the iFrames are smaller than most other settings (around 6MB instead of 8 - 11 MB) for most other settings. It also has no P & B frames (does the codec still need to work as hard?). Furthermore, it is GOP1 instead of GOP 3/6/12/ It would be nice if we could pin down what affects spanning: bitrate, AQ settings, GOP settings, memory card speed, scene detail (extreme: death chart). What makes that KAE's setting spanned with 3.61 but @CBrandin's 66M setting does not span? Is there someone who has an idea about this?

Ideally, I hope we can create a setting (ideally a 24L setting ) that spans at a decent bitrate (say 44M - 66M - 88M).

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences on this matter.

GH2 settings for low light shooting

nic2011 — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:53:20 +0000

I´ve tried out some really good patches so far (GH2) - reliable + stable. But if I shoot in lowlight the bitrate goes down dramatically many times. Is there a chance to get a patch that hold a higher bitrate in relatively dark lowlight situations? For me personally a patch between 45-50mb, long GOP, AQ4 would be optimal (24p + 60p)...

What presets and settings should I use on my GF3 to get 60fps and above

mushifreak — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 04:43:38 +0000

Im wondering which presets could get me a higher frame rate on my gf3?

If any have some idea in patching GH2 to shoot in blue light

yaros — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 11:32:48 +0000

I have GH2 fnd using Sanity 5 for 2 years. But now I need for any hack to shoot Corals in blue and UV light to show the fluerense of them. The simple Pentax wp making it easy,to improve the white balance The film made Pentax WG3 the fluerense of coral at the end fim

But I can not do it in Panasonic GH2 or any other DSLR camera, the white point must be higher then 20000K and improve the white point in dark blue. If you have some idea, or any patch for this problem...

GH1, GF1, G2: Fast Action 3-Frame GOP Patch - Version 2

LPowell — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:15:10 +0000

Fast Action 3-Frame GOP Patch - updated for PTool 3.56d

As you may have heard, the latest version of PTool 3.56d liberates all previously unhackable versions of not only the GH1, but the GF1 as well as previously hackable G2 cameras. (Unfortunately, the newest G2 models can no longer be hacked.) In addition, PTool now provides a variety of new patches that I've been able to incorporate into the Fast Action 3-Frame GOP Patch, making it more versatile than ever.

To make use of these new features, download PTool 3.56d from the following link:

https://www.personal-view.com/faqs/gh2-hack/ptool-software

The Fast Action 3-Frame GOP Patch is ideally suited for the GF1 and G2 cameras' hardware capabilities. The NTSC version of these cameras produces native 720p30 video streams in both AVCHD SH mode and in MJPEG HD mode. This patch boosts the peak bitrate of both video modes to over 50Mbps and in SH mode uses a remarkably short 3-frame GOP-size, recording 10 key frames per second. (This 3-frame GOP is used in PAL AVCHD SH mode as well, recording at 720p25.) Using such a high density of key frames enables the Fast Action 3-Frame GOP Patch to maintain excellent image quality while tracking rapid moving objects.

In addition, all GF1 and G2 may now be freely switched between NTSC and PAL video modes, all available user interface languages, and may use third party batteries.

For version 2 of the Fast Action 3-Frame GOP Patch, I've prepared a choice of two INI settings files that differ only in the settings for the MJPEG 30p modes:

* For use with standard lenses, the standard patch will produce two types of MJPEG videos:

HD mode: 1280x720 HD videos with peak bitrates up to around 60Mbps (in 4:2:2 color on the GF1).
VGA mode: 960x720 iPad-compatible videos, with peak bitrates up to 30Mbps.

* For use with anamorphic lenses, the anamorphic patch supports two different squeeze ratios:

HD mode: 1920x810 videos optimized for 1.33X anamorphic adapters, with peak bitrates up to around 60Mbps.
VGA mode: 1920x720 videos optimized for 2X anamorphic adapters, with peak bitrates up to around 50Mbps.

GH1 or GH2 hack to Over ride frame per second ( fps )

OverCranked — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 22:26:28 +0000

Hi every one, New here so I'll be careful. Did some searching around the topic by getting Google to drill into the past posts of PV - no avail. So here is the question and I apologize if this has been discussed. Is there " a " setting in any GH1 or GH2 hacks to over ride the fps the way MagicLantern does it for Canon cameras ? ( e.g. 18fps er 18.2 fps ) I am building a poormans telecine for capturing some family films, super8mm, 8mm and 16mm with and without sound. Some of these films are 18 frames per second and some rated at 24 fps. I'm just pointing the camera at the film gate of my projector ( variable speed ) and fine tune the film speed the best I can to reduce the flicker on the recorded video. Up to this point I have been shooting with a Canon 60D hacked with ML. At the best I have managed to reduce the flicker. But the rolling shutter and jello effect occasionally makes me laugh.

Some one told me that the GH cameras and the hack on these cameras give superior control and image quality. BUT ..., is there a way to over ride the fps down to 18 fps in any of the hacks ? Any suggestion is appreciated. BTW. I just purchased one of each GH1 ( so tiny this thing is ! ) and a GH2 the bigger brother just for this purpose.

GH1, GF1, G2: Reliable In-Camera Playback Settings- Version 2

LPowell — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:17:44 +0000

Reliable In-Camera Playback Settings - updated for PTool 3.55d

As you've no doubt heard, the latest version of PTool 3.55d liberates all previously unhackable versions of GH1 and GF1 cameras. In addition, it provides several new patches that I've been able to incorporate into the Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch, making it more versatile than ever.

To make use of these new features, download PTool 3.55d from the following link:

https://www.personal-view.com/faqs/gh2-hack/ptool-software

Version 2 of the Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch supports the following features:

* Works on all Panasonic GH1 and GF1 cameras, both hacked and unhacked.

* Switchable between NTSC and PAL modes, in all interface languages.

* No 30-minute AVCHD time limit, all compatible batteries supported.

* In-camera playback available in all video modes.

* 40Mbps FHD mode - AVCHD 1920x1080 24p/25p video (interlaced)

* 40Mbps SH mode - AVCHD 1280x720 50p/60p video (progressive)

* 35Mbps HD mode - MJPEG 1280x720 30p video in 4:2:2 color

* 30Mbps VGA mode - MJPEG 960x720 30p video (iPad-compatible)

Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch Settings File:

This zipped INI file can be used to apply complete patch settings to firmware loaded into PTool 3.55d. To use, unzip the INI file into the same folder as the PTool application. Launch PTool and load the firmware for GH1 v1.32 or GF1 v1.22. The settings contained in the INI file will automatically be installed in the "J" button at the bottom of the PTool main window.

Note that with the following PTool Settings File, you may at any time re-install the original Panasonic GH1 v1.32 or GF1 v1.22 firmware into the appropriate camera model. You may also copy each type of patched or original firmware to separate SD cards, and use them to quickly switch between patches as often as you like.

GH2 1080/50fps... Possible?

davemai — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 10:24:44 +0000

Hi there, I'm shooting 1/3 of a music video here in North America and the rest of it is shot in Europe @ 50fps.

I did manage to hack the camera but @ 1080i it only shoots at 25fps (according to the info provided in Premiere when i import the footage) Cant find any threads in regards to this and this is my last effort to find out this answer. Thanks for your attention.

What happens to hack the GH2?

utilinet — Sun, 28 Sep 2014 05:07:12 +0000

Hello everyone.

Sorry for my broken English.

I use Flowmotion v2 for about one year and I'm pretty happy but I wanted to know if there are new developments in the GH2 hack.

1080p50 etc ...

And on audio I've never looked at the audio hack, is that there are good things?

Finally to conclude what are the latest and most interesting hacks and why, thank you for your advice.

Does the GH3 and GH4 have improved hacks GH2?

GH2 field dominance

federicopalumbo — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 13:12:31 +0000

Hi, I had some problem with the SD so during production of a short movie I switch from HBR to Manual Movie Mode (1080i fsh). My question is, HBR if interlaced or progressive? When i play the videos, HBR video seems to be Progressive, that cause me some confusion. If I look in to the file with some tool (mediainfo) i found that all file from gh2 are interlaced Top field first.

I have to mix the footage with the recording from GOPRO that is Progressive, than I'll need to finalize the work for TV (pal) but also I'll need progressive. What is the best workflow? I'm using Avid.

Bye, thanks Federico

I must say that...

rockroadpix — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 08:01:57 +0000

I miss hacking my old GH2s...

It was always fun to try new patches and read the threads about them.

Problem with hacked g2

idrr — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 02:47:07 +0000

hi guys i have a lumix G2 hacked but after the hack the bitrate still very low 12.7 in avchd and also in mjpeg i was thinking it will be 44 as in ptool i use sandisk sdhc class 4 i know its slow but i will buy class 10 soon so what is the problem here thank you very much

GX7 live video out

nufan — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 23:51:57 +0000

Good Day

I'm new to this forum. Have already done some research but havent found the information so far. i'm owning the panasonic lumix gx7 and i'm pretty happy so far. but one big dissapointment is, that there is no live video output during filming. it is not working on hdmi nor on the av out. dissapointed that panasonic does not mentoin that on their product specifications... anyway i wanted to ask if someone here is working on a hack on this camera which would enable live video output. i think it is "only" a firmware related limitation...?

thanks

Encrypt pictures when taked by camera and decrypt by computer

fahdboudakim — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 09:42:39 +0000

Hello, i need to solution to a simple encrypt of pictures by camera and decrypt by computer; i need to a simple encrypt solution I need only to the camera side solution and to the algorithm in computer and i will develop a solution in the computer side. My cameras are nikon d80 and d3200

M6 Sports Settings [gop 2]

mozes — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:00:36 +0000

GOP 3
Ad first, it was never meant to be released.
Many REAL good settings are already done, Driftwood, LPowell, cbrandin, Ralph_B, balazer, bkmcwd.
why then nevertheless released, well i think it have some settings that works different.
But it needs testing, i just have 1 gh2, 1 lens and just one batterie!!!!!!!!!!!
And it takes so much time, its a full-time job really............

M6 Sports (vbr) v1.0d.

Needs PTool v3.65d (280312)
Patch is based on::
Driftwood 'Aquamotion' AQ2 for Slow Motion Work in EX TELE mode -

Audio: thepalalias team pasadena-pulse-audio-v2-beta-2.

Scaling Tables: Driftwood Settings
Sedna AQ1. (Max Detail) ..

Mjpeg settings also from Driftwood.
HD = 1920x1080 and WVGA = 1280x720. (30p).
Tested with:
Olympus M.ZUIKO Digital ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6
And a Sandisk Extreme Video HD 30mb/s. card.
Bitrates: VBR: is between 35 and 100 mb/s. (all modes).
Average is between 50 and 70 mb/s.
MB/s depents on details in the shot.and also for spanning

When testing spanning, these where my average results... (tested on 1080 H and 720 SH setting).
720p pal is spanning. 3.99 gb 10:33min. and then starts next recording.
720p tele pal spans. 3.99 gb 09:13min. and then starts next recording'..(sometimes it doesn't span).
720p ntsc is spanning. 3.99 gb 10:33min. and then starts next recording.
720p tele ntsc is spanning. 3.99 gb 09:11min. and then starts next recording.
HBR pal is spanning. 3.99 gb 10:33min. and then starts next recording.
HBR tele pal doesn't span. 3.99gb and 09:27 min..(sometimes it does span).
HBR ntsc is spanning. 3.99 gb 10:33min. and then starts next recording.(sometimes it doesn't span).
HBR tele ntsc doesn't span. 3.99gb and 09:13 min
24p is spanning. 3.99 gb 12:43min. and then starts next recording
24p tele doesn't span. 3.99gb and 09:11 min. ..(sometimes it does span).
300% is spanning. 3.99 gb 11:28min. and then starts next recording
If it doesn't span, then the record will be saved, no lost footage..
Files can be played back on camera.

ps, last picture (dog) is HBR!!!!

Update M6 Sports (vbr) v1.0e give some tighter image...

Please Help: Problem with my GH2 Footage

spikedurden — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 02:09:05 +0000

My GH2 footage has been having this terrible, terrible flickering. I've attached an example. In the first couple clips, look at the lightning-like flickers on the left side. On the last two clips, which I've looped since they're so short, it's just ridiculous. The footage is ruined.

Some info:

This is the Sedna patch. Can't remember which Sedna. At first I thought it might've been the new lens I bought, 20mm f/1.7, but I realized that can't be it because I went back to footage from a few months ago before I had the camera and it had the same problem.

Is something wrong with my camera? Should I change patches? What is this terrible, footage-ruining flickering? It has happened at all different ISO, different f stops, shutter speeds, etc... So it's not a problem, or at least it shouldn't be a problem, between my shutter speed and the lights. At first I thought it might be the weird electrical current in my girlfriend's apartment but again, I saw that it happens in all kinds of settings with all kinds of lighting, natural daylight, indoor lights, outside light posts, etc... It also seems to be worst on the left side of the frame.

Here's the thing though: It doesn't always happen. I took some footage of a Halloween parade in low light last week and it was fine. This is really frustrating. Here's a link to the video for an example of what's happening:

Edit: I just realized after compressing it for Vimeo that it's not showing up AS much. Uncompressed it looks god awful. But still, the last clip that's looped is probably the best example of what I'm talking about. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!

HQ3GOP (3GOP setting optimized for PAL users)

towi — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:52:05 +0000

Hi guys,

here's a new 3-GOP setting for PAL users - right now the setting is adjusted for 24H, HBR/25p, FSH/50i and 720p50 (720p50 is 6-GOP).

edit: V2 is adjusted for all modes.

It's based on a lot of things I've learnt from @bkmcwd and @driftwood (great guys!!). Actually it's bkmcwd's "Duke Beta 1" with a matrix driftwood once gave to me (back then I called it "high quality"… "HQ"… since it's a sharp matrix). From there on I've fine-tuned the setting…

This is an "overall" setting producing pretty large I-Frames on highly detailed scenes but at the same time it's also very "sensitive" to motion. I think adjusting the ratio of I- and B-Frames for 1080i-modes (25p/50i/30p/60i) is the most complicated thing to solve with 3GOP settings. In this setting I feel the ratio of I- and B-Frames is just right for HBR/25p and FSH/50i - it shows smooth motion but also a pretty much compression-free image when shooting highly detailed scenes (for instance landscapes with wide depth of field). The setting is also very capable of shooting low key scenes (very good quantization, fine & artifact-free "noise" - attachment #1).

Regarding codecs I am not at all an "expert" in any way… this setting is purely the result of "detective work". However, the benchmarks and the actual footage look really good.

With Auto-anything turned off the setting runs stable in 24H, HBR/25p, FSH/50i and 720p50 on SanDisk 95MB/s SDHC 32BG cards (and faster). I've also successfully tested HBR/25p mode on a SanDisk 30MB/s 16GB card (24H requires a faster card). Spanning not yet tested. In camera playback works.

Check it out!

Relevance of Gh2 for pro work with intro of gh3 and now GH4

howardst — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 20:27:39 +0000

I got into dslr work a little late in the game. I have just figured out how to shoot properly with my gh2 and now the 4 is out lol. Anyway I have been using the cake 2.3 hack and getting average bit rates of 29 thousand. I tried flow motion but even with extreme 95 64bit cards the cam shuts off periodically. My two questions are in your opinion how relevant is the gh2 nowadays, and what hack would you recommend that has alittle more punch than cake but not as much as flowmotion. Any opinions greatly appreciated thank you