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GH2 Flow Motion v2 - 100 Mbps Fast Action Performance - Series 2
  • 316 Replies sorted by
  • TATZUTATZU

    @Anthem how much are those octocopters that can fly the gh2?

  • TATZUTATZU

    @chemukeng OMG i never thought a wedding video could be so GOOD! it was entertaining and its not even my wedding. This is a better film work than those wedding shows on tv GREAT JOB! INSPIRATIONAL HOPE YOU GOT PAID WELL FOR THAT

  • AnthemAnthem

    @LPowell, thanks for the super reliable Flow Motion v2 patch! Here's my contribution...

    ...rigged to an octocopter.

  • fgdfgd

    Hi, I've seen in other posts there was a 2fps MJPEG option inside an older Flow Motion hack. (http://personal-view.com/talks/discussion/953/gh2-settings-vault-most-popular-settings-in-one-place-quite-old/p1) Is this originally included in LPowell's hack? Could it work reliably with version 2.02?. Thanks

  • chemukengchemukeng

    @Jacekk Thanks, I'm glad you like. Greetings

  • chemukengchemukeng

    @Jacekk Thanks, I'm glad you like. Greetings

  • JacekkJacekk

    @chemukeng Very, very nice work! Loved the aerials, they add so much production value - excellent!

  • chemukengchemukeng

    My latest work filmed with the panasonic gh2

  • LPowellLPowell

    @utilnet Yes, you can lower FM2's 100Mbps bitrate down to 60Mbps. However, the bitrate for HBR mode also affects FSH and FH modes as well. Unfortunately, Panasonic did not include a lower bitrate mode for HBR like they did for FSH/FH.

  • JacekkJacekk

    @utilinet if you mean my statement that it is the best, I mean for my use of it - I make documentaries. I need to shoot long interviews often in low light, and Flow Motion v2 has a very high data rate so looks good, is great in dark shadows and movement but more importantly will span on class 10 SDHC cards (not Extreme cards - so cost is lower if using many cards as I do).

    It also is extraordinarily good at motion - I assume that is why @LPowell called it Flow Motion v2? I have been in the business for 37 years now and have a very sensitive eye to noise in deep shadows and motion and I see artifacting in a lot of the hacks especially in complex motion like flowing water, not so much in Flow Motion v2, but I completely agree with you that each hack has its own best use.

    Most of the other hacks do not span so limit you to the length of a 4.29GB per clip: how fast it gets to that size depends on how much data is in the setting but typically from 2-4 minutes.

    If your camera is not spanning (i.e. recording for more than 4 minutes) and you have a transcend class 10 card, I have found it to be for a variety of reasons all explained elsewhere, but basically it is if the processor has too much to do. I mean think about it - if you use Auto Exposure, Auto Focus, Auto Anything Else, the little bitty processor in that camera has to process that, in addition to scanning 1920x1080 images 24, 25 or 30 times a second. So it just stops - information overload - wouldn't you? @LPowell lists what to use up above on page1, but I shoot everything on manual anyway.

    No you do not need to adjust anything in ptool - @LPowell has maximized everything, change your data rates by the camera setting 24h or 24L etc.

    There is a very good comparison of hack data rates etc here easy to understand when they are all laid out neatly (I made my own doc like this with all my results because without it my brain was exploding, much as your is now): http://www.personal-view.com/faqs/gh2-hack/gh2-popular-settings

    I can't answer the 1080p question as I am not sure I understand but know nothing about hacking anyway! Maybe one of the experts can help you there, Hope this helps.

  • utilinetutilinet

    If I want FM2 HBR 60mbits for a long time record on my sd. I have just to adjust the bitrate in ptool ?

    Thanks for your responses

  • utilinetutilinet

    Sorry for my english very rough but in ptool I saw that it is possible to pass in MJPG in 1920 * 1080. So why is it not possible avchd 720p make the same change for a 1920 * 1080 50p as we see 720 50p 60p. We would then have a true 1080 50p as the GH3.

    Is it not possible to change the firmware in the GH3 to improve the GH2?

    If what you say is the best current hack and why? because I feel that every hack is good for a particular situation.

    In fact I have a little trouble to navigate through it all.

    Thank you for your help.

  • GH2_fanGH2_fan

    I was wondering, are there any plans for a new update on GH2 Flow Motion by any chance??? :D

  • JacekkJacekk

    Aah that would explain it then!

  • LPowellLPowell

    @Jacekk

    I use standard standard Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC cards with Nikon lenses and all manual settings and find Flo Motion spans on all the Lumix movie settings except Motion JPEG HD.

    Good to hear of your success with FM2 on documentary shooting. Not surprised to hear MJPEG mode doesn't span for you - the GH2 is able to span only when in AVCHD mode ;-)

  • JacekkJacekk

    Thanks @edgenumbers - yes most broadcast delivery in the US is 23.98 PSF.

    As I just mentioned to @LPowell above, I have used Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC shooting entire cards for the last 6 months, to test the hack and have never failed spanning, if I am in manual across the board, with Nikon primes.

    I have occasional failures on that card if using FSH or 24H with Lumix lenses with AF AE AI etc but I wouldn't use those for an interview anyway. If spanning fails on a take of B-roll it's not an issue but in the middle of that crucial sentence in an interview is a killer (as you know!). For me it is a question of budget - I like to keep the camera card as backup and then it just gets out the box expensive financing myself.

    Thank you.

  • JacekkJacekk

    Thank you very much @LPowell!

    I use standard standard Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC cards with Nikon lenses and all manual settings and find Flo Motion spans on all the Lumix movie settings except Motion JPEG HD. I do however tend to shoot in low light situations with fast primes and love the higher bit rate of 24p in the shadows.

    As a documentary filmmaker I do need the long interview times and had always avoided 24L for work because you never gave it a rating in your list (until, I thought to ask!). I had tried it and found it as you say indistinguishable in talking heads and the added running time is what am looking for.

    That is the reason Flo Motion is so great for my purposes - I get quality and spanning at every setting. When making any film for broadcast lengths of 24 minutes plus, storage running time and storage capacity become major issues to take into consideration. A long form documentary with several long interviews can take 10-20 SDHC cards and an equal number of TBs storage in an instant, and that not only eats into production budgets for us indie, self-financed types, but is also a media management nightmare.

    Thanks again.

  • edgenumbersedgenumbers

    Thanks @Jacekk. Final delivery is 1080i50 so the 25p sits within that, it's termed PsF (Progressive segmented Frame). If you can deliver 23.98 then I think using the GH2 in that mode is a good idea. I think using SanDisk 64GB Extreme Pro SDXC 95 MB/s cards is an important factor in the success of the hack. It always spanned perfectly.

  • JacekkJacekk

    Looks really great @edgenumbers - thank you for sharing your film and experience!

    As a documentary maker myself. I am about to embark on a full length documentary using Flo Motion, which I have used for some time (not on a long form), so it is always reassuring that you had no issues with it through the workflow.

    As a matter of interest, did you deliver @ 25p on HDCAM SR for delivery to Discovery Asia? I live and work in the US and have so much conflicting information on international frame rates that my head is spinning, (I do intend to have international TV distribution - don't we all?), but have decided on 24p as it is camera native for me and more importantly the frame rate can be converted up much better than down.

    Your 2 cents worth on that would be greatly appreciated!

    Thank you.

  • edgenumbersedgenumbers

    If you live in the Asia Pacific part of the world watch out for this on Discovery TLC. Sorry the clip is just from an SD DVD, it's the only copy of the show I have at the moment. I shot it on 2 GH2's using the Flow Motion hack 1080p25. I have used Flow Motion for sometime now and it has proved itself to be entirely reliable. We normally shoot the show on a Canon XF305 but everyone is really pleased with the new look and style the GH2's have given us. I had 1 GH2 on a Glidecam and another that was rigged for shoulder and tripod use. We shot separate sound and sent a mono mix back to the cameras with a radio link for easy syncing in Pluraleyes. The GH2 on the Glidecam was very liberating and Ian, the presenter, loved how we could just go with his enthusiasm. The route to post was conversion to ProRes 422 using ClipWrap, offline on FCP and Online on Avid Symphony with a ProTools dub. Final delivery was on HDCAM SR. The programme duration is 46 mins without commercial breaks.

  • LPowellLPowell

    @Jacekk Thanks for the props, always glad to hear of shooters' success with FM2. I optimized the GH2's 24L mode for reliable long-take spanning across 4GB files, and it produces the highest bitrate that was compatible with spanning on standard 30MB/sec SD cards. If you have a 95MB/sec SD card, it should be able to span in any FM2 mode, including the 100Mbps 24H mode, but 24L will give you more recording time on any type of card. Of the 50Mbps FM2 modes, 24L has the highest image quality and for static, non-panning shots it's often hard to spot any perceptible differences between 24L and 24H.

  • JacekkJacekk

    Thank you @LPowell for the most wonderful patch! I have tried many others but always come back to Flow Motion v2: it really is unbeatable for look and reliability.

    In your personal rating (below), where do you rate 24fps:1080p 24L? I'm curious why you left it off.

    In terms of motion picture quality, here's my ranking of the video modes:

    1. 24fps: 1080p 24H mode
    2. 30fps: 1080p 24H 80% Slow-Motion (no sound)
    3. 25fps: 1080p HBR PAL mode
    4. 30fps: 1080p HBR NTSC mode
    5. 50fps: 720p SH PAL mode
    6. 60fps: 720p SH NTSC mode
    7. 25FPS: 1080i FSH PAL mode
    8. 30fps: 1080i FSH NTSC mode

    Thank you.

  • Daniel_RDaniel_R

    Just wanted to point out... this hack is one of the better ones I've used for weddings. I tried Driftwood's DREWnet, which is great... but chews through cards and doesn't span. Flowmotion's 24L spans well, and I just switch between 24L and 24H whenever I'm shooting long takes and b-roll.

    Also, great work on the 80% Slow-mo option... I recently discovered this has it's place in wedding videos. The quality is simply stunning.

    Thanks again!

  • RamboRambo

    Disable Resample if all the clips on the Vegas timeline. Right click, properties, disable Resample.

  • mrbillmrbill

    Stick with interlaced projects in that case. It's still a progressive image (in an interlaced wrapper) despite what your NLE is telling you.

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