@thepalalias yep. Man so many hidden features.

@thepalalias ok, learning more. Where do I set 24H? I see in the camera mode (Manual movie, HBR, Cinema, and then Variable). When I go into variable mode I only see % 80,160...

@jvalal Here is what all of the modes using the AVCHD codec mean. Note that the NTSC numbers are rounded to the nearest frame (e.g. 60P) or field (60i). Note that a field is only half a frame, but that is a whole other topic you can find information on elsewhere.

• 24H: 1920x1080, 24 fps, higher bitrate.
• 24L: 1920x1080, 24 fps, lower bitrate.
• HBR: 1920x1080, 25 fps (PAL) or 30 fps (NTSC).
• FSH: 1920x1080, 50 fields, not frames (PAL) or 60 fields (NTSC), higher bitrate.
• FH: 1920x1080, 50 fields, not frames (PAL) or 60 fields (NTSC), lower bitrate.
• SH: 1280x720, 50 fps (PAL) or 60 fsp (NTSC), higher bitrate.
• H: 1280x720, 50 fps (PAL) or 60 fsp (NTSC), lower bitrate.

You can also use "24H" or "24L" in the "Variable Movie Mode" (VMM). VMM shoots 1920x1080 footage at different frame rates without sound, then plays it back at 24 fps. The % indicated is how fast (or slow) the footage plays back vs the rate at which it happened. For example:

• 80%: Shoots 30 fps, then plays it back slowed down to 80% of the original speed. 30X0.80 = 24.
• 300%: Shoots 8 fps, then plays it back sped up to 300% of the original speed. 8X3.00 = 24.

Now that you know what all the rates are, here is the most important part to remember. Camera is setup to be able to handle the most detail when shooting 24 frames per second. When Driftwood makes patches, his first priority is the performance in 24H mode - he does not really test 24L.

So if you are shooting Driftwood and want to get the very best image quality, then use 24H.

You can also see what modes do and do not span for certain memory cards using different settings. I just started testing it last night, so it is very incomplete, but it makes a decent starting point.

http://perlichtman.com/pasdenapulse/wordpress/gh2-hack-reference/

That chart may also help @bmcent1 to find settings that work in the preferred shooting modes. @Bmcent1 The 24H modes will always have the best image quality, whether they are in VMM or not.

@jvalal As far as "M" in "Exposure Mode", yes that gives you full manual control in "Movie M" mode. If you use that, what you see before you start shooting and what you see when you are shooting should be closer. There are other configuration options that make a difference, but I won't get into those here. Good luck!

@jrd Yeah thanks I tried Mysteron but then I just download Sedna AQ 1 B after reading what you said. Could you help me with picture profile settings? Like cinema, standard, smooth and stuff like that?

Looking for best quality out of the GH2, not too concerned about long record times. I did some testing today with Sanity 5 at ISO 160 of a scene in my garden with a 150mm macro lens and a lot of out of focus background in the frame. I was mainly checking noise levels in the smooth background, those that looked good vs those that were distracting.

I liked the modes in this order from best to worst: VMM 80%, 24H (very close to tied for 1st), SH, MJPEG HD, HBR, FSH

Would that order work as a rule of thumb for the common settings in the settings vault? Or is each patch tuned differently enough that you'd need to retest or get advice from the patch author to figure the best video quality of the modes?

Can anyone recommend a good patch/setting when 1080/30 (or 60i) is desired with audio? For indoor shooting of sports.

@JValal In answer to your questions that you posted at http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/57024#Comment_57024

When you hit the Record circle in another mode instead of hitting the shutter button in "Movie M" then you do not have as much control. It stills uses whatever setting you patched in (Sedna, Mysteron, etc.) but you don't always have control over ISO, shutter, etc. in the same way you would if you changed to Movie M.

Also, in Movie M you can shoot at more different frame rates. There are certain things you want to configure to get the most out of this, so feel free to ask away but they are not specific to a particular Driftwood setting. :)

When you switch to Movie M, your view should appear to have a 16x9 crop. If it is also zoomed in, you may be in "EX" crop mode. You can tell because at the top the letters "EX" appear in front of your movie mode (for instance "EX 24H").

@DeShonDixon

Mysteron Burst Rate is designed to run only a few seconds -- to capture high detail at a rate unsustainable for normal recording -- so that wouldn't be your setting of choice. No information was released about Mysteron -- it's a teaser -- so that's a setting you might want to explore only after you've tried other settings.

If you want the highest data rates possible, Driftwood's Sedna Q1 A, B or C might be a good place to start. A is highest detail, B is medium and C is lower, designed (so says Driftwood) for subjects like faces, where you usually want less detail. Whether you'll be able to tell the difference between any of these 3 versions without an electron microscope is an open question.

If you want to start with lower-rate settings, which could prove to be more reliable for recording and playback, and which require less storage space, you could try the latest Flow Motion or Sanity 5 settings.

Note that unless you look very closely, and know what to look for, you may not be able to see the difference between any of these settings. All of them improve by orders of magnitude on the native compression of the camera. Where the camera reaches the point of diminishing (or zero) added benefit is an unanswered question. It's unlikely that you need to use a 154mbs CBR setting (as provided by Sedna) to get the best quality the camera is capable of, for 99% of the shots.

Note that Driftwood is promising new and improved settings by the end of the month.

Thanks! I think I'm getting it :)

For 1080i, when I set my project to 30p in Premier Pro it seems to handle the clips as 30p without me doing anything. It looks like 30p played back inside PP. If I just play straight out of the camera with Windows Media Player it looks interlaced.

For anyone it helps, to speed up 80% VMM in Premier Pro, drop the clip on your timeline, then right click, select speed/duration, and set to 125% in the dialog window.

Thanks balazer. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the different video modes.

This FAQ -- http://www.personal-view.com/faqs/gh2-usage/gh2-usage -- mentions 'Variable movie mode: AVCHD 1920 x 1080 at 30 fps progressive with no sound, the recordings play back at 24 fps.' If 80% mode is recording 30 fps for 24 fps playback, can you switch it to 30 fps inside Premier Pro and end up with 1080p/30? That is assuming you don't need audio, which it true most of the time in my case.

If what I wrote is correct, are there any differences between 1080i/60 HBR (1080p/30 in Premier Pro) and VMM 1080/30p?

I am super confused as to which hack to download on my GH2. I just got it and read throughout this thread and it seems so far, from what you guys have said. That I should download Sedna AQ1, Mysteron, or Mysteron Burst Mode. Can you guys help me out?

@h3412t1355

Are you sure that you have "rec quality" set to 24H, and not 24L? Sedna Q1 A and Q1 C both deliver 146mbs consistently in my tests, with the frame size about 762K and 757K, respectively.

You will, however, see much more variation on VBR (variable bit rate) settings, with the maximum advertised rate rarely showing up.

I'm a week or two away from starting to play with some of the firmware hacks. My requirements will be 24p when shooting, and 25p for general "at home" use. However, I'd like to have 30p and 60p as well for slowmo. So my question is, can you mix PAL and NTSC modes, so with one firmware hack I can have all those 4 (24, 25, 30 and 60). I want to avoid tinkering too much with the camera; once I have a hack on it I like, I'll leave it alone :) Thanks.