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GH3 fimware suggestions
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  • Just to go a bit crazy, I want the GH3 firmware to be Android (or Tizen or any other fairly 'ordinary' mobile OS as a base) with a full SDK so that people can freely program the camera and get the firmware to do whatever they want. You can write small apps to do focus and aperture control to automate moves however you want. Write encoder plugins so the camera saves to .MP4, .MOV, .OGG, or whatever else. Assuming the GH3 allows wireless, allow custom recorder apps to record streaming audio from microphones over wireless alongside the video recording. You could come up with all sorts of crazy things if there was an SDK.

    Obviously, I don't consider that plausible, so I'll be content with custom profiles. I would own a GH2 today if I could do something like Canon's "Technicolor CineStyle." Assuming the GH3 allows me to make a flat profile for grading, and I expect that I'll be able to do high bit rate recording, I may order one on launch day. If it does 10 bit 4:2:2 on top of that, you won't be able to stop me from ordering it on launch day.

  • @forkazoo "If it does 10 bit 4:2:2 on top of that"

    You can't really expect 10-bit in-cam recording from 1200$ consumer camera... you might expect the custom color profiles on the other hand...

  • From the leaks: 1080p50/60, 1080p100/120, 720p100/120....YES PLEASE!!!!

    Firmware:

    • using Olympus 4/3 lenses via the normal adaptor (so, NOT dropping support for them!)

    • free (within limits) choice of x and y dimensions of picture size (e.g 2,39:1, 4:3,...) in video mode, markers/guidelines

    • free setting (within limits) of frame rate from 1-120fps (1fps stepps)

    • working HDMI out with any video mode (720p!)

    • focus, iris, shutter,... live control via USB port from computer (with special program for Mac and Windows, keyframing all functions)

    • displaying the actual focal length when using m4/3 and 4/3 zoom lenses

    • setting % IRE for over/under exposure false colour/zebra (e.g. under 20% -> blue, over 80% -> red)

    • custom curves

    • focus assist mode (zoom in mode) even when recording, also on HDMI out (if processing power is a problem, it would be enough to have one selectable output, HDMI or built in screen)

    • storing different settings/profiles on SD-card (or in camera)

    • HDR video in 1080p25/30 and 720p50/60 mode (writing 2 images for every frame on the SD card, no time shift)

    • no very-expensive-battery check (maybe only check when firmware gets updated to prevent bricking)

    • open up the firmware/camera software for programing (like Canon)

    It would be usefull to have controll over the camera via a mobile phone, but make the same possible with a laptop and the USB port.

    Edit:

    • option to turn sharpening and distortion correction off
    • Realtime usb3 pc control support.

    • 1080p50/60, 1080p100/120, 720p100/120

    • Alternative video storage options and video data recovery against typos.

    • Unlimited custom settings

    • Hdr Video in 1080p 25/30

  • @simurg the thread is about firmware suggestion (software), not hardware ;-)

  • @robbie75vr I did not want to limit our dreams :)

  • @simurg

    It is not topic about your dreams, check first post.

  • An interactive online manual that is easy to figure out.

    ps I know this is not firmware related but I wanted to mention it.

  • I personally dislike when they use names for formats, framerates and bitrates.. like HBR movie mode FS FH WGA WC TOILETTE.... the menu should just say: 1080p / 1080i / 720p / 60fps / 50fps / 30fps / 25fps / 24 fps / 25fps @ 1/2 speed slowmo (caputerd at 50, playback at 25) / 100Mbps / 50 Mbps / 25 Mbps... and so on for any format / fps mode... and compression mode. Let's talk simple....

  • @Bueller Then you should post it to different topic! This IS a topic about firmware! Oh gosh...

  • @duartix said: "I'd also like to see the option to suppress audio altogether."

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev said: Any reason to do it? It is very simple to do, really. I did it with patches. But I do not see the point.

    When you are doing timelapses the bitrates are extremely modest. In these cases the audio bitrate has a significant parasiting effect ( up to 10% of total bitrate).

    What do you mean when you say you did it? You mean test patches that were never released?

  • What do you mean when you say you did it? You mean test patches that were never released?

    Yep, during experiments with GH2 30p that was accessible only via such strange way and without audio.

  • OK.

    I'll add some remaining GH2 suggestions, after this perform two stage filtration to make final list.

  • Not sure whether anyone has already said, but - Make every zoom (both 4/3 and m. 4/3) parfocal via firmware, even (or particularly) in manual focus mode.

  • I'd like more fine tune of picture profiles. No more -2 or +2 limit.

  • One single most important thing for the gh3 firmware is that it must be hackable. A pinch of suspense with some new fw hack protection tricks would be interesting to watch though.

  • Things I would like:

    • Option to disable the distortion correction of Panasonic Lenses

    +1 For Timelapse Timer with option to use Electronic Shutter and have Full Photo resolution

    +1 For Optional Filmformat Framing Guides

    +1 For Lower than iso 160

    +1 For True 180º Shutter = 1/48@24p

    +1 For zebras, highlight clipping and focus assist

    +1 For programmable rack focus, to memorize A and B positions

    maybe hardware related:

    Live view and remote over USB to use as Stop Motion Animation Camera (like Canon and Nikon)

    If Camera has orientation Sensor an electronic Horizon Level could be useful

  • during recording changing iso and wb

  • I want a variable ETC mode kind of like Canon’s. I want it to always do a 1:1 pixel crop. However, when it is not a 1080p or 720p crop it will scale the output to one of those resolutions.

    Basically it will allow us to use the new zoom lever that the G5 has to zoom the ETC from 1x-3.9x continuously. At 3.9x the output will be unscaled 1:1 720p and for 1080p modes it will be unscaled 1:1 at 2.6x.

    I can’t imagine that this will be that hard to implement. Maybe it is a copyright thing? I actually think that the GH3 will come with this feature.

    I guess in the end the 35-100mm F2.8 will accomplish what I want. Still would be nice to use this continuous ETC zoom with the 25mm F1.4 though.

  • Use the physical switches for changing focus, metering modes when in video mode. Why on earth are these menu options on the GH2?

  • I love Nikon Cameras, when you are in any part of the menu, you can press the info button and a short explanation of that speacific menu voice is explained with few line of text. An in-camera manual. This can be a good feature for beginners too.... or for people with short memory ....

  • +1 for ETC zooming! Turns all my fast primes into parfocal zooms!

  • +1 For info descriptions of each option (whether always enabled or switchable on and off as an option).

  • Not so fond of the idea of the camera asking if everything is ok upon switching between non native m43 lenses.. As it is now, it is one setting which needs to be selected once. Not an issue in my book.

    If it's possible to have some kind of in-cam sync mode via external controller (phone, computer...) that would be useful for many, I'm sure!

    If it would be possible to have a 1:1 pixel time limited (more than 1 second though! - f.i. 720p frame 24 frames / s for 20 seconds, 1080p frame for 14 seconds, 2.5k frame for 10, 4k for 8s) burst mode in a few different frame sizes that would be awesome. If possible with raw capture. Don't know what the buffer specs are so this might be a hardware specific request...

  • @RRRR What if it only asked if you did not have that menu option checked? As in, if you check the option, nothing pops up at all. If you do not have it checked, then each time you try to shoot without a lens connected electronically, it asks "Warning: Lens not connected. Please connect lens properly or enable shooting w/o lens in the setup menu."