Do you want best detail overall or best detail at a specific GOP? Is spanning important to you or not? How reliable is it and what card will you be using?

Also, what lenses, what ISO and do you need IR, IDynamic, etc. to be possible while shooting?

@uppfade Sanity is a good setting for that, but best is more subjective.

I would not use iDynamic. It applies itself inconsistently and decreases reliability. When using ISO 160, beware of the noise bug mentioned elsewhere on this forum or avoid the top row ISOs (160, 320, 640, etc.) if you do not want to worry.

For a 180 degree shutter at 60P, you would want 1/120 (so go with 1/125 on the GH2).

As far as settings, I tested many of them this week (over 20 consecutively) but can more easily speak to bitrates and GOP than overall quality at this early stage of analysis (given the uncontrolled nature of the test). If reliability/spanning are less important than detail, take a look at Sedna (which created some very large files) and Quantum v5, v9b, v9c. If you need more reliability, I would look at Flowmotion 2.02, Mysteron, Sports 10 setting a (by @Mozes) and Sanity 5 (all of which record lower bitrates than the previously mentioned settings).

The recent Cluster bitrates are middle of the road - usually pretty low.

Also, here is some data on the bitrates for the 720 60P tests I did. Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, MF, ISO 800 or 1600, shutter 1/125, STD -2, -2, -2, -2. All additional processing (iR, iDynamic, etc.) off.

The tests were NOT scientifically controlled and should NOT be taken as gospel.

Similar motions and camera distances were use consecutively in a room that included windows so lighting changed considerably over the course of the testing. In a couple cases I performed consecutive takes with the same setting to give a sense of variation (or lack of) from slight differences in the testing material.

The original spreadsheet (which I made for my students) is more useful but I avoid using Google Docs on this site. The data is sorted by Maximum Overall bit rate

• Sedna Q20 A.MTS File size : 582 MiB Duration : 1mn 7s Overall bit rate : 72.0 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 151 Mbps

• 60P Quantum v5.MTS File size: 659 MiB Duration : 1mn 5s Overall bit rate : 84.3 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 132 Mbps

• 60P Sports 10 setting a.MTS File size: 233 MiB Duration : 1mn 8s Overall bit rate : 28.6 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 117 Mbps

• 60P Quantum v9c.MTS File size : 411 MiB Duration : 1mn 8s Overall bit rate : 50.6 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 116 Mbps

• 60P CM Night (take 1).MTS File size : 364 MiB Duration : 1mn 6s Overall bit rate : 45.7 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 105 Mbps

• 60P CM Night (take 2).MTS File size : 357 MiB Duration : 1mn 6s Overall bit rate : 45.1 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 105 Mbps

• 60P Crossfire 3 Canis Majoris Night.MTS File size : 236 MiB Duration : 1mn 5s Overall bit rate : 30.4 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 105 Mbps

• 60P Flowmotion 2.02.MTS File size : 419 MiB Duration : 1mn 6s Overall bit rate : 52.7 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 104 Mbps

• 60P Mysteron.MTS File size : 208 MiB Duration : 1mn 5s Overall bit rate : 26.7 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 103 Mbps

• Crossfire 2 Canis Majoris Green Screen.MTS File size : 501 MiB Duration : 1mn 9s Overall bit rate : 60.5 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 099.4 Mbps

• Crossfire 1 Canis Majoris Skintone Soft.MTS File size: 566 MiB Duration : 1mn 12s Overall bit rate : 65.3 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 087.9 Mbps

• 60P Quantum v9b original.MTS File size : 668 MiB Duration : 1mn 11s Overall bit rate : 78.5 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 083.8 Mbps

• 60P Quantum v9b Sedna Adapted.MTS File size: 422 MiB Duration : 1mn 9s Overall bit rate : 51.3 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 083.8 Mbps

• 60P Take 1 Valkyrie 444 TYPE-ZERO2 Candidate1.2 'Apocalypse Now' with cbrandin 'Pure Original 444 Matrix' and 'Modified 444 Matrix'.MTS File size : 349 MiB Duration : 1mn 28s Overall bit rate : 32.9 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 078.5 Mbps

• 60P Take 2 Valkyrie 444 TYPE-ZERO2 Candidate1.2 'Apocalypse Now' with cbrandin 'Pure Original 444 Matrix' and 'Modified 444 Matrix'.MTS File size : 248 MiB Duration : 1mn 5s Overall bit rate : 31.7 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 078.5 Mbps

• SMBU v1.MTS File size : 391 MiB Duration : 1mn 7s Overall bit rate : 48.3 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 071.2 Mbps

• 60P Cluster 7 Nebular Sharp 2.MTS File size : 373 MiB Duration : 1mn 10s Overall bit rate : 44.2 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 062.9 Mbps

• 60P Cluster 6 Nebular 6.MTS File size : 223 MiB Duration : 1mn 5s Overall bit rate : 28.5 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 062.9 Mbps

• 60P Cluster 6 DREWnet.MTS File size : 266 MiB Duration : 1mn 6s Overall bit rate : 33.3 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 058.7 Mbps

• 60P Cake 2.2.MTS File size : 256 MiB Duration : 1mn 5s Overall bit rate : 32.9 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 057.7 Mbps

• 60P Sanity 5.MTS File size : 352 MiB Duration : 1mn 6s Overall bit rate : 44.5 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 046.2 Mbps

• 60P No Adverse Affects.MTS File size : 304 MiB Duration : 1mn 9s Overall bit rate : 36.7 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 037.9 Mbps

• 60P (Un-Hacked) Stock Firmware 1.1.MTS File size : 142 MiB Duration : 1mn 10s Overall bit rate : 16.8 Mbps Maximum Overall bit rate : 018.0 Mbps

@inqb8tr Exactly. I said "When using ISO 160, beware of the noise bug mentioned elsewhere on this forum or avoid the top row ISOs (160, 320, 640, etc.) if you do not want to worry." In other words, if someone has concerns about forgetting - or simply does not want to have to worry about it in general - they can avoid the issue completely by avoid the top row. :)

When I do tests like the aforementioned ones, I avoid the top row consistently. The camera is always turning itself on and off and the last thing I want is to have my testing results invalidated by having forgotten to toggle the ISO one time out of 20 when trying to control for a whole lot of other variables. :)

But yes - you can get great image quality out of the top row IF you know what you are doing and are completely consistent about doing the workaround.

As far as the testing data above, Sedna had the third highest average bitrate (after Quantum v5 and 9b) and I have used it similarly to the way you did for music videos in the past. It does some good stuff. :)

@inqb8tr Cool beans. :)

As far as the settings, I am trying to extract some I-frames for comparison between a few of the higher bitrate settings in a static angle but I am having trouble finding a suitable scene at the moment.

All i have to say that Cluster V6 "DREWnet" is the most awesome 720p video I've ever seen! Was shot at the sea with iDynamic (dark blue sky, dark klouds etc), the shots are incredible! Than you guys for all of your effort in all this!

I'm loving Canis Majoris Night for 720/60. Sooo much detail, great colors, and really sharp.