@driftwood, et al,

I applied Low Rider v1 for the last week and was curious if a sharper image was possible when using a Helios 58mm as the taking lenses, with an Isco anamorphic lens attached. I have always been using Intra patches, and read reference to 'sharp' in the patch, AN Cluster v7 '444 Sharp2', and gave it a try. Results were good, although I had not compared to other patches in a controlled environment. A quick test in the middle of the day, this time I also had sufficient ND's stacked, together with a C-Pol which, imo, seemed to help.

My question is: AN Cluster v7 '444 Sharp2', does the '444 Sharp 2' aspect of this patch sharpen the image, compared to others, or is referring to matrix processing of the image? With an anamorphic lens attached, there can be somewhat of a softening of the image, imo, so while I will soon be testing alternate taking lenses, such as Takumar, Zuiko and Rokkor's, I am also exploring alternate patches to apply to the GH2. I understand there are many factors that relate to my quest for a sharper image. Any other patches recommended that may produce a sharper image when using an anamorphic lens attachment?

Sample footage - Cluster v7 'Apocalypse Now' - 6 GOP Nebula with cbrandin/driftwood '444 Sharp2' matrix.

Original 1080p upload file: Link

GH2 outdoor & indoor cinematic test using Cluster_v7_DREWnet_12_15_GOP_'444_Sharp2 on SDHC Class 6 card:

@Shon FCX was the problem, used 5dtoRGB as suggested by @Chippy and the problem was solved.

I'm not sure, noise can fool you into seeing detail. But it's all about motion as soon as we are comparing Intra to GOP based settings.

I'e been testing v9 'DREWnet' Cluster Boom patch and I'm absolutely blow away with the results. Close-ups are very sharp and show immense details. I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a patch that would be softer on actor's skin and more forgiving to blemishes. I'm using all legacy lenses, but it seems that every little skin pore is visible.

I'm wondering if Cluster v8 'DREWnet' 'cbrandin Cinema Smooth is better for skin, but not sure about overall quality. So many patches can get confusing.

Thanks to everyone involved in hacking and patching for making magic available to the rest of us.

Many thanks

@mastroiani try canis majoris skin soft tone patch. see canis page for details. it really handles skin tones well.

using the drewnet cluster v9 and all i can say is wow.... its perfect for what i was looking for and the results are amazing. i use old school canon glass and the video look delicious. great noise performance, stable, i film for 2 hours straight with no breaks, skin looks amazing, really cinematic in look.

I tried both the nebula cluster v7 6gop sharp2, which compared with the previous hacks I thought it best, both the cluster X in trial 2. The newcomer did not seem much better, but perhaps this judgment is dictated by the fact that the files are less manageable on my pc, but with the sharp cluster v7 2, there are no problems. I'll keep this.

Cluster X Series updated on thread:-

http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/5806/cluster-x-series-settings#Item_4

I have done some further tests - seems like I have the same problems in FCPX even with the Aquamotion v2 clips with regards to similar subjects - having lots of trees/foliage, rocks and certain buildings - basically moire issues if I try to label them. I just need to get out and shoot some more subjects with the Apocalyspe Now before I dismiss it as being inferior to Aquamotion and of course I am still wondering if any of this is a FCPX issue? Even the slightest bit of color correction creates the most nasty stuff with these subjects. With closer examination, the clips of this subject matter put down in the timeline without any manipulation at all will look the same as the clip up in the Event Library but they cannot handle any grading whatsoever - even the slightest color correction will create severe degrading of the image! Also wondering if any of this is related to using the Olympus 12mm f2.0 wide angle lens as this is a new toy for me - with that lens perhaps these moire issues are more extreme when shooting trees, rocks and buildings?

OK man well I keep learning here as I go. I am a newbie here so patience please - maybe others like me will find my experience valuable - I exported out an edit of the above mentioned clips and once outside of FCPX it looks so much better - all the crap is gone! So this whole issue seems to be a problem with the playback engine of FCPX. I am destined to learn Adobe software! Another observation is that when I played (with Movist) and compared the pure MTS files with the 5DtoRGB transcoded ProRes 422 files, I could see clearly that the MTS files were superior - makes me think I should use transcode to 422HQ until I learn Premiere and can just drop MTS right in. I just joined Vimeo and will upload an edit of this footage and then post the link here for any feedback on these issues when it is ready. Also wondering if there is any consensus on which high bit rate patch would work best as an all around best choice for Panny and Oly glass -are people happier with the newer Cinema Smooth versions than the earlier Apocalypse Now versions?

v6 for 45mbps cards. Those cards always prove troublesome with higher bitrate settings.