GH3 Best Video Settings

maddog15

@RatLabProductions I guess you've got good problems to have being that busy! I'll get off my butt and post the test shots I've already tried. Did some yesterday with Contrast at 0.

starios

@deang001 the variable nd filters unfortunately distroy photos and videos. You may notice the filter creates a star in the middle and I think all variable nd filters do that even if you pay a lot, its ok to use it for a quick shot but for something "professional" I suggest buying something like 3 stop nd in combination with 2 stop so you are gonna have 2-3 and 5 stops with clear image. I need nd filters also and that's what I am going to do. @maddog15 I am also between saturation to be at -2 or -3 but always in weddings I shoot in -2 trying not to loose color, maybe in my first movie I'll shoot in -4 and will not saturate it in post to look like pro cameras :P, I really dont know for sure about saturation, but I feel that contrast is something you can do whatever you want in post and even that I see more noise in low light with contrast in -5 because probably midtones come up, I prefer it, I find it more natural and editable. I am still waiting for my adapter from china for c-mount tokina 12,5-75 f/1.2, I will upload as soon as possible with this tiny manual baby and we'll all probably cry with the half black video cause of vignetting :P, I hope for the best :)

deang001

Thanks Starios. Actually, that's kind of what I did on the weekend ... I used a 2 stop B&W Nd filter instead of the variable ND filter but even then it was still way too bright. I shot in Shutter priority instead of manual setting the speed at 1/100 and all worked out pretty well. At least the 2 stop ND filter takes a lot of the light out so the camera isn't choosing f/13 in S mode.

This is such a great thread. Learning a lot from it.

yak

@jonpais I shoot at 0 contrast because I found out it may be the only way to get good skin tone (hope I'm wrong). It's like the camera is processing the colors after the compression. It would'nt make much sense, but I always felt there's more loss data when everything is dialed down.

With everything at 0, I've had success recovering shadows and highlights while keeping a nice looking skin tone.

jonpais

@Yak Thanks for clearing that up! I guess I was hoping to see a comparison between Standard with Contrast at -5 vs Contrast at 0... There seem to be two camps: one that believes when shooting at -5 you can recover everything in post, the other that some details can never be recovered no matter what is done while editing.

rlima

Hey guys! I was about to sell my GH2 to get another GH3 when I found this thread, and after reading some posts, specially maddog15 and driftwood's, I got very intrigued by Moon T5. I used to have self customized patches (42 and 88 mbps) on my GH2 and when the GH3 arrived something with the colors and the factory high bitrate made me use it more and more. I had the feeling that GH3 was a step ahead (IQ)…. but… well, decided to try out this driftwood's masterpiece… and my conclusion: it is IMPRESSIVE!! I had the chance to compare it to GH3 the other day in a real world situation and I was blown. And more, noise is beautiful, files play smooooooothly on camera…. not to tell I have a good viewfinder again… GH3's vf sucks!!! Definitely… I'm in love with my GH2 and it is my main camera again…. @Vitaliy_Kiselev and @driftwood and all the team… you're the men! It's a shame the GH2 ran out of production. This camera is a classic! I think I'll never sell mine. Check out the quick comparison with the GH2 w/ Moon T5 and Olympus 75/1.8 versus GH3 w/ Oly 45/1.8, both at around f/2. If the BMPC and the hacked GH3 can beat this, we all will be very pleased…..

starios

I tried a quick contrast test but not for skin tone but for "dynamic range" I think its useful because there are a lot of times you shoot with extreme light contrast from sun to shadows, so as I expected when you shoot with contrast to 0 instead of -5 when you push the shadows you have more noise than pushing shadows in contrast -5. Here is my test, sorry I know highlights and shadows filter is digital and flattens everything but unfortunately we dont shoot with alexa :)

starios

My settings were, iso 200, f/8.0, ss60, 25fps

starios

one test brings another, curiously 72 all intra is a little bit noisier than 50 mbps, I expected the opposite :) both videos had exaclty same treatment

maxr

@rlima that oly 75 it's a razorblade, watch out don't cut anybody's throat :P

Sometime ago a friend of mine and I did also some comparison tests (can't recall patch used) we agreed that GH2 overall IQ still tops GH3, (ungraded) DR was on pair and that GH2's multi-aspect sensor had quite bigger/wider (+useful) FOV... I'm gonna search for the footage

About settings, I shot always C1 = Natural -5 -5 0 -5, reason: lazyness XD

rlima

@maxr you're absolutely right... unfair with the GH3 indeed. Next time gonna use the same lens... :)

maddog15

Here's a test pertaining to the earlier settings posts. -5 Contrast does really flatten out. As @yak described it... "chalky." At -5 contrast I'm able to recover contrast in the flesh tones but the color grade of the flesh can be a struggle. Both straight out of the camera with no color or tonal adjustment. Both were shot with the 24p 72Mb/s All Intra setting.

peternap

@maddog15 Are those photo's or frame grabs?

maddog15

@peternap It's a YouTube video link.

maddog15

@starios Where do you keep your Noise Reduction and on which profile? Did a test last night. Really don't like the in camera NR. (Don't like anything preprocessed in-camera for that matter) Blotchy and muddy. I think I like the "grain" look of the noise at -5.

starios

@maddog15 the tests were shot in natural profile, everything in -5 except saturation in -2

starios

for me these are the best settings, from those tests and for my way of editing I am sure now that ALLi and in camera contrast are noisier, you may have the right about skin tone but I think that everything can be fixed in post. The chalky effect in your video @maddog15 is not only because of -5 contrast, I believe its a combination with the -5 saturation

yak

@maddog15 I'd really like to see your color correction on the natural -5 clip.

maddog15

@yak The keyboard or driving shot?

yak

Driving shot for skin tones... maybe it's my CC skills that are way off! Did another CC test from Standard, and there really is too much noise when lifting the shadows. @Starios is right.

maddog15

@yak Here's a quick CC

maddog15

Color grading test for a documentary intro I'm working on. 90% of the footage shot with the GH3, 24p All-Intra @ 72Mb/s. Standard Color Adjusted to -3 -3 -3 -2 Panny 14-140 lens

(The other 10% shot with GH2 and Driftwoods Slipstream 1b patch)

All input is welcome. Mostly interested in ways to improve.

maddog15

@starios I left you the same message on youtube:

Until the GH3 gets a hack that enables it to shoot All intra at 100Mb/s or higher, the 50Mb/s settings on the GH3 yields "better" video.

Drew from DREWnet explained it to me: "...I would caution you on using the intra mode at the very low stock bitrate (72Mb/s)-- it's the visual equivalent of a 30 Mbps long-gop recording. Until the GH3 gets hacked and those bitrates on the intra mode are raised to over 100 Mbps -- I'd avoid it and stick with the 50 Mbps long-gop mode (that is the visual equivalent of a 100 Mbps intraframe recording)."

Did my own tests (with the stock 50Mb/s Long GOP settings on the GH3) after receiving the above message from Drew. Just as you have begun to figure out in your earlier post starios .... the 50Mb/s settings are better... for now. I'm convinced.

vicharris

Wasn't this figured out right from the start? How is there even a conversation about what mode to shoot on. I'm confused? Or just maybe I pay to close attention :)

jonpais

+1

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