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GH4 Issues topic
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  • I just started using my GH4 and I'm finding it very very noisy, anything indoors basically is noisy. I'm set to what I've read is the best for low noise - Cine D with everything at -5, not touched pedestal and with highlight/shadow at +2, -2, and not shooting above 640. Is it just me or do other people find themselves using neat video all the time?

  • Noisy at what ISO? I find that up to ISO 800 it is fantastic.

  • Nevermind, I see ISO 640 in your post now. Well then your lens is not fast enough, and you are trying to lift in post, thus the noise, perhaps?

  • ISO noise has (almost) nothing to do with lens. Slow lens does require you to up the ISO to keep good exposure, but that's it. Good exposure is the trick (not up exposure in post).

  • @belfryman First, you didn't enable iDynamic did you? Second, I've found CineD to be quite noisy in low light, which is why I use CineV for indoor.

  • Thanks guys, not underexposing or would obviously expect the noise, not lifting, crushing the blacks if anything, not enabled iDynamic, will try with CinedD, thanks for the tip.

  • A profile that smashs the blacks will obviously hide the noise. The other way arround is also true. This is a 4/3 sensor, expect the noise. Neat Video can do the rest, when necessary.

    Given that, I'm very happy with the results I get from this camera.

  • Hmmm, I didn't expect this much noise, more than GH3 or hacked GH2 and neat video great as it is makes it smudgy so would rather have no noise when it's supposed to be properly exposed, but hopefully i'll learn more to keep it under control, only just started with it. Either that or it's something else for ebay and I'll pay the more for the A7s.

  • Could you please post some video samples? We all have different perception of what level of noise is unacceptable... :)

  • @belfryman

    Are you using 2k or4k? 4k has very fine grain and when downsampling and adding NR in post it looks quite OK. Shadow +2 adds noise too. cineD is not good in low light. I use natural contrast from -5 to -2 and i dont usually dial color down. Do you use 0-255 or 16-235? If using 0-255 it should be viewed or edited accordingly.

  • I've been using both, mainly 4K. I just set it to 0-255, not sure how to sue it accordingly, not got that far!

    noiseeg4.jpg
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  • This is a frame grab, kind of posterized on the leaf, then the robins cleaned up, to be fair they all look a bit gloomy. The dragonfly with and without neat.

    noiseeg6.jpg
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    newtest.jpg
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    dragonfly.jpg
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    dragonflynoneat.jpg
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  • Maybe I'm wrong but those look really underexposed to me.

  • I've darkened down the shots as well, should have taken the little grade off but you get the idea, literally just ran down to the gardens here, yes they do sell pots that pukey lilac colour!

  • @belfryman

    You must set your player or graphic card to show all that 0-255 scale. In PC you can set graphic card to show limited scale 16-235. Then you see all the levels 0-16 and 235-255. The default in video world is 16-235. If editing you must adjust the levels properly depending of your editor or preferred result.

    Your frame example is not looking very noisy to me. when video is playing the noise usually disappears depending on how good is your display.

  • @Superset yes, they look very dull to me now but were showing fine on the meter and i have darkened them down and then they're crushed down but I agree.

  • Robin no grade

    robinnograde.jpg
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  • flower no grade. @Vesku Thanks, I'm on an imac with a second monitor dell U2413. Should I stick to 16-235? I'm only using FCPX, still waiting for myself to learn Resolve!

    flower.jpg
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  • If the 0-255 route is not clear to you use the standard 16-235. Try natural with everything default at starting point and then learn what settings do. Your frames are badly underexposed and too flat and uncolored. You dont need flat settings in soft or low contrast light.

  • And shop, not sure it's so much underexposed as everything dialled to -5. This looks really noisy to me, in the box at the front, on the brown wall at the left, on the floor to the left of the metal cannister in the foreground, the pot shadow, basically anywhere that is a bit darker there's no forgiveness, it all goes murky like pre hack GH2 so to get anything without noisy areas it's all got to be perfectly lit or covered in daylight. But as I say it's probably cos I'm just not used to it and I need to make sure things read slightly overexposed to be safe.

    shop.jpg
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  • @Vesku hwat you're saying makes sense but because I was seeing a lot of noise yesterday I did a bit of research and these were the settings that I read would reduce the noise!

  • The GH3 seemed a lot less noisy. Anyway, apologies for thread hog! Over and out. Thank you. @Vesku you're it is all underexposed, I think I'll keep the historgram on for a bit!

  • GH4 sensor is noisy. If using flat or shadow digging settings you must do a compromise of dyn range/noise. If you dial contrast and color -5 the image looks dull and washed out and you concentrate on noise easily. These all -5 settings are normally a starting point for post grading.

  • Glad you said it is noisy, it just seems the circumstances in which I can get clean footage have been reduced, which is just good to be aware of. I do basic grading, just in FCPX, I took it off to make it clearer, not had time to learn Resolve, but think I will put things back to -2 now and refer to the histogram more till I've got more of a feel for it. I just thought, woah, this needs a lot more managing than before. Just need to get used to it. Thanks again.

  • Just a note on exposure - I set the camera to 0-255, set zebra to 105% and the zebra appears in areas that have not reached pure white...