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Beginners: Guide to setting up stable settings
  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    NOTE: Please download and use the latest version of Ptools every time you update your camera's firmware. Older versions of Ptools may not support all features in the settings.

    I created the video below to show new users how to update their Panasonic GH2 with the new customizable version 1.1 settings using Ptool. The intent is to get new users to try the extremely stable settings first so that they don't jump right into extreme settings that their memory cards can't handle.

    Hopefully, this will reduce the number of threads that are created that say something like "Why won't XXXXX Settings Work For Me"? The settings used in the video will work with any card in any situation. Once they play with those settings then they can move on to other settings once they have decided what they want to get out of the camera and how much they are willing to spend on faster memory cards.

    No adverse affects settings http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/953/gh2-patch-vault-most-popular-patches-in-one-place#Item_5

  • 79 Replies sorted by
  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    @wsmcdowall

    Let the CAMERA format the card!!!

    This is good advice. The first thing I do when I get a new camera or memory card is format it in camera.

  • wsmcdowallwsmcdowall

    Just and FYI to everyone...

    A total noob here, but getting there. I just bought a GH2 and am installing the 'No Adverse Effects' as a starting off point. It went off flawlessly according to mpgxsvcd's video (thanks to him for that!!)

    I formatted a new Sandisk 16MB Extreme 45mbs card in my computer and slammed it in. Turned the camera on and snapped a few pictures....everything seems cool.

    Went to my kid's event and took a few stills before the starting gun. Then.....I went to Movie Mode. Uh oh!

    The screen said (paraphrasing) "This card is not formatted for this camera for movie mode" UGGGhhhh!!!

    So, I had to decide between keeping the stills and forgetting the videos or format the card in the camera to take movies, but lose my stills I'd taken up to that point.

    Don't let this happen to you. This is a total noob mistake! Don't be stupid like me. Let the CAMERA format the card!!!

  • Kit_LKit_L

    To mpgxsvcd: I believe that I have installed your "No adverse affects settings" hack; is there a simple definitive way to check? I have been searching here all day, and apart from a comment about language options, I cannot find this.

    My GH2 is a US model; I am a Mac user, so had to install Wine/Wine bottler, and the install to the card looked very similar to your video "Ultimate Panasonic GH2 Settings Update Guide", so I am hopeful. The 720p/60 footage looks very nice when conformed in Cinema tools, too (slo-mo, from 60 to 24fps). TIA, kl

  • matsmats

    Oh, sorry. It's a GH2. :)

  • matsmats

    I have some beginner's questions:

    Can I actually shoot in 1080p with hacks? Or are we still talking about 1080i?

    What is actually best? 30 fps? 60 fps? I know that this isn't a Red Epic or anything, but isn't films recorded in 24 fps?

    Is there an "all round" setting? If I want to be able to shoot great in both daylight settings and in darker ones.

    Any good suggestions for settings for a beginner? I bought the 64 GB SDXC card just to be "on the safe side", but not sure that I need the full 174mps bitrate or so. :) I'm actually quite satisfied with what I got with 720p without any hacks, but since I'm gonna shoot artist performances in the future it would be good to have a better bitrate (I read that it's good for post processing).

    Should I just begin with what mpgxsvcd suggests?

  • DkaneDkane

    Getting a bit confused. Using the "No adverse affects" settings which movie mode would you the highest quality, HBR or the 24P cinema in the H record quality setting ? I thought the HBR setting would be the best, but maybe this is not the case if we are now recording at 42m/sec Thank you

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    @lightmatter

    It is the wonderful StreamParser program. You can search for it on this site. There is a specific thread for it. I forgot which one though.

  • lightmatterlightmatter

    Question: what software is being used in all of these screen shots showing bitrate graphs? They're too small to see, so I can't find out the name of it - much apprecaited!

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    @myemptycloset

    Watch the videos below. Install the "No adverse affects" settings that are in the description of the youtube video. After you can install other settings if you feel those settings will give you something that you are missing.

  • myemptyclosetmyemptycloset

    Oh amazing! ok so since installing the new firmware, hbr mode has appeared and it seems I can now shoot in 720p :D

    So now if I go on to instal a new hack over the firmware I just installed everything should still work, right? Any suggestions on the best hack for a noob? Someone told me that driftwood was the best bet but I looked at Sedna and Sanity and they both seemed pretty good too.

    Thanks again for all the help and patience everyone :)

  • myemptyclosetmyemptycloset

    Thank you all for your help!

    I've tried both high and low settings when recording only to encounter that ame annoying mesage "motion recording was cancelled due to the limitation of the writing speed of the card" whenever I try to record anything that isn't in 1080i :s As for what I'm shooting, I was just test shooting random things around my apartment after the hack!

    However, @Vitaly_Kiselev was nice enough to point out that I might have the wrong version of Ptools! After looking at the link I was given, I'm installing the new firmware that's indicated in the PTool v3.65d topic section and hopefully that'll work.

    Everything seemed to straightforward when I looked into hack and it just seems to be getting more and more complicated.

    How do I fiddle with the bit rate? I would love to avoid spending another chunk of change on a memory card. I've already got three here hah...

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    @myemptycloset

    For these particular settings the 95 mb/s 64 GB Sandisk card is completely unnecessary. Can you describe what you are shooting when it fails? Also I would double check that you don't have something else checked in ptools.

    Perhaps it is using a higher bit rate then these settings use. You can always try using the 720p low settings. The bit rate is still high enough even on the low settings.

    I would wait on buying that card. I bet we can resolve the problem without you spending $100+.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Ptool is up to date.

    This part is wrong.

  • airboxlightsairboxlights

    I have a newbie question, although I've been here a while. When I upload a hack, I lose the "HBR" setting on my camera. Just isn't there. Any ideas? And when I try to have ptools use the latest gh2_v11 from panasonic as its base, it says wrong file type etc. ?? Ptool is up to date.

  • myemptyclosetmyemptycloset

    @bmcent1 ok I'll get one asap! I hope it works... Any idea why it doesn't work with the 30mb/s card? Until now I'd been advised to get that one.

    Also, just to be clear, when installing a hack, do I need to go into the hack through ptools and click on any of the boxes that are there ... or do I just drop it in as is?

    Thanks for all your patience guys!

  • ivanouchkineivanouchkine

    Sorry to ask you this guys but I have a mac and I can't get those white files with the setting. Anybody can explain me how to save them on my mac ?

    Thanks !

    Finally got it, so stupid !

  • bmcent1bmcent1

    @myemptycloset, you want the 95 mb/s 64 GB Sandisk card.

  • myemptyclosetmyemptycloset

    Hello again,

    Since hacking my camera, every time I try to shoot in 720p (for slow motion) I get the following message "motion recording was cancelled due to the limitation of the writing speed of the card". Now, I've looked around and have found out that the GH2 has issues with the Sandisk Extreme 45mb/s class 10 card, which is what I have.

    However, since buying a new card, (the Sandisk Ultra 30mb/s class 10) I still find myself encountering the same problem...

    Am I missing something during the installation of the hack? Does anyone know of a box that might need to ticked during the hack installation, or something/anything that might solve this problem? Perhaps a different card... but which one? They've discontinued the Sandisk Extreme Video 30mb/s class 10 card so no luck with that..

    (appologies if this question has a completely obivous answere, I'm new at this...)

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    Use 1080 @ 30fps Low and 720p @ 60 fps High for spanning. 1080p should span in most scenarios. However, most cards will run out of disk space before the battery gives out.

    Don't ever use 1080i unless you are shooting for a client that will not accept anything but 1080i.

  • iamnicosiamnicos

    @mpgxsvcd

    Hi and thanks for your reply.

    I did my tests using a genuine LEXAR SDXC PROFESSIONAL 64 Go - Classe 10 - 133x (20 Mb/s) It's the same card type I have been using in my EX1 with E-film MXR adapter for two years with no errors whatsoever.

    My test scenarios :

    High ISO tests : GH2 on "Manual Video" mode. 1080i. Camera on a tripod. Shooting at night. Camera pointing at the Sacré Coeur, a church that stays illuminate all night long. Wide angle. Lot's of dark zones in the picture. Results : some failures in "HI" mode at ISO higher than 3200. Failures occurred few seconds after the record starts. If the video doesn't fail in the very beginning of the recording, it wont after. No failure at all in "LOW" mode.

    Span tests : GH2 on "Manual Video" mode. 1080i and 720(p?). Camera on a tripod. Shooting with day light. Camera pointing at the street : pedestrians and cars passing by. Zoomed. Results : In 'HI' settings, record will stop sometimes and camera will go to sleep mode. Current record might have been recorded or not. In "LOW" settings, no errors occurs.

    I still don't get what movie mode I should use to have

    • 1080i, 25 or 50 frames /sec and reliability.
    • 720p, 25 or 50 frames /sec with total spaning and record as long as my battery works.

    I have started to use the GH2 for beauty shots but I will do some more test using my Sandisk SDHC 32 Go Extreme - Class 10 - 30 Mb/s and will post when done. I'll try also to upload footage when I have time.

    Thanks

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    @iamnicos

    Can you describe the scenario where you were seeing failures or post the footage that failed? Also what memory card and video resolution were you using?

    I was able to induce a failure in HBR mode this weekend with the slowest card(Eye-fi barely class 6) I have. That was after using it for almost 2 months with no errors. I was intentionally trying to make it fail by using ETC, intelligent resolution, intelligent dynamic range, and an ISO 6400 with my slowest card.

    However, I was also using a card that might be having some issues on its own. I have been seeing failures in it when I use it with the computer. It could just be a bad card because none of the other cards failed in the same manner.

    "I have noticed that running "HI" settings in different modes will cause the record to fail sometimes when using ISO above 3200. When I'm using a "LOW" settings (whatever mode I choose), this won't happen. Anyone noticing same results?"

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    @eDGe

    You are basically using a modified version of the 1.1 firmware. Therefore, the camera should still display version 1.1 for the body firmware in the "version disp" menu item.

  • mpgxsvcdmpgxsvcd

    @iamnicosiamnicos

    The bit rate is high enough on the High 24 FPS mode that you will fill up most memory cards too fast anyway. That is why I designed the Low setting to record at a bitrate that was higher but not too high. The high setting is not designed to span with every card because it doesn't record that long anyway.

    The low setting should be used if you need it to span with any card. If you have a faster card(Legitimate Class 10) then the high setting will span as well. If you can afford to buy a faster card then you can probably afford to buy a higher capacity card as well.

    So the statement is correct. I just didn't qualify it enough. The high setting will span for any of the legitimate class 10 cards. For all other cards the Low setting should be used for proper spanning. The settings will span for any card. You just have to select the correct High or Low setting based on the card that you are using.

    There are some cards that are so slow it won't even span in stock firmware. Therefore, I had to make two separate settings to account for the slower cards.

  • eDGeeDGe

    Hi folks,

    About one week ago i got my GH2 (used one ). Today i've done the hack according mpgxsvcs's video at youtube. The body-firmware before hack was 1.1, the obj.-firmware 1.2 After hack nothing was changed (still the same firmware no.). Is this correct? Is there a easy way to check if the upgrade is successfully done to the camera?

    BTW: I'm just a beginner with this camera.

    Kind regards and thank you for your answers.

    Achim

  • myemptyclosetmyemptycloset

    Thanks so much @balazer !! :)

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