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Best setting for PAL 1080P25 shooting
  • Hello, was wondering if anyone can recommend a best quality patch for documentary work to be shot in PAL 1080P25 mode?

    Thank you in advance

  • 32 Replies sorted by
  • @mastroiani

    Personally, I would recommend to use one of these settings:


    Cluster-X Spizz Trial 4 (bkmcwd)

    http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/106865#Comment_106865

    direct download: http://www.personal-view.com/talks/uploads/FileUpload/5f/0b44b9591dee8a987d849615f7cebc.zip

    cards tested:

    24H & HBR modes:

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDXC 64GB - stable

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDHC 32GB - stable

    • SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 16GB - stable

    • SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 8GB - not stable

    720p50:

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDXC 64GB - stable

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDHC 32GB - stable

    • SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 16GB - not stable

    Spanning: 24H & HBR modes successfully tested on SanDisk 95MB/s SDXC 64GB & SanDisk 95MB/s SDHC 32GB. SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 16GB failed. 720p50 not yet tested.

    Spizz utilzes around 50-65M on average in HBR/25p and FSH/50i mode. Around 130M in 24H mode.


    Cluster-X Nebula Trial 6b

    http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/116992#Comment_116992

    cards tested:

    24H & HBR & 720p50:

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDXC 64GB - stable

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDHC 32GB - stable

    • SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 16GB - stable

    • SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 8GB - not stable

    Spanning: 24H & HBR modes successfully tested on SanDisk 95MB/s SDXC 64GB & SanDisk 95MB/s SDHC 32GB. SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 16GB not yet tested. 720p50 not yet tested.

    Nebula utilzes around 40-45M on average in HBR/25p and FSH/50i mode. Around 80-90M in 24H mode.


    Cluster-X DREWnet Trial 8

    http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/116993#Comment_116993

    Personally, I've slightly modified the setting to stabilize it in HBR/25p mode:

    PTools -> Testers -> GOP related -> 1080i50 GOP Table=1, 4, 4, 1, 22, 22

    cards tested:

    24H & HBR & 720p50:

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDXC 64GB - stable

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDHC 32GB - stable

    • SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 16GB - not stable

    Spanning: 24H & HBR modes successfully tested on SanDisk 95MB/s SDXC 64GB & SanDisk 95MB/s SDHC 32GB. SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 16GB not yet tested. 720p50 not yet tested.

    DREWnet utilzes around 35-40M on average in HBR/25p and FSH/50i mode. Around 80M in 24H mode.


    You can also take a look at GOLGOP3-13 A2 Beta6

    http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/116896#Comment_116896

    cards tested:

    HBR mode:

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDXC 64GB - stable

    • SanDisk 95MB/s SDHC 32GB - stable

    • SanDisk 30MB/s SDHC 16GB - stable

    24H and 720p50 not yet tested.

    Since the latest revision of GOLGOP3-13 is pretty new I haven't tested it thoroughly yet ...


    For documentary work I think Nebula Trial 6b will do fine.

  • Yep, bitrate is scaled the closer the GOP.

  • @towi @driftwood Thanks a lot. What do you think of Xluster X Slipstream?

    I don't really get the final difference between these patches. Is there anything really specific about them that I should know?

    Thanks

  • 'Slipstream 3' uses mainly the GH3 matrix - although there is a very slight deviation which is to be corrected in the forthcoming 'Slipstream 3b' . The other Slipstreams do not; these use a mix of GOPs drawn from all the Cluster X series settings. Read the info.

    Also please use the correct thread;-

    http://personal-view.com/talks/discussion/6429/cluster-x-series-2

  • Thanks. I read and understood the technical differences. I'm interested in the real world perception of these patches. Just a normal language, if such is possible. All of these patches are either great or superb, so in essence if you were to tell me that there is really no perceptible difference to the viewers I'd just pick one according to it's data rate and go with it. If there is no visual/perceptible difference to the viewer then there would be no development of these patches. But that's not the case. There is a difference and that's why they are developed.

    For someone, who is not initiated in the technical lingo all of this jargon can be quite hermetic. All I wanted to know if your perception vis-avis the differences between these patches. That's all.

    Thanks again for your hard work. Without you we wouldn't be where we are.

  • @mastroiani

    basically these settings produce very similar results. The difference is mainly in dark tones... especially in dark out of focus areas in conjunction with motion (camera movement or motion in the scene...). To make a long story short: settings with a short GOP produce a finer noise ("grain") in dark tones whereas settings with a longer GOP tend to smear noise. At least this goes HBR/FSH ...

    Spizz is 3GOP, Nebula is 6GOP and DREWnet is 12GOP. So for low key scenes with narrow DOF Spizz would be preferable. Then again Nebula is pretty close and it produces slighty better IQ in bright scenes. Nebula also utilzes less bitrate. This is why I think Nebula is great for documentary work (it's a great all around setting) ...

  • @mastroiani

    It is hard to give such simplified explanations because many times it depends on your shooting scenario and preferences. Some settings are more "specialized" like those ones that use the GH3 matrix and footage has some character of the GH3' footage, some settings you want to use if you have lot of details in your shots, some are better for dark keeping blacks cleaner, some emphasize details and some sharpness. Also, there is a big stability and spanning issue, and it depends on your cards, and your needs again. Intra or long gop, 24 or 25p, better details for 720p or smoother slow motion, grading, and so on, and so on.

    So, this is why everyone asks for direct plain explanation of what each setting does, and this is why there is no such thing, simply to many variables.

    But, all of the settings are initially explained by their authors, extensively tested and many individual experiences are shared on their dedicated topics, so it's not like picking one in the dark, just watch videos that users share, and if you like some settings, give it a try, and report back if you have a problem.

    Also you will most certainly get a detailed answer for a specific question for specific settings, on a dedicated topic.

  • @towi @inqb8tr Thank you very much. This really does explain a lot and makes many things clear. Now I have a solid base to go on from. Appreciate your responses

  • @inqb8tr

    It is hard to give such simplified explanations because many times it depends on your shooting scenario and preferences

    True!

    Then again the initial post is about 25p. IMO we do not have a wide range of settings to choose from when you have to (or want to) shoot 25p/50i.

    I absolutely do admire the work of @driftwood on Intra settings and I have learnt a lot from him. Unfortunately 24p and 50i is coupled in the GH2's firmware and this is why you can't set a different GOP for 24p and 25p. But 25p Intra requires to set a really low 50fps frame limit. Frame size is below 500K... and therefore highly detailed scenes look totally compressed (just like with the All-I settings in the GH3 ... which are ridiculous, to say it in a friendly way... I can't wait for the first Intra hack/setting of @driftwood for the GH3 ...).

    For 24p only I almost always use one of @driftwoods Intra settings (Sedna A AQ1, Intravenus and recently Moon). For max image detail on static scenes with 24p I prefer to use 3GOP settings (GOLGOP and recently Spizz). But quite often I do have to shoot in 25p/50i ... but also want to use a setting that works great in 24p at the same time for B-Roll (video only) shots to import into a 25p timeline. The only settings that really meet these requirements and work satisfactorily for me are Sanity V3 (very old setting), Valkyrie (both 444 and Cinema Smooth), GOLGOP, Spizz and Nebula. Well... I've also used a modified version of FlowMotion developed by @LPowell for a while. But since he has forbidden me to post my revised version for PAL users I've stopped talking about FloMo at all. FlowMotion is dated anyway since GOLGOP and Spizz are so much better in all modes (IMO). So since the choices are pretty limited for 25p I think it's pretty easy to give simplified advice in this particular case ...

    ... IMO

  • @towi Thanks towi. In the midst of trying to figure out the technicalities, I myself forgot that I was asking a recommendation for a patch that works best with PAL/25P. :) So thanks again for directly referring to that part of my initial question.

    From your reply, it seems that SPIZZ and NEBULA are the best patches for my case, especially since they have lowest GOP settings.

    A bit wayward question: from what I understood in your post, you prefer to use patches with lower GOP (GOLGOP and SPIZZ) for static scenes. Does that mean they re not as good for motion or moving camera? I'd be interested to know both in case of 24P and 25P whenever you can spare some time.

    Many thanks!

  • SPIZZ and NEBULA are the best patches for my case, especially since they have lowest GOP settings

    not quite. Spizz is 3GOP, Nebula is 6GOP. Intra settings are 1GOP ... so the shortest GOP possible (1 frame).

    from what I understood in your post, you prefer to use patches with lower GOP (GOLGOP and SPIZZ) for static scenes

    for max. detail in 24p I prefer those 3GOP settings. But mostly I use Intra settings for 24p.

    3GOP for brighter scenes with larger DOF - Intra for low key scenes with narrow DOF on tabletop-style shots.

    Does that mean they re not as good for motion or moving camera?

    not at all! Read the headline of driftwood's respective posts about the patches ("pro motion" / "best motion"). With regard to motion with 25p (!) I think the Valkyrie settings are clearly the smoothest (especially Valkrie 444 - http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/comment/111829#Comment_111829 ). But Spizz is damn close. From the benchmarks the latest revision of GOLGOP should also produce really good motion (large B frames)... but I haven't had the time to test it yet.

    I'd be interested to know both in case of 24P and 25P

    don't worry about 24p. All these setting are fantastic in 24p with static scenes as well as with motion. Since 25p derives from low bitrate 50i it's really, really hard to make a good setting. Thanks to @driftwood and @bkmcwd we have a handfull of settings that look really good in 25p ... (to be fair: FlowMotion -at least my revised version - also looks really good in 25p, but it tends to produce compression artefacts on fine details sometimes).

    Now, all that might sound a bit complicated and awkward. The reality is that you don't have the time to change settings when under time pressure. So this is what I do...: as all around setting for 25p I use Spizz or Nebula (Nebula - or even Sanity V3 - when I have to worry about card space. Well, I have plenty of cards, however I am a security fanatics ... I also carry a second copy of everything when I shoot a job. For personal work it's different, of course).

    Or - to make it very short - I load Spizz as my to go setting for everything. Only for specialized purposes I load other settings ... I always carry 4 cheap and slow 2MB cards with 4 settings on them (Spizz, Nebula, Valkyrie, GOLGOP). On my laptop I have all my favorite settings and PTools ... so I can load any other setting pretty quickly. We've just used my GH2 as a kind of Gopro cam for a TV event production in low light (ISO800) with Spizz and it spanned 10 4GB files without issues. I would not have used Spizz if I would not trust it ...

    Of all the settings mentioned above Spizz constantly produces the lowest QP on comparable scenes in 25p mode (even lower than GOLGOP). So from the technical benchmakrs Spizz should be superior (again: I am referring to 25p here!). Nebula on the other hand produces much larger I frames than Spizz ... so in good lighting Nebula should be superior (theoretically). In practice you won't notice any real difference between Spizz and Nebula... take one of these two and you'll be happy. Really!

  • @towi

    I've also used a modified version of FlowMotion developed by @LPowell for a while. But since he has forbidden me to post my revised version for PAL users I've stopped talking about FloMo at all.

    I designed and tested Flow Motion v2 for GH2 users who are looking for a single, unified fast action patch that covers all the GH2 bases without requiring further testing and development on the user's part. For those who enjoy comparing and customizing GH2 patches, Driftwood's vast collection of settings and experimental investigations provide much depth to explore.

  • @LPowell

    I designed and tested Flow Motion v2 for GH2 users who are looking for a single, unified fast action patch that covers all the GH2 bases without requiring further testing and development on the user's part.

    That's cool. Only FlowMotion either crashed my camera in 25p mode or produced mosquito noise on highly detailed scenes with sharp lenses. This is why I've modified the 50fps modes (esp. the frame limit) of FloMo. And my modified version runs trouble-free in PAL modes (at least on SanDisk 95MB/s cards). Too bad other users won't have access to these settings ... ;-)

  • @towi

    Then again the initial post is about 25p.

    Yes, I was referring to Op's comment about why is there not a thread about all the settings and what they do and so. Your explanation was extremely useful, I couldn't agree more, I even learned something, so no doubt you were spot on.

    EDIT: Ok, not a thread, but simplified explanation. Apologies :)

  • @inqb8tr

    Ok, not a thread, but simplified explanation. Apologies :)

    no worries!

  • @Trollwi

    Only FlowMotion either crashed my camera in 25p mode or produced mosquito noise on highly detailed scenes with sharp lenses.

    I thought you gave up on this vendetta after months of producing nothing tangible to back up your highly personal claims. Didn't we just see you promise to "stop talking about FloMo at all"?

  • @LPowell

    I thought you gave up on this vendetta after producing nothing tangible to back up your highly personal claims.

    I don't think that my camera takes something "personal". It either works ... or not. With your latest version of FloMo it does not. What's the problem? Actually I thought this forum is about the exchange of experience and knowledge...

    Trollwi

    asshole! I'm not a troll. Never have been. Just reporting about my experience with your setting. It doesn't work in 25p mode. That's all. No reason to feel offended nor to be insulting. Buy better lenses and test it again ...

  • asshole! I'm not a troll.

    OK, then show us how you can stop anytime you want.

  • @LPowell

    since I am not a native speaker I don't get the meaning of that phrase in this context ...

    Who cares... let's leave it at that (or switch to PM ... but don't expect any reply from me)

  • @towi Thanks a lot for your input!

  • @towi hi towi, sorry just another question. Is 25P on GH2 native or is it still wrapped in 50i? When I check the files they say 25P, but does that mean it's native or wrapped in 50i? I know that previously it was only possible to shoot 25P in 50i wrapped, was wondering if anything has changed. Thank you very much

  • @mastroiani

    25p derives from 50i. So it's 50i wrapped...

  • @towi Thank you towi !

  • Doesn't the hacked GH1 (unlike the GH2) offer native 25p at 1080? From what I recall of previous discussions the sensor output is 25p which in the Panasonic firmware becomes wrapped (?) into 50i. The hack removes the wrapper, no?

  • @mastroiani - using flow motion 2.02 for 25p hbr filming - works reliably and gives me an image I really like. Never seen any mosquito noise..