Okay, I took some shots this morning with both ETC on and 80% variable mode on at the same time (also at ISO640 and a SS of 1/125) of high detail and I didn't have any issues at all. Shaking the camera about does cause problems, but nothing like the example posted. Can anyone else replicate the issue consistently ? Incidentally, running at 80% it takes the camera a bit longer to get up to speed in terms of I-Frame size I've noticed (like it has a longer blip).
Hmm, maybe we're talking about two different problems. Or maybe the same problem that manifests itself in different ways depending on the card?
I'll re-flash my camera with your 88m settings and try again shortly to confirm the behaviour I described above.
EDIT:
@Stray, Just to double check, are these the settings we're referring to?
[Information] Comment=24H 88M 24L 66M AQ2 GOP 12 SD_Card=Any Camera=GH2 v1.0E [Settings] Version increment=1 Video Bitrate 24H=88000000 Video Bitrate 24L=64000000 Video Bitrate FSH/SH=32000000 Video Bitrate FH/H=24000000 Auto Quantizer for 1080 modes=2 - More to details Auto Quantizer for 720 modes=2 - More to details Video buffer=0x1800000 Video buffer 24p=0x3600000 1080p24 FB1=783360 1080p24 FB2=3936092 1080i60 FB1=391680 60fps FB2=1180829 1080i50 FB1=391680 50fps FB2=1416995 720p60 FB1=345600 720p50 FB1=345600 1080p24 Frame Limit=9043968 60fps Frame Limit=3621204 50fps Frame Limit=4341104 1080p24 High Top Setting=101803 1080p24 High Bottom Setting=71261 1080p24 Low Top Setting=74827 1080p24 Low Bottom Setting=52378 Other Modes Top Setting=38254 Other Modes Bottom Setting=26776
You don't get a card is too slow error though, it seems to record perfectly fine. Its just the file itself isn't right, it has excessive blocking accross the whole frame. Also it doesn't happen everytime either, I'm trying to work out the conditions whereby the ETC mode causes it to get really blocky. Mostly the ETC mode works perfectly well.
I'm guessing that performing the crop in ETC mode is (somehow) more demanding of processing power and slows things down just enough to cause a timing fault, which then presents itself to the user as the general "Your card is too slow" error.
I had not tried the 80% or ETC mode with the 88M setting. I can understand why the 80% would fail, I'm not sure why cropping the sensor which ETC does would though?
The 88m patch always fails for me in ETC mode. I had to give it up for that reason. 720p was pretty funky too, I seem to recall. But my best SD card is a Lexar 200x, whereas I believe you guys are using the SanDIsk Extreme Pro.
Just FYI, the 88m (and the other recent high bitrate patches) also immediately fails when I use the 80% setting in "Creative Mode." Too bad, because that's one of my favourite modes to use - it gives a gentle slow-motion effect when conformed to 24 fps and is also the only option we have on the GH2 for 30 fps progressive.
I hadn't tested ETC mode before, I forget the camera has it as I never use it, which is crap of me really. It seems to be fine with relatively static shots using ETC, but it isn't with detail and motion with the quick test I did this morning when I saw the post. I'd have to look at replicating it more reliably though, but yeah, there does seem to be a problem with the ETC mode under some conditions. I'll look at it again tomorrow to make sure that ETC is the cause of what happened with the grass cutter shot.
No, I have never ever seen it before today as I don't use ETC. I only used ETC today to try and replicate the result. I'm not convinced I did replicate it exactly, but as I wrote at the end of part one of this thread it did create an issue whereby frames were basically dropping out (< 8,000 bytes size).