Help with bad GH2 Footage

[bmd]

Hello everyone,
I'm having a hell of time getting any kind of decent image out of my GH2. I'm turning to you guys for help. I've seen video after video of sharp, clean GH2 footage. Mine just looks soft, noisy, and artifact filled. Please take a look at this test video I've created and let me know what you guys think. Is it my camera? Is it me? Look at the background at 00:20....that especially looks nasty to me. ANY help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[url="https://vimeo.com/53394529"]https://vimeo.com/53394529[/url]


GH2
Lens: Vivitar 28-200
All shots: Aperture -3.5, SS - 1/50, ISO-640
No color correction
Most shots Smooth (-2,-2,-2,-2) a couple (I think the shots of the pumpkin) Vibrant (-2,-2,-1,-2)

[Axel]

First of all: It's not the camera :P, it's you ;)

I think it is the lens. I couldn't find a specification how much it weighs, but it certainly looks heavy. Then the lens needs an adapter mount, and the cheap ones may have enough slackness (if that's the right term, I mean that they are not machined with highest precision). The two items on the plastic body of the GH2 add instability, more so if you focus by hand, because, the Vivitar being a photo lens, the ring is not designed to run smoothly. The most noticeable problem of your shots is the shivering, that even produces rolling shutter jello (as in ~6 - ~11). The shiver is amplified by the focal length, which makes all of them tele. With a lens like this, a rod support is needed and better yet a follow focus (a good one). Also the tripod should be good enough. Note, that zoomed in fully the lens has an aperture of only f5.3, which is pretty slow and explains why your shots are quite dark.

As you see, the lens, though cheap, is not exactly a bargain for this kind of task. The bokeh looks okay sometimes, but it's certainly not remarkable.

I advise you to look for a faster, lighter and wider lens. Some of the finest are discussed in Andrew Reids book for the GH2, but I'm sure you will find recommendations by using the forum search.

Yes, and the background at 20, you couldn't see anything through the compression artifacts of vimeo, so I downloaded your upload mov.
:blink: Congratulations! You found the *banding* that represents the GH2s biggest problem. Use the search again, but let me explain for now that it is most prominent in dark, blurred areas with slight gradients within.

> It can be avoided to some extend by avoiding dark, blurred areas with slight gradients within.
> It can be fixed in post to some extend by rendering fine grain in the highest possible quality ('de-banding', 'dithering'), by the way also a good trick to prevent vimeo from simplifying your video to a broth of macroblocks.

As you see, everything is fine.

Everybody who shoots sharp, clean footage with the GH2 has a good lens.

[bmd]

[quote name='Axel' timestamp='1352842490' post='21565']
First of all: It's not the camera :P, it's you ;)

I think it is the lens. I couldn't find a specification how much it weighs, but it certainly looks heavy. Then the lens needs an adapter mount, and the cheap ones may have enough slackness (if that's the right term, I mean that they are not machined with highest precision). The two items on the plastic body of the GH2 add instability, more so if you focus by hand, because, the Vivitar being a photo lens, the ring is not designed to run smoothly. The most noticeable problem of your shots is the shivering, that even produces rolling shutter jello (as in ~6 - ~11). The shiver is amplified by the focal length, which makes all of them tele. With a lens like this, a rod support is needed and better yet a follow focus (a good one). Also the tripod should be good enough. Note, that zoomed in fully the lens has an aperture of only f5.3, which is pretty slow and explains why your shots are quite dark.

As you see, the lens, though cheap, is not exactly a bargain for this kind of task. The bokeh looks okay sometimes, but it's certainly not remarkable.

I advise you to look for a faster, lighter and wider lens. Some of the finest are discussed in Andrew Reids book for the GH2, but I'm sure you will find recommendations by using the forum search.

Yes, and the background at 20, you couldn't see anything through the compression artifacts of vimeo, so I downloaded your upload mov.
:blink: Congratulations! You found the *banding* that represents the GH2s biggest problem. Use the search again, but let me explain for now that it is most prominent in dark, blurred areas with slight gradients within.

> It can be avoided to some extend by avoiding dark, blurred areas with slight gradients within.
> It can be fixed in post to some extend by rendering fine grain in the highest possible quality ('de-banding', 'dithering'), by the way also a good trick to prevent vimeo from simplifying your video to a broth of macroblocks.

As you see, everything is fine.

Everybody who shoots sharp, clean footage with the GH2 has a good lens.
[/quote]

Thank you so much for your response. I'm sure it is me...i'm trying to understand what I'm doing wrong so that I can get better. Yes, the lens isn't the best, but I feel like I'm not getting good footage even with better lenses that I have (again, i know it's me). Yes the shivering is bad because I had the camera on a monopod and literally was freezing so I had a hard time getting my hands to stop shaking. But even when they aren't shaking...I feel like my images have shake, even on the monopod. (also lots of shake when I try to use a shoulder rig). Any advice as to how to get more stable images?
Also, I need help knowing if my work flow is okay or if I need to do something to get better quality. I am converting the original files to ProRes using 5DtoRGB, then importing that into FCPX as Proxy Media, then editing and exporting the video directly to Vimeo through FCPX. Is this workflow correct or should I be doing something else to get better quality?
Thank you so much for your advice and helping me realize what I'm doing wrong.

[Axel]

You describe a worst case scenario. Edit with the best shots. Use a tripod.

Workflow: Why proxy? ProRes is optimized media already. I (FCP 10.6, fast Mac) don't use ProRes for editing. I copy the PRIVATE folder to my hard drive before starting FCP X, then I import the good shots (not the rejects) as original media (FCP X makes a copy in a mov-container, takes no time). I export my finished project as ProResHQ or sometimes ProRes4444 (use the new export settings to have the compressor presets in your share menu). This master I open with Mpeg Streamclip and export as mp4 with the x264 QT plugin to H.264 @ 7 mbps for a 720p upload to vimeo. The background of this is, that x264 maintains good quality at very low bitrates, whereas a QT mov then falls apart. So I just guess it will also be better for relatively higher bitrates.

I can't say if your workflow is wrong, I just wonder about the proxy. There is no right or wrong, in the end the quality will be the same (and the quality of your original upload file isn't bad compression-wise, you should always fine-tune everything with color-correction, and for that you have all you need within FCP X). You should use proxy for multicam, when you have more than, say, three or four streams. Also, converting to ProRes via 5D2RGB doesn't seem to make much sense. There is a myth that QT cuts off values. But I couldn't find this to be true. In my opinion this just complicates everything. ProRes as an editing codec ceases to be necessary. It is a fine master codec, and you should right-click and convert single clips to ProRes prior to adding animated masks for compositings in Motion.

[kirk]

I agree this is partly a lens problem, shooting wide open through all that glass. And your exposure looks on the darkish side to my eyes. Underexposure will generate noise and artifacts real fast...and since you have done no color correction while having dialed everything to minus 2 you will get a very dull image too, Use the histogram to get exposure right...

On the workflow side I have no experience with having to transcode... I dropped my Mac for good when I found out just how easy it was to handle AVCD files on a PC in Sony Vegas Pro... and save a bundle on hardware too -_-

[bmd]

[quote name='Axel' timestamp='1352866877' post='21593']
You describe a worst case scenario. Edit with the best shots. Use a tripod.

Workflow: Why proxy? ProRes is optimized media already. I (FCP 10.6, fast Mac) don't use ProRes for editing. I copy the PRIVATE folder to my hard drive before starting FCP X, then I import the good shots (not the rejects) as original media (FCP X makes a copy in a mov-container, takes no time). I export my finished project as ProResHQ or sometimes ProRes4444 (use the new export settings to have the compressor presets in your share menu). This master I open with Mpeg Streamclip and export as mp4 with the x264 QT plugin to H.264 @ 7 mbps for a 720p upload to vimeo. The background of this is, that x264 maintains good quality at very low bitrates, whereas a QT mov then falls apart. So I just guess it will also be better for relatively higher bitrates.

I can't say if your workflow is wrong, I just wonder about the proxy. There is no right or wrong, in the end the quality will be the same (and the quality of your original upload file isn't bad compression-wise, you should always fine-tune everything with color-correction, and for that you have all you need within FCP X). You should use proxy for multicam, when you have more than, say, three or four streams. Also, converting to ProRes via 5D2RGB doesn't seem to make much sense. There is a myth that QT cuts off values. But I couldn't find this to be true. In my opinion this just complicates everything. ProRes as an editing codec ceases to be necessary. It is a fine master codec, and you should right-click and convert single clips to ProRes prior to adding animated masks for compositings in Motion.
[/quote]

I don't use the original media because everytime I've tried to the playback is jumpy and stutters. I don't have that problem using ProRes. I use proxy because for some reason if I select Optimized media when importing the 5DtoRGB clips, in the Event browser the clips show up red and say Missing Proxy media. The only way the media shows up is if I click Proxy media. I'm sort of new to all of this so my understanding of importing/exporting is a bit muddy. Thanks for your advice...any other tips that may help?

[Axel]

[quote name='bmd' timestamp='1352963124' post='21669']I use proxy because for some reason if I select Optimized media when importing the 5DtoRGB clips, in the Event browser the clips show up red and say Missing Proxy media. The only way the media shows up is if I click Proxy media.[/quote]

Uncheck [i]optimized media[/i], just choose your files and hit [i]import[/i].

[quote name='bmd' timestamp='1352963124' post='21669']I'm sort of new to all of this so my understanding of importing/exporting is a bit muddy.[/quote]

So you have ProRes. You go on with a rough edit, then you trim the cut, you add retiming, effects and titles, clean up the audio, add music (generally, if you cut to music, let the video be nonetheless your primary plot line and connect the music underneath, or else you lose the 'w'-functionality). After all this you color correct and grade every single clip. After this is done, you export. You could i.e. export directly to vimeo or instead export as the current format or both. Actually very straightforward.