Memory cards for Hacked GH2 + bit rates

[Guest taotao7]

HI,

After Haking the GH2 for 44mb, do i need to buy new memory cards? i am currently using class 10 from Sandisk and Lexar. And if so, any recomandations?

Also when i did some test shooting i saw that each file had different bits rate, how come? how can i control it and make all of them on Max rate (does shooting B&W, in some of the shoots, effects it?)

Thanks,
Avi

[Andrew Reid]

Unless you are going really extreme with bitrates and intra-frame AVCHD (GOP-1, 176Mbit+) actually you should be ok with a Class 6 card.

I would suggest get the Class 10 cards anyway since it will be quicker to get your footage off the card reader, unless you want to save some money. Sandisk are reliable, Samsung also since they make most of the memory chips.

[Guest taotao7]

Thanks!

What about the Bit rate? why does some files turns out at (an example) 18mbs and other 30mbs? can i control it?

[Andrew Reid]

Bitrate is always variable (VBR) so it depends on how much detail is in each shot, each frame. Shoot with a a deep depth of field with everything sharply in focus and the bitrate will be up as high as it will go according to your settings (44Mbit, 176Mbit, etc.) but with shallow depth of field and scenes with less detail (i.e. interiors not outdoor scenes with lots of grass and wavy trees) the bitrate doesn't need to go so high so it automatically drops to a more reasonable level, but still higher than the standard 24Mbit