24P versus 60i video quality on GH2
 

A friend who has had some hands on time with a GH2 and has compared some footage told me that the video quality is better at 24P compared to 60i. Apparently the bit rate needed to support 60i is too limited. Has anyone else observed this?

The video quality can't help but be better in 24p: the GH2 can produce 24p 1920 x 1080 footage at 24 Mbps, while the highest bitrate for 60i 1920 x 1080 footage is 17 Mbps.

Unless filming fixed on a tripod GH2 24p looks awful IMO even moire/alaising are aparent .

You're the first person I've seen mention this on the web. Can you post some examples or links to examples?

I own the GH-2, but I haven't spent enough time with it yet to form my own opinion on this.

Thanks.

I suppose this is a relative statement that varies according to which camera(s) you're used to using. In my case, coming from JVC HD100, Canon 7d, and Sony EX3, 24p on the GH2 looks amazing. Superior to the aforementioned cams.

I've looked at footage of the GH2 but most shots seem to be shot on a tripod (or are held reasonably steady). I'd be interested to know more about how the footage looks when the camera say, follows a subject.

YouTube - 24P 1080i SHORT TEST NO 1
Without doubt moire and aliasing in 24P mode with the GH2is the worst i have ever experienced, this is only a small example i could load up more that i have recorded but i shall not use 24P to record with again.

Every camera I've owned gets some amount of moire and aliasing, but if you're transitioning from a Canon DSLR, the GH2, in any mode, is going to make you extremely happy. Moire and aliasing, though still apparent in certain shots, is dramatically reduced. I don't know how much money a person has to spend on a video camera before moire and aliasing are forever eliminated. The $8400 you'd spend on a Sony EX3 won't get you there, neither will the $25,000+ you'll spend on RED ONE.

Everyone has their own threshold with regards to these artifacts, for me the Canon 7d was on the wrong side of that threshold, others are good with it and continue to use it successfully within its limitations.

I much prefer 1080p24 on my GH2 over 1080i60 and also have the Panasonic TM700 3MOS camcorder that I use in 1080p60 mode to shoot family videos. From what I have seen the GH2 has better quality video than any DSLR I have seen.

Superior to the EX3? Now that is saying something. I have not found that to be the case but I haven't really shot my GH2 at 24p yet. I am hoping to use the GH2 as a lock down in support of my EX3. If what you say is true, it should work well. Although I usually shoot the Sony in HQ 1080/30p.

Jim,
I have had the GH2 for over a month now, and I can say I like the picture better then the EX1. I still think the EX1 reslove slightly better detail than the GH2 though. With that said, I find myself using the GH2 more and more often over the EX1...For "traditional" camera "paid" work, EX3 and EX1 are still unbeatable.
Creative stuff, GH2 all the way!

Carlo Zanella
The Santa Fe TV Show

[QUOTE=Carlo Zanella;1610497]I have had the GH2 for over a month now, and I can say I like the picture better then the EX1. I still think the EX1 reslove slightly better detail than the GH2 though. [/url]

I like it better too. I don't know about res power, I'm sure someone will eventually point it at charts and let us know. I like the images of big sensors, brighter and more versatile DOF capability for starters. EX3 a bit long in the tooth already.

YouTube - 24P 1080i SHORT TEST NO 1
no seems to acknowledge my terrible 24P results, i have tried sharpness turned right down but its no better.

Hi Martyn,

I've looked at your YouTube video and can clearly see what you are referring to. I haven't seen these type of results from other people using the GH-2, or with my own small tests, so I am wondering about the technical details of your shoot and how you handled the AVCHD video files in post-processing.

Here's a quick list of things I would like to know:

During Your Shoot

- What lens ?
- What shutter speed and f-stop?
- What camera color mode ? ( i.e. Cine, Smooth, Standard, etc... )

Post Processing Your Footage

- What software did you edit with ?
- Are you keeping the native resolution ? ( YouTube is a horrible place to evaluate video. Vimeo is much better, especially Video Plus which supports full 1080P playback from the web )
- What is your finished export format ? ( i.e. CODEC, display size, frame-rate, data-rate, etc... )

...There is a good chance that it might be something in your process that is creating these less than satisfactory results, so if you can fill in the black for us, we might be able to help sort things out.

I'd be interested in Martyn's answers to the above post also. I've recorded video with Sony V1U's and EX-1's and captured footage with similar problems if I didn't finely tune the settings for the specific images I'm working with. I've captured some footage with the GH2 that has some issues, and some footage that was just stunning without the problems Martyn's footage is showing.