Additional Question for Dylan and video buffs - Best Video settings

[DipperToo]

Hi,

I have been following the various (and excellent) parts of the previous thread.

Although reasonably familiar with Adobe Premier Elements, I have just taken delivery of a new Panasonic WA10 (New version of Xacti CA100 ?). There is a 'claim' of a new sensor (BSI)to improve low light shooting, but otherwise it looks the same as the Xacti.

Can anyone shed light on the best compromise to shoot videos to avoid artifacting as much as possible? Lots of boat/sea/wave motion etc. Initial research almost suggests 720p-60fps, but any advice welcomed! Intention is not to make BD discs at this stage but to have good source material for viewing on HD TVs from the camera or PC and DVD editing later.

Others have suggested that editing puts less stress on a slower PC with 720p.

Thanks.

 

[st599]

Damn - just spent 25 mins writing a reply, only for the forum to gobble it.

I'll re-write sometime, but I would suggest, use the I frame only mode, highest bitrate possible.

 

[dylanwinter]

please re-post

Damn - just spent 25 mins writing a reply, only for the forum to gobble it.

I'll re-write sometime, but I would suggest, use the I frame only mode, highest bitrate possible.

now got the habit of copying long posts before submitting them

so pleased its not just me who has probs with words dissappearing

so want to know more as I know zip all about formats

very confused

but generally record in as good a quality as you can - then deal with it afterwards

if you want to downgrade it later then you can

pleased panasonic sticking with the Xacti

in my pro work I use Panasonic - as one good cameraman I knew once said

"never been let down by Panasonic"

so the Panasonic engineers obviously like the design

they are also aware of the poor low light performance of the unit and are making software efforts to sort it

look out for the newer versions once panasonic has re-engineered an already great bit of kit

and at the price £235

brilliant

D

 

[st599]

Sensor.

The camera has a 16 megapixel sensor and produces 1920*1080 and 1280*720 video. Each of these processes will add artefacts which may be visible.

Sensors produce noise, in low light the camera will amplify the sensor output, which adds more noise. Solution is to get more light onto the sensor, add a lamp, bigger apperture, better lens or better sensor. A backside illumination sensor (BSI) has the light falling on the opposite side to all the components.

Being CMOS, it will exhibit rolling.shutter.

Encoder.

It uses h.264, a modern codec. It represents frames in 3 ways:
I frames - compressed images.
P frames - predictions based on previous frames.
B frames - predictions based on previous and future frames.

Editing software hates B frames, imagine fading from a B to a B, you need all the frames referenced to form the image - lots of RAM needed. I'd use I frame only mode for ease of editing.

Bitrate.

If you multiply height, width and framerate, you'll find there's not much difference in 720p60 and 1080p30. Use the highest setting available as artefacts introduced here will get worse down the chain.

Resolution

30 frames per second gives the filmic effect so beloved on TV. 60 is better for fast motion. 60i mode is a compromise, higher resolution than 720, but you have to deal with de-interlacing the video.

I'm afraid the look is personal choice. You need to spend a day shooting a range of shots (landscape, action, noddy etc.) in different lighting conditions at each of the settings. Then see which you prefer.

Workflow.

Minimise the number of times you re-encode the video. Use an editor that handles your camera video files. If you need to change from say mp4 to avi, don't re-encode the video.

Final tips: don't shoot night scenes at night. Do it when there's light and darken in software. Don't add film grain effects. This is random and encoder motion estimators can't handle it.

 

[dylanwinter]

Expert

its great on here

there are experts on everything

yup - ST knows stuff way above my grade

all I know is that I can shoot in the rain with the xacti - now Panasonic - the stills are fine

its comfortable in my pocket

cheap to fuel

all round

love it whatever brand it has on it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm9aq-4Yeek

Dylan

 

[DipperToo]

Many thanks to st599 and Dylan.

Very informative posts indeed.

Dylan - having read your views on the Xacti and am convinced that the decision to buy the WA10 for boat/beach etc is the right one - especially having seen some of your travels around the East Coast.

Editing was the questionable area and thanks to st599 for the info - as far as I can see the WA10 uses iFrames which cannot be changed. Yes, I guess that taking a variety of 'controlled' sequences at the different settings would be the general outcome to ascertain which would work best. Probably off to upgrade my rather elderly version of Premier Elements now....

Progressive rather than interlaced seems to suggest less post shoot messing around with de-interlacing. The 'final tip' is great - obvious in retrospect!

Thanks