GH4 video judder/strobing - a solution

Hey

Was a solution ever discovered for jerky panning on the GH4? I have tried nearly all settings / combinations of settings in an attempt to get that perfect build smooth pan.

I have more tests to complete but I am actually finding that by resetting my camera from PAL to NTSC and filming at 29.97 or 59.94 is producing the best results.

I can pan and follow a subject with little or no problems but it is when panning a nice wide landscape shot - even with a motorised pan like the Syrp Mini Genie - that I really notice the jitter.

Thanks Paul

I do not own a GH4 but rather a GH5 but I do video professionally.  Panning and slower frame rates is a no-go.  Nothing wrong with the camera.  Panning from a fixed position in 24p and to some extent in 30p will always produce judder.

How do you solve the issue?  You have to learn how to film using slower frame rates.  This is the art of cinema.  Watch movies and notice how they move the camera.  If the camera is panning, it will most likely be rotating as well.  Practice using 24p and getting good footage.

It is kind of like using prime lenses instead of zooms.  A different approach.  Or, if you want to pan like live sports coverage then shoot in 50p/60p.

I am playing back the footage on an iMac 27 inch monitor ad comparing results also on a Dell monitor.  I will copy the footage onto a USM pen and then watch on my Panasonic PAL TV to see if its is any better.

These are the results put onto a PAL timeline in FCP X.

levisurfer wrote:

I am playing back the footage on an iMac 27 inch monitor ad comparing results also on a Dell monitor. I will copy the footage onto a USM pen and then watch on my Panasonic PAL TV to see if its is any better.

These are the results put onto a PAL timeline in FCP X.

https://youtu.be/Uyv2LA3wtsc

levisurfer wrote:

Hey

Was a solution ever discovered for jerky panning on the GH4? I have tried nearly all settings / combinations of settings in an attempt to get that perfect build smooth pan.

I have more tests to complete but I am actually finding that by resetting my camera from PAL to NTSC and filming at 29.97 or 59.94 is producing the best results.

Only 30fps or 60fps will play smooth on screen fixed at 60Hz (including the EVF and rear LCD on the GH4, and MacBook Pro's etc.

If your computer monitor supports variable refresh rates, manually set the Hz to a multiple of the fps of your footage.

If you are playing through a TV, it should automatically see the fps of the input and adjust it's refresh rate automatically.

Basically it's best to take your footage at a multiple of the delivery Hz. i.e. for European broadcast, 25fps or 50fps. For web delivery, shoot at 30fps or 60fps, as most mobile devices including laptops use 60Hz screens.

Use a 360 degree shutter angle.

If conforming a fps to another fps, i.e. 30fps in a 25fps timeline, results will never be great. For a start you'll need to use either frame blending or optical flow, results can be ok at best, though often you'll see poor results intermittently. Google three two pulldown.

Also this is the most surprising thing... as the less sensitive receptors (used in bright light) of your eye are optimised for detail and not motion, most juddering is actually due to your perception, if you squint a greater proportion of the more sensitive receptors are used - these will produce a smoother perception of motion. Yes it sound weird, but try it: squint, letting as little light in as possible - motion should now be perceived to be much smoother.

I can pan and follow a subject with little or no problems but it is when panning a nice wide landscape shot - even with a motorised pan like the Syrp Mini Genie - that I really notice the jitter.

Thanks Paul

Could you post a clip to show what you are seeing?