GH5: Setting Up and Shooting in VFR Mode (Slow Motion)
Photo Moment - March 31, 2017
Several people have asked how to set up VFR (variable frame rate) shooting on the LUMIX GH5 — so I'll show you!
7:03 — Skip to the actual show start
PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN TODAY'S PHOTO MOMENT (MANY ARE AFFILIATE LINKS… affiliate links make me a little bit of $ but cost you nothing more!):
•• Panasonic LUMIX GH5 ••
B&H - https://bhpho.to/2kQ9LT3
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2lE4X1U
Adorama - http://jal.bz/2lNYpQv
•• Panasonic Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 ••
B&H - https://bhpho.to/2kTLrQg
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2lGNurh
Adorama - http://jal.bz/2laL2pv
VIDEOS MENTIONED IN TODAY'S PHOTO MOMENT:
GH5 Sample Footage No. 4; Slow Motion, 1080p @ 180fps — http://jal.bz/2nryAn9
LUMIX GH5 Extended Interview with Panasonic's Sean Robinson, Part 2 B — http://jal.bz/2oHn4oa
very useful thanks and great showcasing what actually happens with the screen toggling, xactly what I needed.👍👍👍👍👍
Can't see your ten minutes version. I have found many others though.
No idea if I did one or not… this is ancient. But thanks for watching!
I really thought that 120fps was 120 frames in one second, but when I choose in VFR 120fps it make me like 10 seconds when I only film 5 seconds.
Patrícia Rosário no, not at all. It’s recording 120fps. If you want it to actually play at 120fps, you just set that in the editor. The intended purpose of VFR is for slow motion; shoot more frames per second than you need so when you play it back at a regular frame rate, it’s slow motion. If you want an actual 120fps production, you can do that too.
correct. It records 120 frames per second but then plays it back at 30 frames per second. That’s what give you slow motion.
🤣 .. it´s simply an actual more & more upcoming decease, that people can´t focus and keep their attention for a longer time. some even quit after 1 minute or less already, but if one is really interested in the topic, length doesn´t matter - as long as the content is ok. don´t think it´s worth the time and effort to invest in editing - just for that. 😉
You are the best tutor and entertaining teacher online! I just got started. See my GH5-stuff here: https://kit.com/Keyvan_Bamdej Much love to PhotoJoseph & Team from an enthusiast from Copenhagen, Denmark!
Holyshit cut to the chase
Hello there, question, every time I try to set up variable frame rate, it says "This menu item can't be set" so I wonder what am I doing wrong?
You have to choose a shooting format that says “VFR Available”. When choosing 1080p24 or 4k30 or whatever, you’ll see it noted there.
Thank you for another very helpful tutorial... I'm a new GH5 Owner/Lover... & I really appreciate your knowledge... I would not be able to figure all of this out without your teachings... Thank you very much.
Thank you for saying that, and you’re welcome!
hi jo, realized when shooting in VFR mode (60/4K), audio is automatically muted and auto-focus is turned off. Also I can't preview it normally, it plays back in slow-mo. Is there a way I can preview it as a normal 60fps clip minus the slow-mo?
This is all normal behavior. VFR has no audio and no AF. And when you’re shooting VFR, you are shooting specifically in a high frame rate (up to 120) for normal (24 or 30 or 60) frame rate playback.
so helpful!!youre awesome!
I'm doing something wrong here, when I go into recording quality, I only see 2 pages of options. They are all the different 24fps options. I can select one and choose VFR and then select 60p or 180p, but this isn't the same as selecting a different recording quality right? Why does my GH5 only display the 24p options and what is the difference?
Only shoot 24.00 if you’re printing to film. Otherwise, do 23.98 or 29.97 or 59.94
Got it, thank you! Is there any benefit to shooting "true" 24p in the 24 hz cinema mode vs. whatever it is in NTSC mode?
If you’re seeing 24 (and not 23.98) then that’s because your camera is in 24Hz Cinema mode. I don’t recall the page it’s on but you switch the camera between 24 (Cinema), 25 (PAL), and 29.97 (NTSC) modes.
Is there way to set up the 1080p/180fps mode as a function, then when done turn the function off to go to your normal video settings?
No. You can set the VFR command to an Fn button but that only allows you to change the speed, not enable/disable it. You still have to dig into the menus to do that. The fastest option is to save a C mode with your VFR settings enabled.
My vfr is grayed out even if i set it even if I chose right format?
I solved it with turning filters off thank you :)
Then some other setting is conflicting. Easiest is to reset the camera then follow the steps to enable it.
on 10:27 i believe the .MOV eats alot of data on your memory card or where you will save you clips/vides compared to .mp4.. correct me if im wrong..
The Movement isn’t slight at all I can literally see the internal lens going back-and-forth until it hits the glass on the back if I took the camera backwards
Tilt the camera backwards
I tried shooting with it and if I point the camera towards the sky the inside seems to fall back towards me and if I pointed down towards the ground balls towards the front of the lens
Good, then it’ll be easy to return if it’s damaged
My GH five showed up today in the mail I was really excited when I open the box I noticed that it wasn’t sealed when I took the lens out all the internals of the lambs were flopping around I was super bummed as I was relying on this camera to show up for a job
Are you sure you’re not just hearing the floating lens for stabilization moving? Try shooting with it. Where did you buy it from? The unsealed box doesn’t sound good though 😢
You didn't ? sorry my bad xD.
What are you talking about? I didn’t delete anything.
So now you're deleting answers ?
Is it possible to use the autofocus when recording VFR or can you only use manual focus?
you speak crazy tooooo much
Hi Joseph, so i'm a proud owner of a new GH5, but i'm stuck with a VFR huge problem. The first thing I did was updated the firmware. My record quality options appear for 50p and 25p, different from others' screens that offer 30 as well. As in you video here, I get two options with VFR available (mine has 25p instead of 30p of yours), so I set it, but when I go out to VFR, its is off, not highlighted and 'cannot be set'. What am I missing. (tearing my hair out). Please help.
Many many thanks it has worked!
Congratulations on the new camera! First, you're seeing 25 instead of 30 because your camera is set to PAL instead of NTSC. As for VFR, make sure you're in a video shooting mode that says "VFR available". Then the menu option for VFR will become available.
Do you have ADD, as well as ADHD? I’m just wondering because I have both, not necessarily a bad thing as many have believed in the past, actually when harnessed properly it can put you far ahead of others. I am just seeing multiple signs that you seem to have as I do.
No, I just think fast and talk faster :-)
Nice video! Can the VFR footage be imported not as slo mo? I'm curious, I was using a A6300 and would shoot at 120 fps with 1/250 SS, so I could have it playing back normal on a 24 p timeline then speed ramp to slo mo. Is this technically only possible with 60 fps on gh5? If I use VFR I can't play it at regular speed right?
Does the gh5 has autofocus on VFR
Thanks for taking the time to share all this -
great informative video. thanks for the help
Is it normal for you to have fewer stabilization options when you are at a higher VFR (such as full hd 120fps)? Or could that have anything to do with the new firmware 2.0 update?
I’ll address your comment LIVE right here https://youtu.be/3P6q4jr5llE on PhotoJoseph‘s Photo Moment 2017-10-02
The retime tool in Final Cut Pro X is called "Automatic speed".
Love your humor, but the edited version is far better for me. The only exception is when you are doing a video on a full-range topic like "behind the scenes of how to set up a video shoot" where there are several dozen items that all interplay off of each other. the nuance between the related items is best covered in a long form format. But step by step videos, edited content is far better. Thanks for asking!
Thanks for getting back. Totally understand. I've done off shore stuff before, and it was a nightmare. Besides, there is a lot of value in your videos with all kinds of small gems you say when you go off the main script, the kinds of stuff an instructor would say in a one-on-one lesson that can be very helpful. Please keep up the good work.
+Bruce Watkins Unfortunay that experiment failed. I tried hiring an editor in another part of the world on the cheap and communication was a nightmare. I spent way too much time dealing with it. Editing myself takes too long and hiring a proper editor is too expensive. I only make a few dollars off each show in ad rev and while it's ok to not profit from this show (for now), I can't actually lose money.
When I shoot in variable frame rate of 180 or 120 it looks grainy inside and outside. I usually shoot in vlog should I use a different picture style.
+Double Edge Ministries I'll do a video on this. Watch for it soon!
My slo-mo clips are blurry at 180 fps as GH5 does not do auto-focus at VFR. I'm not good at manual focus with the zoom lens. My 4k Panny camcorder HC-WXF991 has much better quality and auto-focus using the digital zoom.
+Marie Lou 3M Totally different machines with different results. You need to get good at manual focus; not much else I can tell you.
Just worth a note here and for GH5 Training video. The VFR option will remain greyed out if the camera has Expression Filter on.
+Martin Pitt A LOT of things are disabled if that is on.
in my GH4 when I set the VFR 96fps it stays locked in 96fps in that Rec Quality mode until i change it. With my gh5 it's reset everytime to 24fps. Any way to change that?
Thankyou for your time and video! I enjoyed very much. Keep going!
Thanks You are Ansoring a lot of Qustions i Have
If its common practice to have the shutter speed at double the frame rate, IE 24fps = 50 shutter speed.
When you record at 180fps but reform to 24, do you still keep shutter at 50 or change it 300 or higher for the 180fps?
When you record at 180fps but reform to 24, do you still keep shutter at 50 or change it 300 or higher for the 180fps?
For 180 you'd want it at 1/360th. And keep in mind that 1/180th would be the slowest possible for obvious reasons. But the easiest way to deal with this is to set your camera to shutter angle instead of shutter speed for video. Then a 180˚ shutter (half of 360˚) is always exactly half of the frame duration, so a 24fps shot will be 1/48th second for example.
When I go into the MOV mode I do not see any extra options appear.
I had VFR but did not have the various options for shooting at 60P. Do I need to reset in order go back to PAL?
+Colin Bent ?? Do you meant that VFR wasn't available in PAL?
PhotoJoseph after choosing VFR and choosing to shoot 60p. If I don't have NTSC I don't get the extra options.
Found the answer. Needed to be in NTSC!
+Colin Bent To enable VFR you mean?
i cant open the Variable Frame rate, because the Line is GREY ! When i chance the Rec Quality (VFR available) still its also grey! whats wrong?? or what i forget?
+DJ Risow Awesome and thanks for getting back to me. V-LOG is a way of shooting that captures more dynamic range but requires color grading in post. Pro feature.
+DJ Risow do a factory reset then try again, and PLEASE report back if that worked or not. I'm tracking a possible bug. If you've already set up your camera and don't like the idea of resetting it, you can save the camera settings and restore them after your reset.
Sorry, newbie question but say you wanted to do a show in 30fps but want optionality to do slowmo (needing 60fps). Is is better to shoot in 4k 30 fps with VFR on the GH5 set to 60 fps or just shoot in 4K 60 fps and use final cut to conform vs. the camera. Are they the same? Thanks!
Shoot in 4K60 (not VFR) and drop on a 30p timeline. If you shoot VFR, you'll have no audio, and you'll have to conform every clip. When shooting 60p and dropping on a 30p timeline, it's automatically played at 30, so automatically dropping every other frame. Then if you slow down to 50%, you play every frame.
Hi Joseph, thanks for these vids, there are a massive help. Just got my GH5 and I love it. One thing I have noticed, in PAL 50hz you can only shoot in either 25p or 50p in either 4K or 1080p. Would be great to be able to shoot in the 23.98p in NTCS and also the 60p in 4K. I'm based in the UK and edit in Final Cut Pro, can I still use NTCS footage? The Autofocus is great too.
I found this to be a good article with some good examples of shutter speeds / shutter angles when shooting in 50hz PAL or 60hz NTSC. http://urbanvideo.ca/avoid-video-flicker
Great! Thanks Joseph, really appreciate you clearing this up for me. What initially confused me was the way my Canon's work. They are set to PAL but give me the option of shooting in 24p, 25p, 30p, & 60p. I guess I was a little concerned that in PAL on the GH5 I could only shoot in either 25p or 50p and any other frame rate I would have to use VFR and that would disable any autofocusing advantages. I do a lot of run and gun and have found the Dual Pixel autofocus system on the Canon's very useful in certain situations. I must say, so far I'm really happy with the autofocus system on the GH5, I'm not tollway dependent on it but the test I've done so far have been good. The image quality coming out of this camera is next level for its price point.
+CUTS That is correct. Pick a frame rate and create! This is a great topic so I'm tagging this for discussion live.
I’ll address your question LIVE right here https://youtu.be/Wpo-gBxEnrg on PhotoJoseph‘s Photo Moment 2017-05-01
I’ll address your question LIVE right here https://youtu.be/Wpo-gBxEnrg on PhotoJoseph‘s Photo Moment 2017-05-01
Ah ok, so PAL is only a consideration if its being broadcast on TV in the UK, otherwise I can just use NTSC? if so cool. I'm mainly publishing online work, via Vimeo & YouTube. I'm new to the GH5 and Panasonic. The camera is SO good. I was confused as my Canon is set to PAL but it allows me to shoot at 24p, 25p, 30p, 50p & 60p. Thanks a bunch for the reply and the super helpful videos!
Not sure I understand the question. PAL is 25Hz, so you get 25p and 50p (25*2). NTSC is 29.97Hz, so you get 23.976p (29.97/1.25), 29.97p, and 59.94p (29.97*2). Cinema is 24Hz, so 24p, 48p, etc. You can certainly shoot and edit in any frame rate you like, and if you're publishing online, then you can use any frame rate you want. If you're broadcasting on UK television though, you have to deliver 25p (as far as I know).
My variable frame rate is always grayed out, no matter what I set Rec Format and Rec Quality to. Is that because of my SD card?
Try resetting your camera to factory settings and trying again. And PLEASE respond back here if that works or not. Thanks.
Hi, I also had to do a factory reset to enable the VFR menu. Thanks for the tip!
Yep, factory reset did the trick. Haven't found out why it was grayed out, but at least it is there again. Thank you very much.
+Alex McLellan Thanks for letting me know.
So, question. How do you you start your shot at normal rate, i.e. 30fps, then have it "jump" to either slow or faster frame rate seamlessly, as in the stuff Casey Neistat does? Or is this effect post only?
Hey Joseph!
Very informative videos man. Keep up the good work.
Just wanted to drop you a line regarding the Premiere vs. FCPX retiming you mentioned: If I'm understanding you correctly, I believe you're talking about the "interpret footage" function in Premiere that allows you to tell Premiere to, for example, SEE your 60p clip at 30p instead, rather than doing the math yourself. FCPX does have the same functionality. It's called "Automatic Speed" and can be found in both the Retime drop down menu as well as the Custom Speed Menu you get when placing the skimmer over a clip and pressing ctrl+opt+R. Hope that helps! Thanks again.
Very informative videos man. Keep up the good work.
Just wanted to drop you a line regarding the Premiere vs. FCPX retiming you mentioned: If I'm understanding you correctly, I believe you're talking about the "interpret footage" function in Premiere that allows you to tell Premiere to, for example, SEE your 60p clip at 30p instead, rather than doing the math yourself. FCPX does have the same functionality. It's called "Automatic Speed" and can be found in both the Retime drop down menu as well as the Custom Speed Menu you get when placing the skimmer over a clip and pressing ctrl+opt+R. Hope that helps! Thanks again.
This was massively helpful to me. Thanks!
I do not...do not think you need to do edited versions. At least not all the time, especially since you end up with jump cuts...very in these days, but absolutely bad tv form...just saying from tv days...we lose the magic of video when this happens and isn't perfectly orcastrated. Casey and I'd say Peter McKinnon are 2 that I know do it well...it's it's own art. But I think it's masks how good they might be at public speaking. Thing is is you are a very good speaker, so I think you would do well with guests...very well. Like the live thing you did at the skatepark....um genius...it's the future of YouTube and live casting. The Sean interviews, great, but again...screen to screen perspective only is a killer....but anyway, I'm nowhere anywhere near your production level yet...so, hats off to you no matter what and I love love you shows, and your work....that's it
Exactly! Lol...that guy...wow...what could he do with a Lumix...just saying...so sad he just went to Sony.
Thanks, I appreciate that! Yeah it's funny if you look at some of the biggest YouTubers like PewdiePie, his videos are ALL jump cuts. Maybe it's an age demographic thing. I can't stand it, but I do understand that some people prefer a short video and aren't as interested in the chit-chat. You're right that most of these people probably couldn't hold a live show without massive pauses. Casey's of course is different because his show is designed to be edited; it's shot over the course of a day and I guarantee he's editing in his mind as he's shooting. Especially noticeable as he starts a sentence in one location and finishes it in another. Casey's brilliant in that and the only annoyance is that he keeps doing new things and the rest of us go "why the eff didn't I think of that!!" ;-)
Hey sir. I always mis your live shows. I would love love to have some say on your set design:) if you could do a live switcher that would be flipping fantastic...
Sorry, what do you mean, if I could "do a live switcher"? I am switching live, constantly.
Hi Joseph
I've got one problem with my GH5?
When I press record in 180 fps in 180 angle in VLOG with Metabones Speed Booster (Ultra 0.71 for Nikon glass) the screen becomes darker and so is the recording (several stops darker)?
When I stop the recording the GH5 returns to its proper exposure again, this is so weird?
Do you have any suggestion on what it might be, I don't have this problem with my GH4?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrmbXKF3r7M
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwU8H4mUTrrRR0ZfOG5ZY0lEVjg/view?usp=sharing
I've got one problem with my GH5?
When I press record in 180 fps in 180 angle in VLOG with Metabones Speed Booster (Ultra 0.71 for Nikon glass) the screen becomes darker and so is the recording (several stops darker)?
When I stop the recording the GH5 returns to its proper exposure again, this is so weird?
Do you have any suggestion on what it might be, I don't have this problem with my GH4?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrmbXKF3r7M
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwU8H4mUTrrRR0ZfOG5ZY0lEVjg/view?usp=sharing
No it's for all profiles, actual recorded exposure is correct? It's just the monitoring pipeline that has a bug.
Have a look at this thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?353583-GH5-in-180-fps-in-180-angle-in-VLOG-becomes-darker-when-I-press-record
Have a look at this thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?353583-GH5-in-180-fps-in-180-angle-in-VLOG-becomes-darker-when-I-press-record
OK, and this is specific to VLOG? It only happens when that's activated?
I have now tested without the SpeedBooster and with the Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60 / 2,8-4 ASPH and I get the the same results!
It happens to other too, the display doesn't show us the correct exposure before pressing the record button. You have to make adjustments again while you are recording. I've seen a few other reports of this on Facebook GH5 groups and on dvxuser.com. It apparently happens with Angle set it's a bug, it does work with sec/iso and sec/db but "NOT with Angle set".
Could you please pass this info back to Sean Robinson at Panasonic?
Hopefully it can be fixed with an update. :-)
Could you please pass this info back to Sean Robinson at Panasonic?
Hopefully it can be fixed with an update. :-)
I have no experience with the metabones, and last time I tried to talk to them about it I got the cold shoulder. You will have to check in with them to see how their testing is proceeding.
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