I use Nikon 7000/7100 and an Olympus EP5. Lots of information over at DVXuser on the Nikons but its hard to find stuff on the Oly's because there are not thought of as video cameras. I've found the 5 axis IBIS is amazing for run/gun stuff.
However as good as Movie Studio is it can't fix video that is poorly shot because of the Codec. I found this information and did several test to confirm what was stated. The result is that I used the 1080P fine only when shooting static and 1080 normal when doing some stuff. But the MJEPG 720P is the way to go if you are post processing and mixing.
When I use movie studio to mix 1080p 30 from my 7100 and mix the 720P mjepg stuff, I can't really tell the difference. MS reports the 720P at about 30 m data rate (sometimes higher).
So here is the information as presented in a post at DPR, hopefully it will help you get the most out of MS and an Olympus camera:
I did some test yesterday and verified what this guy said on DPR. The MJPEG stuff @ 720 is amazing for post processing work. Mixed it in with 1080p 30 fps from my 7100 and it was very hard to tell the difference. There is such a lack of good information on oly's video I thought I'd post this.
"
The quoted process is the exact thing I have recommended in the past. MJPEG vs storage is not recommended for daily use. It is incredibly heavy in storage requirements and should only be used if your doing some real work with your footage.
1080 Fine = Extremely detailed static scenes with little overall movement or panning in the scene. Filming raindrops in a puddle is too much for this mode, fast reactions to movement is also too much. This is for planned or overall controlled shots.
1080 Normal = Detailed scenes where movement is intended panning or otherwise. It will take a lot to ruin the capture in this mode and the sharpness of the overall capture is more than enough for any use. It's also good if your not worried about storage space.
720 Fine = This is nearly equal to the 1080 Normal but at a smaller resolution. This is good for high quality family outings, think Disneyland where high detail is desired but motion will be constant. This would be useful where you know a lot of footage will be taken over several hours of overall recording and storage space is a consideration.
720 Normal = Social events, such as a family gathering or an event where you want to capture the event but know it's not going to be used for much else other than personal use or may be deleted some time down the road. Detailed enough to provide a great picture and light enough on storage requirements that you don't have to worry about capturing some video every so often.
Keep in mind all of the above are done with variable bit rates all with a different average bit rate. The problem with the OMD and its bitrate cap is the detail capture is so high that you hit the ceiling of what it can capture pretty fast and this leads to the "mudding" artifacts. It's a 50/50 that you will see it in 1080 Fine depending on the scene and the odds drop considerably each time you go down to the next lower option. I won't even discuss the lowest options. They have their use I am sure but you don't buy a camera of this quality for the lowest options.
The MPJEG modes are intense. The detail capture has absolutely no mudding and the bitrate is constantly high so it provides the best picture quality if your intention is to later post process the results. I have seen 720 to 4k resolution conversations that are then output to 1080 and you can't even tell the difference the detail is just so high. "
The more I use MS13 the more I amazed at the power it contains. The color match works extremely well between my Nikons and the Olympus. If it doesn't get some kind of award this year for NLE software it will be a crime! I'm am a fanyboy:)
However as good as Movie Studio is it can't fix video that is poorly shot because of the Codec. I found this information and did several test to confirm what was stated. The result is that I used the 1080P fine only when shooting static and 1080 normal when doing some stuff. But the MJEPG 720P is the way to go if you are post processing and mixing.
When I use movie studio to mix 1080p 30 from my 7100 and mix the 720P mjepg stuff, I can't really tell the difference. MS reports the 720P at about 30 m data rate (sometimes higher).
So here is the information as presented in a post at DPR, hopefully it will help you get the most out of MS and an Olympus camera:
I did some test yesterday and verified what this guy said on DPR. The MJPEG stuff @ 720 is amazing for post processing work. Mixed it in with 1080p 30 fps from my 7100 and it was very hard to tell the difference. There is such a lack of good information on oly's video I thought I'd post this.
"
The quoted process is the exact thing I have recommended in the past. MJPEG vs storage is not recommended for daily use. It is incredibly heavy in storage requirements and should only be used if your doing some real work with your footage.
1080 Fine = Extremely detailed static scenes with little overall movement or panning in the scene. Filming raindrops in a puddle is too much for this mode, fast reactions to movement is also too much. This is for planned or overall controlled shots.
1080 Normal = Detailed scenes where movement is intended panning or otherwise. It will take a lot to ruin the capture in this mode and the sharpness of the overall capture is more than enough for any use. It's also good if your not worried about storage space.
720 Fine = This is nearly equal to the 1080 Normal but at a smaller resolution. This is good for high quality family outings, think Disneyland where high detail is desired but motion will be constant. This would be useful where you know a lot of footage will be taken over several hours of overall recording and storage space is a consideration.
720 Normal = Social events, such as a family gathering or an event where you want to capture the event but know it's not going to be used for much else other than personal use or may be deleted some time down the road. Detailed enough to provide a great picture and light enough on storage requirements that you don't have to worry about capturing some video every so often.
Keep in mind all of the above are done with variable bit rates all with a different average bit rate. The problem with the OMD and its bitrate cap is the detail capture is so high that you hit the ceiling of what it can capture pretty fast and this leads to the "mudding" artifacts. It's a 50/50 that you will see it in 1080 Fine depending on the scene and the odds drop considerably each time you go down to the next lower option. I won't even discuss the lowest options. They have their use I am sure but you don't buy a camera of this quality for the lowest options.
The MPJEG modes are intense. The detail capture has absolutely no mudding and the bitrate is constantly high so it provides the best picture quality if your intention is to later post process the results. I have seen 720 to 4k resolution conversations that are then output to 1080 and you can't even tell the difference the detail is just so high. "
The more I use MS13 the more I amazed at the power it contains. The color match works extremely well between my Nikons and the Olympus. If it doesn't get some kind of award this year for NLE software it will be a crime! I'm am a fanyboy:)