MP4 vs AVCHD

I'm still fairly new to video, but my understanding is that AVCHD files are smaller so if space or long record times are an issue, use AVCHD, but otherwise use MP4 because they are much easier and faster to work with. And I've been told that they are fairly equivalent in quality.

 

GX7 uses variable bitrate recording, so bitrate tables are approximate only. The only exact correlation in my GX7 manual's table on AVCHD and MP4 bitrates is for 1920x1080 at 50p, where both formats are listed at 28 Mbps.

So I wouldn't worry about quality, but, as GFF says, the files will be bigger with MP4.

 

Try editing a few test clips before your trip. AVCHD is much more diffcult to edit (or at least it used to be). Everything can play and edit MP4 with no problems.

 

From my understanding, AVCHD is good for direct playback straight out of cam, but is a pain in the butt to edit. If you want to do any editing, go with MP4.

 

I would recommend looking at something like http://www.amazon.com/RAVPower®-Fil...d=1402380024&sr=8-1&keywords=ravpower+filehub

Copy all the movie clips from SD to a usb hd. Use an app like FileExplorer on your iPad to create a NAS connection on . From there you will see all your clips on the HD. From there you can play and open the clips in iMovie or any other app that can play mp4. What this does for you is save the precious space on your iPad so you can work on the video…

I just did a quick test to confirm that this is possible…

 

You can't just compare bit rates unless you are simply talking about how much storage you need.

I don't think one is really "better" than they other. They differ in how they compress and store the data. If you want to look at your video and store and/or edit it on your iPad then MP4 is the way to go.

 

While I can't speak for the EM-1, which is relatively weaker in the video codec department, the gx7 excels in both modes(I own a g6, but I have experimented with and seen many samples from the gx7, both cameras have the same video codec options). The approximate bitrate of the gx7 in both AVCHD and mp4 is 28mbps. However, in AVCHD mode, you have the option of 24p, which results in less compression every second, in mp4 mode, you are stuck with 1080 60p at 28mbps, so the bitrate of each frame is approximately halved. So if you were to shoot 24p in AVCHD compared to 60p mp4, you would get a cleaner image. However, in my experience, both codecs are very strong, and differences in codec and bitrate after editing and exporting are hardly ever noticeable unless you were to pixel peep very hard. I shoot mp4 because AVCHD, in my opinion, is a pain the neck, and with 60p, you have the option to slow footage down, which often helps stabilise handheld clips.