GitUp Git2 for Time Lapse
If you looked at my "baseline" 4K time lapse (above) in 4K -- which I will NOT advise you to do, you might have been very impressed with its detail, at first. After a while though, you might have felt that "well, it's very nice, but I think it could be better," and yes, I agree.
I will try to briefly identify where this setup had, and still has issues:
This special version of the GitUp Git2 costed around $140 US (plus shipping etc), back in 2016. It was eventually replaced with the "Git2P". The original "Git2" is still available, but only with a fish-eye lens. I think the "Git2P" might be available only with a rectilinear lens now. I am not sure of that, and it is unimportant. The "Git2P" uses a Panasonic sensor (Panasonic MN34120), which is probably a bit cheaper than the Sony sensor in the "Git2" (Sony IMX206). The lens on the "Git2P" is a bit shorter focal length, which almost completely eliminates barrel distortion. I have seen comparison videos between various configurations of the "Git2" and the "Git2P" and the "Git2P" seems to be the better camera, but really the only difference is the more linear lens. There is a slight difference in color rendition, but I would not say that one is better than the other. It is a matter of taste.
[2019-01-24 01:25 Correction:
While the "Git2" is now only available with the "Fisheye" lens, the "Git2P" is now available with either the "90 degree" [rectilinear] lens or the "170 degree" [fisheye] lens. So when ordering the rectilinear version, one has to be careful to order the correct camera.
Here is a link to a video by someone in Russia who tested the Git2P with rectilinear lens. While it goes through a few options, really, the most important part of the test for me is the first few seconds where his sample shows clearly the near perfect rectilinear view of the lens. It is easy to see that it is much better than the lens I am using.
"GitUp Git2p (90 degree lens, no fish eye) - Comparison of the modes", posted Apr 2, 2018 by "VideoFromMoscow", length 12:08
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The only question I have not found an answer to is whether there is a significant difference in low light. I have seen some low light tests and I am not sure if I saw a real difference. I thought the Panasonic looked a bit less noisy, but I did not see extensive testing, so I currently consider them about equal even in this area. I actually have another camera with the same Panasonic sensor (SJCAM SJ5000plus) but the lenses and firmware are so different that comparison would essentially inconclusive.
As I write this, the "going price" for most configurations of the "Git2" and "Git2P" are about $100 US for the camera alone, and a bit more with an accessory package.
The Known Issues of the "Git2" Approach
Mostly, the biggest issues are the same as most Action cameras like the GoPro Hero 4 series. In fact the "Git2" was closely modelled on the GoPro Hero 4, and can be used in the Hero 4's underwater housing, and uses the same USB Mini connector power cord.
Lens Focussing Related:
The biggest issue is that the lens is not designed to be focussed. The "Fisheye" version uses a nearly identical lens compared to the Hero 4 Silver (I know because I also own a Hero 4 Silver). My 4.35mm lens is probably focussed at about 3' - 4'. Nearer or farther than that is "covered" by a combination of regular optical depth of field, and firmware sharpening. On the current firmware of my "Git2" there are 3 levels of sharpening -- low, medium and high. This can be used in place of focussing. For objects farther, one can increase the sharpening. I leave it at "Medium", which means I allow "infinity" to be a bit soft.
GitUp was selling three rectilinear replacement lenses before the "Git2P" was released. There was the 4.35mm lens that came with my version of the "Git2" and two others. The "Git2P" got one of these other lenses. I eventually bought the 3rd lens which has probably not been used as a "standard" lens on a "GitUp" camera yet. Mine was the shortest focal length and had marginally less barrel distortion than the lens on the "Git2P". I have that lens waiting to replace the lens in my "Git2", but I have not had the time to get the change done. I estimate it will take 1 - 2 days of work. If/when I get that done, I will set the focal plane a bit further out than factory standard, making the camera a bit sharper at longer distances, out towards infinity. I will lose a bit of near depth of field, but I have no intention of using this camera for objects less than 4', so I will not lose any relevant functionality.
Sensor Related:
The next issues of my "Git2" are sensor related. The 16MP Sony sensor is fairly noise at low light, and there is a very bad color shift at lower light. I have been trying to get rid of this color shift problem for my "fireworks" videos, and GitUp provides a very good manual color setting capability which covers all three primaries (Red and Blue directly and Green by compensation). But I only get to record fireworks one or two times per year, so I still do not have this worked out.
Processing Related:
Lastly, the "Git2" and "Git2P" do not record true "UHD". The closest format in video modes are anamorphic 16:9 format 2880 x 2160 at 24 fps for "normal" video (not time lapse) and the same frame format in a 30 fps file for time lapse. There is also a 2880 x 2160 4:3 screen format mode also at 24 fps, which is what I use for fireworks.
When I process the anamorphic video files I stretch them to 3840 wide. There is no further "loss" of sharpness or detail at this point beyond what is normal in any image recoding, but since the detail was not recorded in the first place, the resulting video is a bit less sharp and less detailed than it would be if proper 3840 wide video were originally recorded.
[2019-01-24 partly re-written for clarity]
This is a firmware limit and not a hardware limit. If you think about it, the reason for the 2880 anamorphic format at 24 fps is obviously because the processor has hit its limit at that frame rate, and it cannot even get that much done within 30 fps. However, for time lapse, this, and other similar cameras are not recording faster than 1/2 sec. per frame. Couldn't the processor handle a full width 3840 screen width within this much time? Actually, the SJCAM M20 camcorder uses the exact same sensor and chipset and when it is used in its equivalent time-lapse mode it does indeed process full 3840 pixel width screens. The only reason that the "Git2" does not is GitUp's camera design choice. Unfortunately, the SJCAM M20 has much more limited firmware in other ways, and so, I prefer my "Git2" and the newer "Git2P".
[2019-01-24 partly re-written for clarity]
The "Git2" and "Git2P" also support "time-lapse" by still photography. Using this method the full 16MP still picture capability can be used, and frame are stored JPEGs. RAW is also available, but I think it needs a frame rate of 1 fps or slower. This has not been tested, but I know that the RAW storage time seemed long. Such a time-lapse requires you to supply your own frame assembling software. Most video editing programs should include this capability. Full "UHD" resolution will depend on your software, but is fairly common.
Conclusion:
As I wrote above, I do not recommend viewing this video in "UHD". It's pretty good, but not really wonderful. At best it probably exceeds 1440P, so that is probably the best resolution for viewing. For the record, I do not view YouTube videos at higher than 1080P. I feel that the cost is extravagant and on my computers and devices I get nothing out of higher resolutions anyway. In fact, on YouTube, I usually watch in 360P and 480P, and occasionally in 720P. The main reason I record in resolutions higher than 1080P is to support special projects. I can produce 30 fps "UHD" videos in my current equipment using the YiM1. The Action Cameras I have were my first step into "UHD" support, and they have done well enough for now. I am simply not in a hurry to go into it further.