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DV Mode Interviews 1st day
This was my first day shooting interviews with our new HVX200… on DV…
The image is way better than I expected, but.. it is kinda soft,,, I expected that cause I am used to 2/3″ chips,,,,
But it is also slightly aliased (stair steps) along the edge of the shoulders and if you look closely at the eyes..
I am using the 60i setting, because the manual said (Barry G.) said that this is the best for basic NTSC video.. ( I could have misread the details)
Would the 30p setting be better smoother results… I am working in standard NTSC 29. frames good old USA time line…
suggestions? Or is the norm for HVX200 in DV mode.
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21 Replies
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This may also just be the codec you are using. Why are you shooting DV with a HVX200, do you have to shoot on tape? Try using DV50 codec if you want to stay in the SD format. If you are use to 2/3″ chip what format?
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Michael,
We are using Sony mini DV tape… yes we want the tape.
I am used to shooting our Sony DXCwsl 35 with the DSR 1 vtr back…. I just did not want to hand hold the Sony for three weeks.. and the client cut budgets by 40% so I can not hire grips/help.
So it is not the 60i setting that is causing the aliasing?
It is not bad aliasing but it is there….
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[Nate Stephens] “So it is not the 60i setting that is causing the aliasing? “
Are you watching this in Quicktime?
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Well 60i NTSC resolution video is relatively low res- and antialiasing is a fact of life. That said if you shoot 24pA you’ll get much less because you’ll be throwing away interlaced frames which are more susceptible to aliasing artifacts. But you have to make sure that you are matching the other camera if there is one or that you are supplying a format that the editor can utilize. But yeah NTSC 60i DV is about the least appealing format the HVX200 is capable of shooting.
Noah
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See, I’m wondering if he’s calling the interlacing aliasing. If it’s aliasing, it’s just dv, if it’s interlace, it’s interlace. Also, Nate, if you are watching this in Quicktime, make sure to turn on the high quality viewing option. For some reason it’s off by default.
Jeremy
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Have you tried adjusting the sharpness or detail settings? DV is pretty on this cam, but my experience is it likes a bit more light than BG indicates in his manual. Also, with 1/3″ chips and small lens, it ultimately just looks like DV, pretty or not. That said, it does do a great job for the size.
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Thanks Jeremy,
I appreciate the reminder. I am editing this in our “B” suite, our MBP laptop hooked to a monitor, not where I usually edit… and I forgot about the Quicktime default… you nailed it… thanks…
And I was just double checking that I was pumping the best DV from this little baby… It doesn’t seem as tight as our big Sony DXCwsl35/dsr1 but it is 1/3 the price and 1/3 the weight…. and comes very close to matching the Sony… I think the Sony is a little dryer looking, less Chroma… The Hvx is very chroma rich, the Sony is sharper edges but that is to be expected and maybe a little less noise.. But you have to struggle to point out noise in a well lit shot on this HVX…
I just don’t have the time or allowances for re-takes or back ups shooting these interviews. So, I can’t play with the setting on location. It is the first time I have had the HVX in the field.
I also noticed that the mic levels are not very sensitive between the off and the first and second dot. I tend to get no audio or almost too much and this is with the Sennheiser G2 set to -20dbs,,
That and the volume for the headset is way low.. I am used to lots of headset volume… But I am not so used to keeping the audio peaking at -20 either…
Every camera has their own dance… and I am enjoying my dance with the HVX…. just trying to make it perfect…
The first time out…
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[Nate Stephens] “It doesn’t seem as tight as our big Sony DXCwsl35/dsr1 but it is 1/3 the price and 1/3 the weight…. and comes very close to matching the Sony… I think the Sony is a little dryer looking, less Chroma… “
That’s always been the difference in Sony vs Panasonic. You can tweak the heck out of the Panasonic to not give as much chroma if you don’t want it. Also, what kind of lens is on your SOny? Don’t forget about that too.
[Nate Stephens] “I also noticed that the mic levels are not very sensitive between the off and the first and second dot. I tend to get no audio or almost too much and this is with the Sennheiser G2 set to -20dbs,, “
Usually, you want to set that to peak at the second mark. You will notice that if you try and overdrive the signal, it goes much farther than the second tick mark.
[Nate Stephens] “But I am not so used to keeping the audio peaking at -20 either… “
And don’t get used to that, that is way too low in my opinion. Digital audio works way different than analog. Even though -20 is 0, you have way more headroom to play with over ‘digital 0’ than you’d expect. A lot of experienced audio guys kind of didn’t believe us when we told them to raise the levels beyond -20 way back when we started with digital audio. I tend to have things peak @ -10, and even -6. Don’t be afraid to push the levels in audio just calibrate your mixer as such. This will help your headset volume as well.
[Nate Stephens] “Every camera has their own dance… and I am enjoying my dance with the HVX…. just trying to make it perfect…
The first time out… “
Ha! Good luck with that one.
Jeremy
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“And don’t get used to that, that is way too low in my opinion. Digital audio works way different than analog. Even though -20 is 0, you have way more headroom to play with over ‘digital 0’ than you’d expect. A lot of experienced audio guys kind of didn’t believe us when we told them to raise the levels beyond -20 way back when we started with digital audio. I tend to have things peak @ -10, and even -6. Don’t be afraid to push the levels in audio just calibrate your mixer as such. This will help your headset volume as well. ”
When the new Sennheiser G2 wireless got here last week I tried them out on my self and it seems that when plugged directly into the camera, the voice would start to rattle when the audio meter hit the second bar (-12) … So I turned down the sensitivity in the Sennheiser to -20 and have been averaging the interviews on the HVX meter at the first mark which is -20, so the interviewed won’t peak much above -12 and hopefully not rattle.. My headset is not the best and the speakers in edit suite “B” are very basic, so they might be distorting way to early on playback..
I am plugging the wireless directly into the HVX, I can understand where a field mixer would be very helpfull.. (But this one man band has only so many hands…. I even get to ask the questions…..)
The HVX has a -50 and -60 audio setup. It seems if it had a -40 that I could use the middle of the mic dial instead of the first 2 dots…. But then I am not an audio expert… These new Sennheisers just make me sound like one..
If I don’t have to be so critical to avoid the voice rattle,, give me some hints on how to save that audio and correct that distortion in post…
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Hi Nate,
I found that in the first half-year of use, there were several times when we had occasional overdriven audio peaks when plugging mics directly into the HVX. And this was mostly on interview stuff. That’s intolerable to me, so I got a Sound Devices Mix-Pre. It’s a little 2-channel mixer that is built with superb quality. It has great mic preamps and a wonderful limiter system that almost totally prevents overdriving those inputs. In addition, it can crank out a really hot headphone output. The HVX headphone out is so weak I can’t hear the subtle stuff out of it. I think it actually helps with the “only 2 hands” thing because you’re not working with those little flat audio dials on the HVX and the limiters save you when the interviewee gets excited. If you get a chance to try one, I recommend it.
-TomFinal Cut Studio 2, FCP 6.0.3, Mac OS-X 10.4.11, Quicktime 7.4.5, After Effects 6.5 Pro, G5 Quad 2.5, Kona-LHe V5.1, 4.5GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce 7800-GT 256MB, G-RAID 2x1TB FW800, 6TB RAID-5 (Enhance E8-ML, Highpoint 2322), Panasonic HVX-200P P2.
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