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HVX200 P2 vs Firestore or Citidisk at 720p 24
Hey People,
Heres the background-
I am currently in the middle of a DVCPRO HD 720p24 (29.98) Documentary. We shot the initial footage with a Varicam 2 years ago, at 720p24 fps. The tapes were 59.94 with the flagged frames, captured them in FCP 5.0 with the 1200a panasonic deck through firewire in the easy setup 720p24 and everything looks great. We have a Kona LHe card for finished output to 1700 or something else.
The Question-
We need to reshoot and we want to know if the P2 HVX200 camera is worth buying over renting the Varicam for a number of weeks. The rental for the Varicam would also include the 1200a deck rental again.We have already shot the interviews and this is mostly going to be used for B roll and a ceremony shoot.
Now here is the crux of it all-
We don’t want anything to do with the P2 cards. We are investigating the Firestore and Citidisk HD drives to see how much footage will actually fit on these babies. Since we are shooting 720p at 24 fps (23.98) how are the files saved on these drives. Since we are not using Tape would the files be saved as 720p at 59.94 or 720p at 24? This is the difference between 1 hour and 5 hours of recording time on a 120 gig drive. If you shoot with the P2 cards in 720p24 does it record more minutes when compared to shooting in 720p 59.94? If this does make smaller files on the P2 card wouldn’t these drives record the same way or does the firewire connection cause it to record some other way?
I would really appreciate anyones help here.
Thanks,
-A-
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4 Replies
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What so wrong with P2 cards? I have used them with great success.
With P2 cards, you can record native frames and thus have more recording time. An 8 gig card can record 20 minutes at 720 24p. The outboard firewire recorders capture at 60 fps like a Varicam. Off speed footage must be frame rate converted to get the desired look.
Chris Bell
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“whats wrong with P2 cards?”
Well where to start. 1 8 gb P2 card costs $1400 from B&H and holds 20 minutes of 720p 24 fps according to your last post. 1 Citidisk HD 120 gb is $1200 and holds a little more than 1 hour of 720p 59.94. Thats three times as much storage for less money. The Firestore which is endoresed by panasonic costs $1999 and says will record 1.5 hours of DVCPRO HD.
If you are shooting a 10 minute interview, the P2 cards are fine but for a 3 to 4 hour concert or Ceremony they make very little sense. You would need to have more than one and keep switching and dumping.
Why do these Hard Drive recorders capture footage like the Varicam? There are no tapes involved. Is it because of the firewire? Have you used any of them and seen first hand?
Thanks,
-A- -
P2 has its limitations, and is not right for all shoots. I don’t think you can use price as the main point for comparison. I find the idea of an outboard recorder cumbersome, and thus P2 cards/ P2 store are the better value in my opinion. For a long concert, where the cameras are static, the outboard devices have merit… watch that firewire cable as it does not lock in place!
The firewire out on the HVX is always your frame rate over 60p (at 720) like the Varicam. There are no native frame rates output via firewire.
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[ahark24] “Why do these Hard Drive recorders capture footage like the Varicam? There are no tapes involved. Is it because of the firewire? Have you used any of them and seen first hand?”
These were just released at NAB…so no real first hand experience. But the Firestore people said that they don’t capture 24PN, only 24P at 60P with flagged frames like the Varicam.
WHY? I didn’t ask. I am not a tech head, and knowing why not wouldn’t help me get it to work. Is the CinePorter out? I didn’t see one.
I know that the P2 isn’t the best solution for everyone. The firestore is a great device, but just like the P2 it has its disadvantages. 1) Noisy fan. So it cannot just be mounted under the camera ifyou intend on using the camera mic. Clip it on your belt behind you. 2) It is a hard drive, so it cannot take a lot of jostling. If it is on your belt, don’t go jogging.
Shane
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net
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