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Opinions Please…
I’m about to make the switch from a Sony VX2100 to the HVX200 and would appreciate some input. I’ve read articles and posts for about 2 months, spoken to numerous film makers and a few post production houses. Through this experience I have decided on Panasonic.
My question – one I have not thought t answer until now – is this: What format can I record to the DV tape? Is 720/24p possible? What is the limitation of shooting only to tape?
My wife and I are in Peru shooting an Internet TV adventure series, ‘Xpeditions’. Weight is an important issue when you’re hiking a narrow trail across the Andes at 14,000′ or through the Amazon Rain forest. I understand the P2 cards are handy, but too expensive right now. Besides, we shoot hours of tape and edit as needed. A P2 would be a sily investment at 15 minutes.
Thus, my question (before I buy the new camera). What are my upper limits when shooting to DV tape with the HVX200?
Many thanks in advance.
Incidentally, if interested you can visit our site to see what we’ve managed to do so far with Final Cut Studio and a VX2100.
Best Wishes
Jerry WillsWhat great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail? Robert Schuller
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9 Replies
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On tape you can record 30 frames, 24p and 24pA in NTSC models.
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One more thing On tape its DV25 only. You can NOT record DVCpro50/or any HD.
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Sounds like a very nice adventure. An HVX200 can shoot DV onto tape and only DV, better known as DVCPRO 25. It can also shoot DVCPRO 50 same as Digibeta and DVCPRO 100/ HD which is either 720p or 1080i or 24p onto P2 cards or stream to a computer over firewire.
I like my HVX200 very much as I have always wanted an affordable HiDef (4:2:2 – not 4:2:0) camera. it’s a little heavier than a Sony HDV camera but it’s really versital.
Please visit http://www.thefinalcutstore.com for all your Final Cut needs.
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With two 16GB cards loaded, you get 80 minutes at 720p24pN.
Unlock the secrets of the DVX100 and Final Cut Pro!
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OK, so from what I’ve read by each of you helping me, is that the HVX200 can only be useful (using tape) if I shoot 720/24P… Anything else requires one of the P2 cards.
What about attaching a firewire storage device? Would HD 1080/24P be possible with an external hard drive?
If so, it seems to me this would be a good choice, given the time available is around an hour or so instead of the few minutes the P2 cards provide. Any thoughts about this?
Incidentally, I really appreciate the answers and guidance each of you have provided. Thanks alot!
Jerry Wills
Knowledge Is Power — Xpeditions TV <https://www.xpeditionstv.com> Is FREE… Pass it on!
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720/24p is an HD format. like posted previously, you can only record DV onto tape. so if you want to do 24p, you are limited to 480/24p or 480/24pA. 480 is the highest resolution that you can record to tape. in this regard, the HVX200 would be very similar to your VX2100.
you could get 1080p24 using an external firewire drive, but it will record at 1080i60 and use a pulldown method to make it “look” like 24p. then FCP can remove the extra frames if you want to edit at 24p. or it can leave them in if you edit at 1080i60, which is what my company does.
having shot in the mountains for a few years, i can say that you would be better off using the P2 cards rather than a firewire drive. the firewire connection is loose at best and the Firestore is a fragile device. i would recommend a P2 Store with 3 P2 cards, then offload the P2 Store at the end of the day onto a laptop. this is what my action sports production company does, but it may be too much equipment and too pricey for you guys.
if you think that tape is the only way, i would suggest either keeping the VX2100, or look at the new 24p HDV cameras from Sony. i can’t recommend the HVX200 highly enough, but it might not make the most sense for you guys at this moment.
e
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I too love the images from the HVX200, but when in physically tough terrain (Bhutan, Nepal, Africa etc), I used the Sony A1U and was delighted with the small size and light weight.
Also, there are many places in Peru that I wouldn’t want to be walking around with a expensive looking camera. If I were to do it today, I would probably still go with the A1U or perhaps the V1U.
Good luck,
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Reports are that a 32 Gb card will get about 85 minutes.
Go figure
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Invest in the Firestore. You get 294 minutes of 720Pn HD footage on a single drive. Also invest in the Power Bag Junior for the FS-100 battery. You can shoot all day with it. A friend of mine shot an entire PBS documentary in Spain in the field with the FS-100, backed up to external FW drives at night, and never missed a frame. For documentary and long form work, the P2 workflow is a major pain in the @*&.
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