Please share your P2 horror stories

[Noah Kadner]

Is that really a serious question? For every “horror” story you might get I can present 10 success stories- the same as with any successful camera. Trust me this is a solid camera to get and P2 is at this point a proven technology in use all over the world. But as with any car you can kick the tires until they go flat if that’s what you really want.

Noah

My FCP Blog. Unlock the secrets of the DVX100, HVX200 and Apple Color. Now featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook
https://www.callboxlive.com

[Nate Stephens]

P2 is not a tape based work flow. You will make mistakes, You will learn.

P2 is fast, clean and I am really enjoying it. It has been 4 months since I jumped in. It is a lot to learn because the HVX200 has a lot of options to share. I am purchasing the HPX500 very soon for our “More” corporate clients….

And I am already salivating over the NAB announced Varicam P2 3700… That has to be One sweet machine…

Read, read, google and google… I am averaging 2 to 3 hours a night since last December trying to learn all things P2 -HD..

But if you prefer, I will sell you my Betacam Sp/ Dvcam – Sony DXC35wsl… so you can have tape… 🙂

PS: Google CMOS, search for Barry Greens article…

[Dan Brockett]

Chris:

P2 is one of the best workflows I have ever seen. My only suggestion is make sure you have at least two copies of your files as you offload and shoot. Having one set of drives makes me nervous.

I have shot around 2,500 P2 cards worth of material with nary a glitch. The system is as reliable as you are. If you screw up and do something stupid like not transfer your lastclip.txt file or only have one drive it crashes, that’s your fault, not the P2 format’s fault, right?

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Vince Becquiot]

Keep it simple. I used to use different software to transfer files, but I’ve seen issues come up over time. Copy the files to a hard disk (not move), rename the folder to match the scene, duplicate to a second drive. Then use the P2 formating utility to format your card. There’s also P2 Genie which does seem to be reliable, I’m currently testing that option.

Vince

[Wade Harrington]

P2Forge is great! It verifies data and give an extra piece of mind. https://www.lightstir.com/p2forge/

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

I’ve been using the P2 for 2 years, never had a glitch. I have dunked my cards in a glass of water, tossed it across rooms. They still work.

As everybody stated earlier, you need to understand the workflow and you will be fine. As a steadicam operator I love being able to shoot and preview full rez to a laptop with out even offloading the cards. No more carrying dv decks and wireless transmitters to see if the shot is in focus or how the framing ended up in a low rez proxy.

move over with confidence.

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avid Media Composer HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe Premium CS3.Gspeed ES.Steadicam Clipper 2 OP/Owner.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Nate Stephens]

Emre,

What Version of Steadycam do you have.. I am thinking of investing in Steadycam or Glidecam

or some sort of camera stabalizer…

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

Hi Nate,

I have a steadicam clipper 2 and a steadicam flyer (which is up for sale currently). If you are going to choose between a glidecam or a steadicam I would hands down recommend steadicam products. I have tried almost all brands,steadicam,glidecam,sachtler,basoon,movecam,varizoom….etc. Steadicam has the best engineered and innovative products out there. Sachtler is my second best favorite and it goes downhill from there.

If you are thinking of becoming a steadicam Op I would also recommend:

-Doing a workshop (Rockport Maine has the best). Or contact Peter Abraham from steadicam for 3 day workshops.
-Picking the right size rig to service your particular gigs.
-Giving yourself 6-8 months to get the hang of it.
-Practice, practice ,practice…

Cheers,

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avid Media Composer HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe Premium CS3.Gspeed ES.Steadicam Clipper 2 OP/Owner.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”

[Vince Becquiot]

You didn’t mention “strong arms”…

Vince

[Emre Tufekci s.o.a.]

The only time I needed “strong arms” was to deal with clients that are 30 days overdue. :O)

Emre
http://www.productionpit.com
Boxx Tech PC, dual-dual AMD 2.0,4BG ram,Avid Media Composer HD w/Mojo,UVW-1800,DSR-25, Adobe Premium CS3.Gspeed ES.Steadicam Clipper 2 OP/Owner.

“Creative cow is udder madness.”