Sony F3 with external recorder

[Michael Palmer]

1. Can you record to both the SXS and ext. recorder (for redundancy and possible for use as offline edit)?
YES
2. Any preference between BMD Hyperlink Shuttle 2 and Ninja 2?
The BM is far less money to purchase but it doesn’t have a monitor, I like that the BM can have a 512 gig SSD for longer record times.
3. Any words of caution or advice?
Make sure the port you are using for the external recorder is being monitored with just a clean signal, and that the display information you would see in an EVF is turned OFF. Also the small SDI connectors on the BM can easily break, make sure you rig this devise so that the cables are secure on the unit and you will be fine. You will need to purchase cables to convert small SDI to the size on the F3. The cables that I found were very ridged and after a day of run and gun jumping into a car 4 times they loosened this small SDI connector to the point I had to stop and take it all apart and glue it back together. The BM is much larger than I had expected, however I found very affordable Samsung 512 gig SSD’s for about #300 each that gave me 4.5 hours of S-Log / Pro Rez
4. With the BMD shuttle, can I review the footage that’s on the SSD drive, while it’s attached to the camera? Is it as simple as putting the camera in VTR mode and hitting PLAY on the Shuttle?
YES it will play back.

Good Luck
Michael Palmer

[Dale West]

Trevor,

Here are some things Ive learned but there are others that can provide deeper details

1: I always record on the cards and external recorder. Ive only had one time that I needed the back up but it was for an interview that could not be duplicated and the client was sooooo happy that we had the backup. They were able to sync the audio on the SxS to the Video on my Pix 240 and all was right withthe world.

2. I dont know much about the 2 devices you ask about. I use the NanoFlash and the Pix 240. A friend has the Hyperdeck and has had some issues but Im not sure what they were. It just came up in conversation.

3. Just always check the files after offloading. Some folks just dump and move on and then get the surprise when they get back to the shop.
And data is not data until there are at least 2 copies of everything.
Dont erase any cards until you confirm you have it on your drives.

4. Most all of the recorders let you view directly from the recorder. You dont have to put the camera into VTR mode. But again its a good way to make sure you are safe on all your recorded options.
Get familiar with the clip naming and all of the meta data settings before you head out into the field. It will save you a ton of time later on.

The more you know about the end before you are at the begining of shooting the more time, effort and money you can save yourself in post.

Good luck

dw

Dale West Video
North Miami, FL
305-588-2683
dale@dalewestvideo.tv

[Michael Palmer]

I totally agree that redundant recording is very important and you should just to be safe. Most of the recorders can be triggered by timecode so you just need to hit the record button on the camera to start the recording on the external recorder.

Good Luck
Michael Palmer

[Ian Cook]

Simultaneous/sync record is possible; the camera sends rec start/stop and TC over the SDI. If you can get your hands on a Sony SR-R1 that’s the best combination. You can do SR File recording at up to 880 Mbps and synchronized over/undercrank.