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Unsurprisingly: newbie question about hm100
Hi,
I’m short for time (started a RTW indie doc project with too little research first already), so please excuse me if these questions have already been answered. I checked this forum and couldn’t find what I’m looking for…The 1080p 24fps footage we’re taking with the hm100 looks a little grainy compared to identical 720p 24fps footage. I know the hm100 is faking the 1080. So, is this what others have experienced as well? And should I either take 720p footage with the hm100, and bring it up using Compressor to match the 1080p footage taken by our Canon t2i, or should I just start shooting 720p footage with the Canon? I understand this will depend on what we want our final output to be, so I’ll say we’re completely inexperienced film makers doing a movie about street performance, but have little hope of ever seeing it on the big screen. Perhaps TV is a better shot. But one can dream…
Question 2, I’ve tried syncing the footage in FCP with Pluraleyes from the zoom h2, canon t2i/550d and the hm100, and had little luck. I think it might have something to do with getting audio in only one ear using the mic on the hm100. So, if I have the camera mic plugged into channel 1, and I’m recording in channel 1, is there a way of making that audio record in both ears? If not, what’s the quickest workflow to get the videos I take with the hm100 to have audio in both ears? Having to transcode might eradicate the drag-and-drop ease of use of the hm100…
Question 3, I went to “the most respected” camera shop in London a few weeks before we left, and the sales assistant promised me he’d get me what I need. One lens didn’t turn up on time (so we left without it), and the videomic pro was out of stock (so we only have the out-of-the-box mic that came with the camera). Oh, and the time lapse remote he sold us was specifically incompatible with the Canon Rebel series (there’s a workaround that involves soldering wires, but that’s not what we paid for). I guess two questions: what do we do about the remote (do I demand they airmail me one that fits my camera to Rome?). And for the mic we actually get, I’m tired of the mic that came with the camera, and don’t want to waste my money on another low end mic. But don’t have a lot of cash. Sennheiser 416?
Finally, question 4 is about Creative Cow: are my questions too long? I don’t want to waste the time of other users here.
Thanks in advance,
Nick
Mac OSx 10.5.8, FCP 6.
http://www.thebuskingproject.com -
6 Replies
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Okay, forget what I wrote above, I’ll rephrase the important question here:
Is there a way of plugging in a mic to channel 1 of the hm100, but having the movie this records play sound in both ears? And if not, what’s the quickest way of converting it to a movie that does?
Thanks 🙂
Mac OSx 10.5.8, FCP 6.
http://www.thebuskingproject.com -
I have noticed better results with my HM100 in 720 mode. Your ‘grain’ could stem from the XDCAM codec – it’s 35mbs VBR no matter what resolution or frame rate. So, more data (1080 vs. 720; 60 fps vs. 24 or 30 fps) equals more compression.
You can throw 1080 and 720 onto one timeline and render the timeline in whatever format you want to output. Of course it would be better to shoot everything in one format. Since you’re shooting a documentary, it would be better to just resize footage you actually use (on the timeline), than all footage you shoot.
For audio on the HM100, the camera mic can be plugged into channel 1 and then set the channel 2 input switch to ‘use ch 1 input’. The one mono mic will be on both channels. It would be easiest to shoot sync with a good mic on the HM100, rather that using the zoom h2 recorder (which you do need for the Canon T2i). You could boom with a 416 (excellent mic, but a lot of cash) going to a mixer which would record to the zoom and also run to the HM100.
Using .MOV files on the HM100 means they are drag and drop in FCP, with no transcoding needed. Very fast and the one big advantage of JVC.
That way the HM100 always has good sync sound. You’ll still have to sync the Canon footage, but will save you some time.
I haven’t used plural eyes so can’t help there.
Hope that helps…
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Jeffrey, thank you. About the grainy look — regardless of what setting I put the camera on (1080 or 720, 30fps, 24fps), and I always get noise. Looking around online, I get the following advice:
use an ND filter when in sunlight
turn the detail to -5 (or all the way down to off)
shoot in 720 instead of 1080And so on. But I’ve tried a lot of settings (perhaps not specifically these), and I can’t eradicate the noise. This is the first clip I took with it:
Ignore the white balance issue for a second… is that normal grain for a sunny day?
Thanks again,
Nick
Mac OSx 10.5.8, FCP 6.
http://www.thebuskingproject.com -
Hard to tell if it’s grain or compression artifacts. The camera in general is ‘noisy’, 1/4 inch chips are noisier than 2/3 inch. You can look at a daytime video I shot and compare it to your original footage to see if it has the same noise level.
Camera settings you mentioned are good. Stick with those.
Hope that helps…
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I’m beginning to think it’s compression artifacts. Took the camera out again today, white balanced properly, full sunlight, all the settings as mentioned above (no detail, ND Filter), but shot on 1080p. It looks horrible, barely useable (perhaps not useable). Here’s another upload:
https://thebuskingproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/test.jpg
You can see the grain all over the place. If 1080 is the problem, then 1080 is unusable…what’s the point of having a 1080 setting?
The same grain for shots taken indoors, in less light…
I’m in Morocco at the moment. If the camera is at fault, then I can go to a JVC when we get to Barcelona. That won’t give me two weeks of this project back, though.
Mac OSx 10.5.8, FCP 6.
http://www.thebuskingproject.com -
I never use 1080 on my HM100. Too noisy or grainy me too.
720p 24p or 30p -6 Detail, ND filter on in day gives the best picture. Try adjusting the shutter speed to 1/100 so you can keep the F-Stop around 2.8 to 4.0 in bright sun.
Good luck.
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