Al Bergstein
Forum Replies Created
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Thanks Chad. I have a small Marshal now. I see that BM has a field unit that can be battery or AC powered that allows you to hook up an SDI feed to the output (like the ATEM) and then attach the conversion farther upstream. That allows you to use any HDMI monitor. It’s like $300. That might be a more useful tool, so I can pick a monitor that fits the space in the field. I’ll start with that, unless folks have bad experiences with it.
Al
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Only thing to add to those two good posts is that the most important thing that I learned a long time ago, is to test test test in advance of any key shoot. The pros all get to know their gear before they are in front of a client. And you can too! That is the only way that you can be certain that your cameras will match. For example, I had the 7D once, same sensor as yours, and found that it didn’t live up to my expectations in low light situations. In daylight it was great. And with theatrical lighting it was ok. But there were times the image seemed to ‘mush up’. So while it might work for me, it might not for you and your needs.
A B camera could mean a second angle on a close up, medium or long shot, or you might be doing a stage performance where the B camera might be simply shooting the long shot with close up and medium shots with the ‘better’ camera.
Since you have a good camera in that T5i, learn all you can from it, see where the boundaries lie for your work, and then decide if you ‘need’ to upgrade. That might take you well into the 4k world by then, and the choices will be cheaper and better as well. And have fun!
Al
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Mark, the H4N never has had great sound. Harsh and hissy. I upgraded to the H5 and it’s much better sound overall. The Tascam lower end models like the newer DR-60DMk is a nice unit for 2 channell under the camera or mounted on an arm. I’ve used one and it’s ok, and better than both the H4 for sound. It’s probably similar to the H5. It eats batteries, as do all Tascam units I’ve tried.
You can buy a brand new, best of class SD 702 recorder for $2200 with bag at B&H. If you think you have a long future ahead of you, just save up for that one. You’ll be money ahead in the long run. It’s built like a tank, you will have it for a long time, and never worry about it in any field condition. I could easily have bought one for all the money I’ve spent in the lower end, though it’s been a fun learning experience. Here’s my thoughts…
I’ve been fortunate enough to try a bunch of recorders. I currently own both a H5 which is my go to unit for it’s size and flexibility but must say that my Marantz PMD 661 has a better sound floor. If I’m shooting music, I often choose it. It’s 2 channel.
I’ve also used a Roland R44 and it’s sound floor is superb. If you can find a used one it’s a very good deal. Even new with bag it’s $1089 at B&H. It’s also 4 channel. I’m not wild about the ergonomics of it.
My usual sound engineer, who runs his own studio, and is incredibly fussy, has bought and is blown away with the sound quality from the Tascam 680. It’s a steal at $600 bucks for a quasi 8 track. He swears it’s the best audio deal he has ever bought. I think it’s quite similar to the Roland in terms of noise floor and preamp quality. Again, ergonomics is not as good as the SD units, which are built for the working pro.
lastly, the field mixer is the way to get great sound. My MixPre is always at hand. Helps any recorder sound better.
Once with that gear, you can determine whether you need new mics. My guess is you don’t. The H4 is the weakest link in your current chain.
Al
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I had a similar problem with a Zoom. It was unrecoverable,and I had to throw the deck out. I would at least see if you can send in to a Marantz repair facility. Those units (I have one also now) are too valuable to just throw out if you can get them repaired.
Al
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I totally understand. No you are correct, in that you can use Premiere and take the card (or just import from the camera), and bring the clip in. But my comment is about how there is no way (that I’m aware of) to give unique names to those AVCHD file structures. I use a tool from Canon called Data Import Utility, that does pull the MTS files out and renames them. You don’t get a choice of what to call them, but you do get unique names. However, the actual AVCHD file structure is still the same, and I put copies of original file structure in a separate hard drive as the original media. It’s just frustrating, and not as easy as other formats are. If you don’t do that, and you lose the link inside Premiere to the original AVCHD footage, you end up having to search through file folders that only use the top level folder to id the footage.
So teach them to use the data import facility, rename the MTS files so that it will be easier to find the footage later if needed.
As to quality in your county video channel, it should be just ok. These cameras video often look pretty much like amateur footage, due to auto focus misuse. But given your students, etc. they’ll be fine.
Have you seen the iOgrapher for the ipad? It was developed by a high school teacher that wanted to use ipads for his classes. I bought one and it works really well for the price.
Al
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I’m sure there are folks here who deal in your type of video broadcast and I’ll let them answer. From my own point of view here’s my thoughts:
AVCHD is fine for much, I’ll let others comment on that, but I would be worried about naming conventions. I hate working with it, because I constantly have to strip out the MTS files and rename them after every shoot. When I’ve worked with MXF files, it has always been easier, the tools are easier to strip and rename, etc.
There is also the idea of working with mov wrapped files, like on Canon 5Ds, which are much easier to rename as the whole file is contained in the mov file. (MXF and AVCHD have multiple parts to the container) or even the MP4 formats.
Certainly each format has its pros and cons. I would be more concerned about your choice of cameras. While the GL1s and 2s were serious prosumer cameras in the day, the Vixias are consumer grade cameras. The first step into better quality, and what I would consider from Canon is the XA series.
Can you not afford buying Canon XA or XF series?
Al
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Robert, while I don’t own a 7D Mark II, I did have a 7D and now own a 5D Mkiii. I would have to say that if they didn’t do much to the codec, nor the sensor or other internals, I would expect it to be “a bit soft”. All Canon’s seem to suffer from a generic softness to the video image, that I don’t see in GH3’s and 4s’ for example. The good news is that it is boostable, with a bit of sharpening, and frankly, I like the image on the 5D. I call it ‘organic’ rather than ‘sterile’. It’s a beautiful image that a wee bit of sharpening enhances.
I sold my 7D because it’s video did not hold up. The 5DMkiii is noticeably better than what I used to get from the 7D. But I hear good things about the 7D Mkii.
I think ultimately it is a camera for a shooter that mostly shoots stills with some video. maybe if Magic Lantern can break the code, you’ll wring the raw out of the video. Until then, enjoy what you have. All in all I liked my 7D, and assume the new one is even better.
Al
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Yes, the Tascam at that link is not the latest version, but the latest version just shipped, so it’s expected you would have that one in a rental pool. It should do ok for your needs. It’s the one I have also. The only thing about it is that if your boom operator or you is going to ride levels while recording, it has a stepper on the volume control, meaning that your jump to the next level is going to be hard and not soft. So if you can get by setting the levels and leaving them on each clip you shoot, then it’s fine. If not, you probably need a better more expensive unit. When I have that need, I plug in a Sound Devices Mixpre-d. It allows riding of the levels with no ‘stepping’. I go from that to the camera or to the recorder, or both.
I own a MKH-416, and it’s a great mic, noticeably but not vastly better than the ME66. But my model needs phantom power, no battery power. The Tascam eats batteries for breakfast, so buy a box for a day’s shoot (4 at a time and 1 hour with Phantom on has been my experience!). So really, powering the Me-66 with a single battery is going to be much better, and you should not hear any hum, unless you have some in the room. If there is, the Tascam or your mic can throw a filter on it, (as can your NTG2!)if you take the time to work with it before heading to the field and learn how. If you have to use a phantom powered mic be sure to bring a real voltage meter with your sound guy, and if the battery levels look low, have the sound person check that there is more than 1.30 volts, as that seems to be the cutoff, I’ve found. Fresh batteries ought to be 1.5 or more, and you can sometimes get by for a short interview with used batteries starting at 1.40 volts.
The MKH-416 is built for rugged outdoors use, which is why I own it, and as such, if you are shooting in rainy conditions, or just fog, you might want to get that one. However, all these mic’s are really built pretty well.
Frankly, I think your Rode NTG-2 is probably fine! And notice that in your video you posted, you can see the lav clipped on the tshirt of the second interview. While I sometimes stupidly do that too, I try and clip to the inside or tape to the chest. You can find video tutorials on how to do this on youtube if not on the COW.
Hollowness is not something that a better mic “fixes”. You need to do close mixing to get rid of it, or a better room. A lav is likely to be the only ‘best’ way to fix it if you can’t find another room. Sometimes a boom that is really close, and a tight head shot, can get it done, but boy, it’s better to find the right room if possible. A fireman is likely to force you to the truck, but maybe outside is better than inside for the actual interview.
That room I shot the wood carver in is a good example. It’s a big hollow space, and a mic at the throat barely kept it in check, as you could hear. It wouldn’t have mattered if I used a NTG-2 or a MKH-416.
“Producing Great Sound For Film and Video” by Rose is a good overview for the bookshelf on issues for field sound problems, some which you’d never know and rarely are covered by free videos on the web (i.e. the lay of ceiling panels conveys whether the wall might be better at soundproofing or not.) That book has been very interesting reading and review.
Edit: I was checking out DVxuser tonight, and guess what I stumbled on? A comparison for you.
https://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?289043-Rode-NTG-2-vs-Rode-NTG-3Al
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Erin, just to be clear, there is nothing stupid in your question. An answer like that one goes against the spirit of places like the Cow. There are other boards out there where you sort of expect it.
Your current mic choices will do fine for now. I would get the Sennheiser ME-66 with the K6 so you don’t have to use phantom power in the field. use the battery and you’ll get through a day just fine. Focus on mic placement and getting the right field recorder. You may also need a blimp and dead cat (fuzzy) for wind cold be an issue, which it almost always is outdoors where I live.
You will get better control and better sound out of a Tascam 100 mkiii (the newer model), as Tascam sound is generally better than Zoom (I have owned many models of both) but you likely will be better served by the Tascam DR-60d for the price, which mounts to the bottom of the camera, or on an arm. It will allow you to record from any kind of mic input, meaning either an xlr or 3.5 jack. It also allows you to record a second scratch track at -6 dB under the main one automatically, so if you get it wrong, and the levels are too hot, you can have a backup. It’s incredible that these very inexpensive units have the features they now have, not available just a couple of years ago. While they are not the quality that you get width super good mics and field mixers, they can be very effective if you take the time to experiment with them before getting in the pressure of the field.
It’s great that you have a partner willing to run the boom and listen to the sound going in. That’s a huge plus!
The good news is that cameras are getting much better sound inputs from just a few years ago. The newer Canon 5dMkiii that I have has much better sound quality than the previous version. The GH4’s out there also can do great work recording. Adding something like the 60d (which is not much more than a 100, is a good way to go. Good luck with your career!
Some examples of what I would consider “decent” sound on a DLSR. It’s not Hollywood, but what you can do with a bit of paying close attention and knowing your gear.
This one was shot with a lavalier mic and run directly in. I had no time to setup the field recorder. It’s fine and this video was included in One Day on Earth collection.
https://vimeo.com/55526954This one, was done in one day on no budget for a small governmental committee of volunteers. It was shot with the 5Dmkiii and uses the Audio Technica lavs again and Tascam mk60 on a few of the interviews, can you tell the difference?. While I have to go back and redo the titles one of these days, it was a quick and dirty set of interviews that was used to show the county commissioners what the committee did for them over the last year, and who they represented. They loved it.
https://vimeo.com/53916496Al
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My H5 sounds great on my mics too. Why not get a Mixpre and be able to really appropriately monitor the lines with great clear readable meters, rather than the ok, but minimalistic H5 screen? You’ll get a clean line in with it, and you can feed your camera as well as the Zoom.
Al