Al Bergstein
Forum Replies Created
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I don’t think you want to shoot interlaced against a 5D, which is shooting, if I remember right, in 1920 x 1080p or some other resolution in progressive mode (p). So change over to match up on whatever resolution you two want the final results in, or better. i.e. your final product might be an SD DVD but I always shoot at highest resolution and downgrade. Did that get to the gist of your question?
I have shot against a 7D (same codec but smaller sensor) and my xf100, and it’s a pretty close match, depending on the lighting. In normal lighting I try and get things shooting in 30p, as motion seems to show up more, which is accentuated in the 100, IMHO. In lower light, your XF100 will show more grain, and if you are planning on shooting in super low light, I wouldn’t try using the two together. The 100 will not likely match.
But in good outdoor or artificial studio light, you likely will be fine.
Al
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I shoot plenty of ‘one time shoots’ with cards. I don’t worry about cards at all since Sandisk. I would never shoot a backup ‘a’ with tape, absurd. If i’m concerned, I step up to an xf105/305 with dual cf card slots, and mirroring.
But i’m not saying that his problem might not be the camera. Start with the most likely failure point.
Al
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Professional or Performance?
Also, if the cards are at fault, as I understand it, the Promasters have a lifetime warranty. Perhaps you should return one and see if it’s the card?
I’ve read so many horror stories of card failures, and I have had bad luck with Lexmark for example, that I’ve found Sandisk Extreme Pro’s to be bullet proof, so I stay with them now. I’ve never experienced a card failure with them, and that was not true with Lexmark.
Good luck.
Al
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Vic, there are a lot of things going on with the notion of broadcast quality and also the issues you are seeing.
The quality between you and the ‘pros’ you talk about, could come down to stabilization, for example. Pros shooting weddings sometimes use gear to stabilize out their shots, and if you are shooting handheld, you are likely at a disadvantage.
Philip Bloom, Chase Garrett and Vincent Laforet are all top level shooters that primarily use HDSLRs and their work could easily be broadcast.
In my investigation into “broadcast quality” it’s more the nature of broadcaster than the actual capability of the equipment. PBS, for example, wants you to shoot with a camera that will hold up under broadcasting (loosely defined), but the BBC has specific requirements that are overseen by engineers who put the cameras through rigorous tests for the codec to hold up. Minimum rates of throughput seem to be close to 50 Mbps as opposed to low end 24 runs of standard HDSLRs using something like AVCHD. Could your T3i shoot something that gets broadcast? Sure. Would they ‘allow’ you if you asked? Probably not. But I’ve heard that some broadcasters around the world are less picky.
Go look at the work of Bloom, Garrett and Laforet. It’s about lighting, composition, tripod mounted and on the slider. Stable, high quality work. Great storytelling. Take your work to that level, and don’t worry about broadcast quality. You’ll get it by doing that. Some TV shooters have already done that, as documented here over the last few years with 5D shooters.
I for one, bought into the higher end cameras that are broadcast capable, because I am shooting right now a doc that I would like to see about getting broadcast, very unique Native American stuff, and I don’t want it dismissed out of hand by PBS and others. But I love the look I get from my 7D. At times, it is the equal to my higher end cameras, and sometimes, not. If I ran it through an external capture device, it likely would be.
Al
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Have upgraded, no sign of corruption. What cards are you using?
Al
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It ‘can’ work but is unshielded (or less shielded) compared to XLR based cabling. Be very careful with electronics around it, and monitor carefully before and during shooting. I use these cables sometimes with wired lavs. Never have had a problem.
Biggest problem is always cell phones. Make sure all are off at your shoots, if possible.
Al
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Staying with two tracks, Marantz PMD-661. I love it. Had Zoom, it died, bought HDP2, great sound, too big, also interface was ‘old’. 4 channell, love the Edirol. For best quality at highest price, save up for Sound Devices. Holds value longest.
I use a mixpre-d for premix, and monitoring when shooting with Hdslr.Excellent unit, worth the price.
Mixing both at shoot and in post are good (g).
Al
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If all you have is a T3i, then just buy the Videomic pro. It’s already got a pad built in. It’s small and fits nicely on top of an HDSLR. It’s built better than the Azden, IMHO, and does a decent job. However, it is not a high end mic. It’s a great low end mic for built for what you are needing to do, which is on camera audio. You still need to get close to your talent, but it will do the job. It’s my ‘backup’ mic I use on my 7D. Since buying the Mixpre-D, I can run it into the Mixpre and actually hear what I’m recording (what a concept!).
All in all, it’s a good *compromise* mic, but honestly, if you are expecting good sound quality, start saving for the right tools. A set of lavaliere’s, a decent long shotgun (audio technica makes a decent one for under $200 in the 897, I like it alot), or a boom for the shotgun (and likely someone to manage it) and a recorder, even a Zoom H4N, though I prefer either the Sony’s or better yet, the Marantz PMD-661, (and make sure to record in 48kHz not 44, some recorders at the low end only come in 44kHz).
Ty’s book/video, and also Jay Rose’s books are great starting places to learning the ropes of audio for video.
Good luck, and whatever you get, practice with it a bit before going out and shooting for the real job.
Al
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You can get a converter cable, but the standard ones are not ‘padded’ and the audio can end up being too ‘hot’. There are padded cables for this, I got one custom made for the Mixpre-D. But this is padded from 3.5 to 3.5. So you would plug this into the 3.5 from the XLR and that should pad the mic down appropriately. This is really the ‘right’ way to go if you really want to get good sound into the T3i or other HDSLR. BUT, I totally agree with the posts that trying to get good sound as your primary source into a HDSLR, is a losing battle. I use my Mixpre-D and sound in the camera, when I’m doing interviews where I just can’t hassle with a separate recorder, or the ultimate sound quality is ‘good enough’ from the DSLR (I’m on a 7D). With the Mixpre, I can easily add a feed to my Marantz PMD-661 when I want real solid recording quality. So I’m a *huge* fan of the Mixpre-D, and it’s optional (Boo) top camera mount. (come on SD just include the dang thing in the box!)
The good news is that the 7D firmware upgrade has recently come out, and allows override of the AGC, which is a fiasco in Canon DSLR cameras used by ‘pros’ or us ‘semi-pros’. I don’t know if the T3i has AGC override yet.
Other good news is that Magic Lantern is now available for the 7D, and I think it’s already out for the T3i. You should look into this software, as it gives you a lot of things that Canon should have included. Another reason that Panasonic GH3’s are going to give Canon some real trouble in the marketplace.
Al
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David. I have an XF305 and an 7D. I bought an XF105 because I could not get the 7D footage to match close enough for my tastes. It just doesn’t look at good as a XF300/305. Why? Perhaps it’s the MXF format tied to a 4:2:2 color space. I have stopped trying to get the two (7D and xf305) to match and instead use the xf100/105. There still can be a slight difference, due to the sensors (1 vs. 3), but over all, it’s a very close match. I would recommend using a xf100/105 as a B camera to the 300.
I’m sorry, I didn’t quite understand Rich’s comments. I assume he is not shooting with a c100 yet, as that camera isn’t yet released. Perhaps he mistyped the message.
Al