[Bill Paris]

I’m viewing the video on a Apple 24 inch monitor…the timeline is set to 23.98. I’ll soon be upgrading the system to handle HDCAM via a Kona 3 Card, but currently I’m running a standard def configuration. I’m assuming when I add the Kona Card I’ll be able to cross convert the 23.98 footage to a 29.97 rate and therefore hopefully smooth out the playback issue?

[Bill Paris]

Nigel,
That’s exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for……thanks for your insights!
bp

[Bill Paris]

You might check your video rates

“editing timebase = 23.98, quicktime video settings compressor = DVCPRO HD 720p60, quality = 100%.”

DVCPRO HD 720p60 is 59.94, while you mention your editing timebase is set to 23.98.

[Bill Paris]

Digital Antics,

Thanks, but the project will be spead out over two months and the shoot days will be a day here and there. We’re shooting a behind the scenes project for a film. I have access to a couple 900s locally, which I’ve used quite often for shoots but I can’t always count on them being available. It’s a tough rental situation due to the nature of the project, which is why I’m looking to buy a used camera. Thanks anyway!

[Bill Paris]

John,

I hadn’t thought about the impact Pro Res via Final Cut would have on the HDCAM work flow. I saw the Red Camera 2K footage (Originally shot in 4K) at the Apple booth at NAB this year and it was quite impressive. They had a wipe between the 2K and the Pro Res files and you really couldn’t see any difference from a normal viewing distance.

Thanks you for your insights on HDCAM and the shelf life of the F900. I’m going to make a decision on the camera by the end of the week. I want to make sure my EPK gig is 100%going to happen before pulling the trigger. Thanks again!

bp

[Bill Paris]

I’ve been away for a while on a shoot….it was great to see all the points of view expressed on this topic. I guess the bottom line is if I can make enough to pay the camera off before it becomes a door stop like my D600s will be soon. After doing the math I can pay for about 1/3 of the camera with the money I would have spent on rentals, plus the shoot is spread out over a couple of months (Behind the scenes EPK) so I need to flexibilty of having the camera available for last minute calls from the client. I’ve also been talking with another F900 owner in town who has expressed interest in renting the body for two camera shoots. Now they have to rent from Wexler and shipping can be an issue on short projects. I already own a Fujinon 4.5 HD lens, but will have to buy the monitor (looking at the Panasonic 8″ with wave form monitor built in) and the Miranda/Everest. Like John suggests I may need a couple of extra Hytrons to keep things running all day as well. If I base the decision on a two year payoff it probably makes sense since it will take a year or so for the XDCAM format to penetrate the networks and production companies. I think NBC is waiting for the 2/3″ camera before converting? If it’s true that the 2/3″ version of the XDCAM will not shoot 24p (a brilliant Sony decision!) than I could probably get even more use from producers wanting higher end 24p aquisition. Bottom line….it’s a great camera that could always be sold if it’s not working enough. (Although the price could drop faster than some of the tech stocks I was holding a few years back!) Thanks for your input……..one more question for John…..why do you have four Varicams and only 1-F900? Is the rental market that much stronger for the Varicam?

[Bill Paris]

Thanks Guys for all the insights!
Barry….you make a really good case for using a PC Laptop for field work. I’m going to look into buying a dedicated PC Laptop as a workstation. Noah also makes a good case for the new Mac Power books with 800 firewire support. Decisions…decisions…. since I’m a long time Mac guy it would be great to have a Mac solution that works easily, so I can use the computer for other applications. Has anyone tried a hybrid approach….using a Mac in PC mode?

[Bill Paris]

Thanks for all the great feedback! I’ll do some tests before doing the shoot. One more question…..if you were putting together the “dream” workstation for P2 field work, what would that system look like? It seems like there’s a market for a “rock solid” P2 off loading system that did the following: 1. Off loads to two drives for backup. 2. Modular so that you could add storage in the field as needed. 3. Easy to use. 4. Has some way of checking your transfers on the spot to make sure you have a good capture before deleting cards. 4. More compact and rugged than a laptop running Final Cut with Firewire Drives hanging off it.
5. And last but not least…..fast! The faster the better!
In the meantime any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Bill Paris]

Sorry it’s taken me a while to get back to you…..as I’m sure you figured out, you actually turn the camera off for a moment to get out of the interval record mode.

[Bill Paris]

Make sure the camera is in the P2 mode…..push the “menu” button on top of the camera….go to option #5 “Recording setup”……Select “Recording Format” and choose 720p/60…….make sure the wheel on the back of the camera is set to F1, F2 or F3……on the same menu page go down two clicks and select “Rec. Function” when you select it, choose “Interval”….then go down two clicks to “Interval Time” and select the number of frames you want to record per second…minute…etc. A good starting point is 1 frame per second. Now everything is selected……push the menu button a couple of times to get rid of it…..now you’ll see a green flashing “I-Pause” at the top of the screen. The camera is ready to record timelapse…..push the record button and your off! To get out of the pause mode, switch the camera off for a moment and go into playback mode to check your recording.

Good Luck!

Bill Paris
Director of Photography
Crew Hawaii Television