[Bob Cole]

Interesting note, Tim, but I suspect (“suspect” – I don’t know for sure) that the fair use doctrine is a lot more powerful than you indicate. And I “suspect” that there are many public domain images available (for example, in the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs section) for even the most famous and “trademarked” people, which would be useable in a fair use context.

If you look at the Wikipedia entry for “Einstein tongue” there is a good discussion of one of the most famous images of Einstein. There are also very good websites about the fair use doctrine. It’s important for documentarians to keep testing the limits of fair use. imho, trademark and copyright laws has gone way too far in this country, and have unfairly limited the freedom of writers and filmmakers to examine famous people in their work. (And it’s even weirder when it comes to patents. When the average person doesn’t even own the rights to his or her own biological cells, you know The Man has gone too far.)

But you can spend, and waste, a lot of energy (and money) fighting these battles. And you’re safer listening to everything Tim says! Unfortunately.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Great job Jason. Thanks for sharing your very convincing and well-produced test.

[Bob Cole]

Agreed, I do need to take the plunge – I just want to jump into the right pool, camera-wise.

For interviews with “real folks,” I need to be able to run continuously for as long as possible, without overheating. So far, it sounds as if the 5d>7d – anybody have experiences using the 60d for long takes?

[Bob Cole]

My Zoom H4 says “DC9v” on the back. Were you able to use a 12v cigarette adapter straight in, without transforming to 9v?

[Bob Cole]

Do you do DSLR Steadicam? – and use an external monitor?

[Bob Cole]

My understanding was that the HDMI output reverted to SD during record, and not only duplicated, but replaced the output to the LCD.

[Bob Cole]

Good question, Jeremy. I apologize for not responding earlier. I had to go on the road for some shoots.

I assume (from trying to retrace my steps) that the original timeline codec was Apple ProRes422; the “Video Processing” tab reads “Render 10-bit material in high-precision YUV.”

When I apply Apple ProRes422 (standard, unspecified version), in Audio/Video Settings, the Video Playback is listed as AJA Kona LH 1080i29.97 10 Bit (1920 x 1080). When I change this setting to 8 Bit, my problems with display on the external monitors (both SD and HD) go away.

So now I see what you say about ProRes = 10 Bit. I hope my solution (change Video Playback to 8 Bit) is valid. What say you? Does this indicate a problem that I can’t detect otherwise, and if so where is the problem — with the AJA card? All the speed tests I can run on my CalDigit HDOne seem to be fine, but even there, the graph shows some spikes downward in an otherwise high speed rating.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Good idea, both for the battery compartment and for keeping the XLR connections tight.

The H4 has a very poor design for the battery compartment. I think this has been fixed in the H4n. But in the H4 the compartment closes at one end, which makes a moveable part (the lid) responsible for a snug fit with the battery.

Tech support gave me a couple of good ideas: retightening the lid with the little black screw on the back; don’t keep batteries in it; if you’ve kept batteries in it too long, you may need to stick a pencil in and pull up the bottom springs.

I’m looking for another audio recorder now. Better battery compartment of course, more secure XLR connection, & less susceptible to inadvertently turning off the record button. Ideally, so I wouldn’t need to place more than one lavalier mic, it would also have an XLR pass-through to my wireless transmitter. My main use for the device would be to back up a wireless, and I’d hope to need the actual audio from the portable device rarely.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Thanks Gary.

I found the solution, and it was User Error. But I want to use this as a learning opportunity. re the audio mixdown, I should have added: these are freshly-transferred files thaI have just laid down on a timeline. No edits.

The solution was to change FCP Video Playback from AJA Kona 1080i 29.97 (10-bit) to (8-bit).

The Learning Opportunity question: does this indicate some defect in my computer? Should my MacPro be able to handle 10-bit? I don’t really have a need for 10-bit timelines, afaik.

Thanks again Gary! You helped me find the answer — I don’t know exactly how, but you did.

Bob C.

[Bob Cole]

I don’t watch as much as I’d like to — are those animations “clean” or do they have to have the Google navigation supers?