[Craig Seeman]

I’m hearing Express slot xfers at 10x so a 8GB card with 25 minutes of video (full at 35mbps) should take about 2.5 to 3 minutes to xfer.

So far I’ve only used USB on my PPC and Intel Macs and find about 2x from PPC and 4x from Intel (a lowly Mac Mini no less) when dragging the contents of the SxS cards. The speeds are slower when using the Sony XDCAM xfer software. I haven’t tried the clip browser which works on Intel Mac but not PPC compatible.

Now I wish for an Express slot adaptor for Mac Pro (PCIe) which I will eventually get. Apple, somebody HAS to understand the importance of having an Express slot on a DESKTOP for this kind of work!

While editing with FCP 6.0.2 on my PPC G5 Dual 2.3 is a breeze, playing back the same files (XDCAM converted to mov with xfer software) is slow at full frame size. 720p60 plays at 10fps (Use Play All Frames in Quicktime 7.3.1).

You’ll need a MacBookPro (not MacBook) which has Express Slot (MacBooks don’t). There’s going to be at least 1, possibly 3 new laptops announced at Macworld in about two weeks.

I’d love a 13.3″ MacBookPro rather than the current 15″ for greater portability. My fantasy workflow option is being able to shoot, ingest into laptop and burn the client a DVD-DL with Sony Clip Browser so client can walk with disc masters if they’d want.

[Craig Seeman]

Things that torture the HDV codec pass through the XDCAM codec with flying colors (artifact free). I’ve shot rippling water with reflections at 1080p30 and water fountain at 720p60 slowed to 24p and they look OUTSTANDING. I’ve shot ice skaters and a spinning carousel. ALL looked GREAT. I’ve seen basketball, soccer, sledding video from others. All CLEAN.

A few posts down I posted a link to video I shot at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Obviously the H264 at 1.5mbps doesn’t do the source justice but at least you can see what I’ve been shooting to test this camera.

[Craig Seeman]

It’s a GREAT camera.

What kind of business/work are you pursuing?
You need to make sure the tool fits the clients/work you pursue and the budget/rates you expect/need to cover costs and make a living.

[Craig Seeman]

James, it really depends on your target goals.

You’d need to buy a workflow, not just a camera.

If you become a freelance shooter what would your clients expect for delivery, optical disc with files, blu-ray, XDCAM disc, video tape, Standard definition, etc.?

If you’re starting your own business, what kind of clients with what kind of budgets are you pursuing?

It’s a SPECTACULAR camera but you need to know you can make enough money to justify the expense and make a living.

If your school didn’t teach you about the business aspects of video/film you may find your business education more expensive than the tuition you paid for school.

[Craig Seeman]

I’d ask if your client really has the budget for that look.

If you’re unsure of the results you’d really need to do a test shoot. You can try whitewall vs green screen to see which works best. Both have their challenges when doing full body shots. Shadows will be the challenge. If you don’t have the resources to do a test shoot then either expectations, budget, or personnel may need to change.

If the client has the budget to do this green screen then they have to include room for going 4:2:2 on acquisition.

[Craig Seeman]

[Greg Ball] “How long would you estimate that the editing would take? “

I doubt anyone can answer that unless one knows what exactly the client wants or what budget the client want’s to stay within. I’ve great things done with stock footage with After Effects, Combustion, Flame, etc.

If you’re just going to dissolve between stock shots, add vo and a logo/id at the end it could be 4 hours depending on the tweaks.

[Greg Ball] “How much would your charge be for this spot?”
There’s not only the cost of the clips and the music but the time you spend finding them. Then there’s the cost of the VO. How much is your time worth in your business model is up to you.

You don’t say how much the music costs, how much the VO person costs, who’s providing the script.

If you’re acting as an ad agent there’s the money you make on that too. If it’s a BIG buy you can go cheaper on the post production side.

IMHO if the client is spending $2000 plus your markup on 8 stock shots, they’d be better off hiring someone with a good DV or HDV camera and getting something custom shot in a day or two. It may not look like 35mm film or HDCAM but at least it’ll be about their business.

[Craig Seeman]

If you take a Feed WHILE SHOOTING from the SDI port it will be 4:2:2 UNTOUCHED by MPEG2 compression.

Once it’s one the card, that is 4:2:0 and, at best, is being “up converted” to 4:2:2.

You want to record from SDI while shooting. No different than the few HDV cameras such as JVC and Canon that have SDI ports also.

[John Smith] “Okay so when you say “off the head” are you recording on the fly to a SDI capable recorder or something? Or playing it back off EX-1 via an SDI out, in post? Either way does this give you 4:2:2? “

[Craig Seeman]

John I don’t know where you’re getting your info but it is wrong. The HD-SDI output is coming from the head unless your are playing it off the cards. Off the head out of HD-SDI is untouched by MPEG2 and Sony stated as much when asked.

[Craig Seeman]

HD-SDI out of the EX1 is 10 bit (or 8 bit with 2 “dummy” bits) UNCOMPRESSED 4:2:2. That has nothing to do with MPEG2. 24fps would be embedded with pull down in a 29.97fps stream.
AFAIK 24fps is NOT part of the SDI spec.

[Craig Seeman]

Telesteam/Flip4Mac Episode should handle such odd sizes. Go to the Flip4Mac.com website and download the trial version.