Dan Brockett
Forum Replies Created
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Jeff:
Perhaps Jan can act as an intermediary if the other rep is not getting you taken care of? Even though Jan may not be the product manager, she is definitely helpful and responsive and should be able to help you move things along.
Dan
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I am so happy for you Jeff, this is huge and I am green with envy. Please let us know how you like the camera when it arrives and you get a chance to put it through its paces.
Man, 7D and a 2700 in one week, you are sitting pretty.
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs
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Paul:
A few other things to consider. Camera specs and imager sizes only matter if you are doing commissioned work. If you are producing on spec, none of this really matters as long as the show looks decent.
If a Discovery network commissions your project, they send out mixed signals, they may want you to use a “Silver” or better rated camera like the HPX500 with a 2/3″ imager, but there have been other prime time shows on Discovery networks outlets that were shot entirely on 1/3″ cameras, which technically don’t meet their specs. But the shows aired, they were commissioned and they received good reviews and ratings.
Travel Channel, OTOH, almost everything they air is shot on 1/3″ cameras like the Z1, V1, ZR7 and HVX200/170.
Let’s put it this way, if you are HOPING to produce something and sell it to a cable net, shoot on whatever you can afford. If you are commissioned on a series, you will shoot whatever they tell you to shoot it on or risk being in violation of your contract with said cable net. HPX300 is kind of a wild card, killer codec but small imager as far as broadcast goes. If you want to be safe, buy a new F800 or a 3700, I guarantee that any cable net will be delighted with the footage.
Ironically few people who care about the required camera specs for cable nets are in a position to care (they are working on spec and hoping to sell) vs. most people who have commissioned work from cable nets just shoot with broadcast 2/3″ cameras mostly and don’t worry about all of this.
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs
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You would need something like the NewTek Tricaster, I believe. What were you planning on using?
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs
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BTO cameras would be very cool if the REDs ever actually come to market. If the new RED cameras are super successful, you may see the Japanese companies have to do the same. But definitely not that way today.
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs
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How are you interfacing the 170, FireWire or SDI or composite?
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs
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You are putting in the incorrect frame rate value, it is not 1:1, each number stands for a frame rate, you need to use the number that stands for 2FPS but it probably isn’t 2. This is also outlined in the Barry Green book.
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs
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I just finished evaluating the AG-HPG20, it is a great machine. As a 5D MKII owner, I agree with Gary, it is a waste of time to buy a product and then wish or try to will the manufacturer to update the product with the more esoteric operational features that only a few users care about, the same as 24p and manual audio levels on the 5D MKII. Globally, as a market, the vast majority of 5D MKII users could care less about 24P and manual audio levels because the camera is aimed at still photographers.
We have to think that products like the AG-HPG20 was evaluated and vetted before potential users as a prototype and that the features you want were not statistically significant in the focus group.
When features we want are absent, it is usually because such a small percentage of the target audience would use said feature (this explains the absence of the Express Card 34 slot on the newest MBPs, Apple said that less than 2% of MBP users ever use the Express Card 34 slot so they lost it to save money) or that it is economically not viable or that adding the features would clash with marketing strategy with other products or the entire product line.I personally wish that the AG-HPG20 allowed downloading to hard drive via FireWire or E-sata rather than clunky and slow USB 2.0. USB is a terrible protocol to use to transfer video data because of its packet transfer operation rather than steady stream, but it is what it is. I would never buy an AG=HPG20, hoping that Panasonic would soon enable transfer through the FireWire port because I begged them to. It does what it does and if it serves your needs, it is a great buy. If not, you have to look at the competition. It seems a shame because you, as a Varicam user, are the perfect audience for the AG-HPG20 but I doubt you will see a lot of new functionality added to an existing product.
Buy what works for you out of the box, hoping that a manufacturer will add features or modify software is counterproductive except for future products, just as Canon has added 24/25p to the new 7D based upon feedback from the 5D MKII.
Dan
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That sounds correct although you can map a frame rate to the scene files. I have 2fps, 4fps, 6fps and 10fps as my F1 through F3 scenes.
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs
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Mapping VFR to the user button is my absolute favorite feature on my HPX170.
Dan
Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs