Jeff Regan
Forum Replies Created
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Scott,
I don’t think comparing the HVX200 to a 200A or HPX170 is fair. Yes,
the imagers are the same resolution wise, but there is a big difference in noise and sensitivity. A 200A/170 is quieter than my HDX900 and your HPX200, it’s only 1/2 stop down in 720p. Latitude and depth of field are inferior to our cameras, but colorimetry is close, resolution, while not comparable to an EX1/3 at 1080p, is enough to cut well with 900/2000’s at 720p on non-wide shots. DOF is not good on any palmcorder, even 1/2″ imagers, and the CMOS imagers of the EX1/3 have their own artifacts.The LCD viewfinder in the HPX170 is superior to the 200 by virtue of a sharper peaking circuit and three focus assist options. The HPX170 has the best form factor by far vs. a 200/200A, nevermind the EX1/3.
The biggest driver for me is the workflow of DVCPRO HD and I-Frame, 4:2:2 advantages. I don’t find the current pricing of SxS cards to be much of an advantage price wise or record time wise when comparing record times to P2 720/24P Native-50 vs. 43 min, respectively, both around $800.
Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
http://www.ssv.com -
Brian,
I’m not an editor, but an editor that I work with a lot has done a bunch of XDCAM HD projects and he is not a fan of Long GoP codecs.
I like 720p Quick Time Native because it is so easy to bring in to FCP. Almost every project that I shoot is recorded on an FS-100 with tape as a backup and I expect that with the HPX170 I will use FS-100’s and P2 as a back up. It’s a shame that I can’t do P2 Native and QT Native simultaneously. Native is even more advantageous with P2 than FS-100 due to the shorter record times of the former.
Once the 64Gb P2 cards arrive in November, it will be interesting to
see how they affect the pricing structure of all P2 card lengths. It
can only be a positive for the cost of P2 media as well as convenience. I’m sure SxS will be getting more and more competitive as well and the 7X transfer rates when the SxS card is plugged directly into a computer is an advantage over the slower transfer rates of P2.Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
http://www.ssv.com -
I recently had an HVX200A, HPX500, and EX1 next to my HDX900. The EX1 has the lowest noise of all the cameras, the most resolution at 1080/24p, but was the slowest of all at that resolution, down 1.5 stops from an HDX900.
At 720p, the 200A and and EX1 were down 1/2 stop from the 900, but the EX1 was clearly cleanest, you could shoot at +3db and still be clean.
I know you prefer 1080p, but the DVCPRO HD 720p Native mode is a very
good workflow for corporate. The media cost advantage you cite is negligible in that mode, SXS would be 50 min, 16Gb P2 would be 43 minutes in 720p Native, both at around $800 ea.I like the 4:2:2 and I Frame nature of DVCPRO HD vs. Long GoP 4:2:0 of XDCAM EX. I have an HPX170 on order as a B camera for my HDX900 due to having the same workflow and very small form factor, but the EX1/EX3 has the best resolution of any camera under $10K, and better than a $30K HDX900 at 1080/24p while having a super clean noise level even in plus gain.
Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
http://www.ssv.com -
My solution for an inexpensive version of a 1400 deck is a Firestore. It’s a $1700 solution that makes capture so much
faster and easier. The workflow of Quicktime Native mode is
so convenient that my editors don’t want to deal with tape anymore. It offers around 4 hours of record time in 720/24P or
30p Native with a 100Gb FS-100 for a couple of hundred dollars
more than a single 32Gb P2 card. A 160Gb FS-100 is good for
around 6.5 hours for $400 more than a 100Gb. It’s not a perfect
solution, that’s why it’s important to use tape as a backup, but
I don’t miss not having a studio deck for ingest.Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
http://www.ssv.com -
While I would never use a Firestore without also rolling tape
simultaneously, the advantages of the FS-100 for ease of capture and the ability to shoot Native are compelling to me.When shooting 720/24P Native, the bit rate is only about 40Mbps, which yields a record time on a 160Gb Firestore of around 6.5 hours. It also means less hard drive storage space in post, faster ingest, and less rendering time. The workflow is actually less demanding than DVCPRO 50. The other advantage is recording at 40Mbps vs. 100Mbps means the Firestore isn’t leaning on error correction as heavily, which should make for more reliable recordings.
Right angle Firewire cables are a bit more secure, but have to
be watched carefully. I have also had issues with vibration causing some dropouts. Rolling tape as a backup is essential.Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
http://www.ssv.com -
I was going to buy an LH80 to go along with my 1700, but was unhappy with the poor off-axis performance. I looked at Boland
and TV Logic monitors. The Boland was great for off-axis, but
didn’t like anything else about it.The TV Logic 7″ and 8″ monitors are worth looking at. I bought the LVM-071 because, while not great off-axis, it was a bit better than the LH80, but what really sold me was the peaking circuit–fantastic sharpness, great colorimetry, user interface as good or better than LH80, waveform and vector display that is so much better than the coarse 1700, which is waveform only like the LH80. It has a speaker, built-in yoke, very light weight, markers can be any color, pixel-to-pixel mode, built-in V-mount and the price is great. The only thing I don’t like is the reflective screen which can be a pain in uncontrolled environments.
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FS-100 will record in 24PN (Native) mode if the HDX900 is set up
properly. It must be in Free Run for 24PN, although in 30PN it
can be used in Record Run.I just finished a six day shoot using two FS-100’s in 720/24PN
mode with two 900’s recording in Quicktime Native. It works
great, ingest is fast and easy. The editor was cutting sequences on set after ingesting a few times per day.The great thing about 24PN is being able to record over 6 hours
on a 160Gb FS-100, yielding about two and a half minutes per
Gig vs one minute per Gig in 720/60p. -
Ernie,
I recently bought an FS-100 160Gb DTE for our HDX900 and, while not the best form factor or user interface, I’m happy enought with the physical setup and am a big fan of 720/24PN or 30PN modes. I record in Quicktime PN and get 6.5 hours at 720/24PN, which makes the Firestore very convenient. It’s super easy to capture using QT clips, more so than P2 PN mode.
For mounting on the HDX900, I bought a Noga Israeli arm that
screws into the rear 1/4-20 thread on the camera handle, placing the Firestore at the rear of the camera or rear left or right side. I like it on the operator side so I can see at a glance that I’m in 720/24P, PN mode, TC matches. I have a Hirose 4-pin DC cable as well as a dual D-Tap DC cable to power the unit and a 16″ double down angle Firewire cable, so the form factor isn’t too bad. The DC cables were bought at
B&H Photo and the Firewire from usbfirewire.com.
The model number is RR-CFS-6R086R08-16 -
I’m waiting for my Goodman’s Guide for my HDX900, but I’m also
wondering what happened to my BT-LH1700 monitor rebate that I
sent in to Panasonic in October. I received the warranty extension, whose application form was sent in the same envelope,
but no check. I sure hope my $2000 HDX900 rebate doesn’t take
as long. I think Panasonic should look into this situation, it’s not good business to make customers wait for months for
rebates and free guides.Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video -
New City Communications has two F350’s, I believe. 925.937.4000.
Jeff Regan
Shooting Star Video
http://www.ssv.com