John Cummings
Forum Replies Created
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It’s funny how people tend to get hung up on specs. All these cameras look great. In your particular case, durability is as important as what format you shoot.
Students are notoriously hard on gear (think the old samsonite commercial with the gorilla…)
A full size camera like the HPX300 (or the Sony PDW) will be much more durable than the JVC’s or the Sony EX. It is hands down the closest you’ll get to a real ENG-style camera, uses your batteries and is in your price range.
Avoid the heartbreak of seeing those “plasticams” come back with broken and missing parts and stripped screw holes.
Pretty much a no-brainer from my perspective.
J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50 -
I agree with all said above, but another important factor is having the ability to vary your framing during the interview…without disrupting the flow of the interview by repositioning or changing lenses. If your producer wants the ability to do cuts in post on the interview, you’ll almost certainly want a zoom lens so you can quickly snap to different framing or do slow pushes and pulls. Almost all producers (and anyone who edits) really appreciate having the flexibility in post to slice and dice sound without always having to use a cutaway shot or ugly jump cuts.
Believe it or not, there is an art to shooting an interview for the edit, and it starts with having a plan before you roll the camera. Typically, you have a discussion beforehand to determine what framing is wanted (wide, medium, tight, ECU) then when you should change framing during the interview (on questions, usually) and whether on-camera zooms are to be used. As an operator, always listen carefully to what’s being said and use emotion as your guide to your framing.
As a long-time doco shooter, I hate to say it, but sometimes editorial needs trump artistic when it comes to interviews. A good zoom lens is your best friend for interviews.
J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50 -
They are interchangeable.
J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50 -
A ONE inch VF for about $8 grand?
I gotta see this….
J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50 -
“And just in case it’s not obvious by now, the chances of your former employer ever becoming more reasonable about any of this and giving you any work are somewhere between minuscule and NFW.”
What a nicely crafted sentence. I enjoyed that.
J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50 -
Looks like an early model HD, patterned after the SDX. No24p.
Some info in this thread:
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/120/856072#856077By the way, the SDX was (and still is) a wonderful SD camera…one of the best, in my opinion.
J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50 -
Hate to say this, but you can’t learn how to shoot on a discussion board.
Depending where you are, you might find basic classes at a local community college.
Outside of hiring a professional(your best option)your second best bet would be finding an experienced documentary photographer or news cameraman that might be willing to accompany you (expenses paid) on one of your trips just for the life experience or to have something new for their reel. Once you have a person like that on your trip, you will have them “held hostage” while you observe their technique and pick their brain. That’s the best way to learn.
I’m sure there are some good shooters out there that just may share your beliefs or may just want to do a good deed for an established religion. The challenge would be how to connect with such a person.
I do know quite a few shooters…feel free to message me off-board if
you would to kick around some ideas.J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50 -
Good point about the PDW.
It’s a very versatile camera and comes closest to the ideal of having one camera for many customers. Unfortunately, The PDW700 itself is a compromise. The XDCam at it’s current specs can only be regarded as a “mid-level” HD camera. It is what it is and I applaud Sony for it.
While the idea of going back to a “dockable” camera system seems like it might be worth another look, the reality of getting these manufacturers to agree on anything would be akin to herding cats in a thunderstorm. Too bad…there are possibilities there.
Here’s where I think Panasonic can do better…
1. Combine all the features of the two present Varicams into one camera.
2. Then they should come up with a large chip PL mount version for all of us that are tired of jumping through expensive and cumbersome hoops to get a shallow depth of field. That’s where all the action is right now. It doesn’t have to look like a science experiment gone bad…just the same great shoulder mount camera with a twist.
Isn’t that the logical next step for the Varicam?Something like that would likely drag me into the P2 camp.
J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50 -
Thwack
Thwack
Thwack (Flies buzzing)The sound of a dead horse being beaten.
J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50 -
Wow, an amazing amount of electronic ink has been spilled on this subject.
To pick up on Gary’s tool analogy, I think Erich was simply saying that the 3700…with full varible rates…would be a nice sort of “swiss army knife” camera in his inventory. Not perfect for every job…but good enough for most. I can see that.
I think we should now concentrate on the most important issue. Do we have any shot at making this the longest thread in Cow history?
I wonder what the record is, and on what subject…
Oh, and I can see why they call Chicago the Windy City.
J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50