John Sharaf
Forum Replies Created
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My habit has always been to use the same “type” of light for key-fill-backlight set. In this case a Diva 200 would be appropriate.
JS
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Hi Ernie,
No flames, but I own both a 1200A and 1400 deck to accompany my four Varicams and have to say that they were both in profit before the cameras and have been a very valuable accessory for both backup recording, playback, making clones/downconverts and digitizing. It has always been my philosphy to have the deck to accompany each format as it allows great flexibility and another way to profit from each format. The only exception to this has been in HDCAM, where I don’t have any decks to support my F900R’s, but I don’t seem to have suffered here as most HDCAM clients have their own playback decks.
With the new HD XDCAMs (PDW700/800) I have both the PDW-HD1500 deck (with SD and 24P options) and the PDW-U1 Reader/Writer and thisprovides a really inexpensive means to import the media and I can even “lend” the PDW-U1 to a client who would otherwise be reluctant to adopt the format, until they decide to adopt it and spend $2900 on their own.
JS
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Sources tell me it’s the EX-4, that much is certain. My guess as to the rest is that it will be a shoulder mounted version of the EX3. We’ll see for sure next week.
JS
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I think you mean to say “increase” the shutter, meaning opening it up more to let in more light. The conceit is to imitate the motion of a motion picture camera; turning the shutter “off” gives you a 1/24th of a second exposure and each frame has to much motion blur (depending of course on how much motion there is). Also, some motion picture cameras have “variable shutters” and allow you to open up of close down for effect. 220 degrees is often used to get a little more light, but in reality that only gives you less than a quarter of a stop, but maybe that’s enough (?)
Also, you must consider how you’re judging the exposure; typical LCD monitors exhibit a “false brightness” and computer monitors (in the edit room) have their own particular “gammas” with Apple and PC platforms being different (PC darker). The most accurate measurement is a proper waveform scope, where skin tones can be set anywhere from 40-70ire depending on effect. Personally I set my shin tones at 50-60 rather than let the highlights on the face go white when set to 70. It’s really a matter of taste.
JS
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Kevin,
When shooting indoors with available daylight, presumably from windows and skylights, at 24p and 180 degree shutter, make sure you have not engaged any neutral density on the filter wheel and additionally you can get an extra 2/3 of a stop by using “electronic daylight correction” instead of the daylight filters. This feature is accessed from the menu. See “Camera Settings” on page 1; use “Daylight” instead of “Tungsten”. If still not enough, you may invoke some gain, but as we all know the Varicam is notoriously “noisy” so I usually limit gain to +3 or +6 in a pinch. Of course, daylight balanced lighting like HMI’s or 5600 degree Kino Flos are made especially for this scenario.
Good luck,
JS
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Most likely difference of monitor screen “gamma”. PC and Apple are not the same and a CRT or LCD “TV” is different yet. This is also apparent when internet “streaming video” is viewed on the different platforms. So much for “convergence”!
JS
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Tim,
I hate to gloat, but this is what I predicted last April (see other post in this thread) as well as delivery delayed past June. I received my 800 in August, and the v1.5 software upgrade at the end of July (not June either).
While I did hear of some secret offers of taking 2% per month depreciation on 700’s against purchase of new 800’s I don’t think any of these deals were actually consummated, probably because of lease complications.
What Sony did do however, which is better than nothing, and something I was able to take advantage of, was to offer a $2000 “loyalty rebate” for purchase of a 700 and an 800 within a certain timeframe.
All that being said, the 700 with the SD and 24p software is still a great camera and very functional at a better price than the 800. To me the main difference comes down to the duel filter wheel and some folks I’ve spoken with are willing to pay the $4-5k extra for just that feature, and actually more if they don’t need or want the SD capability (which they pay for anyway in the 800).
The best thing about these cameras is the media itself; at $20 for 45 minutes of archival quality it is impossible to beat. I think it will be a long time before P2 cards come that cheaply, and in my mind (granted I’m a prehistoric dinosaur) that’s what it will take for the P2 workflow to work. There is not enough time in the day, or money in the budget to afford to download (twice for archival protection) the cards for reuse.
Obviously the economy is having a greater effect than ever on format choices and workflow demands and has created a very difficult era for freelancers trying to please many diverse clients. That’s why I see the 700/800 cameras as truly an advantage because of their unique be-all and do-all nature, inexpensive archival media and inexpensive reader writer (PDW-U1). I think if we were in a “normal” economy, there would be a stampede to the HD XDCAM. As it is they have already sold close to 5000 units worldwide.
JMHO
JS
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John,
The main advantage is that ProRes is a 10-bit on-line quality codec and it will survive color correction better than DVCPRO100 does because it’s 8 bit.
Of course it uses more storage space. Alternately, if you have a project with many, many source tapes and need to conserve space, you can use ProRes Proxy and essentially double your capacity without much loss of quality. Of course in this case you’ll need/want to go back at the end and do an on-line.
JS
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Hi John,
The HVX900 uses the DVCPRO100 codec just as the Varicam does. At 24p it only consumes 40Mb so is only a bit bigger than standard def DVCAM. As a result it is not that demanding on processing power or storage space. You’ll probably find that your current system and software are fine; if anything you might want to upgrade to FCP6. Of course if you want to spend money, nock yourself out, the newest Intel G5 and FCP7 ar4e very robust and certainly worth the money. I notice them to be much more stable than previous hardware and software. You’ll have the choice of staying in DVCPRO100 or using one of the many flavors of ProRes.
JS
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Hi Mark,
I was in France all summer shooting bicyclists in similar configurations and used an EX3 strapped to a sandbag on the hood and/or trunk. I used conventional motor cycle “ratchet” straps with great success to cinch the camera down on the sandbag pillow.
A monitor is necessary as you suggest in order to know when to roll.
With such a lightweight camera there’s no particular advantage to spending money on commercial camera mounts, these would only be required for heavier cameras. Another great accessory is 2″ “filament” tape to secure and safety, and it doesn’t leave glue on the car surfaces. Also rubber matting which can be cut into appropriate sized pieces to protect the car from your rigging.
JS