[Keith Greenfield]

oh sorry Claude …my bad…finger trouble should read 44.1k not 41k. Well spotted.

[Keith Greenfield]

All depends on what camera you are using. Are you looking for something like this , see attached snap of XDCAM footage . Some cameras will allow you to write bespoke metadata to an SD card then have that ‘attach’ itself to your clips. Just what level of ‘EXIF’ information do you need?

[Keith Greenfield]

They have said it all. One small thing, has anybody tried using the HDMI out from the GH2 to a DVR? Rumour has it that the field order is getting trashed. For example, record to a Ninja in ProRes 422. Shame if it is. 4:2:2 ProRes right off the GH2 chip ..hmmm nice.

Now slightly of post:
My pennyworth(rant): AVCHD, XDCAM EX et al are all what an old fogy like me calls a ‘delivery codec’. Then at that momentous year at NAB, alongs come …h264. And everybody ends with a cpu intensive non I frame codec. to record with and edit.
Everything now has to be ‘wrapped’ then ‘unwrapped’ then transcoded again into something resembling true I frame video.
In the ‘old days’ this is the decision we had to make. Analog video out and convert to digital, MJPEG was the first of the few. Then came DV, albeit linear digital it was transferred via ieee 1492 cable (Sony iLink) bit for bit onto your waiting DV timeline to edit…natively …no render bars. All those years ago.
And now here we are, doing the same damn thing. Transcoding into something we can work, ‘natively’ with. Bit for bit, digit for digit.
ProRes has become the new MJPG. All seems so familiar.
Anyhoo, rant over. Get to ProRes soon as, get out of any longop codec quickly.
Look at it this way, shoot with the GH2, thats either h264 or MJPG, unwrap using Clipwrap, edit then transcode yet again into mpeg2 for SD dvd or mpg2/h264 for HD Bluray. So many burning hoops to jump through, each time taking a bit of skin with it.
That rant did’nt stop did it sorry.

BTW, you tried outputting your HD footage as h264 putting it onto a USB thumb drive and playing via BluRay deck that has a usb slot?
Or, with short clips, less than 30 minutes, using Toast 10 with the HD pluggin to author and burn a BlUray fomat onto a DVD disk.?

[Keith Greenfield]

Maybe I can go one better, following this:
Purchase and install FCPX on iMac, Snow Leopard 10.6.8…no problems
Download and install FCPX trial on same iMac…crash, crash, crash on the usual suspects, effects.

Download and save Lion to DVD.
Boot from disc on MacBook Pro.
Use Disc Utility to erase HD and write zeros over disc.
Perform clean Lion install on MacBook.
Load FCPX trial from disc…
crash crash crash.
go figure

“Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless.” Ruskin.

[Keith Greenfield]

many thanks, yes it worked..man, not easy though. How I hate those vests. Wether its lurking in the background or the talent is wearing one and creating the most awful skin tone. grrr

[Keith Greenfield]

ND filters? well yes but still clumsy, a variable ND might work if you can get in there under the lens hood. Is there , I wonder, some way of desensitising’ the chip array? No hang, on surly a variable ND inside the body. There has to be a reason why not. Any techie out there care to comment.

[Keith Greenfield]

Dave,
I use a MacBook Pro card slot to access my SDHC BPAV and copy to HD. So far so good…
There are times when taking the camera away from a shoot is not an option. I prefer to hand off to data wrangler for copy, archive and unwrapping.
One very interesting point while in the subject of SxS SDHC adaptors and cards. I was finding that the sliding ‘lock’ tab was being activated when pushing the SD card back into the adaptor. Got so bad I had to superglue the thing ‘open’.
Trancend cards affected..SanDisk OK.

BTW..great little tool for accessing the BPAV clips and creating very fast lo res h.264 rushes. Even full 1080 if required..ideal emergency back up.
Elgato Turbo h.264 HD
https://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/Turbo264HD/product1.en.html

[Keith Greenfield]

Derek,
I have just come off a long shoot with a couple of NEX100s here is a blow by blow account.

Gave two NEX 100s a six day spanking.
This is simple day to day log of my experience of the Sony NEX100. Please be aware that my experience started on day one. This really is a ‘grab and gun’ experience of the camera. I am a firm believer in the ‘RTFM’ approach before making any criticisms. I do however also believe that a well designed product should be fairly ‘intuitive’ in its handling. So, when I comment ‘not able to’ it may just mean I did not..RTFM!
No apologies for the ‘bullet point’ delivery style, ‘KISS’! If you have a response just c/v that line.
Event: Indian Wedding
Location: Turkey
Schedule: six days
Daily calls: up to 18 hours
Crew: 3 stills, 3 video, 1 data wrangler
Environment: day/night, indoor, outdoor, beach, on water, + 36℃T 88%RH
Basic kit:
x2 Sony NEX FS100EK + 18-200mm E mount
x1 Sony 50mm 1.4 on A-E adapter
x1 Sony EX1
x2 Canon 7D
x1 Canon 5D
x1 Nikon D7000
Wide range of Nikon SLR lenses on Canon adaptor
x2 Atomos Ninja ProRes HDMI Recorder
x2 SteadiCam Flyer
x3 MacBookPro

Sync both NEX100s and EX1 on FREERUN TC, menu system confusing, differs from EX1.
Not able to sync via cable as per EX1/Z1 et al. Might be possible with the remote controller.
No clip naming available as per EX1.
I like my clips with a hex/dec project code followed by a four zero padded number.
EX1 clip name continues with every media change.
Do all AVCHD clips have to reset to 0001.mts on every media change?
When ‘unwrapped’ via FCP these become Clip#1 then repeats Clip#1 on next ingest.
FCP ingest loses TC.
Unwrap with ClipWrap retains TC.
Could only get HDMI or Composite feed, not both. SteadiCam monitor req 2nd feed.
Made a decision to forgo the record to Ninja option. Wanted to hand off bite sized chunks as we go.
Went with 16 GB SD cards. Faster copy time with MacBook SD reader.
EX1 two card slot just perfect for hot swapping media. No need for cover shots. Just keeping feeding the SDs.
Formatting SD cards via camera a real pain. I want PC based utility that ‘camera formats’ the cards.
Elagto Turbo h.264 brilliant for generating lo res rushes direct from BPAV or PRIVATE folders.
Sony EX Clip Browser Acquisition tab . Awesome for camera set up checks. Want same for AVCHD. Now.
NEX 100, accessory handle gets in the way of LCD screen.
No over camera handle for low handhelds. Or just to pick the thing up and run with it.
LCD screen no position for impromptu ‘crane’ shots on monpod.
Camera feels and handles well in hand cradle mode with/without viewfinder. Flash backs of Bronica ETR and Mamiya 67. Feels soooo comforting.
Three stop/start controls. Two on camera, one on grip. Keep hitting the front body one by mistake thought, a lock might help.
Grip. Odd thing. LANC for control., but I realise it saves money.
Recording formats: Why so many? I want HD 1080p. NTSC as per EX1 huh?
Smooth/Slow/Quick: Pointless. gimmick. Pimp the CPU and offer 100fps. Conform ProRes copy in FCP Cinema Tools.
Give me cache rec for those surprise moments, golf swings, fireworks and lightning strikes.
GPS: WTF? With a GPS signal up and down like a brides nighty…pointless if not available all the time. I may not know what day it is but I do know where I am. Use plug in device if so important.
Capture Still Images from movie: huh? pointless. do it post.
Divide Movie: nope.
Write to DVD: nope. Ok so there is BDMV folder there. Does not mean you have to use it.
Assign buttons great, perfect position. But just give them 1-6 no need to name the defaults, that will change on day one. Confusing.
On the EX1 the Expanded focus has a auto reset default time…the NEX just hung there in expanded..
Knee point: great.
Iris control on camera body. Nope don’t like it. Not natural coming from SLR.
No power zoom control: sometimes ones needs a slow push/pull on tripod.
18-200mm: Zoom and Focus controls on lens: Rubber grip too smooth. Needs more pronounced rubber feel.
Steady shot: brilliant. Just perfect when hanging the wrong way round from a parasail towed by speedboat for that must have ‘aerial shot’. Or chasing water-skiers on a jet ski. It really is that splash proof?
18-200mm: Focus control: Not smooth, edgy, ‘steppy’. Difficult to generate smooth bokeh pulls/pushes
18-200mm: Low performance not good. Hits the stop at f3.8
Auto Gain limiter brilliant.
18-200mm/50mm A mount: : Outdoors midday, no clouds, beach Lat 36. No NDs. So cannot control the dof. I want 3.8. I want 1.4. Setting TV to 1/10,000 is not an solution. Rolling shutter wobble and stationary rotor blades are not funny.
Drop in NDs on the matte box kind of works. If you have time.
50mm A mount: lens fantastic, no stabilisation. As this will be used 99% handheld it really needs it.
50mm A mount: dreamy shallow dof. Use flange to subject as focus. So, needs stabilisation!!! I repeat.
50mm A mount: iris control definitely something wrong here. Very noisy, blades move to fully closed then open to new setting every time iris control moved. I don’t get it. Using the A-E adaptor. Have missed something.
Audio: Yes all there. XLR set, never got my head around it first time.
Battery life: Fit and forget.

Summary: Give me dial in NDs, stabilised lenses, two SD slots, comprehensive clip naming, an over camera handle and that 16mm 2.8 pancake.

[Keith Greenfield]

MpegStreamClip?
‘Export to QuickTime’ then choose your preferred compression codec.
Note: your available codec options should build as you add new versions of FCP/QuickTime based utilities. I find I now have now ProRes LT and proxy codecs after loading FCPX. I later rejected FCPX and got a refund..but hey it still works.
BTW…at the end of the edit you my like to have a look at Elgato TurboHD h.264 tool for generating rapid h.264 transcodes. Faster than Compressor and will even open XDCAM and AVCHD clips direct from the BPAV and PRIVATE folders. Great for generating lo res rushes without unwrapping.
‘the highest reward for a persons toil is not what they get from it..but what they become by it’

[Keith Greenfield]

I downloaded, installed and read the manual !!! all time first.. Downloaded all available extra content.
Assembled three short projects from a mix of P2, XDCAM, h264 and 48/41k audio.
Executed tests with nearly all (got bored) the available effects/transitions/generators/colour correction.
Gave it a good spanking for four hours thirty minutes, fettled with every drop down and now I have nothing left to play with. Is that it? WTF can I do with my old FCP projects? No chance of reworking in FCPX huh! Now isn’t that the great thing about an upgrade? The excitement of bringing new tools to work on an old project! .
I was in there from the go with FCP at v1…put off doing the last Studio upgrade because of the rumours of a v10. So now I guess I may get 3 and hang with it.
Applied for refund on the grounds of misrepresentation. There must surely be definitive parameters regarding the use of the wording ‘pro’ I believe Apple have deliberately used the term to mislead by association to a product of the same name. Something akin to the protection accorded to Champagne, Cornish pasties, Arbroath smokies and Gorgonzola. You U.S. guys have no idea what I am talking about, sorry. But you see what I mean.
Anybody risked the Lion OS download yet? I still have flashbacks from the Snow Leopard implementation nightmare regarding FCP. I ran two G5s in parallel Leopard/Snow Leopard for nearly four months during those dark days.