Mark D'agostino
Forum Replies Created
-
-
Jeff,
Thanks for the heads up on the firewire double down cable. I just ordered it. We also redord Quicktime for the same reasons.Mark
Mark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com -
In menus….”system settings”, “option mode”, “1394 control”, set that to “both” and you’re good to go. Just press record on the camera and the firestore picks up the timecode set for the tape.
Mark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com -
I like your thinking Mark. We do use a 90 degree cable, but we could only find one with that angle on one end. A two ended, flat/flush version would be nice. I bet some type of add-on velcro-type thing to lock the cable could be figured out. We did order a couple of two-footers so we didn’t have to loop the cable so much. Firestore can do so much to easily improve their end. Panasonic needs to be sure they follow suit on the camera end, but bI think they are less-motivated to do so.
Mark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com -
We’ve owned the Firestore with our HDX900 since July 2007.
To answer your first question, yes it can be controlled to record from the camera. That’s how we use it 99 percent of the time. You can also easily switch that to record locally from the Firestore.
-No, you cannot confirm/playback in-camera. I suggested to them once that there at least be an audible beep to help confirm that the Firestore took the command to record. Otherwise, like film, the only way to “confirm” is to see the that the counter is moving.
-The firewire connection is a bit flaky and you really need to use gaffer tape to even be remotely confident that you’ll maintain a solid connection. Even with that it doesn’t seem to take much to lose communication through the firewire. We always have someone on our crew watching the firewire to be sure it’s recording. We own two because we believe in backup and that’s saved us a couple times when one of ours froze. We rebooted it after the job but were glad we could keep moving along using the other without holding up the client. The firestore is definitely NOT for run and gun/docummentary situations. In those instances we just record to the HD tapes. Whenever we use the Firestore we always record to HD tapes at the same time for instant archival and backup. We have lost shots on the firestore because it didn’t roll when we thought it did and the tapes saved us. In each case that happened because we spun to grab a quick shot, no time for another person to check the counter.Bottom line for me, it’s an amazing tool for the Post -production flow but not the most dependible on-location unless you can afford the extra crew person to babysit it every time you hit record. If you’re grabbing action handheld, stick to the tapes.
Mark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com -
We’ve just been doing it non-drop for over 30 years so didn’t see a reason to change just because a piece of equipment doen’t allow it. Our system works so we’d rather stay consistent. I do agree with you though that the choice is no real big deal. Thanks for the input Michael
Mark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com -
A lot of great stuff here to take in. From this and surfing a bunch of other sites I’ve gotten answers from “drop frame is a slam dunk” to “whatever works for you works as long as absolute time precision isn’t critical”. I hope more folks chime in because opinions on this aren’t as universal as I thought.
By the way, we’ve always used non-drop for video and never had issues because our stuff is either non-broadcast or commercials that run regionally where stations don’t require drop frame.
Thanks so much for listening and offering your time and professional opinions!
MarkMark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com -
These forums are amazing. I posted my answer which is a low cost less than ideal solution. Then Walter and Shane respond with much better and probably very obvious solutions. I’m a DP having to learn a lot about the editing side. We have two FCP rooms one is the top line. Our editor rules that. I work in the iMac room. I may not be the best one to figure out how to build this room but with a lot of research and the added benefit of having you guys to listen to I know we’ll get the best out of the iMac till the day for the upgrade comes.
Thanks!Mark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com -
We use the DAC15 DV/Analog from Digital Video. It controls our BetaSP deck nicely. If you read my post below yours you’ll see that it only seems to support “drop-frame” editing. We edit “non-drop frame” and this is a problem. However, If you edit in “drop frame” mode this may be the box for you. It passes through YUV component, composite, dv, s-video and unbalanced audio, (2channels).
Mark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com -
I second Jesse on this. We record to a FS100 and bring the files directly into FCP. Otherwise, it’s manual capture if you’re trying it from tape in the 900.
Mark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com