[Matthew Jeschke]

Hey thanks! I’m looking at these here and they seem a bit pricey for what I’m doing.

However, it does raise another question… Are most all lavalier mics omnidirectional? Is there a reason for that?

I’d like to avoid getting a ton of background noise. Partly why I was looking at them. I’m also assuming omnidirectional means it pics up noise in all directions?

I’m learning the ropes of online publishing. Mostly as an excuse to play with more cameras.

Here’s several of my latest ventures,
https://www.keystoaz.com
https://www.fitlish.com
https://www.corvettemedic.com

[Matthew Jeschke]

I have an update to make. I like the HX9v but have been hitting it’s limitations. The biggest of which is how long the battery can hold a charge. When shooting video it’s only 20-30 minutes. And lovely Sony was nice enough to make the power plug RIGHT next to the tripod mount so I cannot hookup external power while using a tripod.

Despite this camera is AMAZING, that has completely messed up some of my shots. I’ve had to constantly film for a while then run back, recharge the battery, and come back to filming.

Another interesting pitfall is the video files are HUGE. It doesn’t have a mode to dumb down the quality much. Pretty much always films in 1920x1080p at 60fps. I think I can dumb it down to 60fps interlaced but that’s it. Making it really cumbersome to do simple little video blog posts on Youtube.

I’m now in the market for another cheap camera. Ultimately, the quality should be good enough but doesn’t have to match the HX9v which is completely JAW DROPPING btw.

All I really need it for is a fairly decent wide angle camera to shoot mechanic videos I make.

MUST have a battery that lasts at least a couple hours.
MUST do 1080p (preferably 60fps but not necessary as long as can do 720p at 60fps for slow motion shots).
MUST use a USB plug to download
MUST have a tripod mount.
MUST have a plug for an external microphone.

I have been quite keen of the pocket cameras (Creative & Kodak). Their motion jitter / shake is appalling though. But I probably would have this on a tripod most all the time so might not be an issue.

Curious of any other cheap cameras anybody’s had experience with?

Ultimately, I’m saving some dough for the 5d Mark III. Mainly for still photography but I think it has a pretty awesome video capabilities too. Just don’t have the money for it quite yet.

These cheap cameras are starting to earn me my keep though. I’m making a few bucks here and there off of Youtube and other informational products I sell created with them 🙂 Despite you have to tweak / work them a bit harder to get the job done.

I’m learning the ropes of online publishing. Mostly as an excuse to play with more cameras.

Here’s several of my latest ventures,
https://www.keystoaz.com
https://www.fitlish.com
https://www.corvettemedic.com

[Matthew Jeschke]

Thought I’d update this post on my “cheap” editing system. It’s been about a year since I asked for pointers and here’s what I found after buying some hardware…

Everybody was absolutely right. CPU cores / power are the biggest bang for the buck. I’ve since updated my system with the highest performance CPU it would accept (within reason). I now have 4 AMD Opteron 280 – 64 bit cores.

I upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit which seems to run a little more stable than Vista home and a bit quicker. I do notice if Vegas is still quite unstable with large projects. Especially if I switch applications (forcing a page fault). Sometimes Sony Vegas crashes on it’s own… I think because it’s switching processes inside the applications for some filters and previewing? Otherwise it runs really well. I think more system memory would be prudent though.

I also found a work around to get more mileage out of my cheaper 5400 RPM drives. I use two drives on two separate SATA controllers. Then have capture scrap on one while rendering to the other.

While watching resource manager, I noticed my drive is maxed out when using just one drive. Otherwise when using two, my CPU cores are maxed out.

I’ve have since bought a 7200 RPM drive (mainly for more space) but didn’t seem to make any difference of course as my CPU(s) are maxed out.

Thanks again for the help! This little post was more than able to help me make a freebie PC from my old job do the trick. Though it’s not ideal setup by any means I’ve got a TON of mileage from it for just a few bucks in upgrades!

I’m learning the ropes of online publishing. Mostly as an excuse to play with more cameras.

Here’s several of my latest ventures,
https://www.keystoaz.com
https://www.fitlish.com
https://www.corvettemedic.com

[Matthew Jeschke]

It didn’t like my embed…

My first production with the HV9x

I’m trying it again…

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[Matthew Jeschke]

Yeah, sound like a plan. I bought the HV9X and LOVE IT! It’s AWESOME… This is the first video I cut with it for my Real Estate Business.

I have a Handycam SR5 which is literally a POS but selling used for more than I paid for the HV9x so I’m thinking of selling the Handycam and getting a second HV9x although ultimately I want a Canon T2i.

The HV9x could do a tad better on landscapes which are turning out grainy (maybe I set it up wrong?). Most of my shots will be indoors though and it’s worked AMAZINGLY well there!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f7gXQOkLGzE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Matthew Jeschke]

Yeah I have the same difficulty with my Handy Cam. I’m quickly out growing the equipment. It also overexposes just about everything I shoot.

Eventually I hope to go for some sort of prosumer setup that accepts Canon L-Series lenses.

Do you have a website or anything? I assume from your level of expertise you run a production studio or have a camera shop?

[Matthew Jeschke]

I’ve got to stop talking to you lol

I’m starting to buy these things… I just bought the hx9v. It will be perfect as I have to get some video while on business travel. We’re launching an ATV product line and I need to film how to install the parts while I’m at the manufacturers shop.

Next, I almost bought the pistol grip mount. However, I have some of those Gorrilapod grip mount tripods. I found an off brand for $2 / each on ebay 🙂 So I ordered a couple of them. They are invaluable.

I’ll probably still build a jib crane like they have on frugal film maker cause I’ll need some really great shots of the engine bay while I’m filming my AC rebuild manual.

I think Sony just decided to come after me… lol

I LOVE that Nex-7 as well. I’ve been watching the NEX-VG10 but it isn’t quite what I’m looking for yet, doesn’t do 1080/60p and I’m not sure it’ll accept my canon lenses.

I also have a fair amount of money invested in canon lenses I’d love to reuse for film. Does the NEX-7 do autofocus while in video mode? Honestly I’d probably use it very little, however, It’s nice to know it’s there just in case.

Anyways, thanks much for the help! I saved you as a friend on here… Will let you know how my videos progress 🙂

[Matthew Jeschke]

That’s way too cool!

I’m on the cusp of buying a hx9v! My buddy has a Go Pro for compact shots and easy stowing but honestly it’s picture is less than desirable especially in low light.

I can pickup the hx9v for less than a go pro even! And I LOVE the rigs…

I just bout a steady cam which is in the mail. Then I also have plans to make this Crane / Jib.

https://www.youtube.com/thefrugalfilmmaker#p/search/0/t2_Ye6dP5Lw

He also has a great website with how to make a bunch of your own equipment. Including a really cheap dolly. But I LOVE that cine cam! wow…

[Matthew Jeschke]

Hey thanks so much for the tips.

I was certain some of this low end stuff would be pretty decent. I know these big companies stamp out the same hardware for a LOT of their products even the lower end ones. Then just have different firmware and buttons on the cheaper products.

I just wanted confirmation from somebody who actually tried one of the cheaper cameras 🙂

Thanks!!!!

[Matthew Jeschke]

Yeah, I’m a computer engineer for the past 10 years. Unfortunately, I have had trouble finding work recently. So this is what I’m doing in the mean time. I create engineering-ish tutorials to help people save money by completing their own repairs.

I think flash technology is too slow as well as hard drives. To get the bandwidth necessary for 1080p or higher requires incredible speed which is very costly in those technologies. My biggest issue with my little handy-cam is it uses a compression algorithm that dumbs down the quality substantially so it can write to it’s hard drive.

Tape offers a very high and constant bandwidth pretty well determined by how fast you can digitize the image and roll the tape. I think once faster flash alternatives become available a lot of this camera technology will dramatically drop in price and image quality will skyrocket.