Micah Mcdowell
Forum Replies Created
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OK everybody, he mentioned he used the Windows Import Wizard to get his footage on the computer, not an NLE or After Effects. Looks like Microsoft has a nice tutorial about it at https://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Import-live-video-from-a-DV-camera.
Ben, your footage is not too “big” for After Effects, not at all. You probably simply captured to some weird flavor of WMV codec when you used the cheezy little Windows import tool. In the future, don’t use that tool, use Premiere Pro since you have it… it’s great.
The DVX100 records in the DV format… importing to any other codec would be a bad thing. You don’t need to download any other codecs or mess with any other settings. Just go to Premiere Pro, make a new project (NTSC DV Standard 48khz, ignore the 24p project because the DVX is recording in a 29.97 framerate stream anyway and this is easier). Once you create the project, hit F5 to bring up the Capture tool, and get to capturin’. Once you have all your files, you can drag them to After Effects and they’ll work much better than whatever you had. They will be DV AVI files; that’s what Premiere likes on Windows.
If you still have issues after all that, there may be some whacked-out After Effects settings. You didn’t mention at what point the program crashes, so that would be good to know. One issue I’ve had is multiprocessing… you’ve got dual cores but sometimes RAM won’t keep up with them and AE freaks out. Experiment with disabling multiprocessing in AE by going to Edit > Preferences > Multiprocessing and deselect Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously. This may make things slower but slow is better than nothing. It may not even be the problem.
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The Sony EX1 is close to your budget (~$6000) and has 1/2″ chips which should give better low light performance (I heard it may be discontinued, so there may be a new improved model soon or you may be able to get remaining stock at a bargain).
Also, you could consider a video DSLR like the Canon 5D mkII… I’ve been playing with some concert footage shot by a friend recently and low-light crowd shots were impressive to say the least. You can get very fast prime lenses for them which get you close to “see-in-the-dark” territory, and it would be way under your budget. The cameras do have a lot of other compromises though (awkward handling, very narrow focus if you’re not used to it, useless onboard audio, etc). All that being said, it’s certainly the wave of the future and takes killer stills too.
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Well, I’ve used both of these cameras quite a bit, and the one I choose to own personally is the DVX.
The XL1s does not have a true 24p shooting mode, while the DVX does, so for a “film-like” image the DVX will win hands down. The DVX also has higher-resolution CCDs and more film-like gamma curves available. Biggest thing the Canon has going for it is interchangeable lenses.
All that being said, it’s becoming a high definition world now so you may want to consider cameras a bit more modern, such as the Panasonic HVX200 or Canon XL-H1, which seem to be the closest successors to your other picks.
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You will have to capture video from the tape in real time through the Firewire connection. Maybe this basic video will help you? I’m not a Vegas guy; Creative Cow also has a Sony Vegas basics forum where I’m sure you can get all kinds of help.
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The math for the focal length is to multiply the lens’s actual focal length by whatever the crop factor is for the size of the sensor (these can be found on Wikipedia or elsewhere under crop factor.. For a 1/3″ it’s about 7.21).
I played with the HM100U at NAB this year… It seemed like a cool idea but make sure it’ll fit your needs. The SD cards are wonderful and the codec is good as well. The camera is TINY, very light and maybe a bit flimsy. The sensor size is rather small and you’ll need some sort of wide angle adapter hanging on the front of the lens. For filmmaking, I’d probably want to use it with a DOF converter and better 35mm lenses, since the 1/4″ chips give a very wide depth of field. Your mileage may vary.
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I believe the 35mm equivalent focal lengths of the GY-HD200U would be approximately 39.6-633.6mm, if my math is right. If you’re wanting wide angle, that’s not it.
It’s gonna be tough finding another camera in that price range with a removable lens, in fact the JVC is probably about it. The XL-H1 would probably be next closest. Remember, better HD lenses for those cameras are NOT cheap. A lot of people are using the 35mm DOF adapters on fixed-lens cameras with great results… I’ve never messed with them but it may be an option for you.
Do you have any other requirements or preferences toward your camera? HDV tape or solid-state memory recording? You may want to research the RED Scarlet that’s supposedly being released soon; it will be a monster of a budget film-making camera.
Also check out the video DSLRS like the Canon 5D mkII and 7D. They may or may not be what you need, but they’ve got some impressive features for dirt cheap and you’ll be able to get killer wide lenses, since this seems important to you.
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There’s a thread over here that is similar to what you’re looking for; you may find it useful.
Mark’s advice is great, and I work at a church where we do almost exactly what he described… two or three cameras iso recording to tape as backup, all going to a Newtek Tricaster Studio (basically a standalone Video Toaster), switched live and recorded to a DVCAM deck and/or DVD and Tricaster hard drive backups.
Only problem is, the Tricaster is currently SD only, but the HD Tricaster XD300 is supposed to be released before the end of the year.
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Now that this thread’s been derailed completely off topic, I’d have to say that Noah’s signature does not bother me in the least. He’s made thousands, wait, tens of thousands of valuable posts on the Cow and a couple people with fewer than ten posts want to start complaining about his signature with a couple simple links in it?
Give me a break.
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What’s your budget?
We could give a thousand recommendations, but it doesn’t matter if it’s not in your price range. The XH-A1s is certainly a great camera, but if you’re budgeting, say, under a grand, your options will be along the lines of a well used Canon XL-1 or Panasonic DVX100 or a newer consumer cam like the Canon HV40.
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Yes, it will still be approximately 60 minutes with either DV or HDV.
HDV runs at almost the same bitrate as standard def DV; it is just MUCH more compressed.