[Rich Fletcher]

DOH !!

Never mind. The rest of the stuff is on the companion card. I haven’t had a shoot “roll over” from one card to another for so long that I’d forgotten what the (incomplete) thing means. It means the data is part of a shot that filled the companion card in the camera before it rolled over onto the card that reads (incomplete).

So, uh, yeah….

[Rich Fletcher]

I just had a similar experience. Shoot went fine, then upon downloading I noticed my card indicated only 8-gigs used of the 16 gig card. The camera told me I was running out of space when I pulled it to insert a 32-gig card and kept shooting.

Now, in FCP log and transfer, I get a file that has a clip name with a grayed-out (incomplete) after it. I’m missing the first four minutes on that clip. How do I get it back? Where did it go? Is this a known issue?

I’ve had my HVX200 for two years and never experienced this issue.

Can anyone lend some insight?

Thanks,
Rich Fletcher
Animas Media, LLC

[Rich Fletcher]

Craig… Please be nicer in this forum, even with people like me who may not have read everything you have read, or believed everything they’ve read. Your reply was not too friendly or empathetic.

If I’m shopping for a camera, I come to Creative Cow and look for threads that evaluate said camera. I’ve done so since this was the World Wide Users Group for Media 100.

I don’t want to know only what the manufacturer claims a camera can do. Much of it is hype. Regarding the EX1, Sony says the EX1 will do “slow and quick” motion. But how smooth is it? So I ask if it really does over-crank and under-crank. I cannot know without a test drive or by learning from people how have experience with it and with other cameras for comparison. Sony has claimed lots of things, as has Canon, JVC, Panasonic, that are near-truths. I’ve been in marketing for a while, and I’ve seen their claims for years. They’re selling, and they will make claims that sell.

“Full 1080p?” What does that mean, really? Not much to me with an mpeg2 compressed HDV at 4:2:0. I wish it were real 1080 uncompressed, but it’s not. All cameras are not what they claim to be. So, we ask questions and compare notes, yes? But I would appreciate us keeping it friendly, no matter how basic the question may sound.

You are obviously very happy with the EX1. Great! It’s nice to find something that works for you. But, it may not work for me. Please help the rest of us to evaluate it based on merit. Again, I’ve been at this game since 1983. I have and will question everything, no matter how basic, before putting my money down. That’s how I’ve managed to hang around for so long. It’s a great biz, and I’m glad I can learn from persons such as you who know a lot about their gear. It’s all good.

Thanks,
Rich

[Rich Fletcher]

I’m sure everyone can tell from the videos and stills that the Sony has the edge in low light. The Panny isn’t a 1080p native chipset. 720pn is the best capture mode for this camera. It also looks as though the “V” setting is at 5 or 6 on the Panny giving a gamma curve that softens the picture. This will give a film look, but in a shoot-out will always lose to a “video” look on a register card or scenic shots where folks are looking for detail.

Can the EX1 do over crank or under crank? I use that for the automotive work I do. Also, I noticed that the usual “Sony blue” cast is evident in everything while the Panny is warmer.

I’ve owned Sony broadcast cameras since 1983, and still have a, BetacamSP, PD-170, a Canon XL2, plus one Panny HVX200. The Sonys all have a ghostly blue bias. Just switch between the videos and you’ll see it in the outdoor scenes easily. Panasonic, on the other hand, has gone overly warm and I don’t know why either manufacturer cannot get it right. But, it’s easier to dial out the warmth on a Panny than to lose the blue on the Sony. I’ve tried. Dropping out the blue bias messes up the reds on Sonys.

It would be nice to know all the settings on both cameras. I cannot consider this a heads-up “shootout” without that info. I’d LOVE for the Sony to be better than the P2 due to card cost considerations alone. Then again, it’s HDV long GOP 4:2:0. Getting 4:2:2 only out of the EX1 head via SDI means the camera can’t be in use when downloading cards, or tying up the camera in post. But at $7-k, one could have two cameras…

Pluses and minuses, as usual. If only one of these companies could get it all together, no HDV messing up editing times, true 4:2:2 acquisition, cheap card stock, good low light performance, interchangeable lens capability, true 1080p, etc. etc. I know, I know… CineAlta F900R is the answer, but I don’t have $120-k lying around to get one and outfit it properly.

Don’t we just love chasing the new new thing? I’ve got format capabilities reaching back to Sony U-Matic-S in my office. Oh how I wish I didn’t have to mortgage the house just to keep up with the ever changing format wars…

Anyway, thanks for putting up the test. More info is always good.

Cheers,
RIch

Rich