[Rob Gutermuth]

I own a few of these in this same line, and while you CAN use the Blade with the XH Cameras, it’s a bit of doing, since the blade needs clean HDMI, and the XH cameras do not have this as an option.

I have several DTE’s as well… and with this camera (the xh-a1 and a1s) they work well – just be sure not to buy the ones that only record in 1080P or they won’t work in HD mode, since these cameras output 1080i

Here are the pros and cons to using either with these cameras:

DTE:

Pros:

Cost – slightly less money, depending
Direct Connection via Firewire for video and audio

Cons:

doesn’t bypass the 1440×1080 processing, nor the compression used for tape (same as recording to tape)
Files have to be transcoded in most cases (easy to do now a days, but adds a step)
most of these use spinning platters – if dropped, or bumped hard, your done!
Most of the FW drives aren’t supported any longer

—-

Atomos:

Pros:

True 1080 full frame – bypassing the FW/Tape processing
Files are ready to be edited/copied over to your computer for editing right away. Apple ProRes
Ninja has a nice LED display, which shows you a preview of the material
better made box – love the fit and finish of Atomos products.
lots of other pros here, but….

Cons:

Cost – more expensive than a DTE recorder, but worth it in the long run
Connection with the Canon XH-A1s… you need to use the special component connection, into a component to HDMI converter box, and then you can connect to the unit via HDMI
You will have to run Audio separate to the unit from the camera (RCA to 1/8 plug, stereo fixes that)
—–

I have used both over the last few years, and it’s hard to beat the Atomos units – they are really worth the money for what they do, and work 100% of the time correctly in my experience.

I have a XL-H1 and can actually record to my Atomos Sam, my DTE and TAPE all at the same time if I needed to for some reason (Tape is the back up of my back up!) – it’s nice if you have a client that wants the raw footage of what you shot, right after, but also you wanted the footage to edit too.

I think the Ninja is what you want to use… don’t get the first issue – be sure to buy the second one… then, when you upgrade to modern cameras that all have HDMI outs, you can use it with those too.

I do love the Samurai as well – the Locking BNC connectors are great, but you need SDI with that recorder (as found on the XL-h1)

Let us know what you end up doing…

Cheers!

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Rob Gutermuth]

Option #3 would be the camera that replaced the G20 – the HF G30 – if you look, you can get one brand new for right at your price point… or lightly used for less (people buy these, and sometimes never use them, etc)

The G30 is a prosumer camera, and is really an XA20 with XLR audio (which you can add for less than the cost difference) It’s one of the best cameras you can buy for right at 1K

if you are doing interviews though, you’d really want/need something that will give you XLR ins eventually, and then of course, a pro mic system that uses this… I like the beachtek or the juiced link products for these cameras…

The nice thing about doing it this way, is that you can add on things as you need them… Good Mics are like good lenses… buy them once and then you are done though… I still have some old AKG’s that I use that are older than me 🙂 – but are build like nothing made today.

Good Luck 🙂

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Rob Gutermuth]

Also, just to note, some of those adapters don’t work either, so you have to watch which ones you get – I should say, more specific to getting “clean” HDMI output for devices like the Ninja 2, or Star, etc…

if you just want HDMI for something like a monitor or Projector, I guess any would work, but that’s not why I wanted it 🙂 – The ninja allows it to keep rolling for a while longer… HDV isn’t horrible though… all things considered, but it’s not prores 422 at 1920x1080i either 🙂

What I did was to get a 9volt battery pack for mine, and that seems to work out ok, but I rarely use this camera portable anymore…. usually it’s on a tripod, so everything runs off of AC…

The very cool thing too about these older canon’s is that you can record something 3 ways if you want to… if it’s something REALLY important that you’d be sued over if you missed it – you can record to the Ninja, and then also to HDV tape, and finally to a firestore via the FW output…

not too many cameras can do that… in this price range (most you get is 2 (internal cards, and HDMI out)

Canon was smart enough to at least let the camera bypass the HDV codec with the component output… but it’s still getting “long in the tooth” being 10 years old now…

Peace 🙂

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Rob Gutermuth]

my two cents…

The XH-A1 has seen it’s day… I agree with whoever said about using a larger sensor camera for this to get that nice shallow DOF…. and I also agree that using a DSLR for video if that is the primary thing you are shooting, is just silly… ever try to shoot a long form video with a DSLR? lol – I can see maybe something like a 30 sec spot or a few “talking heads” to be cut into the main production, but… anyways, I digress….

Sony has had a couple of cheap cameras now that use 1 inch sensors, and they make it both in the HD and the 4K versions… the HD version can be had for under 900 bucks… and depending on what you need to shoot, you may be ok with it right out of the box.

The camera I’m talking about is the Sony: HDR-C900 – I haven’t personally used it, but a buddy of mine has one, and had been using the xhA1s cameras, and said there is no comparison…

but, there are trade offs – you’d loose XLR audio, and some other nice things, which you can buy adapters for, but again, depends on what you are trying to do…

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Rob Gutermuth]

Not quite true – if you use the Component output port (via the D connector) into an HDMI converter, it will allow 1920x1080i uncompressed. HDV is used at the firewire port and what is recorded onto tape.

The BNC cabe on that camera is bascially for just SD output and is just composite out…

this is the only way to use it with a prores recorder like a ninja

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Rob Gutermuth]

Buy cameras that match…. lol. Yeah, that would be the best solution… but my money tree isn’t giving me anything lately 🙂

I just read on here that 1440x1080i HDV is really 1920 anyways… True or not… some say yes, some say no… so, which is it?

The seq didn’t have to re-render when I used Prores as the codec for the sequence (native clips, etc) – but the export takes 10x longer, and the file size is of course a lot bigger… and also it choose Square for the pixels…. HDV didn’t use that… does that matter?

I guess my question is…

would it be better to use the native 1440x1080i 60 HDV settings for the sequence, which matches perfectly with the main 2 cameras, and then force render the other 2, to I guess down convert from prores 1920x1080i 60

or, just have the HDV footage in a prores sequence… what should all the setting be then, if I do that?

not that it matters, but all cameras are set to NDF. My end result will be DVD mostly.

Thanks

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Rob Gutermuth]

I have a similar issue, but all footage is 1080i 60

2 cams are 1440x1080i
2 cams are 1920x1080i

if I use the native settings that FCP wants to convert the seq to from the 1920×1080 clip, and then add the 1440 footage in the same timeline/sequence – it will have to enlarge the 1440 footage

if I use the 1440 footage as the native sequence, then the 1920 has to change it’s aspect ratio to match…

so, how is 1440x1080i footage “really” 1920×1080… Im using the HDV codec for the sequence. it’s a smaller and faster export for a 2 hour movie… but is Prores the better way to go here?

I just want the ideal settings for being able to get max quality out of the footage. I don’t mind waiting on the export (2+ hours vs 20 mins) but I just want to be sure there isn’t something else I could do…

The 1920 clips are from the G30, which was AVCHD to Prores, and are now Prores files…. They have to re-render if I use them in an HDV native sequence, but is that my only option unless I use prores as the sequence’s codec?

Cheers,

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Rob Gutermuth]

FCP 7 only addresses 4GB of ram, max – so adding more ram for the sake of extending the available amount for the application is pointless… FCX or PP is a different story.

But, as any good tech will tell you, overall, more ram is usually better than less, all things being equal, for overall system performance, etc…

I have the same machine, and I run 32 gig now in it, which I think is fine for Mavericks (which is what that machine is running, never upgraded to yosemite) Make a bit of difference, but not to much, as I was running 12gig prior I think… I can open larger files in photoshop quicker, etc… things like that.

every OS seems to want more RAM too… so, it’s always a tight rope walk for most of us that don’t buy a machine and put 64gig of RAM in it off the bat…

My 2 pennies

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Rob Gutermuth]

The Canon xa10 is ok, but there have been problems with that camera’s handle keeping contact all the time… for about $1600, I’d get the XA20 if it was the only camera I owned for what you want to do… you can get 6 hours in LPCM mode on that camera on a $30 64gig SD card….

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Rob Gutermuth]

Yes, I had to use the headphone 3.5 mini jack on the xl-h1, and took it into the analog audio in – isn’t there just the one on the samurai? mine has SDI in and out, Control L in and out, and Headphone out, and auido input… those are the only jacks on the unit…

even cranked, it was only like at about -12db… I kept the gain at 0, since I was trying for clean as possible audio… Im sure the RCA’s would be MUCH better… will see if it’s worth repairing, or getting another body, or even a “s”, and then, the Audio and video are together in the file via SDI to start with.

Thanks for clearing that up… on Sunday, I shot with Prores (not LT) so, that is what I will stay with then, since I do shoot a TON of stuff where high motion is involved (sports, dancing, etc) I opted for 2 smaller SSD drives instead of one or 2 larger HDD drives, just because I like the piece of mind knowing that the drive will not have a problem… SSD drives are so cheap now, seems like the better way to go…. Glad to know I don’t have to go all the way to HQ though…

Looks like Im getting about 1gb per min… that’s 59.94 60i – and I have a 480 and a 320 gig SSD – so 800gbs – I’d never need 12 hours + before I could off load anything, so that should work out… sometimes I do need 5 or 6 though in a day… what do you like for SSD’s in higher capacity – I have a sandisk extreme ii – 6/gbs and 545/mps (guess thats read/write rates?)

Thanks for all your help on this, Declan – you da man!

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations