[Rob Manning]

Hey Mike,

I missed the part about $1,100 budget.

Point made indeed, in that range either the Panasonic GH2 or Canon as discussed are the best choices.

RM

[Rob Manning]

Any work you will be doing in post? IE. Green screen or other manipulated animations (After Effects in Adobe, or other?) then the codec capture, becomes a consideration.

ProRes or AVID DNxHD on a Ninja, or the BMD Hyperdeck 2 is fairly economical if just shooting a static series but, if using AE etc. the step up to AVID has better use (according to my DP friends) over ProRes. The read out in Adobe for the DNxHD (maxed) files from the HD2 is 10 bit, 4.2.2 from the D800.

The Nikon D800 which as noted above, is the only HD enabled DSLR with a direct out other than the Nikon D4. Canon offers this but starting at the $15,000 price point.

Consider the output needs, and ignore the fan folk and peer pissing contests.

Will you have expectations for commercial level work in post? If so the Nikon would be a decent choice bang for buck. (TV Spots, short clips, shooting script, set lighting, heavy animations for post etc.)

Otherwise, for average h.264 (average means vast majority of for hire work out there) sure the Canon took Nikon’s D90 ball from the end zone and ran it back to the fifty yard line, but the game isn’t over and might be escalating when Nikon moves the service center to Hollywood near term.

Joe Marine, at No Film School did a great job when the marketing hype dust settled comparing end results from the MK2/3 and D800:https://vimeo.com/42381520

HTH’s

Rob

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[Rob Manning]

Thanks Andy,

This does not bode well long term for Nikon if it’s endemic on their technology.

Rumor that they will be moving service from El Segundo to Hollywood aside.

This needs to be addressed/explained/solved I agree.

Rob

[Rob Manning]

Andy,

It may be the camera using auto white balance adjusting for exposure, the Nikons do this (I believe) as rote, on the D7000 one can set the device to a manual over ride with the HDMI menu, turning device control on, which leaves exposure set where you have it before engaging record.

Not sure on the D3200, and the D800 does not have this menu option but the same thing can be exacted using the AE button and locking that on before engaging record on all three cameras.

I found this out early on shooting the D7K in a guitar clinic, and that same pumping which a camera one shooter forgot to lock during a concert shoot in April, it’s an easy fix though in pre staging, a nightmare (frames by frames) in post.

I think, that is the issue if not, then ignore the suggestions.

HTH’s

Rob

[Rob Manning]

There is an open debate around about how much is enough on the BMD forum, my solution is the Hyper Deck 2.

There are other more sophisticated devices, all well above the $1500 US price range however, in bang for buck the Codec in the BMD relies on AVID’s DNxHD, which according to a couple of luminaries I discussed it with, will perform better in AE, alongside PP versus Pro Res. I’ll take their word for it.

BMD also uses the ProRes codec now and is set to receive with bridging software like MAC Drive Pro.

Drive space is the issue, the read out from CS5.5 for me indicates capture at 10 bit 4.2.2, 29.97fps.

A quick check here will estimate storage as GB’s: https://www.digitalrebellion.com/webapps/video_calc.html

My actual goal is to capture/recode into CineForm, but that recorder is $4800 US.

There is a line code from Go Pro/CineForm I’ll have to source to make that happen with the HD2 otherwise the DNxHD files open up as is in Premiere. Not sure about ProRes but are they not 32 bit files?

The Ninja has a good support element based on the review with the Nikon, in HD Video Pro, but as I mentioned AVID has been explained to be a more usable choice long term for the Adobe suite.

One interesting note, which does not appear anywhere is that recording SSD from the D800, allows the image to be zoomed real time, which depending on the shooting style, is a very cool feature.

Perhaps endemic to all SSD 4.2.2 devices and cameras, not sure but chill in my view.

The Adobists allude that ProRes opens fine in CS5, but check their forums at Adobe just in case.

HTH’s

Rob

[Rob Manning]

HI,

Genus makes a very good ND Grad filter, and I believe the differences in costs between brands have to do with polymer versus glass etc.

[Rob Manning]

You could also use a DOF calculator, to set your focus point, agree that f/8 or higher will give the best (better?) results, also contrast in this is dark/light and not much else.

HTH’s

Rob

[Rob Manning]

Hi Ken,

I had the second one ordered at Samy’s on the West side. (February) but…was wrangling with Chase over a LOC and also had the D4 on order, using the interim to try and evaluate Non-brand funded production edits which were slow in coming.

The D800 came in April, the D4 a week or so later. I sat on both and eventually released the D4 because the video in the D800 was apparently sharper.

The low light capabilities of the D4 although an improvement over the D3S, were not so great at 18mp over 12mp for me to spend an additional $6k and so I will continue to shoot the D3s for venue non-flash. If a D4S arrives, then I’ll jump.

I kept paying down the D800 while the bank finally authorized a self funded new business account, but one of the managers sold it out from under me.

When I went in the following week, the sales guy had grabbed the first one from that day’s delivery reinstating my ticket, it was new release with updated EN-EL 15 and firmware.

By then Joe Marine had done his graded/NR posting versus the MK2/3, and I grabbed it the following Friday.

Shot the San Marcos high jazz band at Soho Club in SB, on cards, just getting to edits now, on camera audio tweaks were fine for fund raising DVD uses.

Much better than the D7000 in harsh or uncontrollable lighting.

The evals set for comparatives A/B?, I will get to sometime this week, setting up at night with one 25w music stand type of bulb, I’ll let you know.

There are a folks shooting content/product on the D800.

Neil is in GB and to quote:

“I don’t know where all of this negativity about the D800 comes from. According to all of the online comparisons I’ve seen, the only feature that the 5D MKIII seems to hold better than the D800 is the low light performance. Everything else, the Nikon is equal to or better than the Canon.

As for “real world” use, I have been exhaustively filming with mine over the past couple of weeks. I have shot 16 short films for an acting school and have also used my D800 on three corporate shoots. I really love it and prefer the quality over the D7000 (I used to own), a Canon 5D MKII and 7D, all of which I have used on short films.

As I’m posting this on a Nikon forum, you might think that I am saying all of this just to justify my purchase and who knows, that might be true, but for me, the D800 has exceeded all of my filming (and photographic) expectations.

I have also shot it as a B-camera on a shoot with a RED ONE MX and a RED Scarlet-X and I can definitely say the D800 (using a flat picture profile) holds up pretty well to the both of them.”

Here is a link, although we frequent the Nikonian’s DSLR forum, this is his business site.

https://web.mac.com/epicdream/Epicdream_Productions_Website/Home.html

HTH’s

Rob

[Rob Manning]

Hi Ken,

E-mailed BMD’s SM overnight, answer came early from TS, there is no frame rate default in the HD2. BMD’s had a few reports with the D800: “3:2 pulldown on output or the fact that the frames are actually PsF (progressive segmented frame)”

The issue then, ingesting, changed the setting to 23.97 and went to modify menu, changed field order and things are fine. Artifact lines have disappeared during full quality playback.

I recall an early interview with a US Nikon manager which suggested some context of the “B” frames as being part of the secret sauce, perhaps this anomaly is sensor driven in the capture process and Premiere Pro sees the raw files (10 bit 4.2.2) automatically as TV broadcast settings, unless told otherwise?

Regardless, problem is pilot error as I see it.

Thanks,

Rob

[Rob Manning]

Good for you!

Rob