[Ron Exalto]

I agree. My 350 had a white pixel back in september 2006 when I got it out of the box. 3-4 times black balance took care of it and I’ve never seen it since.
You should be okay if you don’t have the odd one out with a really damaged block

Good luck,

Ron

ELVIC DVD PRODUCTIONS & HOMECINEMA
Editing on Axio 2.5
Aquisition with Sony PDW-F350 XDCAM HD

[Ron Exalto]

There’s always something better out there, but as long as it’s broadcast legal (Discovery and Animal Planet accept its 35mbp/s signal as such when used with a proper HD lens) it at least performs at an currently unbeatable pricelevel and outperforms any HDV based camera.
But, of course, it can’t outperform a BetaHD or HDSR system.
Comes pretty close though :-))
Guess I’ll just have to skip that workshop…

Cheers,

Ron

ELVIC DVD PRODUCTIONS & HOMECINEMA
Editing on Axio 2.5
Aquisition with Sony PDW-F350 XDCAM HD

[Ron Exalto]

A necessary update to my prior post above:
The Axio (SD) system will handle realtime XDCAM editing thanks to the new 1440×1080 presets now included. My first HD editings were on 1920×1080 presets which slow down realtime processing!
Rendering out from HD timelines to current DVD streams is faster than realtime also.
So the only thing still missing on an Axiosystem is conforming back to MXF format to write that back to XDCAM disc.

BTW I’ve read Nigel’s article some time ago (can’t remember if it was prior to or just after buying my F350) but it’s really the best, most complete, article I’ve read while searching for info on the camera. Takes away any doubt one might have!

Have a great 2007!!!

ELVIC DVD PRODUCTIONS & HOMECINEMA
Editing on Axio 2.5
Aquisition with Sony PDW-F350 XDCAM HD

[Ron Exalto]

Hi,

I’m shooting with a 350 and edit in Axio 2.5 which should provide a realtime, lightningfast workflow. Yeah….
When editing with DVCAM SD streams Axio can easily build 10 videolayers realtime with all kind of effects, it’s awesome! However when you put in the MXF files from the XDCAM HD recordings your back at 2 videostreams tops and even simple wipes have to be rendered (btw I’m using a HP9300 workstation with 2 Dual Opteron 275 and Axio SD breakoutbox, which can edit in HD). Conforming is not possible on an Axio system yet, since output to MXF XDCAM HD is not implemented yet, and these drivers are 2 days old, so you can wait at least 6 months to get that option up and running (if ever).
So the answer is: yes, in editing the long Gop codec and the fact that you’re working with 5x more info compared to an SD stream WILL slow you down.
On the other hand the advantages of the camera while shooting and importing the files are great. Deleting your last shot when you’re sure you won’t need it ever again can come very in handy in keeping the shotratio of useable shots on a disc down.
The quality of the camera itself is beyond any doubt and worth every penny. Working with a good HD lens is the cream on the pie, although good SD lenses in well lit situations won’t disappoint you either! Using the 2/3 to 1/2 inch adapter gives at least the opportunity to use existing 2/3 SD broadcast lenses, albeit losing a 1.38 factor of your wideangle. But gaining this in your zoom. Birdwatchers be happy!

And with the lastest firmware installed in the camera you can also use a buffer memory of up to 12 seconds so when you push the record button the previous 12 secs (max) are recorded to disc too! Very handy when you’re not quit shure when the man/woman your shooting is starting his/her talk. Or, if you’re in newsgathering, when the jumper decides to changes his position on the roof to that of the pavement below (ouch..)

Anyhow, XDCAM is for me the right path to go and I don’t regret it one minute. If you’re shooting in DVCAM mode you get ALL the benefits of the workflow and fast editing, when working in HD mode the workflow benefits stay, but the editing slow down. But you DO get that futureproof HDTV picture to amaze your clients with.
The Axio system will get faster with newer processors also so in time even that will speed up. Perhaps users of Vegas or Canopus Edius have different experiences. But I guess most people here are editing on FCP or AVID anyway.

ELVIC DVD PRODUCTIONS & HOMECINEMA
Editing on Axio 2.5
Aquisition with Sony PDW-F350 XDCAM HD

[Ron Exalto]

Depends on your editing system. If you can ingest the MXF files directly then you can edit 24p without importing thru HD-SDI (and it’s quicker then realtime, they say, haven’t tried it yet).

[Ron Exalto]

Guess somebody is using Axio utils 2.5 a looooooooong time before release ??!!
My Axio doesn’t do any MXF files (running 2.0)
2.5 drivers cover all information mentioned in above post but won’t be released until november 2006 supposedly.

Bye,

Ron Exalto