Ryan Mast
Forum Replies Created
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Hi Mark,
Yellow Pages also has a company that does something similar, for mom-and-pop businesses — they also sub out almost all the work to local/regional videographers. They pay something like $150 per vid, IIRC. Can you compete with that? If you’re marketing this to a mom-and-pop business, they’ll probably have a nephew with iMovie and a Canon Elura who will do it for $50. Can you compete with that?
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[Ofer Geva] “…jest out of curiosity- couldn’t Adobe Premiere Pro operate the hm700’s .mov files?
“According to this article on dvinfo.net by Tim Dashwood, yes, Adobe Premiere will work well with the .mov QuickTime-wrapped XDCAM EX video:
The marketing for the HM700 suggests that the Quicktime XDCAM EX .MOV files will only be compatible with Apple’s Final Cut Pro, but the truth is that by simply downloading and installing the free open-source Perian XDCAM Quicktime component, the files can be read by most other Quicktime compatible applications. After installing the open-source XDCAM component I easily opened and imported the Quicktime clips I shot into Premiere Pro CS4, Media 100 Producer & Quicktime Player using an off-the-shelf Macbook that had never had FCP installed. To work with the XDCAM EX .MOV files in Windows I recommend Calibrated Software’s XD Decode. I was able to open the HM700 Quicktime files in the Windows XP version of Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 after XD Decode was installed.
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JVC’s firmware update in late September enabled recording .MP4 to SDHC cards from the camera without the SxS recorder.
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[Ofer Geva] “Would you say the HM700 reasult is equivlent to the hd250, or better, or worse?”
Depends on what you’re doing. In a broadcast or multicam environment, you’d probably need the HD250. If not, the HM700 workflow is much quicker and more flexible for post production.
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Just asked one of my tech friends who talked me into buying the HM700. His answer: the HD250 is designed as a studio camera, with genlock, umbilical cord hookup, etc, which the HM700 doesn’t have. Doesn’t have much to do with the format it’s recording in.
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[Isaac Brillant] “Really the main thing I like about the GYHM700 is how it feels on your shoulder. “
I’d been debating between the JVC HM700 and the Panasonic HMC150, but the professional form factor and workflow of the JVC won me over. I like my HM700 a lot. =)
[Isaac Brillant] “I’ve heard though, that when you transcode to Prores you lose 5 to 1 of the bit rate, so if you start with 25mbps, the prores file is only 6 or so. Is there any truth to this?
“Other way around. ProRes 422 for 720p30, for instance, is ~110 Mbps for 10-bit (HQ), and ~73Mbps for 8-bit. Unless your originating format is 10-bit, stick with 8-bit for transcoding. ProRes has a 3-4 times higher bitrate than XDCAM EX on the Sony EX1/EX3 or JVC HM100/HM700.
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You’re right, it’s apples to oranges. The better question to ask is which camera solution best fits your workflow needs.
The JVC HM700 and HM100 are always shooting to the same codec, but you can change the wrapper. The MOV wrapper is great for FCP, but MP4 is better for other NLEs.
A quick solution to the workflow question is to shoot with a AJA ki or something similar. ProRes HQ is higher bitrate, color resolution, and bit depth than any of those camera’s codecs.
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Again Todd, thank you so much. Spent a lot of time in the past couple days reading through the cinematography.com forums — it’s fantastic.
One more question for you — is a Arri Standard mount to PL mount adapter like this legit?
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290384483474#ht_500wt_975
Have you used it? Would you trust it? -
[Todd Terry] “I think if you tried a really high-end converter you might be pleasantly surprised. I use the 400 series P+S Technik Mini35… and it is absolutely razor-sharp.”
Good to know. Is that your e35mm setup that you have posted on your website?
[Todd Terry] “There are big-time Hollywood movies shot every day with lenses that are probably older than you are. So, old doesn’t necessarily mean bad.”
I didn’t mean my question as a slight against age — I do prefer to use battle-tested gear if it works well. =)
Just talked with Paul at Duclos Lenses. He says they can remount Zeiss B-mount to PL, but they don’t remount C mount lenses to PL — not that it can’t be done.
Todd, thank you so much the information. You’ve been immensely helpful! Where could I go to learn more about lenses? Any good books you’d recommend?
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Wow, thanks Todd. Great info.
[Todd Terry] “My other question would be, are you married to the CA13U? You might be better off going with a 35mm converter instead.”
Not married to the CA13U, but I don’t want to use a ground glass adapter again if there’s a reasonable alternative. I’d just like some more lens options in my kit that are sharp and designed for a production environment.
Personally, I think that the deep depth of field look is quickly becoming overused and cliché amongst indie filmmakers, now that so many more people have access to gear that replicates the look. I’ve used a Letus Extreme a few times, but I’ve never been happy with its sharpness in HD resolution — and even the demo vids on their website are a bit soft even at 720p. P+S Technik seems a bit sharper, and I haven’t written it off entirely. I’m not really after the deep depth of field look, although it’d be nice to be able to control it more than I can with the stock Fujinon lens.
Several people on the COW have mentioned that SLR lenses are designed to require less turning to adjust the focus, whereas film lenses have to be turned further, making it easier to precisely follow focus. Is that correct? And and lenses designed for video/film production usually have gear teeth on the side to use with a follow focus unit, right? What is the difference in the quality of the glass or the body of a PL-mount lens and a lens designed for an SLR camera?
[Todd Terry] “The good news is that you only need primes that will cover 16mm, and they are a lot more plentiful (and much much cheaper) than PL mount primes that cover 35mm.”
I’m finding a lot of 16mm lenses with C-mounts — at least twice as many as with PL mounts. Can these be adapted? Or does the C mount indicate that it’s old enough that it’s not worth using in HD?
Who would you recommend that I go to for re-mounting lenses if I go with that option?