[Tom David]

Think I know what you’re getting at with your description, and first of all I would say use the anti-flicker filters.

I don’t think you would need de-interlacing filter to edit 1080i on 720P sequence – the de-interlacing should happen automatically if I am correct, as 720P sequence is progressive anyway.

Try nesting your whole edit, and drop it onto a 720P sequence – THEN apply the flicker-free filters.

Otherwise, failing that, unless you’re editing on a Blackmagic or AJA video card, there have been lots of people trying to overcome down-converting problems of from HD footage into SD with this XDCam format – and the lines you have described are part of that problem. Ultimately, its best to shoot 720P if you plan to shoot on a 720P timeline, which I believe the EX1 can shoot anyway. Good luck!

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)

[Tom David]

Will be slow transfer from USB to Lacie via iBook – though PLEASE take second Lacie drive with you for a backup – much cheaper than drive failure or losing one.

Good luck.

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)

[Tom David]

You’ll need at least a 15″ Macbook Pro with 4GB of ram (for speed of handling footage) and a 7200 rpm internal hard drive.

The best advise I can offer (and that I implement with my system) is a portable RAID 1 drive like a CALDIGIT external hard drive device. This is a hard drive enclosure with two hard drives inside, that mirror each other. If one goes down, you have the other as backup, and the unit will rebuild once you put in a new hard drive to replace the one that might fail.

You will need an external power source though to run this. But in meantime – copy to you internal hard drive during day time, copy across to CALDIGIT in evening with power supply at your accommodation.

Without a unit like CALDIGIT, you will be fumbling around copying to multiple external hard drive enclosures to safely backup your days shooting, and that can be a hassle.

Units like the CALDIGIT can contain 2TG data with hard drives combined, or 1TB mirrored for backup, as I use them.

Or for a short term power supply in the field, I use my UPS power safety device that I plug my laptop kit up to anyway when I use it. As well as protection from random power surges, it contains a battery (for during power failures) that allows me to operate computer devices like hard drives in the field.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)

[Tom David]

I have been satisfied with shooting sport (soccer) on EX1s, both normal and high speed footage, and loved the results.

If high speed footage capture is really your only main concern with choosing the EX1s over another camera, consider this:

When broadcast, your program will undergo serious compression anyway depending on bandwidth available to any particular tv network, so ultimately, fast pans and ball movements will contain a high percentage of artifacts.

For example, Australian digital SD tv broadcast is pretty good when it comes to sports broadcasts and broadcast qulaity of video, but our digital HD broadcasts can contain high artifacts and even streaking and become quite noticeable (though the masses with their shiny new HD tvs will never tell the difference). It seems, in Australia anyway, that HD is compressed at a higher ratio to SD broadcasts.

And these broadcasts are shot on top quality gear – it is the actaul transmission of the high motion signal that lets you down in my experience – not your acquisition.

Go the EX1s if they fit all your other criteria. Good luck!

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)

[Tom David]

Matching the footage to digi will be fine with good hardware – but you will have to down-convert to SD, and results vary wildly if you don’t have Blackmagic or Konja (etc) hardware to assist with that. A simple Final Cut sequence downconvert without such hardware will produce ordinary downconverts (such as weird and jagged lines – like on shelving, and car grills etc) – which troubles lots of people on this forum without that hardware.

Also, if shooting off tripod, should be fine – if off the shoulder, be careful – motion from an ENG digi shot off the shoulder looks very different to the potentially shaky handheld of the smaller, lighter EX1.

Cheers,
Tom

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)

[Tom David]

Based on my previous experiences with DLT tape I presume that retrieving a single media clip from a data tape archive would require re-loading the entire archive. Which probably means wiping out whatever is currently on your drive array (so you’d probably need to archive the CURRENT contents in order to load the old). Hmmm… sounds like a lot of work.

Not all models anyway – Quantam LTO drives (for example) work similar to an FTP interface which operates through your web-browser. Plug the drive into your ethernet, type in its IP address, then your browser software reads the Quantum software, and off you go. Retrieve whole folders, or single files. Up to you – and no need for SCSI interface etc – just plugs straight into your ethernet.

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)

[Tom David]

Check your ATW settings – auto white balance might be kicking in to compensate for overcast days. Make sure your PRESET B switch is fixed to MEM, not ATW in the menu settings – then white balance won’t wonder on you once set.

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)

[Tom David]

Certainly some sort of tape drive (LTO3) is your best option – some manufacturers of tapes guarantee data up to 30 years. Cheap tapes for 400GB storage per tape, though often expensive units at $5K plus. Good benefits that you can back up whole project files, not just footage.

For other options, consider moving parts and longevity. Despite in cases, Blu-ray DVDs still susceptible to scratching – and the format hasn’t been proven for longevity yet, where as tape has been around for decades. That leaves hard drives as storage medium, though you’ll need to spin them up every few months so the oils etc in components don’t settle.

We hire a LTO tape drive in once a month or two to clear out our drives onto LTO tape – avoids outlay of deck. Though cheap second hand units are now starting to appear on market as newer models appear.

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)

[Tom David]

Apparently a new MARSHALL monitor of that size is about to hit the market (says my sales rep at Videocraft in Melbourne, Australia). Retails for about $1200, all the required inputs and uses Sony PD150 batteries etc (so another $600 for batteries and charger).

Can’t tell you dimensions or much more, but I’ve been told to hold out for this one for a budget reasonable option.

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)

[Tom David]

MEM setting once changed to, should do the trick – and then it should stay that way in the menus just as setting the IMAGE STABILISER or GAIN settings would stay until changed again.

On another note – I regularly white balance by setting the physical switch to PRESET, and then in PICTURE PROFILE SETTINGS, in the WHITE menu, I can manually adjust white balance with the spinning wheel by eye.

Balancing by eye with the little monitor on EX1 is remarkably satisfying once you get back to the edit suite – and combining this technique with some picture profile settings recommended and suggested by guys like Phillip Bloom and Raverns (settings in this forum somewhere), you can really minimise grading required in post.

Cheers,
Tom

Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
(https://www.tomdavid.com.au)