Professional DV Questions

[Nigel]

OK--I am asking you guys for the best Professional DV resources. I have already seen and played with a Panasonic Vari-Cam--I have not shot with it. I do know about Tape formats and what they offer.

I am a FilmMaker(Notice the word FILM)--I know just enough about video to admit that I know nothing.

So where can I go to get the latest on video?? I have shot with the XL1(Hated it), the PD-150(Slightly better than the XL1) and the Panasonic DVX100(was the best of the lot).

When ever I have gotten a job that would want to shoot on higher end video I have always been able to convince them to shoot film. Now, while I am still standing behind film 100% it seems some forward movement is being made in DV.

Who has the low down on the technology?? Unbiased resouces are always the best.

Thanks

[Alex]

Originally posted by Nigel:


So where can I go to get the latest on video?? I have shot with the XL1(Hated it), the PD-150(Slightly better than the XL1) and the Panasonic DVX100(was the best of the lot).
Thanks

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Why was the DVX100 the best of the lot?

Originally posted by Nigel:

Who has the low down on the technology?? Unbiased resouces are always the best.

Thanks

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">hehehehehe.

Did you say unbiased?

[img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]

[miker]

The XL1 does not use DVCam as far as I am aware - I was really surprised to see '28 Days Later' was shot on an XL1 which implies miniDV. Still, it is cheap. I guess that's what you get for stuffing up your chance in Hollywood, lol. But at least Danny Boyle is still around, where's Danny Cannon, lol.

Anyways, all I know is the DVC has some chip onboard that makes the tape less susceptible to dropouts.

DV making ground is probably just a precursor to HD coming along.

[assyrix]

I use a JVC GY DV500E, which is a professional, shoulder mounted miniDV camera with XLR sockets, Anton Bauer battery pack and industry-standard exchangeable lenses and filters. I am more than happy with the picture quality (slightly better than BetaSP) and the machine can be bought used for around three grand (e.g. at http://www.lrcbroadcast.com).

Disadvantages of my camera: only 4:3 aspect ration (so no native widescreen, you need the more expensive GY DV700E for that), the PAL-DV 4:2:0 sampling is horrible for keying (see http://www.adamwilt.com/p i x-sampling.html for the lowdown on the digital video formats) and the miniDV tape format is (mechanically speaking) rather fragile.

JVC sold bucketloads of that camera as well as its bigger brother (the 700 series). Main reason is that they are cheaper than their Sony/Ikegama/Panasonic counterparts while offering the same functionality and picture quality wrt the miniDV/DV format. They have updated both models now as well.

BTW, the p i x bit would be censored if I would write it together. This f ucking c unting a rse of Michael Jackson small boys hiding paedophile c um guzzling baby raping s hiteating censoring is winding me up ever so slightly.

[Nigel]

I am looking at cameras beyond MiniDV, DVCam and DVCPro. I would like info about cameras that are 4:2:2 and 444.

Has anyone used on set or in a showroom the GV Viper??

Thanks

[sn-films]

I may be wrong on this, but I think Panasonic's DVCPRO50 format, the slightly bigger nephew of the DVCPRO, utilizes 4:2:2 sampling. Then of course there's Betacam SX and MPEG iMX. As far as I know 4:4:4 sampling is only found in HiDef products such as Sony's HDCF950 (modestly priced at $100,000+ on their site), but I may be wrong.

Something like Panasonic's AJ-SDX900 (retails around $25,000) shoots both DVCPRO and DVCPRO50, and is supposed to have some excellent film-spoofing properties including Panasonics Cine-gamma and 24-progressive fps stuff. That one might be worth checking out.

Incidently, it looks like Sony uses tapes in all of their HiDef products (?!Betacam tapes?!) instead of an array of external harddrives like the legendary Vipers. I would love to see how the compressed HD footage from a Sony compares to the uncompressed HD footage from a Viper. I'd probably wet myself if I was ever in the same room as a Viper FilmStream.

[Alex]

Originally posted by sn-films:


Something like Panasonic's AJ-SDX900 (retails around $25,000) shoots both DVCPRO and DVCPRO50, and is supposed to have some excellent film-spoofing properties including Panasonics Cine-gamma and 24-progressive fps stuff. That one might be worth checking out.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I saw a really cool demo that used that camera. I will take a huge step back and simply say that I hope I was being mislead by the footage that was shown.

Most of the shots were lock-offs, and looked real good. The few handheld shots that I saw, that incorporated panning, were ALL done in the super-wide angle mode.

Why?

To HIDE the horrible panning/strobing effect that is present when NOT in the super-wide mode???

Sheesh!

The camera also offers a time-lapse function. I noticed the resolution was only field resolution when they cut to a shot of time-lapse and I asked why and they admitted that they sped it up on an AVID.

SHEESH!

Hey, maybe it does time-lapse fine, but don't speed real time footage on a AVID and then call it time-lapse shot on location that way.

Frankly, that's probably the best way to do time-lapse anyway is speed it up later, but to call it location time-lapse when it wasn't wasn't cool.

I'd like to hear more about the panning/strobing issue. Perhaps it goes away if you print to film?
Perhaps in PAL mode it is less noticeable than in NTSC?

[Nigel]

I have played with the Panasonic VariCam in a show room and was not very impressed with it. It is DVCPro50. The CineGamma feature was cool and it did help make the curve more film like but it is still faaaarrrrrrrr from film.

There is no way that I will replace film for video at this point--If ever. But HD opens some doors and a look that I am starting to see as its own.

Good Luck

[Alex]

Originally posted by assyrix:
I use a JVC GY DV500E, which is a professional, shoulder mounted miniDV camera with XLR sockets, Anton Bauer battery pack and industry-standard exchangeable lenses and filters. I am more than happy with the picture quality (slightly better than BetaSP)

the miniDV tape format is (mechanically speaking) rather fragile.

They have updated both models now as well.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It's not better than Beta SP, and you pretty much say that in your final couple of sentences.

And don't convict someone before they have had their day in court.

[assyrix]

Originally posted by Alex:
It's not better than Beta SP, and you pretty much say that in your final couple of sentences.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Judging from market prices for the equipment (usually a more objective indication than subjective impressions) it is. Since we're talking professional equipment here I assume that people pay more money for better quality and/or functionality and not because it's the format of the moment.

But you prefer BetaSP probably because you have invested heavily in the equipment (according to previous posts of you) and the same goes for me wrt DV. And finally, the original poster is looking for superior quality to either SP and DV (4:4:4) so the whole argument is moot.