Can the F3 shoot 1080p slow-mo?

[Buck Forester]

I'm confused (I'm not very techy), but if the F3 can shoot 1080 60p, can you shoot 1080 30p overcranked to 60p and get full rez slow-mo (instead of having to use 720p on my EX1)?

[powervideo]

I'm confused (I'm not very techy), but if the F3 can shoot 1080 60p, can you shoot 1080 30p overcranked to 60p and get full rez slow-mo (instead of having to use 720p on my EX1)?

You can shoot 1080 60P with an external dual link recorder like the Cinedeck or Sony HDCAM SR VTR or HDR. Or straight into a dual link Blackmagic card or similar.

[Everts]

or shoot 60i convert to 60p in AE and slow it down to 40 %...doesnt look good all the time but works most of the time !

it been said that the 720p on this camera looks as goods as the 1080p

[Viddovation]

Powervideo is right.

Key point: You'll be shooting 1080 60p to an external device, and it'll be a native 60p, that plays back at 60p. In your NLE you'll need to tell the timeline to interpret the footage as 24p or 30p. When you use an overcrank mode on an EX series camera recording to SxS, it takes care of this for you.

Because this is dual link 60p 4:2:2, the footage can be recorded at very high bitrates, should you choose to do so. Not as convenient as the AF100's built-in 60p, but it ought to be far more pristine.

[Andrew Stone]

Buck, as well the camera will not have the dual link HD-SDI active in the camera until the software upgrade in the camera is installed. It won't be available until April or thereabouts and it will not be a free upgrade. Cost is unknown.

[Viddovation]

Buck, as well the camera will not have the dual link HD-SDI active in the camera until the software upgrade in the camera is installed. It won't be available until April or thereabouts and it will not be a free upgrade. Cost is unknown.


Untrue Andrew, at least according to the official Sony brochure:

From page 4 of the brochure, under heading #7:

Also, the
PMW-F3 has an HD-SDI Dual-link output for 4:2:2 1080
50/59.94p as standard, and RGB 4:4:4 1080 24/25/30p
output as an option.

[Buck Forester]

Thanks guys. The more I learn about this camera the more I liiiike it.

[Andrew Stone]

Untrue Andrew, at least according to the official Sony brochure:

PMW-F3 has an HD-SDI Dual-link output for 4:2:2 1080
50/59.94p as standard, and RGB 4:4:4 1080 24/25/30p
output as an option.

Great news. I don't mind being wrong in this case. I was under the impression the dual-link configuration, in any form, wasn't active until the software update was applied. That being said. I cannot see anyone who ponies up for a recorder capable of dual link input wouldn't go for the software update. Under a tethered situation you could inexpensively get the 1080/60 frames per second going to a Decklink Extreme or Kona card.

[Viddovation]

Andrew - until the brochure, I was under the same impression. And I agree about the Decklink card - for those with a Mac Pro already, 1080 60p could cost as little as $1000. Not a great ENG solution, but for narrative or music video work, I think the tether is an acceptable comprimise.

Don't know how quickly I'll jump on the S-Log update. Depends on my clients, and the pricing. Glad to know it's there when I'm ready for it though.

[Viddovation]

Looks like the Blackmagic Extreme HD 3D, priced at $995 can not only do 1080 60p dual link, but also can do 4:4:4 RGB input. Right now on sale at B&H for $949 i believe. For productions with a compatible computer available, and where tethering and power supply aren't an issue, 4:4:4 RGB recording could be ridiculously cheap. A pain for the data tech, I'll bet, but oh so achievable.

[Andrew Stone]

Ironically, last night I was reading about (http://www.lafcpug.org/phorum/read.php?1,262352,262352#msg-262352) video editors experiences with Decklink, KONA and MX02 capture and exporting. Previously, Decklink cards got a bum rap due in large measure to users being upset with poor customer service. Apparently, all is well with customer service at Black-Magic and the Decklink cards come with fairly high praise from people in the trenches. At under a thousand for a card capable of full bandwidth 444 dual-link input, the Decklink Extreme 3D seems like a great deal.