Seriously, is the FS-100 ever really going to support Native mode?

[John Morgan]

This is actually the mode that Avid works best in. All one has to do is stick the 720p 24pN file into the media folder and then use the media tool in a 720 23.967 workspace. Avid however doesn't have a 720p 60i mode and doesn't have a way to remove redundant frames on import. 1080i is supported (without frame removal but that wouldn't save that much space) but not 720. So, for my workflow, native mode is rather essential.

My assumption is that the pulldown is done in-camera. Axio imports the 24pN file into the "Matrox 720 23.97p" project setting. Axio also does not have a 720p 60i mode...only a 720 60p (and 24p) mode, but does have 1080/60i and 1080/24p (and PAL counterparts) as well.

I'd actually probably get 4 4gig P2s since it's cheaper and easier to back up on DVD. That said, while having 40 minutes of record time would certainly be doible in most situations, it's not going to cut it on a long day on a film shoot. Like I said, I'm tempted just to buy more cards but finances are short and it'll be rather unfortunate if I still end up having to go with an HD solution in six months.

Yeah, tough questions. More 4GB cards is good. Really depends on what you're shooting. If you only had two 8GB cards and a P2 Store, and were shooting 1080i, you'd not be able to keep up with the camera....considering you get 1 min per GB and it takes 8 mins to offload an 8GB card...you'd need three 8GB cards to keep on top of it. But shooting 720/24pN as I do, you're under no pressure @ 20 min per card (footage) with 8 min per card offload time. I wanted native modes and overcranking possibility....and I DO use them all the time!! FS-100 was not an option for me.
Best,
John

 

[DavidBeier]

Well, it looks like I'm sticking with P2. I really do hate how expensive these things are but it appears that for reliability and convenience, they still can't be beat. I think I'll stick with 4 gigs though, once again since they're easier to archive to DVD. Thanks for all the info guys.