what should I get for $10,000?

C

Cheesesailor77

Veteran
I should have $10,000 by next month and am selling my DVX to updrade.

I'd like the HVX, tripod, probably a FS100, brevis, blah blah blah

what should I get and about how much will they cost?

THANK YOU! :D
 
You gotta ask yourself what are you doing today to make your money and what you want to do to make more.
We are all likely to have different needs.
There are soooo many tools and so little money. :)
 
My needs are almost exclusively dramatic filmmaking. I of coarse use the camera to suppliment my income, but I use it mostly for music videos and short films (hopefully a feature later this year or next)
 
HVX (5k), RedRock M2 HD (1K), Lenses: 50mm, 85mm, 135mm (1.2K), Editing computer upgrade (?), Focus tripod (1.3K), 1 8GB P2 card (should come down soon, 800?)

That might be over $10K, depending on your computer needs and how cheap you can find FAST lenses on EBay.

I have a 50mm F/1.4 Canon, and I will be adding 3 more L series lenses soon at f/1.2 and f/2.0. I've shot test footage with the non-L 50mm, and I was very satisfied. The only way to describe it is that it looks like 'film'.

Bob
 
no need to upgrade my computer, im quite happy with my 2.33 C2D. Is there other computer hardware I'd need, some weird interface or something?

what made you go for the M2 over the brevis? i hear the brevis loses less light, plus i just think it looks cooler.

can you give me a link to the focus tripod?

is there a popular on-camera HD monitor ppl use?

also, i hear that you can't use the hvx to monitor FCP output on an HDtv. how do you guys preview your HD footage on an HDtv
 
Consider recording to PC laptop and external drives using DVRack HD rather than Firestore. Using DVRack HD will also turn your laptop into a fully functional monitor with waveform, vectorscope, focusing capabilities and much more. It also removes the redundant pulldown frames when recording 24p, so it is like recording 24pn to external drives.
 
If your computer is a desktop you will want to get a cardbus adapter with a Ricoh chipset ($25). Then you can simply plug in your P2 card and transfer the files. Just make sure you have an available PCI slot, as newer motherboards sometimes don't (they have moved to newer spec PCIe and PCIx). Also, if you will do a lot of small HD projects, a removeable HDD or SATAe solution might make sense.

On the M2, Redrock is more established, has been around longer, and has very good build quality. They have built a whole community of customers that will tell you the same. Plus, I will be using a Birger ef-232 Canon lens interface, which will mount easily on the M2 (unsure about the Brevis).

Do a search on Cartoni Focus, and you will find a lot of info. I bought the one stage legs and I regret it; should have paid the extrs $200 for the two stage. I bought from Adorama because they didn't charge me for NY tax. Might call them to see if I can upgrade it...

On Camera Monitors: Get on the RedRock forum, there are 3 or 4 models that are debated there. They all have their pros and cons.

HDTV Proofing: I use a 24" Dell monitor for editing, and I have a 47" Westinghouse HDTV that is hooked to a media computer. I just transfer footage between my editor to my media comp to view it in all its glory. The Westy can be found at larger Best Buys, and is relatively cheap because it lacks a tuner and "zoom" functionality. It does have a lot of inputs, and it does properly stretch letterbox DVDs to fill the screen, but you have to go into the DVD player's menu to set it up right. I highly recommend it to everyone as a entertainment component and a production tool.

Bob
 
DV rack is out of the question, as is the Ricoh chips because my computer is a Macbook Pro. In that case how do i read P2 cards?

about the tripod, what is the maximum and minimum height of the 2 stage? being able to shoot really low is important to me.

HDTV: so i can't view the footage in realtime from FCP, like i have been with my DVX? eeewwwwwwwwww

And yes I have lights. I'd like to get some more, but that's a different budget
 
DV rack is out of the question, as is the Ricoh chips because my computer is a Macbook Pro
Click to expand...
DV Rack's not out of the question; you can run it on the MBP under Boot Camp.

As for reading P2 cards on an MBP, you'll need some manner of reader device. Duel-Systems has a $119 adapter coming someday, or you can use the P2 Store or the PCD20. Or you can use the HVX itself as a card reader.

HDTV: so i can't view the footage in realtime from FCP, like i have been with my DVX?
Click to expand...
Correct.
 
Barry_Green said:
DV Rack's not out of the question; you can run it on the MBP under Boot Camp.
Correct.
Click to expand...

ah, that's true. although how does that work? you capture the footage in windows and edit it in OSX? how hard is that?

as for reading P2, that's very unfortunate. In that case i'd have to really consider the FS-100. How is the FS-100 different from P2 cards?
 
Cheesesailor77 said:
ah, that's true. although how does that work? you capture the footage in windows and edit it in OSX? how hard is that?
Click to expand...
Nearly effortless. Capture in DV Rack 2.0 HD as Quicktime files. Reboot in MacOS mode, drag 'n' drop the files to the timeline. There's probably more to it that I don't know, but that's how it's been explained to me.

In that case i'd have to really consider the FS-100. How is the FS-100 different from P2 cards?
Click to expand...
P2 cards are faster, quieter, smaller, don't require power, don't require a cable connection, can play back in high-def, can play back overcranking and undercranking, are heatproof/dustproof/humidity-proof/shock-proof and probably waterproof, and are hot-swappable so you can get perpetual recording out of them.

FireStore: pretty much none of the above.

But, FireStore stores 100 GB of data, and can simulate a limited degree of 24pN simulation to get 4.5 hours of continuous record time in 720/24p. If you need that recording time now, consider the FS-100. If you can live with the limited record times on the currently-small cards, I think you'll find that the P2 experience is just better on just about every front.

The FS-100 exists to overcome the cards' limited record capacity, and it does. But there are many tradeoffs along the way. One bonus for FCP users is that the FS-100 can record directly to Quicktime files. On the PC this is no big deal, as just about every NLE can now support MXF files natively (either inherently or by using RayLight). But on the Mac, until they add MXF support, the ability to record directly to Quicktime (in FS-100 firmware version 3.0) is definitely a bonus.
 
Hey Cheesesailor,
for monitor alot of people are going with the Marshall. I still can't get myself to plot 1200 for one.
The p2 card are alot more convenient than the FS100. you don't have to power them. (though they use more battery on your camera) you don't have to worry about noise, and you don't have to figure where you will carry them. That being said, I don't have a P2 card. I have the FS100 and really like it. you get alot more play time. I just got version 3 and on 720 p i get 4hrs or so. I'm just learning and being able to just turn the camera on and not worry about downloading p2 card is awesome.
 
Barry_Green said:
The FS-100 exists to overcome the cards' limited record capacity, and it does. But there are many tradeoffs along the way.
Click to expand...


it sounds like the same limitations of recording to a laptop? right? having to stop every 20 minutes to dump the P2 cards using the HVX sounds like a bad idea.

If I use DVrack, i have to hit record from the computer right?
 
siniarch said:
Hey Cheesesailor,
for monitor alot of people are going with the Marshall. I still can't get myself to plot 1200 for one.
Click to expand...

can you post a link?

siniarch said:
The p2 card are alot more convenient than the FS100. you don't have to power them. (though they use more battery on your camera) you don't have to worry about noise, and you don't have to figure where you will carry them. That being said, I don't have a P2 card. I have the FS100 and really like it. you get alot more play time. I just got version 3 and on 720 p i get 4hrs or so. I'm just learning and being able to just turn the camera on and not worry about downloading p2 card is awesome.
Click to expand...

thanks, there seems to be a lot of people using it so there must be something to it (and I think it's other people in my situation) Ima just keep asking questions until I find out what I need
 
also keep in mind that DV rack has about a 1/4 to 1/2 second delay. (from real life to displaying on the laptop.) so i'm not sure if it will replace a camera monitor. but also the Firestore will allow you to mount it to the camera, or a backpack or something to help you be mobile. the laptop is not as simple to move around.
 
On the tripod heights: they should be listed in the specs online, but I can tell you that the single stage hinge points do go out to 90 degrees. This means that if you take the included spreader off the legs will go as wide as you want to get as low as you want, but at some point it will become unstable and a creative solution to the given situation will be needed. (A bit of lightweight chain replacing the spreader may suffice for a lot of situations). Also, you may need to address the included 'feet' as they will not pivot enough, but a trip to the local hardware store and a bit of creativity would probably overcome that.

Bob
 
Cheesesailor77 said:
it sounds like the same limitations of recording to a laptop? right? having to stop every 20 minutes to dump the P2 cards using the HVX sounds like a bad idea.
Click to expand...
That's why most of us don't do it that way; we use two cards and swap 'em out. Even with just two 4GB cards I never have to stop recording throughout the day. But that workflow does require having a laptop (or P2 Store) available.

If I use DVrack, i have to hit record from the computer right?
Click to expand...
No, you press the record button on the camera and DV Rack senses it and starts recording.
 
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