Decisions Desicisions...

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pepsidude32

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Hello everyone. I am pepsidude32 and I am new tothis community. After taking many hours searching for a camera to get I have decided on the Panasonic AG-HVX200 but after looking through the features and browsing these forums it seems to be somewhat complicated considering I am somewhat inexperienced and don't know a whole lot of the technical stuff. I want to get into the indie film industry and have a few scripts in development now. I was wondering the best and cheapest way to learn enough about cinematography so I could effectively use this camera. I appreciate all the advice

:dankk2:

EDIT: I was also wondering if there is a way to film directly to an external hardrive via firewire or soemthing with the hvx200. Thanks
 
no. you cant record directly to a drive - thats why things like the firestore and citidisk exist. but you CAN record (capture) directly to a computer/NLE system - though thats not really a convenient solution...
 
They are harddrive-based DTE recording solutions. They differ from a simple harddrive in that they have the smarts (some more than others) to understand the data coming from the camera.

Try Google or the Search feature, both will uncover loads of information.
 
The downside is that Firestore and such devices drop files every once and a while. P2 is much more reliable.
 
Knoxworth said:
The downside is that Firestore and such devices drop files every once and a while. P2 is much more reliable.
Click to expand...

Been using FS-100 for six months and never dropped a "file."

Are you saying the they drop a frame?
 
No, when I shot a feature in Austin we had several locations including a convenient store. I was doing some of the props and FX. I set up a shot where tomato sauce was dripping from a can that had been shot by a shotgun.

We shot multiple takes but within the same file. (Didnt hit stop & record to create two files)

All I know is that the FS-100 didn't have the file at the end of the day. I'm willing to admit it could be human error but it happened several times on the film so it was either confusion in the logging process or just plain dropout. We filled the FS-100 up every day, which might be a factor.
 
pepsidude32 said:
I was wondering the best and cheapest way to learn enough about cinematography so I could effectively use this camera.
Click to expand...

I appreciate all your info but noone answered my original question. I would appreciate your help. Thanks again

EDIT: Does anyone think i should get the Canon XH A1 instead?
 
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The best and cheapest way to effectively use this camera is to get this camera -- there is no substitute. If you want to learn about cinematography in general, you can use almost any camera.
 
Thanks THoff. Could someone tell me what the most effective way to record on the HVX200 is (P2, firestore, direct to NLE...) for shooting an indie film? Because I've been doing some research and P2 seems a bit expensive considering it only gets like..16 minutes of video before you have to swap and drop data. Thanks again
 
Fire Store works. Im thinking that you just really want to be careful near the maximum file storage capacity.

P2's storage is getting much better. And don't forget P2 store. There are tons of resources on these forums regarding people's preferences..
 
the most "effective" method is p2 - be it 4gig, 8gig, or 16gig (16gig which dont currently exist in the mass market - but will in the coming weeks.) p2 is from my experience borderline infallible - and in part why its been so "pricey" so far

pepsidude, maybe im just too sensitive but your questions are borderline offensive. what you are asking is "how do i go from not knowing crap, to being functionally able, with the least amount of effort, expense, time and a few books" this is like someone asking a doctor "how do i get from med school to heart surgeon with as little effort as possible?"

The only way to get there is to ask, listen, learn and DO.
there is no fast track, easy way to camera competency.
 
pepsidude32 said:
Thanks THoff. Could someone tell me what the most effective way to record on the HVX200 is (P2, firestore, direct to NLE...) for shooting an indie film? Because I've been doing some research and P2 seems a bit expensive considering it only gets like..16 minutes of video before you have to swap and drop data. Thanks again
Click to expand...

Hi,

P2 is not expensive. In fact if you use the card the price of the cards go down each time you use it. If you are shooting an independent film than you should be using it 720P24pN. This will give you 20 minutes on an 8 GB card. Most of the folks that I have talked to in the film industry like the P2 work flow to film, with the difference being that you can review your footage immediately.

Now that is not to say that the work flow is different, but with three P2 cards you would never have to stop recording. But in all reality, there is ample reason to stop recording other than the P2 cards being full. Offload during those opportunities.

Best,

Jan
 
pepsidude32 said:
[...]considering it only gets like..16 minutes of video before you have to swap and drop data.
Click to expand...
You don't drop a single frame unless you yank the card that is being written to. The camera automatically switches between cards/slots when one fills up and the other card isn't full, and your NLE will reassemble the clips automatically into one long one. You can record for as long as you can power the camera.
pepsidude32 said:
why be careful when reaching max capacity? (not saying I won't) but does it overwrite or something?
Click to expand...
There is no need to worry about filling up the cards, nothing on it will suffer any dire consequences when you run out of space. However, you can also set the camera to loop recording mode where it DOES overwrite old footage, so that you always have the last X minutes, where X depends on card capacity and recording mode. That's a terrific feature for wildlife videography for instance.
 
wgzn said:
what you are asking is "how do i go from not knowing crap, to being functionally able, with the least amount of effort, expense, time and a few books"

The only way to get there is to ask, listen, learn and DO.
there is no fast track, easy way to camera competency.
Click to expand...

^^I am asking if you didn't notice :grin: but definatly not this "how do i go from not knowing crap, to being functionally able, with the least amount of effort, expense, time and a few books" i am not stupid and know its going to take some time, effort, money, books/dvds, but I'm just trying to learn more about the camera and such before I purchase it.

EDIT:: So from what I see in your replies, it appears that you all seem to think P2 is more effective/reliable then using something such as the FS-100 or the soon to be released Cineporter. Am I interpreting this correctly?
 
i think its partially psychological. i personally am just more trusting of a fixed media inside the camera than an external spinning hard drive connected via a winkly little 4pin connector.

with this said, i had an older firestore i used with my canon xl2 and it never once let me down. and i recently purchased an fs100 just in case im asked to shoot something with long single runs like a keynote address or press conference.

and yeah, youre going aboutit the right way - sorry for the hostile tone of my previous posting ; )
 
I definitely think P2 is the way to go. get 1 or 2 8 gb cards, develop a workflow, and rent more cards if you have a gig that might require longer recording times. This has worked for me so far.
I definitely recommend the hvx if you are more into indy film production. But to be honest, if event gigs like weddings and concerts are your bread and butter, I might seriously consider the xh-a1. That camera produces some awesome images as well and is a little more convenient for long events.
 
ok guys. I certainly appreciate all the help that you've given me. It appears I am out of questions and will be out to save up some more $$ for the camera and equipment. Thanks again :D
 
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