Did a 1080p/720p comparrison

[The Sarlacc]

Well, according to Sony they can output in 1080p 24p. Do you mean the chips are interlaced and the progressive frame is achieved in a sort of cheap way? Out of curiosity why does the Z1 progressive mode look so much crappier than the progressive images I see coming from the F900/F950 in regauds to motion?

And I'm sure all of us HVX200 owners are happier the more use the HVX200 and Varicam get but I do wish we'd see some big Varicam shot featuers (though it seems like that isn't gonna happen with the Genisis around).

Sony claims 24p, 25p and 29.97p....so what about their 23.98, 30, 59,94? They also say it will record 50/60i. And sony likes to fudge details around to make things sound like they want.

So I don't know what Sony is saying exactly. It has always been my understanding from talking to Sony engineers and from the Santa Fe workshops (and this was years ago) that the camera is always running 60i (similar to the Varicam at 60p.) And the choice was to shoot 720p with the Panasonic or shoot 1080i with the Sony.

Now, the 900 and the 950 are two VERY different cameras. And I have never worked with the 950, so I don't hold myself to any knowledge on that one. And the 900R is pretty new, and Sony is claiming 24P with it...So, again, not sure.

As for motion...HDV is one reason. Chip size is another.

 

[VeEuzUKY]

Question: since HDV's specs are set at 1440x1080 and, though AVCHD can do 1920x1080 initial image quality impressions seem both less than enthusiastic and that it is targeting specifically the consumer marker only, what are realistically the future options for a next-gen prosumer format that can register true 1920x1080p?... something like an HDV-II or Super-HDV using the same basic blueprint of HDV, but as a larger size/bandwidth format?... surely in solid state form, not tape...

 

[Alex.Mitchell]

When an F900 records 24p it does it in a 24 PsF scheme. The tape slows down and a single progressive frame is spread across two interlaced fields, kinda like 2:3:3:2 pulldown but 2:2:2:2.

 

[SPZ]

The cameras are 1080i.

More and more Varicams are gaining ground. But producers want the F900/950/900R because of the 1080i.

The commercial world is getting more into the Varicam. And even more so into the HVX.

Sorry to disagree here, but every digital movie I've seen previous to film out shot with the F900 looks sharper then the Varicam. I've seen this in a post house called Digital Magic, in Hong-Kong. However, truth be said, I've never seen the results on the big screen. Just on HDCAM SR tape (all films, HDV, DVCPRO HD and of course native HDCAM and HDCAM SR). The only major thing I sow that one could consider an advantage over the F900 is the different gamma and color interpretation.

 

[The Sarlacc]

Sorry to disagree here, but every digital movie I've seen previous to film out shot with the F900 looks sharper then the Varicam. I've seen this in a post house called Digital Magic, in Hong-Kong. However, truth be said, I've never seen the results on the big screen. Just on HDCAM SR tape (all films, HDV, DVCPRO HD and of course native HDCAM and HDCAM SR). The only major thing I sow that one could consider an advantage over the F900 is the different gamma and color interpretation.

Why are you disagreeing with me?

I never said anything in regards to which camera is sharper or isnt.

But I will say the gamma and color are HUGE, and a giant reason why most people like the Varicam, and even the HVX a lot more then the Sony.

 

[ShannonRawls]

Sorry to interupt all the experts here, but F900/F950 and others are 1080"P" cameras. The CCD's scan progressively and record progressively in a segmented frame scheme.

They cannot record any type of 720p whatsoever. They are 1080 only cameras.

In terms of image quality.....both the CineAlta and Varicam cameras are as tweakable as a Jet Fighter Plane and can achieve whatever look anybody wants if they take the time to set them up properly. Gamma & Color can be adjusted to anyones liking and one cannot do better then the other if you have experts on both sides operating the cameras. Some argue if you turn the F900's matrix off, then even bugs bunny wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two in terms of color.

Therefore, that leaves the formats and resolution as the biggest difference with these cameras and in my humble opinion, the CineAlta runs circles around a Varicam, and i do beleive most experts will agree.