HVX Animation question for barry or whoever

rgdfilms

rgdfilms

Wet poodle
I remember hearing that the HVX could record a single frame at a time, or 2 frames at a time, or 3, etc. to do animation or stop motion work, do we still have this ability w/ the production model?

Thanks in advance
 
Yes indeed, it has full intervalometer capability ranging from one frame every two frames, one frame every four frames, one frame every 16 frames etc. all the way up to one frame every 10 minutes, IIRC.
 
For stop frame animation work, why not consider using a DSLR.

Apparently the Corpse Bride was shot with a Canon 8 megapixel dlsr. 35mm resolution at your disposal at relativly cheap price.
 
stabwound said:
For stop frame animation work, why not consider using a DSLR.

Apparently the Corpse Bride was shot with a Canon 8 megapixel dlsr. 35mm resolution at your disposal at relativly cheap price.
Click to expand...

I've made good money shooting literally hours of 35mm time-lapse, so I can address this.

There are advantages and disadvantages to using DSLR. Those cameras on Corpse Bride were very modified, and the lenses as well.

Disadvantages;

1.) The main issue is exposure flicker from frame to frame. Even in "manual", all modern lenses will still open up between exposures from your desired f-stop to full open, and never return exactly to the same size opening for the next exposure. So, you either use manual lenses, or modify/hack your autos to work.

2.) The second problem is that the mechanical shutter is NOT designed for this continual action. How many exposures is it good for? Well...

...I've taken enough interval based single frame exposures to have Nikon refuse to warranty service my D70 because of "abnormal shutter activity". Fair warned. The guesstimate is 20 to 30 thousand exposures on the lower cost DSLR's... closer to 60 to 70 for the pro models. Doing interval work you can burn that number up in a surprisingly short period of time.

3.) how fast can you shoot your time-lapse? Until the latest crop of DSLRs, you'd be lucky to shoot a frame every 3 to 5 seconds over a large number of frames without over-running your ram buffers. Of course, the bigger the frame, the larger the file size, and the slower it will save to Compact Flash... The best speed for clouds/sunsets is in the 1 frame a second to 8 frames/sec range, IMO.

Advantages;

1.) small physical size.

2.) blazing high resolution, allowing you to down-rez to "mere" HD.

3.) Raw camera files... higher dynamic range than other options.

Now with the HVX, we have the FIRST video camera to allow single frame capture at any price range, save an HDCam with pricey data packs. And darned if they didn't throw in an intervalometer with USEFUL time settings, to boot! With the DSLR approach, you WILL have to custom cobble an external intervolmeter to do time-lapse.

The main advantage is a "live" full rez video feed from the camera at all times, also you can set your exposures and nothing will auto adjust between exposures.

So, get out your stop-motion figures, and go to work. The first camera to give us back our old Super-8 single frame ability is here!

This feature alone is 25% to 35% of my factor for getting the HVX.

Regards,

Jim Arthurs
 
I do want to add that ALL these solutions can make sense, based on your experience and project needs. For instance, you DON'T want to point your HVX into a sunrise for half an hour with the sun burning the image block without some sort of capping shutter in-between exposures. This is a good subject for DSLR, or even better, film, where in telecine you can ride the exposure quite a bit more than any DSLR.

Back in May of 2001 I did my last big film time-lapse gig in NYC. Three guy crew, running around doing subway, traffic, Times Square, Grand Central Station and Wall Street (did we think to burn a roll or two on the WTC towers... no... why should we? They'll be there forever). Bagged 1600' of 35mm one frame at a time in 4 days, had camera problems 3 of those days, and vowed that the next gig would be done with digital still cameras... well, four years later I can finally say that it's doable, but only with some degree of ease in the last year and a half.

Jim A.
 
Jim Arthurs said:
...I've taken enough interval based single frame exposures to have Nikon refuse to warranty service my D70 because of "abnormal shutter activity". Fair warned. The guesstimate is 20 to 30 thousand exposures on the lower cost DSLR's... closer to 60 to 70 for the pro models. Doing interval work you can burn that number up in a surprisingly short period of time.
Click to expand...


Abouit three years ago, when I had acquired a new Canon 10D dslr, a number of thread respondents at DPreview.com confirmed that Canon will replace worn shutters for around $200.00, which was cheap.

At that time we guessed (Canon did not disclose) that the 10D should last 50-60 k of pictures... and that worried me, as I quickly racked up 10k worth of pictures (non time-lapse) in less than a year. Nevertheless, I sold the 10D and upgraded.

I dunno if Canon still charges that amount, I don't think that is expensive. .. and shouldn't discourage folks who are stop animation artists from considering the dslr.... especially the Canon.
 
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