HVX200 settings for instructional videos on DVD and downloads

D

dolphinstreet

Member
Hi, I am new to this camera, and I'm looking for suggestions for camera settings for my project.

I record instructional videos (guitar), with lots of up close footage. I use a black backdrop and I use 2 softboxes for lighting. I record it all in my studio, so the camera never needs to be moved.

I want to make the videos consistently look the same, so I imagine automatic settings is a bad idea.

The videos are made into DVDs as well as HD downloads on my website.

I am suffering from storage issues, since I don't have very much P2 storage. Perhaps the FireStore would be a solution for me, or is there another way?

Since I'm a newbie in using this camera, I would appreciate very much any suggestions.

Thank you,
Robert
 
how long is each video? If using the same lighting then dont use auto, just insure the iris, filters, and gain is the same every time. A firestore does work well if the cam is stationary. They also run only about 300-400 on ebay. If the clips are less then 32 mon I would recommend buying a 32 GB p2 card. If they are longer your best bet is a fire store or a bunch of p2 which gets expensive.
 
I usually record more than 30 minutes at a time; but it sort of depends. I guess I could stick to only doing 30 minutes, before offloading the P2 cards. After doing all the editing in Final Cut, the videos will be up to 2 hours in length.

I will look for a FireStore, seem like a more economical option for me.

I see the camera has options for making the image sharper, which would be good for my purposes I think? I think it's called Detail Level - any suggestion regarding this?

Should I record 1080i or is 720p good enough for this? What frame rate should I go for?
 
Shoot 720 24pn to increase your storage time on your cards. With the new low prices on P2 cards it makes more sense to increase the number you have than to spend on an outdated Firestore. Don't take that as meaning I am anti Firestore. I have had one since 2006 and put a lot of hours on it. It just makes more sense to go with cards these days. Plus you won't have to worry about the audible noise the Firestore makes while running.
Jim
 
My firestone never made noise that got recorded. cards are more convenient. 24pn is a good way to get more time on cards if your shooting in 24p. Personalty i like 30 or 60 frame rates. (rarely make movies) If you go with 2(16gb cards) you can offload to a laptop while shooting and record on the other. You then swap them out. Using this method you can record forever. Honestly the biggest problem with the firestore is mobility. If not moving its a great device. (2) 32 gb p2 cards cost around 700 bucks used. (1) 80 gb firestore cost around 300 used. It all depends on your budget. P2 card are easier and nicer to work with, but the firestore is much cheaper.
 
Thanks for the tips.

I did a test at 720p at 24pn and it looked very good.

Another question - after you have set the white balance with a sheet of paper and hit the AWB button, is there a way to save this so that the next time I start up the camera, it remembers what this white balance setting was?

The reason I am asking is because I will do shoots over several days and will need to shut off the camera now and then. I want the settings to be identical each time I record.

Too bad the remote doesn't have buttons for zebra and iris and awb - since I am both running the camera as well as being the subject, it's inconvenient to not have those buttons on the remote.
 
Never depend on the camera to remember your white balance unless you absolutely have to. Whenever you turn the camera on Black Balance first than White Balance. If your lighting set up remains unchanged and the white card you are using to white balance is the same- your camera will look identical to the last time you used it. Again, this is if nothing changes in your camera settings, lighting and white card. Also make sure the camera aperture is the same each time you white balance. This will guarantee consistency from one shoot to the next in your studio.

Jim
 
The only way I can unload the footage from the P2 card is by hooking up via FireWire and Log and Transfer in Final Cut. After that is done, I haven't found a way to get the camera back to normal mode again, other than shutting it off. Is that normal or did I miss how get out of the FireWire mode? I disconnect on my Mac but the camera doesn't seem to notice.

So since I have to shut if off so often (to unload footage from my small P2 card), that means redoing white and black balance every time then?
 
It is normal to have to turn the camera off and back on after you transfer your data. No way around this. As for rebalancing, you could assign the balance you did earlier to either the A or B button, but as Jim said, there is some risk with doing that. The best bet would be to redo the white balance and it doesn't take long, but if you use the stored white balance, that is probably best done only for that days shoot and not relied upon from day to day or week to week. I only black balance the first time I turn my camera on or whenever I change a recording format. I don't do that each time I white balance, but maybe Jim has another reason for suggesting that.
 
I've used stored WB and as long as there are no windows and you have 100% controlled lighting it seems fine. As DGW suggested I would white ball daily, but you probably don't need to each time
 
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