I Did It.

J

joe13

Member
I just purchased my FIRST PROFESSIONAL CAMERA. I bought the jvchd100ua through Texas Tape. I should have it by monday. Plus I still can get the free battery. Also with purchase I bought a Pana SD tape and the JVCmdv63HD tape. That way I can shoot on standard and edit on my system until I upgrade my computer to handle HDV.
Scott Cantrell from Texas Tape was great and gave me an excellent deal. Though my great state of AZ took a big chunk out for taxes (maybe I can write it off?) I also purchased the Mack 4 year warranty. Don't know if that was a good idea but my luck is not so great thats why I don't gamble at Vegas when I go to NAB.
I will be bugging this board with sooooo many questions so please be kind.
I live in AZ, I'm selling my house soon and Starting a whole new chapter in my life and this camera purchase is a VERY BIG first step in this journey.

Now for some of your expert opinions.

1. I'm looking at the cantoni focus 102 or 103 tripod is this a good choice and what is the difference between a stage 1 and a stage 2 tripod?

2. I was also looking at the KATA HDccc-3 bag. I have used kata before and love them so would this bag be a great choice?

3. I forgot to get a lens filter what size filter does it take and any recommendations?

4. And lastly, will a box of chocolates and a dozen roses help me before I give the receipt to my wife? Just kidding she loves and supports me 1000%.

Thanks everyone on this forum for advice.
 
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I can't help on most, but I bought a portabrace bag and like it. The filters are 82mm.

Congrats on the purchase. I plan on getting something from them in the not too distant future, good reviews withstanding for the DR-HD100 40G unit.
 
First, a tripod is a very personal purchase and wholly dependent on whether or not you have "Ham Hands" or a gentle touch. It also depends on the type of work you'll be doing. A slow pan and creep with concurrent zoom, especially when coupled with focus change always warrants a best of breed fluid head. We like the 1-Stage, (which has to do with the number of telescopic extensions on each leg and thus the number of hinge points and thus the overall stability of the set-up) Cartoni Z1907 Laser ffluid head with mid-level spreader designed for ENG digital camcorders weighing from 8 to about 20lbs. It also has infinite ttension settings to accommodate camera weights and weight distribution as well as camera movements so the cameraman can set it exactly to his or her own body movements, no two of which are ever the same, and the mid-level spreader makes it useful for both flat and variable terrain. And you need to make a decision if you'll be travelling with the tripod. If so, a hard case is a must. If not, any padded case is fine that will accommodate the tripod, head and one or two sticks that control the head.

Next, Carcar is right; 82 is the number and you want a clear simply to protect the lens. NEVER buy a lens or a camera without a protective filter!!! $60 or so will save you from $500 - $50,000 in replacement lenses.

And finally, chocolates and roses always help just so long as they're from the heart and come when she least expects it. That way, it's not a CYA gift but rather an investment in future acquisitions. Think of it as "Paying it Forward".
 
I was at EVS and tried the bogen and viten3. Wow what a difference I loved the viten3 and they said the cartoni focus model F-101 would be a great tripod but they didn't have one to try out. I don't think I could wait until NAB to try one but I'll try.
As far as cases goes, I own some KATA cases and love them and proablly will stick with there HD-ccc-3 model.
Now filters so many choices, anyone care to suggest a certain brand and should I go with clear or ND or ?
Getting very excited about the camera, I am glad I had it shipped overnight.
 
Well, Joe- I'm right there with ya', buddy. Just ordered my HD100 from Scott at TapeWorks today myself. As of Tuesday/Wednesday of next week, I'll be an official member of the family.

I'm just plain giddy. Can't wait to get to work.

Also want to thank Stephen for pointing out to me that TapeWorks had extended the IDX promo. It ended up being a nice money saver for me.

Last but not least- Scott was a pleasure to deal with. No hard-selling, no upselling- just courteous, prompt service. By not trying to push or pull me in any direction, he pretty much guaranteed himself more of my business down the road.
 
Guys make SURE you get your IDX promo in the mail as soon as you get your cameras. You mailing to JVC must be postmarked ON or BEFORE March 31 so make sure you get the post office to meter your mail so you don't miss out.
 
Joe13- See Randy on Monday or Tuesday. He's bringing ina Cartoni for you to try out.
J
 
joe13 said:
I was at EVS and tried the bogen and viten3. Wow what a difference I loved the viten3 and they said the cartoni focus model F-101 would be a great tripod but they didn't have one to try out. I don't think I could wait until NAB to try one but I'll try.
As far as cases goes, I own some KATA cases and love them and proablly will stick with there HD-ccc-3 model.
Now filters so many choices, anyone care to suggest a certain brand and should I go with clear or ND or ?
Getting very excited about the camera, I am glad I had it shipped overnight.
Click to expand...


For starters, just grab an 82mm Tiffen UV filter.
That's what Jonathan means by "clear". The UV filter is a universal protector for your lenses and helps cut haze in outdoor shots without compormising any other work.
Put it on and leave it there.

The other "first thing" I'd recommend is dialing in a combination of what we're calling "Paolo's" color scene (I think it's the truest and nicest tones I've seen on our monitors) and ...well, someone asked me to post my new "universal" setting so I'll just do it now.
This uses Paolo's DSC color and tweaks that we've done that I like a lot.

Master - Black -1
Black Stretch - +2
Detail - Min
White Clip - 108%
Knee - Manual
Level - 80%
Cinelike - Off
Color - Standard
Gamma - Cine
Color Gain - Normal
R Gain - 3
R Rotatio - 4
G Gain - 2
G Rotation - Normal
B Gain - 3
B Rotatiom - 3

The nice thing with this scene is that it gives you rich color and great skin tones and probably the best filmlike latitude that the HD100 offers...and then you just assign Stretch and Press to your user buttons to adjust as desired.
 
jlames,
Do these settings hold after white balance or do you use just your presets? Seems I had some funky results on other scene files when I changed balance.
 
WarrenS said:
jlames,
Do these settings hold after white balance or do you use just your presets? Seems I had some funky results on other scene files when I changed balance.
Click to expand...


Are you asking me? Jlames is Jonathan...I'm Jimagine.
If you're refering to my above post, then yes they'll "hold" with white balance.
The scene provides a great color rendition (the Paolo set up with a DSC chart) as well as tight blacks, shadow detail, cine latitude and low detail artifacting.
I think it's a great default setting for the HD100 that will deliver the color and range that the camera's capable of without getting over saturated, and over digitally.
Start with this and then adjust from there as you like, but you can't go wrong with this as a utility setting.
The camera's default settings, for instance, aren't even in the same league as this scene, which is why I recommended it to the two new users.
 
Jlames, Who is Randy? I live in Phoenix, AZ.
Jimagine, Thanks I copied "PAOLOS" settings and I am picking up a tiffen uv filter sunday.
Has anyone used the KATA HD-cc3 bag?

Once I get everything together I am heading out to MONUMENT VALLEY and SEDONA to shoot. Both places I have been to and will look amazing in HDV.
 
joe13- You previously said, "I was at EVS and tried the bogen and viten3. Wow what a difference I loved the viten3 and they said the cartoni focus model F-101 would be a great tripod but they didn't have one to try out." So I called and asked Randy, one of the "Chief Dudes" there, to have one brought in for you to try. But if you're in Phoenix, that's a long way to drive so I guess never mind.

As far as the settings go relative to white balance, yes, Jimagine is right; they will hold but you have to remember in setting your camera, the single most important consideration is setting those settings (that sounded wierd!!!) to consider first and foremost your audience. Settings for a cinema or movie where the viewer is in relative dark ambient lighting away from a large screen is significantly different that settings for televison where your viewership is likely to be in a lighted room and close to the box...with the added reflectivity of a the top of a Budweiser can plus the slightest of yellowish tint as the ambient light reflects off the potato chips he;s munching on ;-) Seriously, the settings for the two audiences must be competely different if your mood is to come through. This also holds true for your editing suite where you're cutting. Editing suites for movie and television post are completely different and, in fact, screenings of the proposed answer prints are also in different settings. My advice is to shoot a particular setting using factory camera settings and then, because the time of day, ambient light intensity and direction of lighting is changing while you're doing this, change the settings to match Jimagines and shoot the same setting. Try to make sure not too much has changed ion intensity or direction of lighting, i/edon't shoot one in a clear sky and then the second when a clouds happens to be floating by. Then, capture or transfer it to your NLE and view, with ambient lighting to match your anticipated audience's suroundings, the two different versions. (If you're using two different monitors, make certain they're calibrated exactly the same). Note the differences and then adjust the various camera inputs until you get the look and feel you want for your piece. With this camera properly set, you shold strive to have your viewer look into your piece rather than simply across it. It should become part of their visual landscape and they should be able to disassoicate themselves from their physical surroundings and enter the world you've created for them. Lighting and camera settings are as much a part of the production as the stotry itself and to use this or any other camera of this quality without understanding the meaning of the various settings and how the, individually and collectively, affect the results is a waste. You might as well have one of those cameras with the little green box that initiates "Automatic Mode"!!!
 
Great advice Jonathan. And you're right...those dang Budweiser cans keep ruining the ambience! You have a nice way of creating pictures in my head.
 
Thanks jlames, I read an article by a famous DP who said you get better results lighting HDV with soft lights. Also people tend to overlight like video then the video is oversaturated.
Can you recommend any books on lighting with an emphesis on HDV? A good light kit is on my list. I can't wait to start painting with lights.
 
I'll go you one better. George is on his way to London today, well actually with the time difference, he's already landed. He's sending me some information I need from there and I'll ask his advice and pass his recommendation on to you.

In the mean time, I can tell you what he's going to start out with so I might as well get it out of the way. To replicate what's in your mind, you need to understand, really understand and I don't mean the absolute mechanics but I do mean comprehend the principles of four things; 1) the basics of color, 2) the basics of capture , 3) the basics of lighting and 4) how they interact and inter-relate. A good start is Douglas Spotted Eagle's HDV; What you Need to Know. In conjuction with I think Mark Dileo, the book takes you through the HD world but most importantly interrelated HD to SD, digital to analog. Pick a copy of this up from Amazon or someplace and start there. And while you're at it, look to see if you can find a copy of The Digital Video Production Cookbook
by Chris Kenworthy. It's a good look at the inner-workings of the digital world as well.

As soon as I hear from George, I'll pass along his advice but in the mean time, know that a lack of understanding of the interrelationships of the three principles will lead to complete frustration in getting what your mind's eye sees to the screen.

Oh yeah and one last thing. In re-reading your post before I hit the "Submit" button, I noticed something you said about buy,ing a lighting kit. If you scrimp anywhere, don't make it in the lighting of your set or subjects. There are good "kits" out there but know what you need for your type of shooting and don't take a "kit" because it's a kit. If you can't find one that meets what your investigations and education has told you you'll need, piece the right one together. I'll buy and send you a little rollie thingie box to put it all in. I don't care who's settings you use, if the lighting sucks, so will your picture so know your lighting.
 
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Joe, it looks like your GYHD100UA is scheduled for delivery today! I know you are going to be extremely satisfied with the capabilities of the camera! My appologies on the mis-shipment of ground shipping instead of next day delivery (I had a long discussion with shipping dept after I found out). however, as you mentioned in the other thread, the additional $$$ saved from rush delivery can be utilized on your filters.

As mentioned, it is always a good idea to have a UV or Clear filter on your professional lens than not have one and wish you did after the lens gets scratched!

JVC does have a great HDFILTERPKG Tiffen filter package they put together for the GYHD100U. It includes the 82mm Clear Filter, 82mm Circular Polarizer, 82mm Neutral Density .6 Filter, 82mm 85 Filter, 82mm 80A Filter, 82mm HDTV/FX2 which ships with a soft pouch to hold all of them in.

Concerning tripods, I've seen various people use different manufacturer's/products. I personnally deal with most of the tripod manufacturer's on the market and have found that Libec offers a great product with excellent pricing. Not to mention that they have provided superb support both with end users as well as on a dealer level. Take a look at their product lines at http://www.libecusa.com/

Carcaridon, just to let you know, I just received my first shipment of DRHD100 HDD's from JVC today. Focus Enhancements and JVC have definitely stepped up to the plate with the release of this product at the same time as the "A" upgrade!

Filmguy1974, Thank you for purchasing from TapeWorks....and for the kind words! I look forward to working with you some more in the future!

Stephenlnoe, just to let you and everyone else know, JVC has extended the deadline a little bit for customers to file their claim with JVC. End-users will now have until April 15, 2006 mail the Free Power Promo Certificates to JVC. Please remember that the units must be sold and invoiced from by this Friday, March 31st, for the certificate to be valid. On sales after March 31st, the certificates will not be honored.
 
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