Mixing SDX-900 and HVX-200 ???

H

hotchkiss

Well-known member
I'm shooting a feature in the fall, out of necessity, we may need to shoot one scene on a SDX-900 while we wait for the HVX 200 to be released. The scene is from a different time period from the rest of the film, and will be a self contained sequence.

My questions:

In the event that the 900 has a better image than the 200, is it possible to degrade the 900's image to match the 200 ? I realize that the opposite scenario is more likely, how difficult is it to match the two cameras in post ?

Can anybody speculate as to how the images from these two cameras will compare with one another? Yes, I realize it's specualtion, but I need an educated guess at this point (Key word being "educated")

Thanks a bunch, speculate away !
 
If they are not meant to match exactly then sure you can find a way to get them into the same universe. There's a bigger frame in the HVX but way better optics and CCDs on the SDX.

Noah
 
hotchkiss,

I will leave it for the video experts to speculate about the ability to match an existing camera to one that doesn't exist yet. I had two observations,

Speculation is that the HVX200 will not go on sale until the end of the year and that working samples may not exist and be shown until IBC in Sept. Consider how this would affect your plans if true (ie, you could not get an HVX200 until late Dec early Jan.)

If you still need to shoot just one scene, why not consider spending more and using a Varicam or other true HD camera. One way or another you should be able to make it match the HVX200 when it is available.

Just something for you to consider.

Bill Turner
Schneider Optics
Century Division
 
HVX has great specs but it's still 1/3 CCD, and letterbox sized, which means that the vertical size of the chips are more like 1/4 CCD. That creates some problems as one can see with the FX1.
 
The SDX900, by laws of physics, will capture a broader dynamic range than HVX200. So, simply lighting SDX900 for film instead of video and lighting the HVX200 like video should get the contrasts pretty close. As you've said, you're not going for an exact match.

I don't think I would feel comfortable planning a fall project on something that could make or break it (i.e. - the camera isn't available). Gotta think about the waiting list on this camera pushing it back a month or more firstly, and P2 card availability second.

I agree I would not plan on having camera in hands and knowing it well enough with a mature P2/transfer workflow to wager on an entire movie until *at least* January. This is a strange time to be considering camera equipment, indeed.
 
princigalli said:
HVX has great specs but it's still 1/3 CCD, and letterbox sized, which means that the vertical size of the chips are more like 1/4 CCD. That creates some problems as one can see with the FX1.
Click to expand...

Letterbox is the viewfinder, the HVX will be true 16:9 as far as I know.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

All the best

Fidel.
 
I believe what princigalli is saying is that given that the HVX will have 16:9 CCDs at 1/3" diagonal, the vertical height of the CCDs will be less than 4:3 1/3" CCDs (as on the DVX). The vertical height of the HVX's CCDs will be comparable with that of a 4:3 1/3" CCD.
 
The vertical height will be a little shorter, and the horizontal width will be wider. Overall surface area should be about the same.
 
I think one of the most obvious differences between footage from these two cameras will be the difference in Depth of Field. When I am shooting any project, to ensure the edits will be as seamless as possible, I am always careful to limit the focal lengths (whether primes or zoom) and shoot consistently at a predetermined stop to keep the DOF consistent. Assuming you will be doing what many of us do with the smaller chipped cameras, shooting wide open to reduce DOF, I would recommend shooting your SDX900 footage stopped down around a half stop to a stop. Since this is one of the only published variables we know for sure and since its all based on a simple equation, the math works out like this...

In rough numbers, assuming that wide open on the HVX is a 2.0 (probably a bit slow but we have no way of knowing and it makes the math easier!) shooting at a 27mm lens will give you roughly the same field of view as a 50mm lens on the SDX. The calculations work out like this (courtesy of the Panavision Depth of Field Calculator):

.....................HVX.......SDX1........SDX2
Stop:............2.0.........2.8...........4
DoF Near:.....7.7.........8.1...........7.5 meters
DoF Far:.......14.2.......13.1.........15.0 meters
Total DoF:.....6.5.........5.0...........7.5 meters


So you can see that the equivalent lies right at a 2.8/4 split when compared to a 2.0 on the HVX.

That was a fun exercise,
Hope it helps...

David C. Smith
LA / OC D.P.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top