Need advice on 10 yr old broadcast cameras

CharlesPapert

CharlesPapert

Director of Photography
Hiya:

Researching cameras for just barely period shoot featuring both broadcast and paparazzi cams, seen on camera but also need to be functional for onscreen footage. The piece is set in 2014, so cameras should be no later than that (and especially with the 2/3 camera, could be up to 5 years earlier issue). Suggestions on both types of camera welcome please! Preferably can shoot both 60i and 24p as the post preference hasnt been dialed in yet.
 
This is a Run&Gun question...I'm actually interested in what some options might be because the AMIRA was building momentum in those 2014-2016 years, and if crews were using real broadcast cameras then what? One of the later Varicams? (which I think were getting kind of old by 2014)
 
Maybe something like the Panasonic HPX-2000/2700 or 3000/3700? Or the Sony PMW-F800?

Otherwise the Sony EX1 / EX3 if prosumer-level works for you.
 
Im not too sure on video.. but the firt card cams , ex1 and the 2/3 $30 cams from sony.

Here you see imediately the plot and 'event' would drive the camera, sports and high end politics would be 2/3 in, while local news or a private doco would be ex1.

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In terms of stills again the event would drive the camera choice, some thoughts..

'sub pap' hangs outside a night club looking for a celeb in a short skirt - DSLR or even mirrorless (sub paps drive mopeds) - always has flash

'paparazzi', goes for the celeb on the beach from the hotel balcony, 600f4, 800 5.6 nikkon or canon - latest body of the time (paps rent porches)

press photographer - follows 'legitmate news' canon or nikon x2, pro body , 16-35 and 70-200, always has flash and 'tubo flash pack' (drives volvo/audi) billingham bag or lowe rucksack

metz 45/60 flashes died by this date

photo journalist - leica, no flash (bikes, takes train, dirves citroen) (domke bag)

Again costume.. from tracksuit to cheap suit (press photographers hate suits but politial gigs, red carpet demand them) or brown chords

those snapper jackets beige no sleeves have not been fashionable in any of my 25 years - too loose to be useful - worn in SA in the days of bang bang club.

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I hate most photo press in movies. So badly done
They dont use an 80-200 from 5 foot, - too tight, they are on the 16-35 by this time
they always use power ful flash - as it works sun or cloud front or backlit

in uk we dont go on a murder families front garden or shoot through window - it is the regs
we do have a 16-35 bundle in front of politicians/celebs
hold back on 80-200 on families (maybe)

cradle the lens in the left hand with an 80-200 - held UNDERNEATH

maybe right hand on camera with 16-35, left hand holds off camera flash on lead

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i think transmission was email by then

photo mechanic was (and is) photo browing software

CF cards, up to 2gb?
 
you can see the tribes? bad suits 70-200 2.8 politics for the papers , the latino paps have 5.6 sigma lenses and shorts, the sports have 400 2.8,, not a sigma 5.6 in sight at all

5.6 would not get a frame under 2003 sports lighting 400/800 iso camera - you needed 2.8

the sigma lenses really give away those not funded by a paper or getty

one sees the 16-35 /flash (and wire to turbo pack) with the 70-200 natural light combo is popular.

a flash is not good 10m away so that makes sense.

the guy in the white tee and sigma lens held incorrectly.. pap
the guy in the axel rose headband.. pap
washington post and nyt run across the lawn - note accrediation passes for the day issued by press office
northern ireland in helmets, pros.
sports guys wearing beige issued bibs, so into sport the ignore the cheerlraders.. a pap would be all over them and thier skirts.
little sign of press cards or jackets saying press.. that is for war zones.

I love the display of correctly held 70-200s by these pros at a red carpet or political event. You will see this is not a bundle, no pushing and shoving but negotiated plots.

sony? olympus? panasonic? not there unless maybe you are a broke latino.
 

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also no women then apert from my chum Kirsty. women do reporting and assist tv crews. .that is how it factually was.

no ipads, selfie sticks or phones
 
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So, on the network freelance side, around '14, for 3-chip 2/3" cams, you would have seen P2 VariCam's(HPX2700), HDX-900's, possibly still tape Vari's, Sony XDCam's(prob. both disc and SxS), for sure and you would have also seen F55's/F5's, too(Fuji 19-90 had already been out, Canon had just released the 17-120 and there were adapters to put 2/3" ENG lenses on cams with s35 sensors). My "bread & butter" network had made the decision to go with the tape VariCam as their "official" HD camera around 2005/2006(they asked me to buy in '06). After the HDX-900 came out at about half the price, some guys lobbied for them to accept it and they eventually did. Then somewhere around '10(?), things started to move towards P2(at least on the remote side). I bought my first one in '11 anticipating that it was all going to go that way, and I still use it today with them for "news" and live(I think the last time I shot on my tape Vari was '16, because they wanted to be able to ship the tape around to the different live/remote event trucks). And a buddy still uses his P2 for CBS and CNN. I've also used my Amira for live for another client, shooting 1080/59.94p. And some of the remote production trucks(live sports) started going F55 and Amira's back then, too. A lot of guys started using F55/F5's and Fs7/Fs7II's for network work around/after that 2015 ballpark, too. I never fully understood why so many of them wanted to get away from 2/3" ENG cams so badly for "news" and live. Right tool for the right job...

I know for years, NBC staffers and freelancers were shooting on F900/F900R's. Then they went to F55's. CBS was(is) also a Sony shop. If you get into local TV, it was all over the map, from high-end 2/3" ENG cameras to mid-level 2/3" & 1/2" ENG cams to prosumer handy-cams to iPads/iPhones.
 
I manage to forget to list the two entities that these cameras would be representing: ESPN for the broadcast stuff and TMZ for the pap side. For ease of dealing with post it's probably best to stick to file based vs tape based (since the cameras need to be photographed, having an outboard recorder on there would be less than ideal). This is what I've put together so far:

Broadcast camera:
Panasonic Varicam HPX2700 (P2)
Panasonic HDX-900 (tape)
Sony F800 (disc)
PMW-350/500 (SXS)

Pap camera:
Canon XF200
Canon HFG30
Sony FDR-AX100
 
CharlesPapert said:
I manage to forget to list the two entities that these cameras would be representing: ESPN for the broadcast stuff and TMZ for the pap side. For ease of dealing with post it's probably best to stick to file based vs tape based (since the cameras need to be photographed, having an outboard recorder on there would be less than ideal). This is what I've put together so far:

Broadcast camera:
Panasonic Varicam HPX2700 (P2)
Panasonic HDX-900 (tape)
Sony F800 (disc)
PMW-350/500 (SXS)

Pap camera:
Canon XF200
Canon HFG30
Sony FDR-AX100
Click to expand...

ESPN has been one of my biggest clients over the last couple of decades and that is who asked me to buy my first tape VariCam and why I bought the two subsequent P2 Vari's(and whom I still use them for mostly today for "newsy" and live stuff). So, if you are trying to accurately portray someone shooting ENG in the field for ESPN in that time frame, they would have more than likely been shooting with a P2 VariCam(2700) or possibly an HDX-900. I think they had fired their few staff photogs, by/around then. If you're trying to portray a staffer, they had tape Vari's(and I'm not sure if they ever bought them anything else before they were all fired. But I think they may have actually let them keep their cameras, or so I was told).

Charles, if this is something very specific, I may be able to put you in touch with the actual people involved. You can hit me off-line.
 
I joined DVXUser in 2014. So, whatever can look like 1DX/1D C. 1 DX was announced in 2012. Besides, size is everything.
 
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