Now that the dust has settled on external recorders which one is this best?

C

chancenorris

Active member
I know this has been talked about a lot on this forum, but now that there has been a few months to really use them with the AF100 which one is the best for using SDI and has the most options?
 
The dust hasn't really settled yet, because a few of the most anticipated units (Sound Devices PIX 220 and 240, Atomos Samurai) haven't been released yet.

Among those that have been released, it's been my read that there has not been as dramatic an increase in perceived image quality when using an external recorder (over the internal AVCHD codec alone) as people had expected. The internal codec holds up really well.

But word seems to be that you can perhaps push the external recordings further in post.

These aren't my findings, just my impression from several posts here.
 
I have played with the KIpro mini, NanoFlash and the BM HypersDeckShuttles (I have 5 of those for use in KIOSKs).

In my opinion for convenience and features the NanoFlash is the best. The quality is fantastic and the file size small I use 100mb/s for almost everything. The NF uses very little power so batteries last a long time. And it is small and rugged.

The KiPro is a battery hog and it is big and clumsy in my opinion and it is really silly to have the CF slots face up so debris rain etc falls right in.

The BM Hypershuttle is very cheap until you buy SSD's and it only records uncompressed so a 64GB drive is good for only 6 minutes. They are great for Kiosks though.

Just a few observations.

And I find the quality is much improved over the internal SD recording.
 
I was gonna say the same thing. If I had to buy from today's available offerings, for an AF100, no question - the Nano is the one to get.

I may revise that opinion after the SD Pix 240 arrives. But as of right now, with today's offerings, the Nano is the best.
 
I would have to say the Ninja, from experience. Small rugged, with a great montior for monitoring playback, variable data rates, a great price and amazing customer service. For the price I think it is unbeatable. Also using a 500 gig hard drive with it costing approx £120 - $160, it can record around 12 hours of video at 100 mbps! So you can just put it on the shelf when you have used it all, and buy another one - so no backing up issues to worry about. Just use a Noga arm and it sits there nicely too! Sparky x
 
I've had the Ki Pro Mini for about a month now and have been pretty happy with it. It is a power hog but I've been using my Swit EX1 batteries that have a power tap on them and they've been lasting about 3+ hours a piece. The weight of the KPM + battery + Zacuto Zwiss plate is not insignificant but it hasn't been a real issue yet. The biggest punch in the gut has been the very expensive cards needed to use with it. I've tested it with Sandisk Extreme 60mbs cards and 'seems' to work fine at 24p at no higher then reg. ProRes. With that I'd never use them on a job.

Quality of footage wise, I dont see a big perceivable difference in the raw footage but I can claim that the top three ProRes formats hold up much better to grading. The fact that you can just drop them into a FCP bin or sequence and forgo transcoding with it's associated bugs is a big enough sell for me alone. When I pitch using the AF to clients who are used to working with higher bit rate 422 ENG camera's, their initial while unfounded nervousness about the AF's codec is easily overcome when I offer the use/rental of the KPM. I've had about half the purchase cost of the KPM paid for in rentals in one month.

The Nano does seem to be a little more 'weather resistant' and compact and it was a hard decision but Im happy with my choice. Im sure I would of been just as happy with the Nano as well. One thing that has bugged me is the inability of the camera to output a 30P signal over SDI. From what I've read this is a issue of the camera not the recorder. I haven't tried outputting 30p from my EX to the KPM yet, so not sure if it sends out a 60i signal as well. Also, when shooting 24p to the KPM, the recorder reads it fine as 24 but my Zacuto EVF wont recognize the signal unless I shoot 24psf. If it's not one thing it's another, oh well..

If the Sound Devices 240 had been out I would of gone for it, main reasons being SSD and the monitor. It looks at least as heavy as the KPM so that comparison is moot to me.
 
So does the Blackmagic recorder on the AF100 24fps require a reverse pulldown in post? Or is this just an issue for the FS100?
 
Barry_Green said:
I was gonna say the same thing. If I had to buy from today's available offerings, for an AF100, no question - the Nano is the one to get.

I may revise that opinion after the SD Pix 240 arrives. But as of right now, with today's offerings, the Nano is the best.
Click to expand...
What is the MSRP on the Sound Devices 240?
 
External Recorders

External Recorders

The advantage of external recorders with better codecs isn't really all about perceived image quality; you probably couldn't tell the difference between AVCHD and ProRes 444 by looking at it, but once you start working with the footage you'll notice the difference. Color correction, compositing & effects are where data amounts & color depth matters. Straight cuts and minimal color adjustments are fine with AVCHD as a source.
 
I had the PIX240 ordered until I could not deal with the backorder situation any longer.

That and the Final Cut Pro X fiasco made me start to look around for non ProRes recorders,

That is why I went with the BM Hyperdeck.

The file size is not an issue, because for most things I am using the AVCCAM, which works great.

But when I need more, the Hyperdeck works and works well.
 
Another vote for the nanoflash. I dont have an Af100 (I mainly use an xlh1) but the nanoflash has proven to be rock-solid and dependable in all types of situations.
 
mcgeedigital said:
That and the Final Cut Pro X fiasco made me start to look around for non ProRes recorders,

That is why I went with the BM Hyperdeck.
Click to expand...

I have the Ki Pro Mini, and chose it over the Nano because it will record 10 bits. Not an issue with the AF100, but 10-bit recording may be a plus in the future.

I do find myself wishing the Ki Pro Mini could record to DNxHD, as a move away from FCP looks like it will be necessary after the X fiasco. I raised this with an AJA rep at a presentation at a FCPUG meeting and he said they are thinking about it.
 
I am still waiting back for the final pricing from our manufacturer and it will be a few weeks after that until any production models are ready.

I made Matt's by hand on my mini mill. If someone wanted one quickly I suppose I could make more by hand but they would be somewhat expensive and for now not anodized. However they could be customized to fit other needs.

If someone is interested they can PM me.

Oh and I would really like to thank Matt for sending me his deck for my to take my measurements.
 
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