A moderator suggested I post here; first the problem set: I am on the road four months of the year, teaching in the US, Canada, and Europe; and we are getting into the downloadable programs business (stretching/strengthening exercise, etc.).
I edit in FCS 7 (Final Cut Studio) and I would prefer to stay in this program; I record second system sound (Roland R-05 or Sony PCM-10) and I need to be able to record up to an hour and a half, continuously if possible. I have been testing a number of mirrorless cameras (NEX 6, Sony RX100, Nikon V1, Panasonic GH3).
The main problems are two: one, the somewhere between 23' (Sony and Nikon V1) and 29' file limits if using MPEG4 (which FCP7 can ingest without transcoding; transcoding is a major time suck on the road); two, the artificial time limits—I know I can use the GH3 in the AVCHD mode to be able to record past 29 minutes of the other codecs, but its AVCHD is limited to 1080p and it needs transcoding for FCP7. Its new MOV codec needs transcoding as well.
What I am looking for is a camera that can record in a format that FCP7 can ingest without transcoding, and a camera that can shoot longer than 29'. We just sold a pair of HMC-152 cameras that could do 720p/50 and 25, because they are too bulky for the road (just a Miller 3-stage carbon fibre and DS-20 head took up most of my baggage allowance!).
The NEX 6's 1440 x 1080p/30 video is lovely, but it hits the 2.15GB file size limit at about 23+ minutes; the codec is perfect for what we need (never higher quality than 720p/30), but the file size is too short (on the road, I have to present while taking care of the tech side; having to restart a camera every 20' is difficult).
My ideal camera would be mirrorless in form factor or similar in size/weight, shoot 720p/30 (or 50 or 60) as 720p is more than good enough for what I need; and be able to record an hour or more. It does not need sound input; reference sound is just fine.
I would be happy to consider a camcorder form factor too, if similar in size and weight to a mirrorless camera.
Key requirements are direct ingestion into FCP7, relatively compact file sizes, and be able to shoot 60+ minutes. Suggestions gratefully received.
I edit in FCS 7 (Final Cut Studio) and I would prefer to stay in this program; I record second system sound (Roland R-05 or Sony PCM-10) and I need to be able to record up to an hour and a half, continuously if possible. I have been testing a number of mirrorless cameras (NEX 6, Sony RX100, Nikon V1, Panasonic GH3).
The main problems are two: one, the somewhere between 23' (Sony and Nikon V1) and 29' file limits if using MPEG4 (which FCP7 can ingest without transcoding; transcoding is a major time suck on the road); two, the artificial time limits—I know I can use the GH3 in the AVCHD mode to be able to record past 29 minutes of the other codecs, but its AVCHD is limited to 1080p and it needs transcoding for FCP7. Its new MOV codec needs transcoding as well.
What I am looking for is a camera that can record in a format that FCP7 can ingest without transcoding, and a camera that can shoot longer than 29'. We just sold a pair of HMC-152 cameras that could do 720p/50 and 25, because they are too bulky for the road (just a Miller 3-stage carbon fibre and DS-20 head took up most of my baggage allowance!).
The NEX 6's 1440 x 1080p/30 video is lovely, but it hits the 2.15GB file size limit at about 23+ minutes; the codec is perfect for what we need (never higher quality than 720p/30), but the file size is too short (on the road, I have to present while taking care of the tech side; having to restart a camera every 20' is difficult).
My ideal camera would be mirrorless in form factor or similar in size/weight, shoot 720p/30 (or 50 or 60) as 720p is more than good enough for what I need; and be able to record an hour or more. It does not need sound input; reference sound is just fine.
I would be happy to consider a camcorder form factor too, if similar in size and weight to a mirrorless camera.
Key requirements are direct ingestion into FCP7, relatively compact file sizes, and be able to shoot 60+ minutes. Suggestions gratefully received.