TC syncing 5D's (multicamera)

J

jmarkham

Well-known member
Hi,
We've been mating our 5D's with our Panasonic cameras. Syncing
timecode with the 5D's has been a workflow drag.
Is there any way to get the QT's to be anything other than record-run on
the 5D's? Having everything at TC 0:00:00 is not so good.
So far, we've been doing the old school "speed / slate" sync .. but
I'm hoping there's a better way :-)

thanks
jeff
 
I've shot multi-cam live shows w/ 3 5D's and then used Canon's "Log and Transfer" plug-in to help sync them.

The log and transfer plugin will give the 5D footage timecode based on the actual time the footage was recorded. If you use the Canon EOS Utility FIRST to sync the computers clock with your cameras, do this with ALL cameras on that SAME computer - ALL 5D's will have the EXACT SAME TIME. After this is done, it actually doesn't even matter when you start recording on any of the 5D's, the timecode will be the actual time of day (it gets it from the actual clock in the camera).

Then you can also use the multi-cam feature in FCP!
 
So it's striping timecode onto the footage files after the fact... hmm. Certainly better than nothing. But you'd still need a slate or common reference mark to sync them up in the first place, and would it not be challenging to deal with start/stop on clips? Especially with a Canon and its 10-12 minute clip length limit, you're going to have to start and stop quite a bit.

How does the timecode striper work -- does the internal clock store fractions of a second? Or does it start with the hour/minute/second the footage was recorded, and that means that for each clip, you're going to have to re-sync?
 
Littleton said:
I've shot multi-cam live shows w/ 3 5D's and then used Canon's "Log and Transfer" plug-in to help sync them.

The log and transfer plugin will give the 5D footage timecode based on the actual time the footage was recorded. If you use the Canon EOS Utility FIRST to sync the computers clock with your cameras, do this with ALL cameras on that SAME computer - ALL 5D's will have the EXACT SAME TIME. After this is done, it actually doesn't even matter when you start recording on any of the 5D's, the timecode will be the actual time of day (it gets it from the actual clock in the camera).

Then you can also use the multi-cam feature in FCP!
Click to expand...
Can it be useful for 3D sync too?
 
Barry_Green said:
So it's striping timecode onto the footage files after the fact... hmm. Certainly better than nothing. But you'd still need a slate or common reference mark to sync them up in the first place, and would it not be challenging to deal with start/stop on clips? Especially with a Canon and its 10-12 minute clip length limit, you're going to have to start and stop quite a bit.

How does the timecode striper work -- does the internal clock store fractions of a second? Or does it start with the hour/minute/second the footage was recorded, and that means that for each clip, you're going to have to re-sync?
Click to expand...

Why would you have to re-sync????

If you're recording at 3pm and later at 3:20pm - you'll get totally different time codes (but the same on all cameras). It's also military time, so there's still a difference between 3pm and 3am. It appears to do hours:minutes:seconds;frames
 
I would presume you'd have to re-sync because whatever frame offset is included, starts at zero in the timecode striping program, yes? But it's extremely unlikely that every time you start the recording, you're doing so at exactly the same 1/24th of a second, so ... well, I guess it's an easy-enough-to-answer question -- do all your clips start on h:m:s:00? or is the starting frame number different on various clips?
 
Barry_Green said:
I would presume you'd have to re-sync because whatever frame offset is included, starts at zero in the timecode striping program, yes? But it's extremely unlikely that every time you start the recording, you're doing so at exactly the same 1/24th of a second, so ... well, I guess it's an easy-enough-to-answer question -- do all your clips start on h:m:s:00? or is the starting frame number different on various clips?
Click to expand...



h:m:s;00 is the start
 
Guys,
Plural eyes form singular software is the answer!!!
From now on I'll be shooting everything with 4 cameras and beyond and not worry about the synchronization!!!
I used it with FCP and waiting for the Media Composer version because that's my main editing software....

Thumbs up for Plural eyes Software!!!!
 
If u have a timecode generator (sound devices 702T or a Denecke) u can send the LTC to the cameras as audio track. FCP 7.02 can now read TC on Aux tracks and take them as main TC.


good luck
 
that's easy.
u need 35mm stereo to 2 RCA or XLR splitter which is a Y cable (it exists)
one mono channel for audio reference as back-up
one mono channel for LTC

for sending LTC to multiple cameras;
u need a passive XLR splitter. I had it made at www.trewaudio.ca for $50

we'll be working like this over 5 years

Trick:
do not exceed LTC level over -12db
it might blend onto adjacent channel while recording.
 
The 5D already has a fairly accurate clock on-board .. if it could be
sync'd via USB that would be great. Something a firmware upgrade
might be able to address?

jeff
 
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