Time Lapse and Adobe OnLocation

WayneC003

WayneC003

Member
I have a HMC-150 on loan for testing. Unlike the DVX100 there was on time-lapse feature included. I don't understand why they would not included such a feature, being that now its all solid state and the wear and tear is negligible. So I figured I would try using Adobe OnLocation. Well it seems I am unable to use OnLocation with the HMC-150. Has anyone been able to get the HMC-150 to work with OnLocation? Has anyone found a way to do time-lapse with the 150?
 
It's one of the features missing that makes the 170 appealing in that respect. I miss this option for sure, but at this price i'm cool with the other options. For timelapse, get an HVX or 170
 
Justyn said:
It's one of the features missing that makes the 170 appealing in that respect. I miss this option for sure, but at this price i'm cool with the other options. For timelapse, get an HVX or 170
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I disagree, if anything the HMC150 is the better choice for timelapse in terms of cost benefit IMO. You can do a 6 hour timelapse in HE mode with a $30 SD card, import then speed up to your liking. HE mode seems like it was designed for timelapse- not much movement to strees the lower bitrate there.

True, the P2 cams have dedicated TL functions, but the above has proved as a good workaround. With the 170- even the 32GB P2 cant get anywhere near that, and we know how much that costs.

Re: On Location, yes without a firewire its pretty useless. Next choice would be an Intensity card via HDMI, which is a better choice vs. HDV through firewire where compression takes place.
 
I think the point they were trying to make is that with a computer, firewire is better for timelapse since it can be set to record only needed frames, avoiding the pain of injesting and post work. Granted my machine sucks, but took almost a day to transcode a 6 hour clip, haha.

True, HDMI quality should be better, but it is unlikely to find laptops with HDMI ins, whereas many cheap laptops have firewire standard. It is tough to give up OnLocation/DV Rack, but when you think about it, most of its features (minus the big screen) are all built right into the 150!

With camera and standard media only (portable), I agree the 150 is the better option for long sessions. Just set it to HE mode with a shutter of 1/30 or 1/15 and walk away. Unfortunately the cards can record longer than the batteries! Where I think the 170/200 really excel is that they can use slow shutter speeds with the low framerates. If there was one firmware wish I could have, it would be for lower shutter speeds. Not sure why they couldn't have at least given it the 1/6 setting from the DVX, got some cool night shots with that.
 
You are totally wrong there too. The HVX has unique individual frames and not a blended composite that isn't actually a unique frame. This was proven to our client when we were hired to shoot the courthouse here in Orlando for 3 consecutive 8 hour days to asses the flow on the elevators and on the escalators. The guy who did it before wasn't successful because the people evaluating the footage got a blended image and they weren't able to count the people and be exact. WIth out footage they could go through frame by unique frame and count the people and know the exact times for everything.

Shooting and then ramping up the speed is a low-rent way of doing a timelapse and the results show with motion blur and just a bad image. Plus you have all that footage to capture.. and the increased data... With a P2 timelapse you end up with things in the completed form.. Go ahead and try it and I'll put any of my HVX timelapses up against them.. or even better, I'll put a timelapse from my DSLR which will kick it's butt...


There's a reason that it looks better and clients who pay for a timelapse want real progressive frames and not some hack.. Good luck with what you are doing and maybe it will work for certain things.. but not for the scientfic and high end stuff that I did.. As a result of the HVX doing what it does.. we got quite a bit of this kind of work and the guy who did it before with an A1, just pissed off people for wasting their time...




Edweirdo said:
I disagree, if anything the HMC150 is the better choice for timelapse in terms of cost benefit IMO. You can do a 6 hour timelapse in HE mode with a $30 SD card, import then speed up to your liking. HE mode seems like it was designed for timelapse- not much movement to strees the lower bitrate there.

True, the P2 cams have dedicated TL functions, but the above has proved as a good workaround. With the 170- even the 32GB P2 cant get anywhere near that, and we know how much that costs.

Re: On Location, yes without a firewire its pretty useless. Next choice would be an Intensity card via HDMI, which is a better choice vs. HDV through firewire where compression takes place.
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It would have been so much easier to add a Time lapse mode to the camera, after all, it's only software. All it would take is one menu item, TIME LAPSE: off, 1, 2, 3, ... seconds per frame. I assume that if time lapse mode is active, any auto power off is turned off.

Using the 6Mbps mode and doing it in post is clever, but I really wish Panasonic would add this feature to the firmware upgrade to the camera.


Bob Diaz
 
Me too Bob. As I stated above as well. There's a difference for sure... It's crisp and clean and not a hacked speed up jobby job.. I love the HVX for this reason and I believe this is the single largest thing that this cam doesn't have that the 170 has. I do miss it for sure...
 
Ok, I am right that its the general consensus that my only alternative is to [FONT=&quot]acquire [/FONT] another camera, (best choice = HPX-170)?
 
Justyn said:
You are totally wrong there too. The HVX has unique individual frames and not a blended composite that isn't actually a unique frame.
...
Shooting and then ramping up the speed is a low-rent way of doing a timelapse and the results show with motion blur and just a bad image.
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Not sure if you were responding to me or previous poster. I am aware HVX can do individual frames, I was stating that it also CAN do long exposures the 150 cannot. With the right mode or shutter, the 150 can also get sharp progressive frames, and it DOES work in post. Yes it is a hack and takes some time, but many people buying the 150 that do not have the budget for P2 wont mind the workaround to save a few grand on one type of shot. Motion blur isn't an issue if you set up the shutter properly and know what you are doing in post (ie, just turn motion blur off). If you want a pro workflow, have time constraints and/or do timelapse all the time, P2 is redoubtably the way to go, no argument there.


Also agree with you Bob, would be nice to have that option. I am doubting we see it on this model as they want reasons for you to upgrade. All of the recording modes record in real time, so it would take some programming work to break out of that model. Would have some real potential if they did. Hell, it might be easier to just add a still image mode that had an interval setting :beer:

WayneC003 said:
Ok, I am right that its the general consensus that my only alternative is to [FONT=&quot]acquire [/FONT] another camera, (best choice = HPX-170)?
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Or do it in post with the 150. A DSLR can get you better results than any video camera. Would be a good match to a 150, the 2 are cheaper than 170/200 with Media.
 
Nope.. I was responding to the guy before saying that I was wrong about the HVX.


You can get good results.. but as I stated.. it's NOT the same thing by a long shot. You can't get the same look that y ou can from the HVX or from a DSLR...


To take 8 hours of footage and then speed it up to a 30 second timelapse... will have tons of blending and nothing will be exact and stand upon it self. Try doing it and then take a still from any part of it and you'll see what I mean...


When people hire me to do a timelapse they want it to be exactly that... otherwise they could do the same thing with their miniDV camera.... Sure, what you get will be acceptable for a home make-over show.. BUT. You can't pass it off for a real timelapse. because you can't go frame by frame and watch it all unfold like that..


As I stated.. we got hired to shoot a timelapse at a the courhouse for this very reason.. Our HVX footage was taken and analized frame by frame and You would NEVER get that from a speed up blended thing.. Shutter and exposure aside.. Its frankly beyond the level of physics to do it...


For doing a timelapse you'd be better off getting a DSLR with resolutiion to spare. The best looking timelapses you'll see are usually done with a large format camera... and to a lesser degree with the HVX or 170...


I do miss this feature on the 150... and when you are in business time is money and not having to convert all of that footage and all that makes sense to me. IF you got the time then have at it.. but it won't look nearly as good... I can guarantee that..
 
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