wanna go 422

Keep something in mind regarding external capture to a desktop or laptop computer (vs. a purpose made footage recorder) - you may need to upgrade your drives or even install a raid.

With some of the laptop solutions, you'll use your card slot up with the capture device, and you'll need something like an eSATA port since your internal drive is not up to the task. Far as I know, this makes most Apple laptops an iffy proposition (I don't know how windows machines are set up).

On blackmagic's website, you can download their intensity drivers which include a speed tests - choose a drive, run the test, and it will tell you what frame rate (say 1080p 24 or 720p60) a given format will record at. The test takes less than 30 seconds.
 
Fohdeesha, are you sure there's no difference in the clipping of highlights between the two. Whenever I look at footage online from the 170, I don't see that same harsh transition to clipping that I see more often with 150 footage.
 
Keep in mind people don't always use the same scene file settings Danny. Defaults might be different between the two cams as well. I've customized all of mine (hmc150) and I don't see any highlight transition issues
 
Also, online videos aren't the the best way to judge some of the finer points of a camera as the footage has been compressed two or three times over by the time you see it. I have stuff on vimeo that has some parts that look blown out when the original footage, while pushing it, wasn't blown out.
 
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I have keyed some HMC150 footage lately. It seems to work as well as I could expect. Maybe someone would find fault with it, but this was done with a low quality color still I took in the 80's. It's a simple winter blog post for a folk singer. Budget was low, turnaround needing to be a day or so. The real problem I had with keying was that Vegas is not good at keying out of the box. I added Boris continuum and I was pleased as was the client. I've recovered the cost of Boris by having the client decide that he wanted *all* of his work keyed! I have a contract now for many months of part time work because of that choice. I transcoded using Neoscene. Apparently, there are controls on wrapping the key, but this was as good as I can do quickly.

If you don't like folk music, I can't fix that,but decent feedback on my skills at keying using 150 footage is welcome. So I don't think stepping up 4:2:2 is worth the price. I think that it's the overall quality of the camera that might be the deciding factor (i.e. would it be fair to say that the 20k and up broadcast quality camera's or RED are going to be better quality keying than my 150?) If so I should see what difference in key quality my 7D gives me.

As to blown out highlights, I have to say that seems to be more a function of a cameraman's ability to properly expose a scene than the 150. I've shot all sorts of stuff, I have made horrible mistakes with the 150, shot head shots against windows for example (ouch!), but also actually outperformed a JVC 700u in a multicam shoot due to the other cameraman not exposing the same scene right. The 150 footage was definitely superior. So once again, mastering tools is likely to make more difference than upgrading to more expensive gear. If you can't drive, it doesn't matter what car you own!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Afw6TtCWI4&sns=em
 
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8string said:
If you don't like folk music, I can't fix that,but decent feedback on my skills at keying using 150 footage is welcome.
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I love folk music, but that key looks like, you cut that guy out with a pair of scissors and glued him on the mountains - please don´t take that personal, but you asked for feedback.

Frank
 
8string said:
I have keyed some HMC150 footage lately. It seems to work as well as I could expect. Maybe someone would find fault with it, but this was done with a low quality color still I took in the 80's. It's a simple winter blog post for a folk singer. Budget was low, turnaround needing to be a day or so. The real problem I had with keying was that Vegas is not good at keying out of the box. I added Boris continuum and I was pleased as was the client. I've recovered the cost of Boris by having the client decide that he wanted *all* of his work keyed! I have a contract now for many months of part time work because of that choice. I transcoded using Neoscene. Apparently, there are controls on wrapping the key, but this was as good as I can do quickly.

If you don't like folk music, I can't fix that,but decent feedback on my skills at keying using 150 footage is welcome. So I don't think stepping up 4:2:2 is worth the price. I think that it's the overall quality of the camera that might be the deciding factor (i.e. would it be fair to say that the 20k and up broadcast quality camera's or RED are going to be better quality keying than my 150?) If so I should see what difference in key quality my 7D gives me.
Click to expand...

Actually, the key looks good. I can see some green on the sides of his face in the wide shot I'm assuming is splash off the green screen, but we have the same issue at work with certain people in their blond hair and have a much bigger lighting budget, so can't fault you for it. And it's a web blog, so it's not like it's going to the big screen or anything.

And I listen to country, so I can't really fault anyone listening to folk ;)

As to blown out highlights, I have to say that seems to be more a function of a cameraman's ability to properly expose a scene than the 150. I've shot all sorts of stuff, I have made horrible mistakes with the 150, shot head shots against windows for example (ouch!), but also actually outperformed a JVC 700u in a multicam shoot due to the other cameraman not exposing the same scene right. The 150 footage was definitely superior. So once again, mastering tools is likely to make more difference than upgrading to more expensive gear. If you can't drive, it doesn't matter what car you own!
Click to expand...

This is kind of what I was getting at in my previous comment before I deleted it because the way I worded it may have sounded harsh. Part of the reason the OP may be seeing better results with the HPX170 is that it attracts a different crowd. A lot of the stuff I've seen online from the HMC150 is from folks with no formal training or not a lot of experience... they're either hobbyists stepping up to their first big camera or other "non-pros" (for lack of a better way to describe it). When it first came out you could get up and running for $3,500, so it made financial sense. When the HPX170 came out, it could easily cost over $6,000 to get up and running... not exactly something for a "non-pro" or someone without an extensive video background to pony up the money for... not when you could get 85% of the camera (HMC150) for 50% of the cost. Unless you already had P2 media... in which case, chances are you were already using a $15,000 - $40,000 camera or had experience with them.

Of course, then I see stuff like this shot by a high school kid and am put to shame... http://www.vimeo.com/5112275
 
8string: The video looks great. The only thing I'd change would be to reposition the background so the white line on the shoulders is against something white, rather than the black that broadcasts that white fringe. Again, it looks great.

Also, sometimes blurring the background creates a nice shallow focus effect and compensates for motion blur on the talent.

Regarding keying -- I do recommend the new Ultra in Premiere CS5 -- that is specifically designed for 4:2:0 footage (they call the new technology "vector" keying), the results of which, with AVCCAM footage, have been on par with or better than Keylight.


Mike Harvey: +1 to everything you wrote
 
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