What is the best camera for filiming racing footage??

K

keppdog2

New member
Im looking to buy a camera to record footage for a school project. I will be filming sprint car racing, nascar, and drag racing. Speeds will range from 50 mph - 300mph. Lighting conditions will vary from day to night (with lights ). I need something that will record ultra clear images, and have good sound quality. I am a newbie at this so please help.

thanks
travis
 
A DVX100A will do just fine. If you are going to need HD footage wait for the HVX200. Or go with the Varicam right now.
I have some footage on my website of the DVX100 used for filming action sports. http://www.mediamilitia.tv/actionsports.htm
All of the demos on this link were filmed with the DVX. However all of the slo-mo shots are on super 16. Hope this helps.
 
sweet movies! That is the clarity im looking for. Have you ever used the Sony fx1? How does it compair to the Dvx100? What type of camera did you do the timelaps movie on?
 
I really can't answer your question without knowing you budget. I honestly don't feel any DV product provides great quality for that type of footage, on moderate quality at best. But it is the only thing many of us can afford.
 
keppdog2 said:
Have you ever used the Sony fx1? How does it compair to the Dvx100? What type of camera did you do the timelaps movie on?
Click to expand...

I have about 200 hours behind the FX-1 and 100 behind the Z1. I dislike both of these cameras for their lack of total manual control. If you shoot with one of these, then you will one day run into a situation where you will be fighting the controls of these camera. Which are not user or Pro friendly when compared to the DVX. The camera setting always seem to change without warning on the Sony cams.

The gamma curves are the big part of the DVX...Which offer more of the difference when looking at the image quality of the DVX to other cameras, then the 24p settings do. But it is ultimately the combination of both Gamma curves and 24p which give the DVX picture the edge over the 60i home video look of the Sony FX-1 and Z1. Thats the kicker for me.

No matter how you light it, no matter how you treat the footage in post, no matter what you do, the Sony camera will always have a home video look because of the way movement is captured in 60i. There is nothing you can do about this. People write in on this board everyday trying to find some magic way to make 60i look like 24p. Or to make 60i look more like film...SORRY it will never happen. The Sony cameras will always look like great home video shot with a pseudo form of HD - (HDV). If you want the home video TV look then these are the cameras for the application.

However, the DVX has a way of fooling me. Sometimes I swear I would have gotten the same image if I shot Super16. Other than some Depth of Field control gained with the film camera...I can't tell...maybe 40% of the time?! To me thats pretty damn good for a $3000 camera.

About the timelapse, I would say 70% of it was shot on 35mm with an Arri 2C with a Norris Intervalometer. The remaining footage is shot on the DVX. All of the Timesquare footage was shot on the Sony Z1. It was all I had access to and I was not going to visit NY without shooting timelapse of Time Square. The DV footage was acquired in istopmotion to render the timelapse.

The DVX is the camera to get now. But in a couple months it will be the HVX200.

Hope this helps.
 
Militia,

It strikes me as funny for you to say that it is remarkable for a $3k camera to be able to look like S16 - because that is about the going rate for a fully-kitted 16mm Arri S/B/M these days. Of course, you can't shoot sync sound with a 16S no matter what anyone will tell you!

I just finished a show that logged about fifteen hundred hours on the Z1U and I'll tell you that it is a great little camera once you get a handle on its proper operation. It is odd in that it precariously stradles the divide between consumer "features" and professional options we're accustomed to.

It is possible to lock the IRIS, SHUTTER and WHITE BALANCE - the camera is set up to automatically adjust exposure using whatever means possible until you tell it otherwise. This was my greatest complaint on the camera. What can only be described as strange, poorly detailed menu design and limited options for audio channel selection are most glaring among other issues I have with the camera.

The CineFrame mode is not a suitable 24p substitute and the CineTone effectively drops this already dark camera another stop-and-a-half. In the manual, they describe CineTone setting 1 and 2 as you would wish it worked, but the actual effect is nothing like CineGamma in deployment.

We tested both features for the series and decided against using them altogether. CineFrame recalls early FilmLook-style spasm-inducing frame-omission techniques when compared to the smoother Panasonic codec.

Now, with all that said, I would praise this camera for putting amazing resolving quality and quite accurate color rendition into a $6k camera that can be easily intercut with CineAlta 60i / 59.94 footage all day long. We had about a dozen units mixed with another six F900s and the Z1U was heavily relied on for its quick set-up time and flexibility.

You can see hours of broadcast footage from this camera starting October 19th on Discovery Channel and Discovery HDTheater on Driver X - Race for the Ride.

e
 
overlandfilms said:
Militia,

It strikes me as funny for you to say that it is remarkable for a $3k camera to be able to look like S16 - because that is about the going rate for a fully-kitted 16mm Arri S/B/M these days. Of course, you can't shoot sync sound with a 16S no matter what anyone will tell you!


e
Click to expand...

I'm talking about Aaton LTR's XTR's, and Arri SR2's & 3's equipped with Zeiss Primes. High quality lenses...Sometimes I'm fooled myself.

I know what your saying about the Iris lock, WB lock, Shutter Lock...I just wish there was just one simple button marked PRO :cheesy: that would turn all that crap off. Plus the layout of those buttons on the camera puts them in just about the worst spots they could be. Shooting dare I say the word "REALITY" where your run and gun handheld, those buttons get bumped accidentally and screw everything up.
 
How many times have I pushed the WB button instead of AUTO / MANUAL IRIS on the Z1U - about 50,000...

Yeah, I wish they'd put the IRIS button down next to the weird iris knob where it belongs and the WB button around the corner like the DVX.

I love the idea of a PRO button - hilarious.

e
 
Keppdog,

with a budget that low, I think you have no choice but to go for a used DVX with some extras. Cath is they're hard to find because people love that camera so much they don't want to sell it.

On the other hand, with the new version coming out now, they may be a lot of people trading up so might get lucky and find one at a good deal.
 
So what you guys are saying is the DVX 100 is the one I should get?

what is the 24p stuff you were talking about? Remember im a newbie in this stuff?

Has anyone used the new Sony HC1?

What type of mic. is on the Dvx100? Can it handle the extreme high db. levels or racing like NHRA Drag racing etc....???

Thanks for all your help so far, keep it coming.

Travis
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top