What kind of camcorders might give footage that looks the same as the 24p 1920x1080 f

oxband

Well-known member
I'm making a film that is a long interview with one subject ala Errol Morris' "First Person" series. i want several cameras on the person at once. My main camera is the HMC-150 but I'd like to set up two small camcorders to also record at the same time. I'll be shooting in 1920x1080 24fps. If I want my footage to match, do i need to use a Panasonic camcorder? Similarly, if i shoot in anything other than 24fps, will it look weird when I try to edit it in 24fps? I know it's possible to do that but that doesnt mean it looks good....
 
Definitely try to stay in the same framerate, regardless of the "B" and "C" cameras you ultimately decide on. Even the most novice viewer will be able to see the difference in the footage between 24P & 30P, and especially between 24P and 60P... VERY different "feel" to the footage.

Beyond the framerate, most cameras can come close to eachother if you set them for a pretty neutral/flat look, and then color correct in post. I use the Cine "D" preset (default Profile #6 on the HMC150) when planning on matching different cameras.

The HMC40 matches the HMC150's look & feel pretty well in-camera if you have the budget for one or two of them (pretty affordable as used gear!), and if you have the lights to back them up as well -the HMC40 is not great sensitivity-wise in anything but really good amounts of light! The HMC40 does native 1080/24p in the same codec and bitrate as the HMC150, so it's a great companion cam!

Not sure what else can get you there on a budget other than maybe a few SLRs (Canon's entry level video SLR does 1080/24, I believe), but that's a whole other bag of trouble (split system audio and audio sync, short recording times/frequent footage gaps for longer interviews, etc).

Maybe you could rent additional HMC150s for the day of the shoot?

I'm curious to see what others will suggest... Good luck!
 
Your text is almost the same color as the background. Hard to read.


I agree. Try to keep to the same frame rate if at all possible.

What cameras were you thinking for the secondary cameras? Are you grading in post or are you trying to nail the look in camera? Are they all HD? Same chip size? CMOS or CCD? What scene file settings are you using for your HMC?

Without knowing what your options are for secondaries, it is hard to give advice on matching looks. Play with saturation so they match as close as possible. Less is more when it comes to saturation. You can easily boost it in post. Try to find a preset that is close to your HMC150, etc. Try for cameras that have manual settings.

One noticible factor could be sharpness and edge enhancement depending on what the cams are.

I borrowed one of those 1/4" 3mos panasonic consumer cams for a shoot last year that shot 1080 60P. (Same chip as the HMC40 I think) and it looked reasonable. I had to drop down the saturation and sharpness though to match. I can't remember if they do 24p or not. I was shooting 30P on the HMC150 and 60P on the little camera, then editied on a 30P timeline so it all worked out. 60P down to 24P might not look so hot.

Whatever you do.. test footage first!
 
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I contacted a video rental place in the country I'll be shooting, and they have the HMC-154, the PAL version of the camera? Will that footage look the same as footage from a HMC-150? Can I edit it in the same sequence in FCP?
 
That version is PAL only and shoots 25P and 50P. If you can get the HMC-151 (NTSC/PAL) version, that would be much easier for you as you could then shoot 24P. If you are in Europe, someone should have the HMC-151.

You can convert 25P to 24P by slowing the footage down to 24P but probably not the best option.
 
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