Which camera for 7 hours continuous recording?

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Ken1212

Well-known member
I have a request to videotape a lab test that runs for 7 continuous hours. The client is on a budget and I am trying to quote for only raw footage and no post production. The question is which camera can record 7 hours continuously with .mov format so he can playback without post processing. I currently use a Panasonic HMC80 that produces .mts files which is not going to work, my dslr's stop at 20 minutes. I was looking at the gh3/4, would they be a good option this is only for 720p. But then how about continuous power for gh3/4 is it possible, will I encounter overheating problems. Any video camera suggestions. Again the client needs the test footage uninterrupted and I don't want to take it to post just copy the file and give it to him, that's why the camera needs to record .mov. Any suggestions?
 
Evey single camera available will break up even .mov into ~4GB blocks. Use your '80 and throw the continuous AVCHD onto one timeline, export as MOV (with time code burn in if that helps his case).
 
An Odyssey7 can record 11 hours continuously of 24p HD Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) to a single 1TB SSD. The Odyssey7Q+ has two SSD slots so can record 22 hours continuously. While the files are in fact separate 4GB FAT32, we offer a free utility for offloading the files that will seamlessly merge them into the single continuous files automatically.

Rent an Odyssey and plug in your camera.
 
Thanks guys. The issue at hand he is on budget but needs the test done on 6 different devices on the same date with six cameras running simultaneously and repeat test for 3 days on fixed shots.
Based on that we get 7 hrs a day x 6 cameras x 3 days = 126 hrs. of video. If I have to process and export all of that, it's going to double the quote. Right now I am looking at $8000 for videography, transfer of raw footage to an external hard drive, pay for equipment rental, an assistant and still keep a decent income (if anyone would like to jump in and reflect on the quote you are welcome to do that). Hence I said he is on a budget but as always they never disclose the budget. I thought if I can record .mov files then he can playback without any need to do post processing. I thought the gh4 would be a good option but didn't realize all cameras have the 4gb limit issues and not sure how I would do continuous power.

So in other words I need a camera that can record .mov and has no gb file limit, and has continuous power. Again this is to keep the quote reasonable and avoid post production.
 
I haven't shot prores before, I would think prores should play fine on pc using quick time, correct? Meanwhile what is the name of the software you are referring to, can you provide me a link, where can I rent six of those. Now I need to figure out which cameras to rent. Might have to consider only cameras with SDI as I do read a review on bnh for the Odyssey 7 " The HDMI input is way too sensitive. If I just bump the cable I lose picture. I'm always having to re-insert it to get the image back. I don't have this problem with other monitors. "

 
What level of quality does this have to be? I would think that you might be able to do this using a security camera set up and one of the multiple camera recording units available. Just a thought but you might be able to rent one.
 
BrianMurphy said:
What level of quality does this have to be? I would think that you might be able to do this using a security camera set up and one of the multiple camera recording units available. Just a thought but you might be able to rent one.
Click to expand...

Yeah, what resolution and frame rate are needed? Depending on what the client is trying to record, they may be happy with relatively low res and fps, meaning you can fit much longer footage on a memory card. And equally, if they insist on HD at 60fps, you need to know that asap :)
 
There used to be a program included in (I think) Adobe Creative Suite that allowed you to record directly to a laptop. I don't remember the name. Other software does the same. That might be one solution. But you would have to get the signal into the laptop. Anyway, just a thought.
 
Ken1212 said:
I haven't shot prores before, I would think prores should play fine on pc using quick time, correct? Meanwhile what is the name of the software you are referring to, can you provide me a link, where can I rent six of those. Now I need to figure out which cameras to rent. Might have to consider only cameras with SDI as I do read a review on bnh for the Odyssey 7 " The HDMI input is way too sensitive. If I just bump the cable I lose picture. I'm always having to re-insert it to get the image back. I don't have this problem with other monitors. "
Click to expand...
The program is CD Apple ProRes Transfer Tool, which is a free download on the Convergent Design website.
http://www.convergent-design.com/support/firmware-downloads/software-utilities.html

You can feed your 720p signal via either SDI or HDMI to an Odyssey.
 
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