Which Timecode gear to invest into?

Run&Gun said:
I don't understand why timecode features and clocks are so bad on so many of the Cine cams.
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A stable reference clock is tricky business. A simple crystal oscillator's frequency changes with temperature. So the heat and cool of the day along with turning the camera on and off change the reference frequency. Designing a very good reference clock requires an engineer that specializes in that subject. The average engineer does not have the skills (nor time) to do a good job and just copies the reference design from the crystal vendor and hopes for the best.

For a really accurate reference, the oscillator needs stable temperature, which is done by putting it in a tiny temperature controlled oven. That takes battery power. I expect most cameras do not have temperature controlled oscillators and therefore, have to do the best they can with a simple crystal reference.
 
Paul F said:
A stable reference clock is tricky business. A simple crystal oscillator's frequency changes with temperature. So the heat and cool of the day along with turning the camera on and off change the reference frequency. Designing a very good reference clock requires an engineer that specializes in that subject. The average engineer does not have the skills (nor time) to do a good job and just copies the reference design from the crystal vendor and hopes for the best.

For a really accurate reference, the oscillator needs stable temperature, which is done by putting it in a tiny temperature controlled oven. That takes battery power. I expect most cameras do not have temperature controlled oscillators and therefore, have to do the best they can with a simple crystal reference.
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But my point was/is: we had/have (relatively) stable/accurate TC clocks in our cameras in the past(i.e: ENG Cameras), at least compared to what is available in a lot of the cine cameras, now. And the engineering ability is obviously there and widespread, as evidenced by the influx of tiny, inexpensive TC boxes now available. The Tentacles are minuscule, weigh nothing, the internal battery goes for 40hrs and drift is less than one frame/24hrs(manufacturer spec).

So regarding the newer cine cameras: was it just TC being overlooked; sacrificed for economic reasons(would have added too much to the camera price to have a reliable clock); deemed "not as important" as it was in the past; train of thought being "they'll be using ext TC boxes"; "they'll never need to daisy chain cameras for TC"(why we only have a single port that acts as either IN or OUT only)?

Maybe I'm just nit-picking too much, because back in the day TC was a huge deal(maybe made to be a little too much so) and if it wasn't right, that was your @$$. I was on a two-cam shoot early in my career for a network(not my gear, I was just shooting) and one of the guys cams had been out on a rental. One of the cameras was in DF and the other NDF(Betacam days). You would have thought the world was gonna end when they went to cut the interview. They didn't threaten to "fire" him, but the conversation he had to have was not very pleasant.
 
It's like cars. How is it possible that we still have recalls on a product that was invented 100 years ago, like a door latch (mine was recalled)? Management changes, engineers change, processes change, materials change, new ideas are used to lower cost and something goes wrong.
 
IronFilm said:
https://www.trewaudio.com/product/tentacle-ts2/
https://www.trewaudio.com/product/tentacle-ts1/

Ah! Thanks.

I sent an email to B&H to see if they'll price match with them....
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Your call, but why not buy from Trew (or another specialized location-audio dealer)? They offer good prices, good pre- and post-sales advice and support, can build you custom cables when you need to attach your Tentacle to some oddball connector, treat their employees well....

Same with some other dealers, some of whom have reps hanging out on dvxuser...
 
It just works out much better for me when ordering from overseas and ordering a bunch of other things in the order too to get it all from B&H at once.
 
Run&Gun said:
But my point was/is: we had/have (relatively) stable/accurate TC clocks in our cameras in the past.
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What get me more is that my iphone even knows when the time goes from winter to summer yet my FS7, well, I have to think about my FS7s time management.

I have to think about it. In 2017, unnaceptable.
 
Jim Feeley said:
Ah Overseas... Sorry I missed that (even though it's right there under your name).
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All good! It is strangely easy to miss.

I'm envious of the americans and how easily they can buy gear!!

Personally I just find the really big shops (B&H/Adorama/Amazon) are just set up a bit better for the little quirks of overseas delivery that I want, probably because they do such a high volume of sales.

Plus if I need to do a few small camera thingies ordered it is then waaaay better to bundle it up in one order from one store for everything including sound rather than shipping costs from seperate stores.

I'm sure if I lived in the USA I'd place orders with the small local specialist sound stores more often.
 
A few years back I acted as the middleman for a friend down your way. He bought something and had it shipped to me and I shipped it to him. Kind of convoluted but it was the only reasonable way to get it done.
 
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