Homemade Digibeta Direct-to-disk Camera at DVinfo.net

Forrest Schultz · March 2nd, 2006, 04:18 PM

Can anyone identify the parts of this camera, click on the link and scroll to the bottom, and look at the camera at the right that says Homemade Digibeta direct to disk. there is a picture of it

http://www.pixelmonger.com/hg_cam.html

I am amazed but i cannot find any more information about this camera, except for this link which shows his tests shots of an xl-1 compared to the bottom screen grab

http://pixelmonger.com/graphicref194

The picture at the bottom is a grab from his homedmade digitbeta camera. Amazing. here is a link to the original thread this link was included in.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=26686

i was hoping someone had more knowledge of it or can identify the parts he used in making it, and can identify the items in the picture, minus the lens. on the page with the pic of the camera it says, read sept DV mag articile for more information. but i do not know of what Sept DV mag they are talking about. Thanks

Meryem Ersoz · March 2nd, 2006, 04:32 PM

scott billups talks more extensively about building and using this camera in his book, "digital moviemaking"--it's pretty good, worth a look.

Forrest Schultz · March 2nd, 2006, 05:38 PM

thank you, i just ordered it now.

Forrest Schultz · March 3rd, 2006, 08:36 PM

Does anyone else know anything about this camera. the test grabs look really sweet.

Forrest Schultz · March 6th, 2006, 11:56 PM

Meryem, could you tell me where in the book i can find info about it. i only have the first edition. and i cannot find much about it,except in the intro. but not even a sentance. did i need to get the second edition? thank you very much

Meryem Ersoz · March 7th, 2006, 11:40 AM

oops, forrest, i'm really sorry. i did read about this, but it wasn't in the book (although he alludes to this camera in the book). it's a good book, though, even if the 1st edition (i have the 2nd) is probably a bit dated.

dv.com is the magazine billups refers to, and here is a link to the article where he talks about his homemade camera:

http://dv.com/news/news_item.jhtml?L...03/billups0903

you need to register at the dv.com site to access it. and the title, which gives nothing away, is "Re-creating Krakatoa and Avoiding Self-Inflicted Wounds"

sorry for the confusion of my brain. i hope it wasn't a total waste of $$....

Craig Bellaire · March 8th, 2006, 03:26 PM

Ok, As me and the Boss talk about maybe making a d-beta, is it really worth the extra effert if all your gonna do it burn to a dvd anyway? We already have 2 XL-2's and a real mini35, so is going the extra mile for the 4:2:2 and compress to the 4:2:0, 6 megabit MPG2 dvd really gonna matter?

I don't think so? What do you think?

Mike Oveson · March 8th, 2006, 03:31 PM

If you've got 2 XL-2s and a real mini35 I wouldn't bother at all. You've already got great resolution in the progressive imaging of the XL-2, and with a mini35 you've got great options in terms of depth of field. While the idea of making your own HD cam this way is interesting I don't know that it's very practical.

Ben Winter · March 8th, 2006, 04:47 PM

Quote:

so is going the extra mile for the 4:2:2 and compress to the 4:2:0, 6 megabit MPG2 dvd really gonna matter?

Is it worth it to shoot in HDV if you're just going to downres to SD? Of course it is, it's "big fish in the small pond" picture quality argument, and it works.

Craig Bellaire · March 8th, 2006, 05:57 PM

Digibeta-isn't High Def... BUT... It's the best of Standard def, equal to DVCPRO-50. And HDV buy the way doesn't have the color of 4:2:2 either unless it's the Panasonic DVCPRO-hdv 100 megabit. As far as the math goes... HDV is compressed 3 times as much as standard DV and holds 3 times more info on a inferior compression scheme... Again unless your talking about the DVCPRO-hdv 100 megabit....

Anyway just thought I would clarify about this format being standard def and not High Def....

Jason Varner · March 11th, 2006, 03:36 AM

It looks like a sony dxc-d30-50 series mated to an adapter that outputs the component signal to a sdi converter box. It's not really all that special. You could put a dvcam or beta back on the same head and achieve comparable results without the tether. Those dxc series cameras have about a megapixel per chip vs the xl1s's 270k. There's a reason it was compared to an xl1 and not beta or dvcam and it was that the difference would be more noticeable. I'm sure that direct to disc offers some advantage but at what cost? This guy has to run around with a computer and a raid capable of 270mbps at least equal in price to a dsr-1 or beta back. Don't be decieved because it's looks homemade, that's 40,000 worth of equipment including the lens, not even factoring the time spent in R&D. These dudes, and I salute them, will be the first to tell you that something like this isn't cheap. They do it TO do it, just to create something unique and see a vision fulfilled. If I built a bichin' DIY camera Believe that I'd be braggin' about it too, but if you want a good looking camera on the cheap buy yourself an XL2 and actually go out and shoot something instead of spending a year building it.

March 2nd, 2006, 04:18 PM	#1
Forrest Schultz Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Atwater, CA Posts: 246	Homemade Digibeta Direct-to-disk Camera Can anyone identify the parts of this camera, click on the link and scroll to the bottom, and look at the camera at the right that says Homemade Digibeta direct to disk. there is a picture of it http://www.pixelmonger.com/hg_cam.html I am amazed but i cannot find any more information about this camera, except for this link which shows his tests shots of an xl-1 compared to the bottom screen grab http://pixelmonger.com/graphicref194 The picture at the bottom is a grab from his homedmade digitbeta camera. Amazing. here is a link to the original thread this link was included in. http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=26686 i was hoping someone had more knowledge of it or can identify the parts he used in making it, and can identify the items in the picture, minus the lens. on the page with the pic of the camera it says, read sept DV mag articile for more information. but i do not know of what Sept DV mag they are talking about. Thanks

March 8th, 2006, 03:26 PM	#7
Craig Bellaire Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 422	Is it worth it for DVD's Ok, As me and the Boss talk about maybe making a d-beta, is it really worth the extra effert if all your gonna do it burn to a dvd anyway? We already have 2 XL-2's and a real mini35, so is going the extra mile for the 4:2:2 and compress to the 4:2:0, 6 megabit MPG2 dvd really gonna matter? I don't think so? What do you think? __________________ Craig Bellaire www.VerticalVideoSolutions.com

March 8th, 2006, 05:57 PM	#10
Craig Bellaire Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 422	Digibeta-isn't High Def Digibeta-isn't High Def... BUT... It's the best of Standard def, equal to DVCPRO-50. And HDV buy the way doesn't have the color of 4:2:2 either unless it's the Panasonic DVCPRO-hdv 100 megabit. As far as the math goes... HDV is compressed 3 times as much as standard DV and holds 3 times more info on a inferior compression scheme... Again unless your talking about the DVCPRO-hdv 100 megabit.... Anyway just thought I would clarify about this format being standard def and not High Def.... __________________ Craig Bellaire www.VerticalVideoSolutions.com

March 2nd, 2006, 04:32 PM	#2
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	scott billups talks more extensively about building and using this camera in his book, "digital moviemaking"--it's pretty good, worth a look.

March 2nd, 2006, 05:38 PM	#3
Forrest Schultz Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Atwater, CA Posts: 246	thank you, i just ordered it now.

March 3rd, 2006, 08:36 PM	#4
Forrest Schultz Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Atwater, CA Posts: 246	Does anyone else know anything about this camera. the test grabs look really sweet.

March 6th, 2006, 11:56 PM	#5
Forrest Schultz Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Atwater, CA Posts: 246	Meryem, could you tell me where in the book i can find info about it. i only have the first edition. and i cannot find much about it,except in the intro. but not even a sentance. did i need to get the second edition? thank you very much

March 7th, 2006, 11:40 AM	#6
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	oops, forrest, i'm really sorry. i did read about this, but it wasn't in the book (although he alludes to this camera in the book). it's a good book, though, even if the 1st edition (i have the 2nd) is probably a bit dated. dv.com is the magazine billups refers to, and here is a link to the article where he talks about his homemade camera: http://dv.com/news/news_item.jhtml?L...03/billups0903 you need to register at the dv.com site to access it. and the title, which gives nothing away, is "Re-creating Krakatoa and Avoiding Self-Inflicted Wounds" sorry for the confusion of my brain. i hope it wasn't a total waste of $$....

March 8th, 2006, 03:31 PM	#8
Mike Oveson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ogden, UT Posts: 349	If you've got 2 XL-2s and a real mini35 I wouldn't bother at all. You've already got great resolution in the progressive imaging of the XL-2, and with a mini35 you've got great options in terms of depth of field. While the idea of making your own HD cam this way is interesting I don't know that it's very practical.

March 11th, 2006, 03:36 AM	#11
Jason Varner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 119	It looks like a sony dxc-d30-50 series mated to an adapter that outputs the component signal to a sdi converter box. It's not really all that special. You could put a dvcam or beta back on the same head and achieve comparable results without the tether. Those dxc series cameras have about a megapixel per chip vs the xl1s's 270k. There's a reason it was compared to an xl1 and not beta or dvcam and it was that the difference would be more noticeable. I'm sure that direct to disc offers some advantage but at what cost? This guy has to run around with a computer and a raid capable of 270mbps at least equal in price to a dsr-1 or beta back. Don't be decieved because it's looks homemade, that's 40,000 worth of equipment including the lens, not even factoring the time spent in R&D. These dudes, and I salute them, will be the first to tell you that something like this isn't cheap. They do it TO do it, just to create something unique and see a vision fulfilled. If I built a bichin' DIY camera Believe that I'd be braggin' about it too, but if you want a good looking camera on the cheap buy yourself an XL2 and actually go out and shoot something instead of spending a year building it.