I would like to know which frame rate I should use for wildlife filming, 60i, 30P or 24P?

And also what is the difference between 60i and 30P?

Thanks,

CJ

Having read various posts on this subject, I've come to the conclusion it is largely personal preference. I use 25p (PAL). Yesterday I happened across some video I did with the same camera in 50i when I first got it, and now I'm definitely sticking with 25p. All I shoot is wildlife.

I would like to know which frame rate I should use for wildlife filming, 60i, 30P or 24P?

And also what is the difference between 60i and 30P?

Thanks,

CJ

What is your intended audience? Just shooting for yourself? Shooting for broadcast? Shooting for the web?

Shooting interlaced with earn you a full stop of brightness on most cameras. However, if you intend to deliver on the web, then you'll need to deinterlace in post. And while that can look very good, it's still not the same as shooting it progressive in the first place.

If you will ever need to convert that video to play somewhere other than the US, then going with 24p makes a lot of sense. 60i can convert over fairly easily as well, but 30p really limits where you can go with the video. It's ugly in trying to prepare 30p to go to 24p for film, and it's ugly trying to covert it for PAL.

The only time I shoot 30p is when I KNOW FOR CERTAIN that it will only be for my personal use.

60i
ability to slow it down in post.

60i
ability to slow it down in post.

How do I slow 60i down in post???

I use Adobe Premiere elements 7.

Thanks,

CJ

Having read various posts on this subject, I've come to the conclusion it is largely personal preference. I use 25p (PAL). Yesterday I happened across some video I did with the same camera in 50i when I first got it, and now I'm definitely sticking with 25p. All I shoot is wildlife.

I'm interested to know why you find Pal 25p better than 50i for wildlife? What is your end product, and is the footage for broadcast/DVD sales etc or just for web/personal use? (For the record, I always use 50 interlaced for wildlife and all other subjects).

Tony

I was disappointed with the interlacing artifacts apearing, especially with birds in flight, on my old Canon XM2 (GL2) and then on my Canon XH-A1. Someone on this site suggested trying progressive mode. I was happy with the results of this, and so stuck with it. The other day I was looking for a particular film clip, and came across a couple of unlabelled files on my hard drive so I checked them out. They were from the first two tapes with the XH-A1 and they showed the artifacts.

I shoot primarily for myself, and have shared a few things over the internet. I'd like to put together some longer pieces for DVD distribution when I can find time. So I haven't got anyone saying that I need to use particular settings.

My Sony HVR-A1 only shoots interlaced. I see things there that I don't like. However, the camera does some things the Canon doesn't, like shooting infra-red and working with the Trailmaster motion detector. It is also small enough to use in some situations where the bulk of the Canon makes things awkward. And as Premier elements 7 will import the footage into a 1080p project, I can't see any reason for discarding it.

If there is one thing that I've seen confirmed on these fora, it's that if there isn't anyone else pulling the strings, there are no definitive "right" ways of doing things. A lot of it comes down to trying out various techniques, if they work for you - great, if not - try something else. And it's great to be able to exchange and discuss ideas and techniques with others, too.

So, why do you always use 50i?

I've always found the best results for slow motion to increase the shutter speed to over 1/120 depending on light in 50i. 25p looks slightly stuttery in slow motion in my opinion.

As Perrone said what is your subject and desired output? Depending on content and project I change between 50i and 25p and they both can look great as long as shot correctly.

I haven't tried any slow motion yet, but I've made notes of what people have recommended, so I can try them all at some time.

What is the difference between 60i and 30P?

Is 60i interlaced and 30P progressive, if so what is the difference?

Thanks,

CJ

60 i takes basically 60 half frames a second and then weaves them or interlaces them together.
30P takes 30 full progressive frames a second.

I believe that you loose about 20% resolution when shooting in progressive or frame mode on the canon

Why do you lose about 20% resolution when shooting in progressive or frame mode on the Canon?

I believe due to the fact that it is an interlaced chip, when it captures a whole frame it is unable to capture at full resolution (due to normally capturing two 50% frames and interlacing them together in interlaced mode). This isn't as big a deal as it sounds though due to the canon chip great resolution.... Then when you stick it through HDV compression and then stick it on the web or DVD (which is pretty standard I would think for most people)...that is probably the least of your worries.

J