does anyone that owns this combination know if, when using the mrck1, the tape motor still runs if only recording to the CF?

the mrck1 manual says something about a REC/Stop sync without a tape inserted.....

When using the MRC1 only, the tape motor is not running.

Stelios

Set the EXT REC CTRL option on the Z5 to EXT ONLY (page 88 of your Z5 manual) and the tape drive is completely out of the picture. All IN/OUT video is via the MRC-1K. You don't even see a tape warning when no tape is loaded.

could I just ask a quick question about this memory card unit...

Does it create a new file every time you press stop? When I capture from tape I work best my scrubbing through 30 min chunks picking out what I want, I dont relish the idea of having hundreds of multiple files as I regularly start and stop recording.

Also I read something about the compact flash cards being FAT32 and having a 4gb (17min) limit... is this correct that a new file is created when it hits this time limit without a break?

Many thanks

Yes, it does record a new file for every start/stop of the button.

Like you, I prefer one big long chunk of rushes to scroll through - coming from a news background it's much quicker to zip through 30 mins of footage than fart about trying to rename the clips or just find the one you want.

On the other hand, in larger projects I suspect the discipline forced upon me by the "new clip" routine will be good for my soul...

PS Not sure about the 4GB 17 minute limit but I believe the cards are FAT32, yes.

Cheers
Dave

Yes, it starts a new file at about the 17-18 min mark but you can rejoin them seamlessly when you transfer using the Sony Utility that comes with the unit.

Adam,

thanks for your answer, apologies for the multiple post.

As I am not so keen on having 100 5-10 second clips to scan through, but rather one long clip, is it therefore possible to stitch clips together that aren't the ones that reach the 4gb limit?

No, the utility doesn't do this, because even though the timecode might be continuous if you are using REC RUN TC, the date and time data isn't. And if you use FREE RUN TC, as I do, then the TC data isn't continuous either.

Most people find it easier to go through individual clips, I think. I suppose you could place them all on a timeline and render out as one long clip, but then of course you'd probably suffer some generational loss, unless you transcode to something like Cineform first.

As I am not so keen on having 100 5-10 second clips to scan through, but rather one long clip, is it therefore possible to stitch clips together that aren't the ones that reach the 4gb limit?
David, I'm not sure how literal your example is but at least the MRC-1 will give you useable 5 sec clips. Even with DV tape I wonder how much of your taped 5 sec was usable. My newsy days ended with Beta-SP which needed at least 7 secs tape to give the editor enough to properly stabilise.

And of course you'll need a 32Gb CF card to fit in even 100 5 sec files!