When should the drop frame setting be on or off?

George,

I've found this site to be helpful in explaining drop vs. non-drop.

http://www.csif.org/html/dropframe.html

Thanks for posting the link.

You should edit in drop frame when your production must fit into an exact running time, for example if you're making anything destined for broadcast. It's not technically necessary, since master control at a TV station can deal with either, but if you edit non-drop you will have to be aware of how your production timecode translates into actual running time. For example, an hour long television show edited in non-drop will have to end at 00:59:56.12 instead of 01:00:00.00.

Technically you don't have to shoot in drop frame, just edit, but I've heard some NLEs don't like mixing drop and non-drop, so if your production is going to be edited in drop you should probably shoot drop just in case. Drop frame is only actually useful for shooting when you are using free running time of day as your timecode. If you don't use drop frame there your timecode will gradually drift away from the actual time of day.

any 24fps mode will set the camera to non drop frame FWIW. in 30/60 modes its good for wall clock accurate time, that 1hr of TC = 1hr of real time. used to be some NLE's and edit controllers would barf, but not anymore. basically if I am in 60i or 30p I shoot drop frame because thats what people expect, and in 24 its non drop because there ins't a choice... not that you would want to make it because it would mess up everything in post.

Steve Oakley