Capture Issues

[Lucinda Luvaas]

I read somewhere that you can capture using a different cam, a less expensive cam, in order to preserve the heads on the XL2. I've been doing this, using a less expensive Canon actually. But, today I learned that if I do this I will loose resolution while capturing and that I should only use the XL2. I thought that if the tape was shot with the XL2 that the res wouldn't change even if I captured with another cam....is this a dumb question? I don't know, but I need to know if what I'm doing is a mistake. Right now, I'm going to capture with the XL2 and compare the quality of the capture with previous clips. The previous clips, those captured with the ZR40 look really good and much better than clips captured while shooting with the same model. Any advice would be much appreciated.

On another issue, the wavy footage I got that seemed like heat waves was the ND filter because when I stopped using it during early morn very bright shoots, it no longer was there.

[Greg Boston]

Lucinda,

You can continue capturing with the ZR40. There will be no resolution loss.

=gb=

[Lucinda Luvaas]

Thanks Greg! I didn't think so and I just captured with the XL2 and I see no difference between the quality of either.

[A. J. deLange]

This is the beauty of digital. If a second camera can play it back at all what you get out will be exactly the same as what you would get if you played it back on the camera you shot it with and I do mean exactly - each one and zero will be the same. If the second camera cannot play it back (and this sometimes happens especially with XL series according to posts here) you will know that it can't. Either total garbage or lots of what look like sections of patchwork quilt appear in the picture (dropouts).

[Kalil Jalili]

What if its shot in different frame rates or shooting formats, and the other camera doesn't support that, then what?

And if its that easy why people pay $2000 on a deck?

Thank you!

[A. J. deLange]

If it's DV it's DV and SHOULD play in any DV transport. In other words a cheap camera that doesn't record 30p or 24p will still play back 30p or 24p DV tapes shot in a camera which does because what goes on a DV tape is 60i irrespective of whether the recording camera was set for 30p or 24p. But one of the features of a deck is that it is more robust with respect to the crossplay issue I mentioned in my previous post (i.e. tape recorded in a Canon camera may not play back error free in a Sony transport). Also decks can often do NTSC and PAL, can be genlocked, read and emit timecode, are capable of remote control over various interfaces, will accept casette sizes other than mini, have a variety of input and outputs and will take more abuse (the starting, stopping, rewinding etc while searching for particular timecodes) than the prosumer cameras.

[Lucinda Luvaas]

Thanks to all for your help! I thought that this was the case with digital transfer and was terrified that the film I'm making might have to be redone, reshot which would be a real pain. I'm delighted to see however that the XL2 works just fine for capture with my computers because I've seen on this forum that some people have had compatibility issues.

[Greg Boston]

Originally Posted by A. J. deLange

If it's DV it's DV and SHOULD play in any DV transport. In other words a cheap camera that doesn't record 30p or 24p will still play back 30p or 24p DV tapes shot in a camera which does because what goes on a DV tape is 60i irrespective of whether the recording camera was set for 30p or 24p. But one of the features of a deck is that it is more robust with respect to the crossplay issue I mentioned in my previous post (i.e. tape recorded in a Canon camera may not play back error free in a Sony transport). Also decks can often do NTSC and PAL, can be genlocked, read and emit timecode, are capable of remote control over various interfaces, will accept casette sizes other than mini, have a variety of input and outputs and will take more abuse (the starting, stopping, rewinding etc while searching for particular timecodes) than the prosumer cameras.

In addition to all the reasons A. J. listed, the decks can switch direction much faster when you are scrubbing through the tapes lookihg for clips. You'll notice your camera has a slight delay while changing direction.

=gb=