FS4 / FS4 Pro HD various topics

Karl Heiner · October 13th, 2007, 01:51 PM

help....

when i start up my fs-4 the screen is blue only....looked at the website but can't find (or overlook?) a re-set option.

what can be done....help please....

Phil Bloom · November 10th, 2007, 04:31 AM

I am going to be using in the a DSR 450 and was wondering if all the negative comments in the past have been addressed

David W. Jones · November 10th, 2007, 07:46 AM

We had to send our units back for mods, as there was an issue using them with the DSR series. A shielding issue where a high pitch wine from the HD was recorded in the audio track. We have also had other issues as well.
Just make sure you shoot to a DVCam tape as a backup.

All the best!

Phil Bloom · November 10th, 2007, 08:38 AM

what mods were done?

David W. Jones · November 10th, 2007, 11:41 AM

I'm guessing some additional shielding.
All I know is after we got the units back, the audio problem stopped.

Another issue using them with the DSR series, is sometimes the 1/2 indicator in the viewfinder, which shows the camera and HD are recording at the same time, will indicate that both are recording fine, while in fact the HD has locked up.

Sean Reilly · November 15th, 2007, 04:40 AM

Got a Silver FS-4 which the DC input has gone faulty and needs to be replaced as the battery won`t charge, anyone got any idea as to what the part number is or where I can source one, as Focus want me to send the whole unit for repair at major cost. I`ve just done this with a HP laptop and have upgraded in the past the FS-4 from 40 gig to 80 gig so I`m not affaid to get my hands dirty. Also Im in the UK, so a supplier in England would be great.

Cheers Sean.

Andrew M Astbury · November 19th, 2007, 12:49 PM

When recording time lapse with the FS4 and my XL2 do I need to press the record button on the FS4 front panel instead of using the camera record button as I do for continuous footage?

If so do I have to switch the FS4 control menu option to local, or can I keep it at Tapeless, as I do for continuous footage.

If anyone does timelapse on an XL2 with the FS4Pro your full settings would get this poor geezer out of a lot of trouble!

Many thanks

Andy

Ian Planchon · November 19th, 2007, 04:52 PM

I use JVC with the DR-HD100. but its all the same as far as the basics go (obviously the communication with the cameras is a little different). I would assume that the FS-4 will allow you to just hit the record button on the camera in order to start a timelapse. thats what mine does. but if you want to make sure, its not much harder to just hit the front panel controls. just make sure its recording and that your camera is plugged in to it and you should be fine.

Nathan Quattrini · November 20th, 2007, 02:07 PM

see if your camera has "dv control" in its menu options, if so enable it and your good to go.

Andrew M Astbury · November 21st, 2007, 02:34 AM

Thanks guys but I tried this the other day and the timelapse failed to be captured.

The XL2 is set for dv control always, and the tape backup recorded the scene in normal time fine but the FS4 didn't record a single frame - I had set it to record 1 frame every second to get a x25 cloudscape.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the FS4 rec button had to be pressed to do timelapse, but I can't find where I read it!!

Nathan Quattrini · November 21st, 2007, 02:33 PM

i use it with a canon h1 and it does timelapse fine by pushing record on the camera. Make sure your settings on both are the same. For example, if i leave my H1 in HDV mode it can`t record timelapse because thats SD only. I know your cam isn`t HDV, but check similar settings and make sure you`ve activated timelapsing and tapeless recording

Ian Planchon · November 21st, 2007, 03:18 PM

were you able to put the real time footage all on one tape then? if so (and if it is anything like the DR HD100) hook up the FS 4 to your camera, put it in local mode, put the camera in VTR mode and play the tape, meanwhile capturing with the hard drive in time lapse mode.

essentially you are just doing it all over again, but if you screw up, you can just re-rack the tape and try it again until you get it right.

Andrew M Astbury · November 23rd, 2007, 03:12 AM

Yes Ian I did capture it all!

I've found out why it didn't record the timelapse footage in the first place - suffice to say you are reading a reply typed by a plonker who didn't read the manual properly...................doh!.........lol!

I would have 'cocked' the shot up anyway as I'd guestimated the framerate at 1 frame every second, which in my crazy brain would equate to x25 normal speed (I'm PAL) - playing around in PremProCS3 Speed control and uping to 1000% (x10) looked just right for what I was after..........doh again!

Only just bought the FS4 and it's the time-lapse facility I've bought it for - so I need to get framerates sorted in my head. I know that most of my finished sliptime clips will be around 30 seconds in duration, at 25fps out of the NLE that would be 750 frames. Here's where I start to come unstuck:

If I need to film a process that's 10 hours in duration then that would equate to 25x60x60x10 ie 90,000 frames in realtime. Or if you like, 10 hours is 36,000 seconds, so cramming that into 30 seconds, or packing 90,000 frames into 750 frames gives me a required speed increase of x1200.

Now my pathetic maths tells me that if I set the FS4 to record 1 frame every 48 seconds, after 10 hours I'll end up with my required 750 frames.

Or have I gone completely mad?........Arrrggghhhhhhhhh!!!

There's got to be a simple way of working this out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ian Planchon · November 23rd, 2007, 09:24 AM

you lost me when you said math....

I suck at that.

sorry I cant help with that angle. good luck with figuring it out though. hope it works out well.

Andrew M Astbury · November 23rd, 2007, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Planchon

you lost me when you said math....

I suck at that.

sorry I cant help with that angle. good luck with figuring it out though. hope it works out well.

Well Ian - you've lost me now!

When you shoot a timelapse how do YOU personally decided what fps you are going to use then - surely the rate has to fit the job at hand - shooting timelapse on a city street might be okay at x10 normal speed, but say a 20 hour shoot of flowers blooming would require a massively different fps, as at x10 speed it would still take 2 hours to view in real time.

October 13th, 2007, 01:51 PM	#331
Karl Heiner Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: california Posts: 342	help firestore fs-4 help.... when i start up my fs-4 the screen is blue only....looked at the website but can't find (or overlook?) a re-set option. what can be done....help please....

November 10th, 2007, 04:31 AM	#332
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	How reliable is the FS4 Pro these days? I am going to be using in the a DSR 450 and was wondering if all the negative comments in the past have been addressed __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net

November 10th, 2007, 08:38 AM	#334
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	what mods were done? __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net

November 15th, 2007, 04:40 AM	#336
Sean Reilly Tourist Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3	DC Input replacement Got a Silver FS-4 which the DC input has gone faulty and needs to be replaced as the battery won`t charge, anyone got any idea as to what the part number is or where I can source one, as Focus want me to send the whole unit for repair at major cost. I`ve just done this with a HP laptop and have upgraded in the past the FS-4 from 40 gig to 80 gig so I`m not affaid to get my hands dirty. Also Im in the UK, so a supplier in England would be great. Cheers Sean.

November 19th, 2007, 12:49 PM	#337
Andrew M Astbury Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Crewe United Kingdom Posts: 43	Timelapse with XL2 + FS-4Pro60HD When recording time lapse with the FS4 and my XL2 do I need to press the record button on the FS4 front panel instead of using the camera record button as I do for continuous footage? If so do I have to switch the FS4 control menu option to local, or can I keep it at Tapeless, as I do for continuous footage. If anyone does timelapse on an XL2 with the FS4Pro your full settings would get this poor geezer out of a lot of trouble! Many thanks Andy __________________ www.wildlifeinpixels.com

November 10th, 2007, 07:46 AM	#333
David W. Jones Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Little Rock Posts: 1,383	We had to send our units back for mods, as there was an issue using them with the DSR series. A shielding issue where a high pitch wine from the HD was recorded in the audio track. We have also had other issues as well. Just make sure you shoot to a DVCam tape as a backup. All the best!

November 10th, 2007, 11:41 AM	#335
David W. Jones Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Little Rock Posts: 1,383	I'm guessing some additional shielding. All I know is after we got the units back, the audio problem stopped. Another issue using them with the DSR series, is sometimes the 1/2 indicator in the viewfinder, which shows the camera and HD are recording at the same time, will indicate that both are recording fine, while in fact the HD has locked up.

November 19th, 2007, 04:52 PM	#338
Ian Planchon Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: an Alaskan living in Des Moines, Iowa Posts: 513	I use JVC with the DR-HD100. but its all the same as far as the basics go (obviously the communication with the cameras is a little different). I would assume that the FS-4 will allow you to just hit the record button on the camera in order to start a timelapse. thats what mine does. but if you want to make sure, its not much harder to just hit the front panel controls. just make sure its recording and that your camera is plugged in to it and you should be fine.

November 20th, 2007, 02:07 PM	#339
Nathan Quattrini Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Warwick, Rhode Island Posts: 740	see if your camera has "dv control" in its menu options, if so enable it and your good to go. __________________ Cinematography Site

November 21st, 2007, 02:34 AM	#340
Andrew M Astbury Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Crewe United Kingdom Posts: 43	Thanks guys but I tried this the other day and the timelapse failed to be captured. The XL2 is set for dv control always, and the tape backup recorded the scene in normal time fine but the FS4 didn't record a single frame - I had set it to record 1 frame every second to get a x25 cloudscape. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the FS4 rec button had to be pressed to do timelapse, but I can't find where I read it!! __________________ www.wildlifeinpixels.com

November 21st, 2007, 02:33 PM	#341
Nathan Quattrini Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Warwick, Rhode Island Posts: 740	i use it with a canon h1 and it does timelapse fine by pushing record on the camera. Make sure your settings on both are the same. For example, if i leave my H1 in HDV mode it can`t record timelapse because thats SD only. I know your cam isn`t HDV, but check similar settings and make sure you`ve activated timelapsing and tapeless recording __________________ Cinematography Site

November 21st, 2007, 03:18 PM	#342
Ian Planchon Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: an Alaskan living in Des Moines, Iowa Posts: 513	were you able to put the real time footage all on one tape then? if so (and if it is anything like the DR HD100) hook up the FS 4 to your camera, put it in local mode, put the camera in VTR mode and play the tape, meanwhile capturing with the hard drive in time lapse mode. essentially you are just doing it all over again, but if you screw up, you can just re-rack the tape and try it again until you get it right.

November 23rd, 2007, 03:12 AM	#343
Andrew M Astbury Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Crewe United Kingdom Posts: 43	Yes Ian I did capture it all! I've found out why it didn't record the timelapse footage in the first place - suffice to say you are reading a reply typed by a plonker who didn't read the manual properly...................doh!.........lol! I would have 'cocked' the shot up anyway as I'd guestimated the framerate at 1 frame every second, which in my crazy brain would equate to x25 normal speed (I'm PAL) - playing around in PremProCS3 Speed control and uping to 1000% (x10) looked just right for what I was after..........doh again! Only just bought the FS4 and it's the time-lapse facility I've bought it for - so I need to get framerates sorted in my head. I know that most of my finished sliptime clips will be around 30 seconds in duration, at 25fps out of the NLE that would be 750 frames. Here's where I start to come unstuck: If I need to film a process that's 10 hours in duration then that would equate to 25x60x60x10 ie 90,000 frames in realtime. Or if you like, 10 hours is 36,000 seconds, so cramming that into 30 seconds, or packing 90,000 frames into 750 frames gives me a required speed increase of x1200. Now my pathetic maths tells me that if I set the FS4 to record 1 frame every 48 seconds, after 10 hours I'll end up with my required 750 frames. Or have I gone completely mad?........Arrrggghhhhhhhhh!!! There's got to be a simple way of working this out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! __________________ www.wildlifeinpixels.com

November 23rd, 2007, 09:24 AM	#344
Ian Planchon Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: an Alaskan living in Des Moines, Iowa Posts: 513	you lost me when you said math.... I suck at that. sorry I cant help with that angle. good luck with figuring it out though. hope it works out well.