Suggestions please at DVinfo.net

Gabor Lacza · December 4th, 2003, 01:24 PM

Dear Members,
I am a brand new member of this forum and read a lot of it before i joined .I really loved all the information and knowledgeable people on this forum.I am a 29 years old who loves to learn about stuff and this time my lond time dream would like to come true which is making a travel documentary about on island.And of course after this i would like to make more and more.I am in the travel industry as of it I travel a lot worldwide.As of next week i I will spend a few weeks one of the island of the caribbean and would like to make a film out of it .I am brand new to "filmmaking" and so that is why I am ready to learn and read a lot about this subject so I can make the movie better and better.However if anybody can help me in the following subjects please I would love to hear your recommendations in it.Any input will be helpful to me .
1. I choosed the JVC GRHD1 or JVC HD10U camera for my subject.I heard a lot of positive and negative commensta on this camera but I think the extra resolution will be very helpful to me when I will make travel videos.So mostly that is the reason I choose this model.Does everybody think it will be a good idea to use this camera for my travel documentaries ???
2. For software I am learning Adobe Premier Pro I think it will be a good software to edit my final movie.I able ready to purchase Aspect HD as well but need some suggestion if this software combinatons will be helpful or necessary to me or the best or not for my editining ?
3. Any books anybody can suggest I should read to leanr the most of it...I already ordered 8 book from amazon of the subject and i will read anything 2 or 3 times if needed to learn anything possible.
4. And my last question is about a big subject which is film look.For sure I would like to make my movies to look as close as possible to the film look...is it a good idea or not really ???

Any help and suggestion would be helpful to me...
Thanks for everybody for their input in advance.

Best Regards
Gabor Lacza

Heath McKnight · December 4th, 2003, 04:31 PM

A lot of your questions can be found either in this thread or the HDV editing thread which contains plenty of information. I created two threads discussing editing options for Apple and PC. There's even a nice guy, David Newman, who works for CineForm, makers of Aspect HD.

As far as books are concerned, there are none on this format. There are plenty of books out there on digital filmmaking and videography, though.

heath

Glenn Gipson · December 4th, 2003, 05:58 PM

I'm not trying to be negative here, but for what you are trying to do, record exterior locations in high contrast lighting, this camera is going to be a nightmare for you. UNLESS, you specifically want the "washed out" white look. Just my $.02

Gabor Lacza · December 4th, 2003, 07:02 PM

Heath thanks for the quick reply I will check out those threads more deeply..
Glenn thanks for your input....
So there is no way I can make nice travel videos with the JVC HD ?? I really liked it because of the HD and for beautiful islands ,rain forests and beaches I thought high resolution would be helpful...
Any other suggestions ???
Thanks

Gabor Lacza · December 4th, 2003, 07:19 PM

Heath thanks for the quick reply I will check out those threads more deeply..
Glenn thanks for your input....
So there is no way I can make nice travel videos with the JVC HD ?? I really liked it because of the HD and for beautiful islands ,rain forests and beaches I thought high resolution would be helpful...
Any other suggestions ???
Thanks

Les Dit · December 5th, 2003, 03:19 AM

Gabor,
I think you can get nice results with the hd10. Stay away from the HD1, it over sharpens in the vertical direction, and puts black lines around contrasty objects.
For a travel video, the sharp HD video would be a big plus, since you can see the beach, the waves, the flowers, etc, in great detail.
Download some of the demo clips others have posted, and *you* be the judge!
Sure, there are situations that will blow out bright stuff, like a overcast white sky, but taking in the whole image, the sharpness makes the images way more pleasing to look at, I think.
I think in a A to B viewing test, most non freaky geeky people would agree.

Now, this only applies if you have a projector or other display that can show the HD footage.
If the end result will be a low res TV or monitor, don't bother with the JVC. Use normal blurry DV video for normal low res TV work, perhaps a VX2100.

A tropical island visit, that's what I need these days!

-Les ( Laci in Hungarian)

Glenn Gipson · December 5th, 2003, 07:40 AM

>>So there is no way I can make nice travel videos with the JVC HD ?? I really liked it because of the HD and for beautiful islands ,rain forests and beaches I thought high resolution would be helpful...<<

Yeah, sure, the resolution on this camera is nice, but what good is it going to be to you when those beautiful flowers just ten feet away from you come out a bleached white? Resolution is nothing when your camera clips whites easily. If I were you, I would either go for a simple PD170, or a DVX100 (maybe even with anamorphic adapters.) Refer to Mr. Fordham’s review of this camera and take another opinion, he actually tested this camera for what you are trying to do:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=17813

Les Dit · December 5th, 2003, 12:56 PM

Glenn, do you own the JVC?
You make it sound like the camera constantly makes blown out video, as if it's defective, which it does not.
The camera does have an exposure control, which can lower the whites. The shutter speed can't be set to a lower value at the same time, but the whites can be tamed with it.
Again, I advise people to look at the various clips.
-Les

Heath McKnight · December 5th, 2003, 01:00 PM

Let me just say something quick:

If you don't own or have never used the camera, but have seen clips, just remember, those clips reflect a certain person who is shooting, not always the camera itself.

That said, please, if you've only seen clips and don't own or haven't used the camera, understand that there is always more to any camera than what is posted on the board. If we all fail with it, you may be the one who succeeds.

Thanks,

heath

Glenn Gipson · December 6th, 2003, 06:40 AM

No, I don’t own the camera, I wouldn’t want to. Why? Because not only have I reviewed clips on the internet, but I have also USED this camera in person while hooked up to an HD monitor. The exposure latitude on this camera is worse then a PD150 or DVX 100. Who can dispute this? Now, I’m sure professional results can be had in a highly controlled setting with this camera, but Gabor is not using this camera for studio work. Also, I don’t have to own everything in the world to have an opinion on it, sometimes a good test drive is all that is needed, otherwise we would all go broke with inferior products. I don’t know about you, but I’m not rich, so, I, like most people, have to actually FORM an opinion about something before I buy it :) Good luck!

Heath McKnight · December 6th, 2003, 02:31 PM

I always test the camera, because I'm NOT rich, either. I didn't test the XL-1 5 years ago, which I should have, but I'm still happy with that camera.

heath

December 4th, 2003, 01:24 PM	#1
Gabor Lacza Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Budapest , Hungary Posts: 194	Suggestions please Dear Members, I am a brand new member of this forum and read a lot of it before i joined .I really loved all the information and knowledgeable people on this forum.I am a 29 years old who loves to learn about stuff and this time my lond time dream would like to come true which is making a travel documentary about on island.And of course after this i would like to make more and more.I am in the travel industry as of it I travel a lot worldwide.As of next week i I will spend a few weeks one of the island of the caribbean and would like to make a film out of it .I am brand new to "filmmaking" and so that is why I am ready to learn and read a lot about this subject so I can make the movie better and better.However if anybody can help me in the following subjects please I would love to hear your recommendations in it.Any input will be helpful to me . 1. I choosed the JVC GRHD1 or JVC HD10U camera for my subject.I heard a lot of positive and negative commensta on this camera but I think the extra resolution will be very helpful to me when I will make travel videos.So mostly that is the reason I choose this model.Does everybody think it will be a good idea to use this camera for my travel documentaries ??? 2. For software I am learning Adobe Premier Pro I think it will be a good software to edit my final movie.I able ready to purchase Aspect HD as well but need some suggestion if this software combinatons will be helpful or necessary to me or the best or not for my editining ? 3. Any books anybody can suggest I should read to leanr the most of it...I already ordered 8 book from amazon of the subject and i will read anything 2 or 3 times if needed to learn anything possible. 4. And my last question is about a big subject which is film look.For sure I would like to make my movies to look as close as possible to the film look...is it a good idea or not really ??? Any help and suggestion would be helpful to me... Thanks for everybody for their input in advance. Best Regards Gabor Lacza

December 4th, 2003, 04:31 PM	#2
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	A lot of your questions can be found either in this thread or the HDV editing thread which contains plenty of information. I created two threads discussing editing options for Apple and PC. There's even a nice guy, David Newman, who works for CineForm, makers of Aspect HD. As far as books are concerned, there are none on this format. There are plenty of books out there on digital filmmaking and videography, though. heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

December 4th, 2003, 07:02 PM	#4
Gabor Lacza Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Budapest , Hungary Posts: 194	Thanks so far Heath thanks for the quick reply I will check out those threads more deeply.. Glenn thanks for your input.... So there is no way I can make nice travel videos with the JVC HD ?? I really liked it because of the HD and for beautiful islands ,rain forests and beaches I thought high resolution would be helpful... Any other suggestions ??? Thanks

December 4th, 2003, 07:19 PM	#5
Gabor Lacza Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Budapest , Hungary Posts: 194	Thanks so far Heath thanks for the quick reply I will check out those threads more deeply.. Glenn thanks for your input.... So there is no way I can make nice travel videos with the JVC HD ?? I really liked it because of the HD and for beautiful islands ,rain forests and beaches I thought high resolution would be helpful... Any other suggestions ??? Thanks

December 5th, 2003, 01:00 PM	#9
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	Let me just say something quick: If you don't own or have never used the camera, but have seen clips, just remember, those clips reflect a certain person who is shooting, not always the camera itself. That said, please, if you've only seen clips and don't own or haven't used the camera, understand that there is always more to any camera than what is posted on the board. If we all fail with it, you may be the one who succeeds. Thanks, heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

December 4th, 2003, 05:58 PM	#3
Glenn Gipson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Plainfield, New Jersey Posts: 927	I'm not trying to be negative here, but for what you are trying to do, record exterior locations in high contrast lighting, this camera is going to be a nightmare for you. UNLESS, you specifically want the "washed out" white look. Just my $.02

December 5th, 2003, 03:19 AM	#6
Les Dit Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Southern Cal-ee-for-Ni-ya Posts: 608	Gabor, I think you can get nice results with the hd10. Stay away from the HD1, it over sharpens in the vertical direction, and puts black lines around contrasty objects. For a travel video, the sharp HD video would be a big plus, since you can see the beach, the waves, the flowers, etc, in great detail. Download some of the demo clips others have posted, and you be the judge! Sure, there are situations that will blow out bright stuff, like a overcast white sky, but taking in the whole image, the sharpness makes the images way more pleasing to look at, I think. I think in a A to B viewing test, most non freaky geeky people would agree. Now, this only applies if you have a projector or other display that can show the HD footage. If the end result will be a low res TV or monitor, don't bother with the JVC. Use normal blurry DV video for normal low res TV work, perhaps a VX2100. A tropical island visit, that's what I need these days! -Les ( Laci in Hungarian)

December 5th, 2003, 07:40 AM	#7
Glenn Gipson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Plainfield, New Jersey Posts: 927	>>So there is no way I can make nice travel videos with the JVC HD ?? I really liked it because of the HD and for beautiful islands ,rain forests and beaches I thought high resolution would be helpful...<< Yeah, sure, the resolution on this camera is nice, but what good is it going to be to you when those beautiful flowers just ten feet away from you come out a bleached white? Resolution is nothing when your camera clips whites easily. If I were you, I would either go for a simple PD170, or a DVX100 (maybe even with anamorphic adapters.) Refer to Mr. Fordham’s review of this camera and take another opinion, he actually tested this camera for what you are trying to do: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=17813

December 5th, 2003, 12:56 PM	#8
Les Dit Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Southern Cal-ee-for-Ni-ya Posts: 608	Glenn, do you own the JVC? You make it sound like the camera constantly makes blown out video, as if it's defective, which it does not. The camera does have an exposure control, which can lower the whites. The shutter speed can't be set to a lower value at the same time, but the whites can be tamed with it. Again, I advise people to look at the various clips. -Les

December 6th, 2003, 06:40 AM	#10
Glenn Gipson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Plainfield, New Jersey Posts: 927	No, I don’t own the camera, I wouldn’t want to. Why? Because not only have I reviewed clips on the internet, but I have also USED this camera in person while hooked up to an HD monitor. The exposure latitude on this camera is worse then a PD150 or DVX 100. Who can dispute this? Now, I’m sure professional results can be had in a highly controlled setting with this camera, but Gabor is not using this camera for studio work. Also, I don’t have to own everything in the world to have an opinion on it, sometimes a good test drive is all that is needed, otherwise we would all go broke with inferior products. I don’t know about you, but I’m not rich, so, I, like most people, have to actually FORM an opinion about something before I buy it :) Good luck!

December 6th, 2003, 02:31 PM	#11
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	I always test the camera, because I'm NOT rich, either. I didn't test the XL-1 5 years ago, which I should have, but I'm still happy with that camera. heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog