Tape Capture

Ana Conlon · May 10th, 2012, 04:13 AM

I have a Canon XH A1 and I normally rent a Sony deck to capture the tapes but this is starting to be a pain. I was advice to buy a second mini DV camcorder just for capture to save the heads on my own XH A1. I don't want to buy a deck for capture as its pretty expensive. So my question is can I capture HD tape via firewire on a small second hand camcorder which I would be buy purely for capture. And any recommendation on what type of camcorder I should be shopping for.

Don Bloom · May 10th, 2012, 05:18 AM

If you're shooting SD then pretty much any camera would work. If you're shooting HDV then something like a HV20/30 should work fine for you. The camera/deck playback has little effect on the quality of the ingested product unless of course it can't read the tape correctly.
There are a few thread about this in either "The long Black Line" or a camera specific forum. Don't have time now to search myself but I know this has been discussed many times before and there is information there as to what camera people recommend.

Les Wilson · May 10th, 2012, 05:23 AM

If memory serves, the 24fps mode of the A1 needs a Canon camera to play it back. There are advantages to a deck over a camera and that's why they cost more. Typically a deck will shuttle back and forth faster. Overall, its built to be more reliable and durable.... non of which may matter a whit at this late stage in the life of your tape based workflow other than the price of used ones may be low enough to tempt you.

Ana Conlon · May 11th, 2012, 06:18 AM

Hi

Don - I think this might be one of those thread you mentioned

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xl...d-footage.html

what I read here was............

"any Canon HV series camcorder will do... namely the HV10, HV20 and HV40. Also,you can use any Canon XH or XL H series camcorder as well"

So far this is the best price I can find for a second hand canon HV series camcorder

Canon HV20 - Plus Extra Battery, Firewire & Tape - GOOD Condition ! 0013803083200 | eBay

Once further question...I work in FCP and I have two cameras the XH A1 and canon 550D. In order to work on the same time line have to first convert the 550D footage via mpeg stream to pro ress at 25 fps. I also capture my tape footage as pro ress 25 fps. This allows me to drag all the footage onto one time line to edit. If I purchase the above camera it can capture at 24 fps. My question is if I have a mix of 25 fps and 24 fps can I edit both of these on the same timeline?

Eric Olson · May 11th, 2012, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ana Conlon

So my question is can I capture HD tape via firewire on a small second hand camcorder which I would be buy purely for capture.

A capture deck will automatically adjust its tracking to read tapes from camcorders that have slightly different alignment characteristics, whereas a camcorder may experience more dropouts when reading tapes recorded by a different camcorder. After including the cost of wear on the heads, the cheapest and most reliable solution may actually be capturing from the original camera.

It is even possible to argue that the second time a tape runs through the camera it doesn't cause as much wear as the first time, because the recording heads already polished the tape smooth the first time.

Colin McDonald · May 11th, 2012, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ana Conlon

So far this is the best price I can find for a second hand canon HV series camcorder

Canon HV20 - Plus Extra Battery, Firewire & Tape - GOOD Condition ! 0013803083200 | eBay

Once further question...I work in FCP and I have two cameras the XH A1 and canon 550D. In order to work on the same time line have to first convert the 550D footage via mpeg stream to pro ress at 25 fps. I also capture my tape footage as pro ress 25 fps. This allows me to drag all the footage onto one time line to edit. If I purchase the above camera it can capture at 24 fps. My question is if I have a mix of 25 fps and 24 fps can I edit both of these on the same timeline?

Won't that be an NTSC HV-20? If you are working with PAL DV tapes that could be a problem.

Simon Wood · May 11th, 2012, 04:09 PM

You could alternatively look at buying a firewire recorder which will capture the footage while you record it. Like a Firestore FS-C or a DataVideo DN-60.

Eric Olson · May 11th, 2012, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colin McDonald

Won't that be an NTSC HV-20? If you are working with PAL DV tapes that could be a problem.

The NTSC model will not play PAL tapes. However, it appears people have figured out how to install the PAL firmware onto an NTSC hv20 to make it PAL compatible.

Official Firmware Hacking Thread (new) - Page 135

Allan Black · May 11th, 2012, 05:13 PM

Consumers will update their camera long before they get anywhere near to wearing out its tape heads.

Here's a tip. We use HV20s to capture XHA1s footage and we find using the HV20 remote to shuttle tapes saves wear and leaning over the desk to press the buttons on its LCD.

Before you open any tape carriage to load/change tapes, wipe down the top of the camera with a damp rag. When the lid springs open, the vibration causes dust and microgrit to drop into the open tape carriage and after 45 years using mag tapes in pro work .. that's the greatest cause of video tape dropouts.

Run a wet cotton tip down that groove on the top of your HV cam and see how much muck it picks up.

Cheers.

May 10th, 2012, 04:13 AM	#1
Ana Conlon Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ireland Posts: 69	Tape Capture - Camcorder? I have a Canon XH A1 and I normally rent a Sony deck to capture the tapes but this is starting to be a pain. I was advice to buy a second mini DV camcorder just for capture to save the heads on my own XH A1. I don't want to buy a deck for capture as its pretty expensive. So my question is can I capture HD tape via firewire on a small second hand camcorder which I would be buy purely for capture. And any recommendation on what type of camcorder I should be shopping for. __________________ www.videoproductions.ie

May 10th, 2012, 05:18 AM	#2
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Tape Capture - Camcorder? If you're shooting SD then pretty much any camera would work. If you're shooting HDV then something like a HV20/30 should work fine for you. The camera/deck playback has little effect on the quality of the ingested product unless of course it can't read the tape correctly. There are a few thread about this in either "The long Black Line" or a camera specific forum. Don't have time now to search myself but I know this has been discussed many times before and there is information there as to what camera people recommend. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

May 10th, 2012, 05:23 AM	#3
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: Tape Capture - Camcorder? If memory serves, the 24fps mode of the A1 needs a Canon camera to play it back. There are advantages to a deck over a camera and that's why they cost more. Typically a deck will shuttle back and forth faster. Overall, its built to be more reliable and durable.... non of which may matter a whit at this late stage in the life of your tape based workflow other than the price of used ones may be low enough to tempt you.

May 11th, 2012, 06:18 AM	#4
Ana Conlon Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ireland Posts: 69	Re: Tape Capture - Camcorder? Hi Don - I think this might be one of those thread you mentioned http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xl...d-footage.html what I read here was............ "any Canon HV series camcorder will do... namely the HV10, HV20 and HV40. Also,you can use any Canon XH or XL H series camcorder as well" So far this is the best price I can find for a second hand canon HV series camcorder Canon HV20 - Plus Extra Battery, Firewire & Tape - GOOD Condition ! 0013803083200 \| eBay Once further question...I work in FCP and I have two cameras the XH A1 and canon 550D. In order to work on the same time line have to first convert the 550D footage via mpeg stream to pro ress at 25 fps. I also capture my tape footage as pro ress 25 fps. This allows me to drag all the footage onto one time line to edit. If I purchase the above camera it can capture at 24 fps. My question is if I have a mix of 25 fps and 24 fps can I edit both of these on the same timeline? __________________ www.videoproductions.ie

May 11th, 2012, 04:09 PM	#7
Simon Wood Major Player Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Entebbe Uganda Posts: 768	Re: Tape Capture - Camcorder? You could alternatively look at buying a firewire recorder which will capture the footage while you record it. Like a Firestore FS-C or a DataVideo DN-60. __________________ http://vimeo.com/channels/guerrillafilms

May 11th, 2012, 05:13 PM	#9
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,930	Re: Tape Capture - Camcorder? Consumers will update their camera long before they get anywhere near to wearing out its tape heads. Here's a tip. We use HV20s to capture XHA1s footage and we find using the HV20 remote to shuttle tapes saves wear and leaning over the desk to press the buttons on its LCD. Before you open any tape carriage to load/change tapes, wipe down the top of the camera with a damp rag. When the lid springs open, the vibration causes dust and microgrit to drop into the open tape carriage and after 45 years using mag tapes in pro work .. that's the greatest cause of video tape dropouts. Run a wet cotton tip down that groove on the top of your HV cam and see how much muck it picks up. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.