Newbie Questions (GL2 vs VX2000 related, etc)

David Ho · November 15th, 2003, 03:56 AM

Just to clear up some confusion, I have a bit of more questions regarding the GL2 and VX2000 models. I went on several websites to look at both of the full specs. It seems that the GL2 has the S-Video and Audio OUT, but not in, and also GL2 has USB, while VX2000 does not have USB. VX2000 has S-Video and Audio In AND OUT. Does this mean, VX2000 can plug the ports into a VCR or TV and vice versa, but GL2 cannot? (GL2 can only plug into a TV/VCR to be viewed, but cannot be plugged back either way?)

David Ho · November 17th, 2003, 04:36 AM

Also, can anyone explain to me how external microphones work? I will be getting one for sure because I want a somewhat professional sound-quality and getting rid of background noise for some shots, etc. I recently went on google and searched images of shotgun mikes, and it seems to be a long stick. My thinking is that you connect one of these mikes to an adapter of some sort and raise it, so when you're shooting, it looks like how they do it in real TV footage where the mike is raised or something like that...What other types of mikes are there? I want to get something similar to a shotgun mike that just attaches onto the camera itself, but still good quality.

Frank Granovski · November 17th, 2003, 05:21 AM

Quote:

...Does this mean, VX2000 can plug the ports into a VCR or TV and vice versa, but GL2 cannot? (GL2 can only plug into a TV/VCR to be viewed, but cannot be plugged back either way?)

That's news to me. A good mic is the Senn. ME66. See this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=17023

Joe Sacher · November 17th, 2003, 08:49 AM

The GL-2 can take audio and video both ways. I use the A/V -> DV all the time to capture analog footage.

I researched both the VX2000 and GL-2. I wound up purchasing the GL-2, Sennheiser ME66 Shotgun, Lightwave Universal mount, Lightwave Windscreen, and SignVideo XLR-Pro. I love the camera and the audio sounds great. The ME66 in the Lightwave mount with windscreen are not visible in the frame, even with the Canon WD-58 wide angle lense.

David Ho · November 17th, 2003, 01:45 PM

$500 mike?! Wow... I was thinking a cheaper mike like $100 or so.

Glenn Chan · November 17th, 2003, 04:50 PM

$100 isn't going to get you very good quality. The MS908/907 is a good mic at that price point but it's a stereo mic and not a shotgun mic (doesn't reject as much background noise) which doesn't make it very good for field recordings.

If you want good sound then you want something like this:

Boom-mounted mic (needs boom operator):
A boom with a shock mount (boom can be home made)
Shotgun or hypercardioid mic (there's are many threads with recommendations on these- K6/ME66 for shotgun and Octava for hypercardioid for example)
XLR cable (25" maybe?)
XLR adapter box (i.e. Beachtek) or field mixer if your camera doesn't have XLR inputs

Camera-mounted (if you can't get a boom operator):
Camcorder mic mount- Lightwave mic mount (around the price of your microphone- disturbingly expensive) if you want quality, otherwise you can use the mic mounts that come with your camera/mic but those aren't as good

Shotgun mic (i.e. Sennheiser K6/ME66)
XLR adapter box (i.e. Beachtek)
Short XLR cable

Budget solution: just a Sennheiser MKE-300 (few hundred) or other consumer mic like the Canon one (~$300)

If you have only a few actors then you can look into wireless lavs.

Headphones: MDR-V6s off the Sony online auction on Ebay (~$60?) or the MDR-7506s (pro version of V6s) or AKG 240s (closed ear, certain models)

I don't know the prices off the top of my head (check B&H, the link is at the top of this forum in the sticky) but a decent sound setup will run you several hundred. Past that point it's diminishing returns.

Glenn Chan · November 17th, 2003, 04:54 PM

Oops... I forgot about windscreens. Something like a Rycote softie is good, but... expensive. In a very light breeze the foam stuff that comes with most mics should be ok.

David Ho · November 18th, 2003, 03:24 AM

Can anyone help me this question/or verify it:

I went on several websites to look at both of the full specs. It seems that the GL2 has the S-Video and Audio OUT, but not in, and also GL2 has USB, while VX2000 does not have USB. VX2000 has S-Video and Audio In AND OUT. Does this mean, VX2000 can plug the ports into a VCR or TV and vice versa, but GL2 cannot? (GL2 can only plug into a TV/VCR to be viewed, but cannot be plugged back either way?)

Norm Couture · November 18th, 2003, 08:26 AM

David,
USB is only good for transfering still photos to your computer. It's not used for video. Firewire (also known as iLink or IEEE1394) is needed for digital video.
If you can't use the S-Video in from a TV or VCR, you can always use the composite RCA to miniplug cable in the a/v port. Most of these camcorders have both miniplug a/v and SVideo ports as well as a Firewire connector.
For your widescreen mode hesitation: there's another difference to consider in favor of electronic in-camera widescreen: as it uses more of the CCD's width, it gives you a real 25% wider angle for shooting, instead of cropping 25% of the picture's height. And combined with an Optical Image Stabiliser, it's a clear winner, in my opinion.
When you go into NLE, you resize the picture to 16:9 ratio and don't lose as much resolution as you would by cropping (discarding) 25% of what the camera has captured.

David Ho · November 21st, 2003, 04:24 PM

Does anyone know if VX2000 has the "clear scan" option? I know the GL2 does. This is perfect for recording shots with the computer, right? (eliminates that flickering)?

November 18th, 2003, 08:26 AM	#24
Norm Couture Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Quebec, QC, Canada Posts: 123	David, USB is only good for transfering still photos to your computer. It's not used for video. Firewire (also known as iLink or IEEE1394) is needed for digital video. If you can't use the S-Video in from a TV or VCR, you can always use the composite RCA to miniplug cable in the a/v port. Most of these camcorders have both miniplug a/v and SVideo ports as well as a Firewire connector. For your widescreen mode hesitation: there's another difference to consider in favor of electronic in-camera widescreen: as it uses more of the CCD's width, it gives you a real 25% wider angle for shooting, instead of cropping 25% of the picture's height. And combined with an Optical Image Stabiliser, it's a clear winner, in my opinion. When you go into NLE, you resize the picture to 16:9 ratio and don't lose as much resolution as you would by cropping (discarding) 25% of what the camera has captured. __________________ Norm :)

November 15th, 2003, 03:56 AM	#16
David Ho Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 354	Just to clear up some confusion, I have a bit of more questions regarding the GL2 and VX2000 models. I went on several websites to look at both of the full specs. It seems that the GL2 has the S-Video and Audio OUT, but not in, and also GL2 has USB, while VX2000 does not have USB. VX2000 has S-Video and Audio In AND OUT. Does this mean, VX2000 can plug the ports into a VCR or TV and vice versa, but GL2 cannot? (GL2 can only plug into a TV/VCR to be viewed, but cannot be plugged back either way?)

November 17th, 2003, 04:36 AM	#17
David Ho Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 354	Also, can anyone explain to me how external microphones work? I will be getting one for sure because I want a somewhat professional sound-quality and getting rid of background noise for some shots, etc. I recently went on google and searched images of shotgun mikes, and it seems to be a long stick. My thinking is that you connect one of these mikes to an adapter of some sort and raise it, so when you're shooting, it looks like how they do it in real TV footage where the mike is raised or something like that...What other types of mikes are there? I want to get something similar to a shotgun mike that just attaches onto the camera itself, but still good quality.

November 17th, 2003, 08:49 AM	#19
Joe Sacher Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 177	The GL-2 can take audio and video both ways. I use the A/V -> DV all the time to capture analog footage. I researched both the VX2000 and GL-2. I wound up purchasing the GL-2, Sennheiser ME66 Shotgun, Lightwave Universal mount, Lightwave Windscreen, and SignVideo XLR-Pro. I love the camera and the audio sounds great. The ME66 in the Lightwave mount with windscreen are not visible in the frame, even with the Canon WD-58 wide angle lense.

November 17th, 2003, 01:45 PM	#20
David Ho Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 354	$500 mike?! Wow... I was thinking a cheaper mike like $100 or so.

November 17th, 2003, 04:50 PM	#21
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	$100 isn't going to get you very good quality. The MS908/907 is a good mic at that price point but it's a stereo mic and not a shotgun mic (doesn't reject as much background noise) which doesn't make it very good for field recordings. If you want good sound then you want something like this: Boom-mounted mic (needs boom operator): A boom with a shock mount (boom can be home made) Shotgun or hypercardioid mic (there's are many threads with recommendations on these- K6/ME66 for shotgun and Octava for hypercardioid for example) XLR cable (25" maybe?) XLR adapter box (i.e. Beachtek) or field mixer if your camera doesn't have XLR inputs Camera-mounted (if you can't get a boom operator): Camcorder mic mount- Lightwave mic mount (around the price of your microphone- disturbingly expensive) if you want quality, otherwise you can use the mic mounts that come with your camera/mic but those aren't as good Shotgun mic (i.e. Sennheiser K6/ME66) XLR adapter box (i.e. Beachtek) Short XLR cable Budget solution: just a Sennheiser MKE-300 (few hundred) or other consumer mic like the Canon one (~$300) If you have only a few actors then you can look into wireless lavs. Headphones: MDR-V6s off the Sony online auction on Ebay (~$60?) or the MDR-7506s (pro version of V6s) or AKG 240s (closed ear, certain models) I don't know the prices off the top of my head (check B&H, the link is at the top of this forum in the sticky) but a decent sound setup will run you several hundred. Past that point it's diminishing returns.

November 17th, 2003, 04:54 PM	#22
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Oops... I forgot about windscreens. Something like a Rycote softie is good, but... expensive. In a very light breeze the foam stuff that comes with most mics should be ok.

November 18th, 2003, 03:24 AM	#23
David Ho Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 354	Can anyone help me this question/or verify it: I went on several websites to look at both of the full specs. It seems that the GL2 has the S-Video and Audio OUT, but not in, and also GL2 has USB, while VX2000 does not have USB. VX2000 has S-Video and Audio In AND OUT. Does this mean, VX2000 can plug the ports into a VCR or TV and vice versa, but GL2 cannot? (GL2 can only plug into a TV/VCR to be viewed, but cannot be plugged back either way?)

November 21st, 2003, 04:24 PM	#25
David Ho Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 354	Does anyone know if VX2000 has the "clear scan" option? I know the GL2 does. This is perfect for recording shots with the computer, right? (eliminates that flickering)?