Sony XDCAM HD -- various topics

[Kalunga Lima]

I'm about to commit to a XDCam (F350) camera and am trying to confirm the NLE configuration based on a MacPro (Quad or 8 Core) with a 23 or 30" Apple Cinema display as my primary display running the new Final Cut Studio 2.

I am primarily interested in shooting 1080/25p for indie feature projects and 1080/50i for documentary projects.

Seems the more I read the less clear things are given the multiplicity of formats and cards.

1. My major confusion is about monioring. On one hand I was thinking of using a second Apply 23" cineam display for monitoring with the obvious Matrox MXO. In addition I can use it as a portable HDCam mastering solution of a laptop when I travel to Europe (the studio is in Africa) as well as audio outputs to my monitor speakers. What I can't figure out , is if the MXO will support 1080/25p to the cinema display?

2. On the other hand I also wanted to get a 46" Sony Bravia LCD TV (full hd) like the KLV46X200A for clients to see the work. Here again the obvious choice would appear to be to go HDMI with something like the Blackmagic Intensity card, but it doesn't seem to support 1080/25p.

Is there any solution out there that would give me a HDI/SDI, DVI and HDMI outputs as well as support 1080/25p, or should I stick to 720/25p to make matters simpler?

I once read that the Blackmagic Multibridge Extreme had DVI but it nolonger seems to be on their site (Multibridge Pro and Eclipse don't seem to have DVI).

I know that there is the new AJA ioHD but that doesn't seem to have DVI, and it's very expensive.

thanks

[Daniel Moreno]

I need to mix 24p footage with 60i footage shot with XDCAM HD. I need to edit them both in the same timeline and then export back to an XDCAM Disc.
I think the best way to do this would be to telecine the 24p footage (insert 3:2 pulldown to wrap the 24 frames into a 60i file). Then I could edit on a 60i timeline and then output to disc as 60i.
What software do I need to add pulldown to the mxf files? Vegas seems not to be able to do it.
After Effects seems to be able to do it (add pulldown to HD footage), but it doesn't support XDCAM HD mxf files (cannot read them or export to mxf) which forces me to go to another intermediate format.
Any thoughts? Suggestions?

[Steve Cahill]

try using Compressor to take the 24p to 60I there is some advance settings to do this, but you will not be able to use the MXF files directly you have to import and use the QT files from FCP

[Emanuel Altenburger]

Hi guys,

I already searched various stock sites for shots of Cambridge (university campus, maybe King´s College etc.). But unfortunately I couldn´t find anything. We did some filming in Cambridge back in July but unfortunately couldn´t get any shots from the universities as we were on a very tight schedule. Does anyone of you have shots from Cambridge which he would sell? I would really just need one or two good shots. Please PM or mail me.

Thanks,
Emanuel

[Mike Favazza]

...and what insert ring will work?

Here's a link to the lens specs:

http://www.fujinon.com/Broadcast/Pro...?cat=27&id=183

Thanks in advance for any help, folks !

Mike

[Jon Bickford]

Hi All,

Any reccomendations on where to rent an F350 in Southern California? I'd like to find a rental paired with the 3.6mm wide angle zoom if possible.

Thanks,

-Jon

[Tip McPartland]

Jon,

Please check my e-mail message about your camera situation.

Tip McPartland
tipsd9video@msn.com
Home: (909) 338-3160 (Monday)
Work: (310) 806-4406 (Tuesday-Friday)
Mobile: (909) 534-1449

[Les Nagy]

I currently am kitted up with a Canon XL2 and am looking to add HD capabilities. Steven House from these forums pointed the Sony out to me after I asked which cameras fit my wish list. It does seem to get me almost everything I want.

I obviously need a lens with the camera and was considering this Fuji:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._17x_1_2_.html

and or the Canon AF lens , is it a VCL-719BXS? and where do I get one and at what price?

One of the things I have found to be a real problem is the servo focus controls and focus hunting during zoom on the XL2 lens so I want better than that. I understand that the Canon lens for the XDCAM-HD is going to do the same so that is why I am looking at the Fuji first. I also know that there are times when AF is just to handy or even necessary.

So is the Fuji a good choice for a manual lens, and is the Canon worth getting for its AF capabilities and where and how much?

What are the considerations for a person completely green with an XDCAM-HD? I use Vegas and have fairly fast computers.

How many batteries should I have, what accessories or add ons are "must haves"?

Would the SD capabilities of the F330 make having an XL2 redundant or are there reasons to hold on to the XL2 even with an F330? (would affect my budget)

And lastly, has anyone had any issues with their camera and if so how did they get treated by Sony?

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Les Nagy

or the Canon AF lens , is it a VCL-719BXS? and where do I get one and at what price?

The Canon VCL-719BXS is the 19x zoom lens which is included with the F330K camera package, so if you want that lens, then you just order the F330K and it comes with the kit. If you don't want that lens, then you'll order the F330L kit which is the body only, no lens included, you order whatever lens you want for it separately from that kit. Buy from our DV Info Net site sponsors... several of them are XDCAM dealers: http://www.dvinfo.net/sponsors

So is the Fuji a good choice for a manual lens, and is the Canon worth getting for its AF capabilities and where and how much?

See this thread: What Lens to buy for the F330? (please search before posting).

How many batteries should I have, what accessories or add ons are "must haves"?

Frequently asked -- please search the forum. The basic rule of thumb for batteries and recording media is three times more than what you think you'll need.

Would the SD capabilities of the F330 make having an XL2 redundant or are there reasons to hold on to the XL2 even with an F330?

In my opinion, no reason to hang on to the XL2 if you switch to XDCAM HD. Greg Boston made that transition as well so I'm sure he'll have some input.

[Warren Gentry]

I have given a client instructions and links to download the PDZ-1 Proxy Browser and the and the XDCAM Viewer. He had to leave before I could install the MXF files on his Windows laptop. I told him I would send him a disc with the files copied onto it. I did a test by on a Windows XP computer in my office. While the viewer will play the files, there seems to be no way to get the PDZ-1 to play files that were just copied to the hard drive of the Windows computer. Is there a solution to this?


Thanks,
Warren Gentry

[Greg Boston]

Use an external hard drive, make a subfolder with the name of the disc. Take all 4 directories from the disc and copy to that folder. Wash, rinse, repeat for any additional discs.

This works for sure on OSX but I haven't tried it on Windows with the Proxy software yet.

The basic idea is to form a location (sub folder) that has all the files and mimics the directory structure of the actual disc. The Sony software expects these to be in a certain place.

-gb-

[Thomas Quinn]

Hello all
Got my camcorder updated to 1.56 it had to go back to sony to have this done as it needed to be opened to have the update Question can anyone tell me what the updates are as my camcorder never had any from new it is 16 months old I have asked SONY and got no reply as yet
Thomas

[Thierry Humeau]

Originally Posted by Thomas Quinn

Hello all
Got my camcorder updated to 1.56 it had to go back to sony to have this done as it needed to be opened to have the update Question can anyone tell me what the updates are as my camcorder never had any from new it is 16 months old I have asked SONY and got no reply as yet
Thomas

That's weird, they should have loaded version 1.62, that is the most recent firmware update and has been available since june. I don't recall exactly what 1.56 but it was fairly minor. 1.62 however brings several improvemnets listed bellow:

(1) [ F330/F350 ] Enhanced Accuracy of Residual Point Noise Correction
The accuracy of residual point noise correction has been enhanced at ex-factory and the productivity is enhanced.

(2) [ F330/F350 ] Addition of message displaying function when the KNEE of CINE GAMMA is selected to “Fix”.
The function to display [ FIXED BY CINE GAMMA! ] message on the VF/LCD when selecting the fixed KNEE in [ Select function of variable/fixed of KNEE at CINE GAMMA ] added in V1.52 and setting DCC to ON has been added.

(3) [ F330/F350 ] Addition of VF DETAIL Setting Function
The following modes have been added to the USER U08: VF SETTING menu.
A. [PEAKING VOL. LINK]
ON/OFF function to interlink to the PEAKING volume
B. [ H DETAIL LEVEL ] and [ V DETAIL LEVEL ]
When the [PEAKING VOL. LINK] is OFF, H and V detail level can be adjusted.
Caution: The default is PEAKING VOL.LINK [ ON ].

(4) [ F330/F350 ] Specification changed to display the local area setting menu after implementing Factory Preset of Service Menu
The specification of SERVICE S01: MENU SET [ FACTORY PRESET ] has been changed so that when the POWER switch is turned on after implementing Factory Preset, it returns to the factory setting state that displays the local area setting menu.

(5) [ F330/F350 ] Addition of function to control the audio level of Rear with the knob of Audio Level on the front 3/4

The function to select from the following three methods for controlling the Rear audio level
has been added.
1. Control with the Audio Level knob on the front
2. Control with the Audio Level knob in the audio adjustment lid
3. Mix.

Menu affected
MAINTENANCE MA02: AUDIO-2
MIC CH1 LEVEL: FRONT ( SIDE1/F+S1 )
MIC CH2 LEVEL: FRONT ( SIDE1/F+S2 )
REAR1/WRR LEVEL: SIDE1 ( FRONT/F+S1 )
REAR2/WRR LEVEL: SIDE2 ( FRONT/F+S2 )
Caution: The defaults are as follows.
MIC CH1 LEVEL: FRONT
MIC CH2 LEVEL: FRONT
REAR1/WRR LEVEL: SIDE1
REAR2/WRR LEVEL: SIDE2

 Bugs Fixed

(1) [ F330/F350 ] When shooting a high-lighted object, the Auto Iris troubles.
When Auto Iris is functioning, if a high-lighted object is shot, depending on the movement of high-lighted object, the Auto Iris may trouble. This bug has been fixed.

(2) [ F330/F350 ] When shooting in the recording Format: DVCAM aspect ratio 4:3, if the ND
filter is operated, the played picture becomes 16:9 aspect ratio.
When shooting in the aspect ratio 4:3 of recording format: DVCAM, if the ND filter is operated, the aspect ratio becomes 16:9 when played back. This bug has been fixed.

[William Switzer]

I read everyone's reports on the F335 & F355 at IBC. I want to buy a lower cost Xdcam HD camcorder soon.

What is Sony USA's marketing plan? Is the F330 to be discontinued, to be replaced by the F335 at the same price point? Or is the F335 to be sold along side the F33o with a F330 price cut after the rebate runs out?

I will also order the 2-inch viewfinder and the Fujinon 1/2"-18x HD lens.

Thanks for your help.

[Les Jarrett]

Hi all,

I make DVD's that go direct to the consumer. I've got 5 XDCAM HD programs (THANKS to all for your help with the last mess...still don't know why each and every clip had the fields changed). At the moment, all these program are being released as SD widescreen. We're starting to get customers asking for either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD.

I know the jury is still out regarding which, if any format, will "win". That being put aside, I really need to educate myself on both formats and what I need to do to author for either.

Right now I'm using FCP.

I'm assuming that I'll need to get an extermal burner for either format. But what about authoring software, compression etc.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!