FX1000 has arrived - first impressions

[Ken Ross]

Guys, the only thing about shooting in HDV (aside from any possible quality issues) and then transcoding to SD, is the letterboxing that occurs and that might bother some clients with 4:3 displays. If the client has an HDTV, then this would not be an issue. It might not be an issue even if they have 4:3 displays, but many folks still don't like 'those ugly bars'.

Best to know in advance if the client is OK with it.

[Khoi Pham]

Walk into an electronics store, do you see any non widescreen tv for sale? so why shoot standard? if they don't have widescreen tv they will soon when their current tv stop working.

[Ken Ross]

Khoi, I'm just saying it's prudent to ask. I agree essentially with what you're saying, but you'd be surprised how many legacy 4:3 TVs are still out there. If the client is fine then you're good to go, but what harm is there in asking? It's better than a ticked off client. ;)

For a lot of corporate work, 4:3 still rules.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Ken Ross

but you'd be surprised how many legacy 4:3 TVs are still out there.

Strange how many differences there can be between Countries, here 4:3 tv's are not sold anymore and 9 out of 10 of my clients have widescreen tv's, about 50% crt and the other part lcd/plasmas.
The prizes of big widescreen lcd's are so low now almost everybody is buying one and prizes continue to drop.
Also for corporate work they start asking widescreen recordings, 4:3 is definitely retired in Europe.

[Ken Ross]

what I meant is that many large companies still employ 4:3 TVs for viewing rooms when training employees. Assuming it's not CBT (computer based training), it's more common to find 4:3 displays than it is 16:9. I've found that if you're dealing with CRTs in the U.S., you're generally still looking at 4:3 and not 16:9. 16:9 took off with flat panels, but never was too prolific with CRTs.

But as Noa said, even here is the U.S., 4:3 is pretty much dead in terms of new sales. The analog plug is being pulled in February, so over-the-air broadcasting will be all digital. It's just that Corporate America is slow to catch up to consumer tech.

Believe it or not, I still get occasional requests for a finished product on VHS!!!

[Martin Duffy]

I am lending my FX1000 to a friend who films weddings and he still uses a VX2000.

He's keen on the FX and as I have a few weeks off its a great opp for him to try it out.

I have taken him through the basic functions which are straight forward and similar to the VX but what about presets such as sharpness or "Contrast enhancer"

Just wondering what settings to go for as far as little tweaks here and there. Any tips welcomed.

I am also going to source an L bracket for the camera as hand held footage will become a bit more strenuous on this cam than the VX.

What about this one. It has 2X hot shoe slots. Smith Victor Side-Mount Accessory Bracket - SV1150 - 701520

I used an L bracket with the TRV900 and it was great for all day hand-held shooting.

Jeff, how are you finding the weight of the FX for weddings.

[Dave Blackhurst]

Martin -
That bracket will probably be too small for something in the FX class - it's the generic import Sima bracket... My personal prference for a larger cam is something like the old Vivitar ergo style grip (left hand), although there are some smaller lighter brackets than that one that could work OK. I might have some possibilities laying about if you're interested, PM me - I've got some brackets that I no longer use...

[Martin Duffy]

I might have some possibilities laying about if you're interested, PM me - I've got some brackets that I no longer use...[/QUOTE]



Dave that sounds good and thanks for the tip. I am happy to pay postage to Australia for something that works well.


Martin

[Tim Akin]

Originally Posted by Martin Duffy

Just wondering what settings to go for as far as little tweaks here and there. Any tips welcomed.

At last weekends wedding I ran the 1000 with SHARPNESS at +5, CONTRAST ENHANCER on, COLOR DEPTH +1, COLOR LEVEL +1. I also set the AE SHIFT to -2 and AWB SENS to high just in case I had to go auto in a pinch (which I did). The footage turned out great.

I'm no expert by no means, but I did play around alot with the 1000 before it's first use, and that's what I came up with. Hope it helps.

[Martin Duffy]

Thanks Tim, -2 AE sounds good and most likely spot on

[Steve Wolla]

Originally Posted by Ken Ross

Khoi, I'm just saying it's prudent to ask. I agree essentially with what you're saying, but you'd be surprised how many legacy 4:3 TVs are still out there. If the client is fine then you're good to go, but what harm is there in asking? It's better than a ticked off client. ;)

For a lot of corporate work, 4:3 still rules.

Very true--much of corporate will be SD 4:3 for a long time to come.

I do a medical cable TV show that is broadcast to the Middle East, and they want SD 4:3.
I would never assume that a customer will be OK with 16:9. Always ask first how the end product will be viewed, see what they want, and taylor your finished product accordingly. Otherwise you put yourself at risk of upsetting a customer.

[Jeff Harper]

How is the AWB affected by the various settings Tim?

[Tim Akin]

Jeff, the AWB SENS has 4 settings, INTELLIGENT-HIGH-MIDDLE-LOW. HIGH seams seems to produce the best results. You know how auto WB seems to produce ovesaturated reds, has kinda of an orange glow, HIGH seems to lower that to more useable levels. IMO

[Jeff Harper]

that is important info Tim. I will check that setting today!

[Sean Seah]

sounds interesting that the Z5 and FX1000 has the same AWB options. The Intelligence mode worked ok for me but i didnt have the chance to test it enuf thou