Which one to purchase first CX550v or 2000

Kenneth Maultsby · December 9th, 2010, 05:11 PM

Hey guys I was going through the manual and I had one issue dose the 550 only do 1080 60i only or can it do 720p also and other formats?

Kenneth Maultsby · December 9th, 2010, 06:04 PM

Never mind I got my answer. It seems that most consumer unit just do 1080 60i except for the Panasonic TM 700 which dose 60p. What would be a the reason I would want to shoot 720P?

Ron Evans · December 10th, 2010, 07:58 AM

60i is interlaced video and thus shoots 1 field every 1/60 of a second or half the vertical resolution. From time code 2 fields equal 1 frame so 60i is 30 ( 29.97) frames. 1280x720 60P records full frames at 60fps so will have a full frame of resolution rather than a field every 1/60 sec. The resulting video will be smoother on a flat panel display since the display will not have to deinterlace which on lower cost displays cause artifacts. Unfortunately if the display is a 1080p display it will have to scale up to the pixel display of 1920x1080 from 1280x720 so may also introduce some artifacts !!!! Extracting stills from a 60p video should also result in more detail.

60i and 60p have the same temporal motion, the camera exposes at the same rate in one case recording a field and the other a full frame.

1920x1080 60p would be nice but not yet available in other than some low cost cameras and is not part of any specs for distribution.

Ron Evans

Dave Blackhurst · December 10th, 2010, 10:39 AM

There is also the argument that if you have 60p, you can do better slow motion vs. 30p - twice as many frames to work with when "stretching" the clip. May or may not matter to you, but if slo-mo is important, could be a factor to consider.

Congrats on the CX550, we really probably should get Chris to add a forom specifically for this and related cameras, I see so many people picking this baby up for all the things it can do!

There are threads scattered around DVi talking about this camera/series (AVCHD thread in particular). probably wuld be good to bring it all under one thread - HDMom had SR/XR threads for a while...

Jay West · December 10th, 2010, 12:06 PM

Kevin:

For 60p, the only flavor available to you from these cams is 720/60p from the NX5. But, when you are multi-camming with a CX550v, you will probably want to shoot the NX in 1080i to match with your CX550. As for choosing between the NX and AX, you might save the $500 difference between the AX and NX, and put that money towards bigger batteries for your cams and maybe a decent shotgun for the AX (if and when.) I got the NX5 because its additional features, including the FMU, were things I want and need for what I do and also because, at the time, there were some major rebates on things like the FMU. I have been very pleased with CX550 -- I've got two of them.

Following up on Dave's recommendation, I'd suggest getting an NPFV75 battery rather than another NPFV50. The "75" has much longer running time than the "50" but the "75" does not project out the back of the camera like the "100" battery does. I've got "100" batteries (which I find very useful for how I use the cameras) but they do stick out enough to interfere with access to the CX550 viewfinder. This is usually not a problem for me, but it can be a problem when shooting in bright lighting where it is otherwise difficult to see the viewscreen.

Kenneth Maultsby · December 10th, 2010, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Evans

60i is interlaced video and thus shoots 1 field every 1/60 of a second or half the vertical resolution. From time code 2 fields equal 1 frame so 60i is 30 ( 29.97) frames. 1280x720 60P records full frames at 60fps so will have a full frame of resolution rather than a field every 1/60 sec. The resulting video will be smoother on a flat panel display since the display will not have to deinterlace which on lower cost displays cause artifacts. Unfortunately if the display is a 1080p display it will have to scale up to the pixel display of 1920x1080 from 1280x720 so may also introduce some artifacts !!!! Extracting stills from a 60p video should also result in more detail.

60i and 60p have the same temporal motion, the camera exposes at the same rate in one case recording a field and the other a full frame.

1920x1080 60p would be nice but not yet available in other than some low cost cameras and is not part of any specs for distribution.

Ron Evans

Thanks again Ron;

I do a lot of Air Shows and Motorcycle races and so on. When I purchase AX 2000 or 5U what would be the best setting for this? Forgot will the 550 be able to capture the action also?

Daniel Paquin · December 10th, 2010, 09:10 PM

With the NX5U, Kenneth, my answer to your question would be 720/60p.

I do own a NX5U and a CX550v, I find unfortunate the 720/60p not being available on that CX550V camera.

Kenneth Maultsby · December 11th, 2010, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Blackhurst

There is also the argument that if you have 60p, you can do better slow motion vs. 30p - twice as many frames to work with when "stretching" the clip. May or may not matter to you, but if slo-mo is important, could be a factor to consider.

Congrats on the CX550, we really probably should get Chris to add a forom specifically for this and related cameras, I see so many people picking this baby up for all the things it can do!

There are threads scattered around DVi talking about this camera/series (AVCHD thread in particular). probably wuld be good to bring it all under one thread - HDMom had SR/XR threads for a while...

Thanks Dave but I have just discover a problem that maybe you can help me out with. I shot some video around the house and imported the files on my system and into MC5. I played the clips back and listing to the audio on my headphones and I hear some noise in the video it sounds like the auto focus but I am not sure. It is very low but it is there. It almost sounds like a low DV camcorder tape motor but it is getting into the audio. Any Ideas? My setting for audio is set 5.1

Lou Bruno · December 11th, 2010, 07:15 AM

Check the stabilzer as well as the auto-focus for the noise. Sometimes the advanced stablizer can cause the noise to be picked up by the mic.-namely the internal mic. Try shutting off both to isolate the problem.

Ron Evans · December 11th, 2010, 09:58 AM

It could be the zoom motor if your finger is hovering on it. Try also switching to stereo audio as I find that a better sound anyway, you really don't want to hear yourself breathing do you? I use the Bluetooth mic in 5.1 mode when recording on a tripod in the theatre with the mic down at stage level. Works well as I just extract this centre channel in Vegas afterwards..

Ron Evans

Kenneth Maultsby · December 11th, 2010, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lou Bruno

Check the stabilzer as well as the auto-focus for the noise. Sometimes the advanced stablizer can cause the noise to be picked up by the mic.-namely the internal mic. Try shutting off both to isolate the problem.

Yep that was it I went to Sammy's and Ken in Pasadena told me what it was doing. Well looks like an external mic soon.

Kenneth Maultsby · December 11th, 2010, 03:14 PM

If I purchase a Hood do I still need a UV?

Tom Hardwick · December 12th, 2010, 05:48 AM

You do NOT need a UV, hood or no hood. If you fit a UV you reduce your hood's efficiency hugely.

Jim Stamos · December 12th, 2010, 10:34 PM

i always put a uv on any cam i buy. once that lens is scratched, theres no fixing it without having issues.where can i buy a 37-52 hood for the 550. ive heard this one works well throughout and eliminated the dreaded blue spot. also, will the xlr adaptor ive seen for other cameras work well with this one utilizing the mic input jack? ive seen this attached to the bottom of that camera.

Dave Blackhurst · December 13th, 2010, 01:44 PM

Unless you're shooting in a sandstorm, short of a freak hit with a bat fragment or hockey puck, you shouldn't have anything near the lens to scratch it. And it's one more piece of glass to have a bit of lint or fingerprint on it, just enough inside the focal range to play havoc!

EBay has plenty of listings for hoods, on the cheap. They are of course mostly all made in China (I tried some even cheaper India made ones, the quality was not so hot), but for the price, hard to beat - I got a handful of the 37mm ones that screw directly onto the threads, with a little knurled ring to snug down to keep the hood from spinning.

The 37MM one shows up in the sides of the ultra wide 550 lens on full wide, particularly if you move the camera with the OIS on - you get to see the OIS "work"! I Dremel tooled the sides down a bit, and that made the hoods usable while still looking decent. I suspect you'd have to go to the 52mm hood with a step up ring (or is it a step down, I get confused with that!) to have a "stock" hood clear the frame - that's what the MC50 hood looks like to me, and based on my rough measurements and estimates, the 42 and 46mm ones would still show in the frame on full wide.

I also modded an old A1u Hood that looks pretty nice, but they are MUCH more $$$, not sure if the old HC1 hood would be wide enough, but again about 4x the price of an inexpensive import one, even if you have to buy a step up/down ring for a couple $$.

December 9th, 2010, 05:11 PM	#16
Kenneth Maultsby Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Pomona California Posts: 51	Dose the 550 do only 1080i? Hey guys I was going through the manual and I had one issue dose the 550 only do 1080 60i only or can it do 720p also and other formats? Last edited by Kenneth Maultsby; December 10th, 2010 at 12:24 PM.

December 10th, 2010, 09:10 PM	#22
Daniel Paquin Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Québec, Canada Posts: 179	With the NX5U, Kenneth, my answer to your question would be 720/60p. I do own a NX5U and a CX550v, I find unfortunate the 720/60p not being available on that CX550V camera. __________________ Daniel Paquin Production ZoOM vidéo

December 11th, 2010, 07:15 AM	#24
Lou Bruno Go Cycle Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Huntington, NY Posts: 815	Check the stabilzer as well as the auto-focus for the noise. Sometimes the advanced stablizer can cause the noise to be picked up by the mic.-namely the internal mic. Try shutting off both to isolate the problem. __________________ Lou Bruno

December 11th, 2010, 03:14 PM	#27
Kenneth Maultsby Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Pomona California Posts: 51	One Last question for the 550 owners Hood or UV If I purchase a Hood do I still need a UV?

December 12th, 2010, 10:34 PM	#29
Jim Stamos Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 565	uv filter i always put a uv on any cam i buy. once that lens is scratched, theres no fixing it without having issues.where can i buy a 37-52 hood for the 550. ive heard this one works well throughout and eliminated the dreaded blue spot. also, will the xlr adaptor ive seen for other cameras work well with this one utilizing the mic input jack? ive seen this attached to the bottom of that camera.

December 9th, 2010, 06:04 PM	#17
Kenneth Maultsby Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Pomona California Posts: 51	Never mind I got my answer. It seems that most consumer unit just do 1080 60i except for the Panasonic TM 700 which dose 60p. What would be a the reason I would want to shoot 720P?

December 10th, 2010, 07:58 AM	#18
Ron Evans Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,220	60i is interlaced video and thus shoots 1 field every 1/60 of a second or half the vertical resolution. From time code 2 fields equal 1 frame so 60i is 30 ( 29.97) frames. 1280x720 60P records full frames at 60fps so will have a full frame of resolution rather than a field every 1/60 sec. The resulting video will be smoother on a flat panel display since the display will not have to deinterlace which on lower cost displays cause artifacts. Unfortunately if the display is a 1080p display it will have to scale up to the pixel display of 1920x1080 from 1280x720 so may also introduce some artifacts !!!! Extracting stills from a 60p video should also result in more detail. 60i and 60p have the same temporal motion, the camera exposes at the same rate in one case recording a field and the other a full frame. 1920x1080 60p would be nice but not yet available in other than some low cost cameras and is not part of any specs for distribution. Ron Evans

December 10th, 2010, 10:39 AM	#19
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	There is also the argument that if you have 60p, you can do better slow motion vs. 30p - twice as many frames to work with when "stretching" the clip. May or may not matter to you, but if slo-mo is important, could be a factor to consider. Congrats on the CX550, we really probably should get Chris to add a forom specifically for this and related cameras, I see so many people picking this baby up for all the things it can do! There are threads scattered around DVi talking about this camera/series (AVCHD thread in particular). probably wuld be good to bring it all under one thread - HDMom had SR/XR threads for a while...

December 10th, 2010, 12:06 PM	#20
Jay West Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Red Lodge, Montana Posts: 889	Kevin: For 60p, the only flavor available to you from these cams is 720/60p from the NX5. But, when you are multi-camming with a CX550v, you will probably want to shoot the NX in 1080i to match with your CX550. As for choosing between the NX and AX, you might save the $500 difference between the AX and NX, and put that money towards bigger batteries for your cams and maybe a decent shotgun for the AX (if and when.) I got the NX5 because its additional features, including the FMU, were things I want and need for what I do and also because, at the time, there were some major rebates on things like the FMU. I have been very pleased with CX550 -- I've got two of them. Following up on Dave's recommendation, I'd suggest getting an NPFV75 battery rather than another NPFV50. The "75" has much longer running time than the "50" but the "75" does not project out the back of the camera like the "100" battery does. I've got "100" batteries (which I find very useful for how I use the cameras) but they do stick out enough to interfere with access to the CX550 viewfinder. This is usually not a problem for me, but it can be a problem when shooting in bright lighting where it is otherwise difficult to see the viewscreen.

December 11th, 2010, 09:58 AM	#25
Ron Evans Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,220	It could be the zoom motor if your finger is hovering on it. Try also switching to stereo audio as I find that a better sound anyway, you really don't want to hear yourself breathing do you? I use the Bluetooth mic in 5.1 mode when recording on a tripod in the theatre with the mic down at stage level. Works well as I just extract this centre channel in Vegas afterwards.. Ron Evans

December 12th, 2010, 05:48 AM	#28
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	You do NOT need a UV, hood or no hood. If you fit a UV you reduce your hood's efficiency hugely.

December 13th, 2010, 01:44 PM	#30
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	Unless you're shooting in a sandstorm, short of a freak hit with a bat fragment or hockey puck, you shouldn't have anything near the lens to scratch it. And it's one more piece of glass to have a bit of lint or fingerprint on it, just enough inside the focal range to play havoc! EBay has plenty of listings for hoods, on the cheap. They are of course mostly all made in China (I tried some even cheaper India made ones, the quality was not so hot), but for the price, hard to beat - I got a handful of the 37mm ones that screw directly onto the threads, with a little knurled ring to snug down to keep the hood from spinning. The 37MM one shows up in the sides of the ultra wide 550 lens on full wide, particularly if you move the camera with the OIS on - you get to see the OIS "work"! I Dremel tooled the sides down a bit, and that made the hoods usable while still looking decent. I suspect you'd have to go to the 52mm hood with a step up ring (or is it a step down, I get confused with that!) to have a "stock" hood clear the frame - that's what the MC50 hood looks like to me, and based on my rough measurements and estimates, the 42 and 46mm ones would still show in the frame on full wide. I also modded an old A1u Hood that looks pretty nice, but they are MUCH more $$$, not sure if the old HC1 hood would be wide enough, but again about 4x the price of an inexpensive import one, even if you have to buy a step up/down ring for a couple $$.