15-FPS Progressive Scan on VX2100? at DVinfo.net

Steve McDonald · May 10th, 2004, 10:57 PM

I assume that the VX2100 has the same 15-FPS progressive scan as the VX2000, but you'd never know it by reading Sony's website or product reviews. Can someone confirm this for me? As other posters have remarked about this feature on the VX2000, I would use it extensively for footage from which I would later extract still images. I have captured several thousand video-stills onto digital disks, but I'm tired of fighting the interlaced blurring of most frames on moving subjects.

There's a big advantage to having 15 or 30 progressive FPS from which to choose that one right image, you'd only rarely nail with a still camera. A good-looking 640 X 480 picture that shows just what you want, is better than getting not much that's usable of a fast-moving subject at 4-plus MegaPixels.

Steve McDonald

Alan Christensen · May 11th, 2004, 01:34 AM

Yes, the 2100 has 15fps progressive scan just like the 2000.

Frank Granovski · May 11th, 2004, 01:46 AM

It's good for stills and for the extreme film look.

Tom Hardwick · May 11th, 2004, 04:49 AM

And when used as a motor drive stills camera. Forget the NDs, up the shutter speed till you can shoot around f4 and away you go. 12.5fps (PAL) for a solid hour with full stereo to boot - there'll be a lot of good full resolution frames in that lot.

tom.

Eric Stemen · May 23rd, 2004, 01:20 AM

If you shot 15fps progressive, then used retimer to add new frames in, and after that up the speed in premier to 200% do you think it would look any good or better than using premier to make the vid progresive later on?

Johnny Chiang · May 23rd, 2004, 01:26 AM

how does this compare to the GL2's Frame Mode?

Dave Croft · May 31st, 2004, 06:10 AM

I had also thought about this, what would happen if you shot in progressive, and increase the speed to 200% in premiere - would this not give you full speed 30p (but obviously twice as fast).

Also, I don't know if anyone knows anything about this, but can you switch the cam to progressive, and then use the stop-motion or timelapse capture setting in Premiere to capture, say a clay model animation or timelapsed fast clouds in true 30p, because that would be pretty cool.

Dave.

Steve McDonald · June 3rd, 2004, 07:57 AM

Judging by the jerkiness when the picture in the VX2100's viewfinder moves, it appears to shift to its 15-FPS progressive scan when it's switched to its Memory-Stick still-capture mode. This is fine with me, but it seems odd that there is also a mechanical "progressive-shutter" in operation, during this type of still-capture.

Other Sony models that don't have a progressive scan in video mode, use this type of shutter for memory mode stills, which exposes both interlaced fields at the same instant. Then it scans them separately, the 2nd field holding its acquisition long enough for its turn to come. This emulates the type of effect of a true progressive scan, by eliminating motion-blurring between adjacent lines in the two separate fields. Of course, this mechanical shutter works only in the memory mode.

Unless I'm mistaken, the still pictures that go directly onto the memory card have both a progressive scan and progressive shutter at work together. As with many special features, there is no specific mention of this in the manual. It doesn't matter if the progressive scan is switched on or off in the video mode. When you switch to memory mode, it appears to go into progressive scan. I wonder how these two progressive features improve the images by working together? It would be edifying to have a detailed description of this.

The progressive video scan, recorded onto tape, has produced some very nice still-captures for me later, of fast-moving subjects. I'm pleased by the way I can easily grab sharp stills from most of the frames, rather than having to search through interlaced footage for that rare clear frame from scenes with motion. The image quality of the individual frames from this camera when shooting progressive video, more than makes up for their being only of a 640 X 480 pixel size.

May 10th, 2004, 10:57 PM	#1
Steve McDonald Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 366	15-FPS Progressive Scan on VX2100? I assume that the VX2100 has the same 15-FPS progressive scan as the VX2000, but you'd never know it by reading Sony's website or product reviews. Can someone confirm this for me? As other posters have remarked about this feature on the VX2000, I would use it extensively for footage from which I would later extract still images. I have captured several thousand video-stills onto digital disks, but I'm tired of fighting the interlaced blurring of most frames on moving subjects. There's a big advantage to having 15 or 30 progressive FPS from which to choose that one right image, you'd only rarely nail with a still camera. A good-looking 640 X 480 picture that shows just what you want, is better than getting not much that's usable of a fast-moving subject at 4-plus MegaPixels. Steve McDonald

June 3rd, 2004, 07:57 AM	#8
Steve McDonald Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 366	Judging by the jerkiness when the picture in the VX2100's viewfinder moves, it appears to shift to its 15-FPS progressive scan when it's switched to its Memory-Stick still-capture mode. This is fine with me, but it seems odd that there is also a mechanical "progressive-shutter" in operation, during this type of still-capture. Other Sony models that don't have a progressive scan in video mode, use this type of shutter for memory mode stills, which exposes both interlaced fields at the same instant. Then it scans them separately, the 2nd field holding its acquisition long enough for its turn to come. This emulates the type of effect of a true progressive scan, by eliminating motion-blurring between adjacent lines in the two separate fields. Of course, this mechanical shutter works only in the memory mode. Unless I'm mistaken, the still pictures that go directly onto the memory card have both a progressive scan and progressive shutter at work together. As with many special features, there is no specific mention of this in the manual. It doesn't matter if the progressive scan is switched on or off in the video mode. When you switch to memory mode, it appears to go into progressive scan. I wonder how these two progressive features improve the images by working together? It would be edifying to have a detailed description of this. The progressive video scan, recorded onto tape, has produced some very nice still-captures for me later, of fast-moving subjects. I'm pleased by the way I can easily grab sharp stills from most of the frames, rather than having to search through interlaced footage for that rare clear frame from scenes with motion. The image quality of the individual frames from this camera when shooting progressive video, more than makes up for their being only of a 640 X 480 pixel size. __________________ Steve McDonald

May 11th, 2004, 01:34 AM	#2
Alan Christensen Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: California Posts: 139	Yes, the 2100 has 15fps progressive scan just like the 2000.

May 11th, 2004, 01:46 AM	#3
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	It's good for stills and for the extreme film look.

May 11th, 2004, 04:49 AM	#4
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	And when used as a motor drive stills camera. Forget the NDs, up the shutter speed till you can shoot around f4 and away you go. 12.5fps (PAL) for a solid hour with full stereo to boot - there'll be a lot of good full resolution frames in that lot. tom.

May 23rd, 2004, 01:20 AM	#5
Eric Stemen Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 378	If you shot 15fps progressive, then used retimer to add new frames in, and after that up the speed in premier to 200% do you think it would look any good or better than using premier to make the vid progresive later on?

May 23rd, 2004, 01:26 AM	#6
Johnny Chiang New Boot Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Skokie, IL Posts: 23	how does this compare to the GL2's Frame Mode?

May 31st, 2004, 06:10 AM	#7
Dave Croft Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Yorks UK Posts: 89	I had also thought about this, what would happen if you shot in progressive, and increase the speed to 200% in premiere - would this not give you full speed 30p (but obviously twice as fast). Also, I don't know if anyone knows anything about this, but can you switch the cam to progressive, and then use the stop-motion or timelapse capture setting in Premiere to capture, say a clay model animation or timelapsed fast clouds in true 30p, because that would be pretty cool. Dave.