Shoot 1080i60 or 1080p30 on the PMW-EX1?

[Brent Ethington]

While I know there have been numerous threads about one format over another, I haven't seen a thread specific to the PMW-EX1 with respect to the use of 1080i60 versus 1080p30 (I know there was a discussion about 720p). Under what conditions/situations would you want to use 1080i60?

If there's no loss of resolution in 1080p30 (which occurs on some other cameras, but not the PMW-EX1?), why wouldn't you use 1080p30 all the time versus 1080i60, then deinterlace?

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Brent Ethington

While I know there have been numerous threads about one format over another, I haven't seen a thread specific to the PMW-EX1 with respect to the use of 1080i60 versus 1080p30 (I know there was a discussion about 720p). Under what conditions/situations would you want to use 1080i60?

If there's no loss of resolution in 1080p30 (which occurs on some other cameras, but not the PMW-EX1?), why wouldn't you use 1080p30 all the time versus 1080i60, then deinterlace?

Good question. Unless you are shooting for the Web, do not use p30. Likewise, unless one is shooting a pseudo film look, never shoot p25. The reason has nothing to do with interlace vs progressive. It has to do with temporal sampling.

The camera shoots 50 or 60 frames per second. When you use 25p or 30p you throw half of these frames away. Recorded motion, therefore, is sampled half as often. The result is a strobing artifact created in your eye/brain WHEN you watch the video at 50Hz or 60Hz. (Your display repeats each image TWICE -- as it must for display.)

When you shoot 50i or 60i or 50p or 60p -- you RECORD 50 or 60 images per second -- each of which is shown ONCE during display. I have to give Sony low-marks for claiming the camera does 1080p -- when they know full well that the camera does not record 1080p50 or 1080p60.

Obviously, if you want a pseudo film look, you can shoot at 24p or 25p. In this case, some feel the strobing is similar to that from film.

PS: Deinterlacing can't add the missing TIME samples.

[Brent Ethington]

Steve - Thanks for the info. Makes sense

[Bill Heslip]

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

Good question. Unless you are shooting for the Web, do not use p30. Likewise, unless one is shooting a pseudo film look, never shoot p25. The reason has nothing to do with interlace vs progressive. It has to do with temporal sampling.

The camera shoots 50 or 60 frames per second. When you use 25p or 30p you throw half of these frames away. Recorded motion, therefore, is sampled half as often. The result is a strobing artifact created in your eye/brain WHEN you watch the video at 50Hz or 60Hz. (Your display repeats each image TWICE -- as it must for display.)

When you shoot 50i or 60i or 50p or 60p -- you RECORD 50 or 60 images per second -- each of which is shown ONCE during display. I have to give Sony low-marks for claiming the camera does 1080p -- when they know full well that the camera does not record 1080p50 or 1080p60.

Obviously, if you want a pseudo film look, you can shoot at 24p or 25p. In this case, some feel the strobing is similar to that from film.

PS: Deinterlacing can't add the missing TIME samples.

Steve, your post has me bewildered. Surely you meant to say the camera records 50/60 _fields_ per second, not frames, right (overcrank excepted)? All along my plan was to abandon 60i in favor of shooting 30p, not just for the web, but for progressive HD plasma and LCD displays, as well as creating a more stylized look.

[Leonard Levy]

Steve, is this advice - never to shoot 30p specific to 1080 30p and this camera (or certain other cameras) or do you also dislike say 720/30p on a say a Panasonic camera?