24psf?
 

In the Video Set Menu
There is an option for 24p system.
One choice is 60i and the other 24PsF

If one is shooting 1080p24 which setting should be used?

I notice 24PsF was added to the camera through the last firmware.

Progressive Segmented Frame - PsF
 

Perhaps the least understood capability of the EX cameras and I dare say in the broadcast industry. Wikipedia is a good place to start with the basics which also covers the 50Hz systems in PAL countries.

Basically, the two options you have discovered allow you to either:
a) obtain 24p of video in a 24p timeline, without having to do a 2:3 pull-down
b) obtain 24p video embedded as two progressive frames within a 60i timeline

Cheers

So is one better than the other?

i would avoid any kind of a pull-down if possible. i'm a big fan of progressive. but then again i guess it depends on your project/deliverables.

In High Definition, you will have to make that choice on the target deliverable.

If Blu-ray is the target then 24PsF is the way to go. If you intend on targeting it to a display that is not 24P capable then 24p within a 60i timeline is the way to go.

Why wouldn't I choose 24P if I want to output to Blu-Ray?

Pete

This option in the EX1 will only change the HD-SDI output of the camera form 60i to 23.98 PsF. (in the EX3 it also changes the TC and Genlock settings) It does not change the recording mode at all. XDCAM EX codecs are native codecs, meaning they contain no pull-down or duplicate frames. So your footage will be in 1080p 23.98p regardless of this setting.

PsF output does have it's advantages as Barry mentioned. If you were using an external recorder like a Flash XDR or HDCAM deck then you may want to use the 23.98 PsF mode. This would be good because it would basically keep the video in the same native progressive mode. If you recorded the 60i output of the camera you would be recording 23.98 pulldowned over 60i, which you would have to remove if you wanted to go back to that true 23.98.

Personally the only time I would record the 60i output is if I was intending to go directly to television broadcast or if I had a deck that didn't except a PsF signal. My reasoning being that it is very easy for devices to add pulldown when outputting or to do this in post. However it is fairly difficult to remove pulldown and get back to the original source.

thank you Andy, that clears this up in my mind now.