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35mm Transfer to mini-DV, Beta SP or Others


Gary Robinson

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I usually transfer my 35mm footage to Digibeta and Beta Sp simultaneously. Has anyone seen the difference in quality between transfering to Beta SP and Mini DV? Which looked better? What are your formats of choice for 35mm telecine (including hd) ranked by preference?

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I usually transfer my 35mm footage to Digibeta and Beta Sp simultaneously. Has anyone seen the difference in quality between transfering to Beta SP and Mini DV? Which looked better? What are your formats of choice for 35mm telecine (including hd) ranked by preference?

HDCAM SR

D5 HD

HDCAM

DVCPro HD

Digibeta

DVCAM or Mini DV

Beta SP

 

(The last two may be an interchangeable matter of preference.)

The first two would be recommended for online editing. (HDCAM SR and D5 HD)

HDCAM is a popular presentation format

DVCPro HD is an excellent choice for offline editing. It's actually easier to work with than Digibeta, which would be my next choice.

I would recommend against using either of the last two (Mini DV and Beta SP) for making critical editing decisions on 35mm originated material. They can be used, but will give you less precise color and focus detail, especially if you're editing for broadcast or 35mm film out.

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I agree with DGoulders ranking.

 

The only thing I would add is that HD-Cam is not good for blue/green screen work. If your final destination is small-medium sized screen, then for this sort of work I would put DVC pro HD above HD-Cam. But for the big screen, I would say HD CAM SR in 4:4:4 mode or uncompressed to disk is the requirement for blue/green screen shots. Of course, to help with budget you can just record your chromakey shots to these formats.

 

David Cox

Baraka Post Production

www.baraka.co.uk

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Thanks guys. Where would you place HDV? Right over digibeta. While editing trailers, I've had some mini dv's transfered from digibeta that looked terrible, while the betas transfered from the same source looked much better. Have you guys seen any cases where minidv's transfered from digibeta looks noisy?

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Thanks guys. Where would you place HDV? Right over digibeta. While editing trailers, I've had some mini dv's transfered from digibeta that looked terrible, while the betas transfered from the same source looked much better. Have you guys seen any cases where minidv's transfered from digibeta looks noisy?

 

I wouldn't put HDV in that list because at best it is a semi-domestic shooting format and really has no place as a professional post production medium. Its far too compressed.

 

If you are seeing noise in a transfer from DigiBeta to DV, then my guess would be that whereever you are having the transfer done is using a domestic DV recorder that only has an analogue input. Noise doesn't really exist in the digital domain (in terms of dubbing artefacts) and if they were using a pro DV deck, they would be copying from digital [output] DigiBeta to digital [input] DV. I suspect they are copying from the composite output of the digi to the composite input of the DV deck, and thats where the noise is coming from.

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Thanks guys. Where would you place HDV? Right over digibeta. While editing trailers, I've had some mini dv's transfered from digibeta that looked terrible, while the betas transfered from the same source looked much better. Have you guys seen any cases where minidv's transfered from digibeta looks noisy?

 

 

If the dubbs from Digi to DVCAM (DV) were made via SDI, then the copies should be prestine and look nearly identical to the masters. As david suggested, if the dubbs show considerable loss in quality, then they were probably cloned using an analog output (most likely composite). In that case, you have to wonder about the audio levels andquality as well.

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I've done a few film transfers going from digibeta to DVCam and direct to DVCam, can't really say I see a difference when the digibeta was SDI out through a Miranda box to firewire to DVCam.

 

-Sam

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Sure. But depends on what you need to do.

 

I agree a full out telecine these days for finished product might as well be a HD format.

 

For work sample, dailies not neccesarily although I see DVCPRO HD kind of replacing HD these days.

 

I don't quite see the point of D-beta if you're *only* going to cut in DV25 though. Unless you'll retransfer later in which case might as well go to say D5HD to begin with.

 

-Sam

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