How well does Firestore work without P2 card in camera?

[Jim Feldspar]

We have the use of an HVX-200 with an FS-100 Firestore but no P2 cards. I've read that

even if you're not using the P2 card, it should be in the camera for the Firestore to work

properly. We won't have an opportunity to test before we get the camera (on the shoot day.)

 

Does anybody have any advice? Thanks.

[tanner wolfe]

i believe that you have to remove the P2 cards for the firestore to operate properly. i'd give yourself some time to acclimate to the firestore. it has a menu system reminiscient of 1987 not 2007.

 

tanner

[David Osborne]

I've been shooting some stuff with an FS100 and no P2 cards and have had no problems. The P2 cards do not need to be in the camera. Haha the menu is slightly reminiscent of something out of 1980, no real frills but it does the trick.

 

I've yet to experiment with the other functions, like recording what happened 3 seconds before you hit the record button etc. But for "regular" shooting everything runs like you'd expect.

 

It is kind of scary initially to set the firestore to respond when you hit the record button on the camera; like so it starts/stops recording. I still take my eyes away from the camera and down to my belt (or wherever I have the firestore sitting) to see if it's actually recording.

 

I expect that after a very short span of successful shoots I will become conditioned to disregard this fear and no longer check to see if I remembered to actually connect the firewire, turn the thing on, or if I even brought it with me.