SDX-900 vs EX-1 for a documentary.

[Antonio Cisneros]

Hey All

 

In about a month I have a documentary shoot on a modern artist. The colors in her art are so intense and vibrant I've been worried which camera I should pick. Originally I opted to shoot super 16mm but that was shot down because of budget. Now I'm stuck between shooting the SDX-900 or the EX-1. The final output of the film will be standard definition DVDs and the web. We aren't planning to do any HD output of the final product.

 

I would love to hear some opinions on whether to downgrade from HD to SD or to go with a SD camera with a greater color space and bit information. What would look better for the final output?

 

Thanks!

[Adrian Sierkowski]

If HD is not an option @ all for final viewing I'd go with the SDX, for the larger chips and better glass (generally). No matter what you do you'll be dealing with NTSC colors in the end, as you're making a DVD of it all; so it'll end up in the SD color space. I'd think the SDX would give you better results, overall for something like this (though don't get me wrong, I own an EX1 and thoroughly enjoy shooting with her.)

[David Cronin]

so it'll end up in the SD color space. I'd think the SDX would give you better results, overall for something like this (though don't get me wrong, I own an EX1 and thoroughly enjoy shooting with her.)

 

Adrian,

I would agree with you fully I found the difference in panasonic and sony basically to be entirely based on need. If you want color panasonic camera's, I feel, do an excellent job of cramming lots of information into the small space available in SD.

One thing that sold me was while doing color correction for my own film at matchframe, I was able to see a little bit of footage of a Bela Fleck documentary Throw Down Your Heart Movie LINK.

The colorist and myself were both pretty impressed by the color quality and the project was shot on a mini DV with a panasonic DVX 100b.

Sony's I think have a place, but its not so much in color as it is in reality. It captures what I would call "the new york" look well. It's a little more gentle and true in the darks.

 

One thing I would note, no matter what you shoot with save some money and take advantage of a professional colorist. There a must in a project like this.

 

Best,

 

David

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Most certainly, as David mentions, go for a pro colorist. I can't stress enough the value of their contributions to really giving any piece that professional finished quality. I am a little spoiled in that a good deal of the stuff I've done has been in the very capable hands of a few trusted colorists. They, like editors, I feel, are often the unsung heros which make a film project truly a pleasure to watch.