Sony PMW-F3L and General Editing and Glidecam questions

June 9, 2011

I'm renting the Sony PMW-F3L for one day (all I can afford), and I'm hoping to be using it with the GlideCam V20 which supports between 15 and 30 lbs supposedly. Do you know if this camera (with the battery, and a basic lens on it) will fit the 15 to 30 lbs max specs for the GlideCam V20?

Also, I've never used any GlideCam before, although I have operated some basic HD camcorders before. Will I run into major trouble if I'm smart and usually good at figuring things out? I've only operated HD cameras in the $1,000 range before, not a $14,000 Sony PMW-F3L... Is there an easy way to put it on Auto and still get good results? Or is this a 100% manual operated camera where it requires an expert?

I just know that I want a 35 mm film look shot at 24p fps in full 1920 x 1080.

Also, I planning on editing on my PC. Do you know if Dual-Core 2.8 GHz AMD Athlon Processor with 3 Gigs of ram will be enough to be able to import all this footage on my computer and edit? I have 295 GB of free (unused) hard drive space currently. I'm planning on using Avid? The other option is to rent a Apple G5 Desktop, Quad 2.5 GHz, with Final Cut Pro HD installed but the price is $295/day... Would my current computer handle the HD footage without lags and jumps, or would I be that much better off renting the $300/day G5, and is that computer going to be all that much better?

Vincent Sweeney · June 9, 2011

You need to consider finding a DP who owns one and hire him instead.

You will spend the entire day trying to figure it all out, and operating a steadicam type device can take a very, very long time to learn. None of this stuff is something you "just figure out" by renting it for a day.

Also, using an "Auto" feature on a camera like that isn't practical when you don't know the rest of its functions. The difference between that kind of camera and the little ones you are used to is about as different as riding a tricycle is to driving an 18-wheeler.

June 9, 2011

Vincent, what about my editing question. I've done editing before, even took a few classes on it. Could I just use my PC (described above), or would that be a problem somehow you think with this type of file format/camera?

Phil Connolly · June 9, 2011

Your PC should be fine to edit the material as long as you have a recent editing package that supports XDCAM footage, such as the current version of Avid media composer.

Filesize's arn't too bad - an 8GB card for the camera gives 28 min's of footage - so storage space isn't an issue.

There's no option to have auto focus on the F3, and auto exposure is generally a bad idea. I think you will struggle with the camera as its quite a step up from handycam type's. Keeping shots in focus is going to be tricky. If you still want to go down this route - I would try and get some training prior to shooting. Maybe the hire company can give you some test time with the camera - or volunteer on a shoot using an F3 as a camera runner/trainee - to get an insigh.

I would second the comments about the glidecam. We have one at the university, you really need to spend a several weeks practicing with it, just to get something half usable. Most of my students fail to get anything usable off it. If you have any stedi-cam/glidecam shots its much better if you hire an owner operator. I've been playing with our glidecam on an off for a few months and still struggle to balance it.