Mark Henderson

I own a Sony Z1U and I haven't had any problem with not enough light. With 18 Gain you see in the dark. And without gain it's still fast I think. Must faster than film. Mark

Has anyone made a DI from an HDV original? Have you been happy with the results when blown up from HDV to 35mm if the original footage was of good quality? Thanks, Mark

Chromatic aberration of the lens during the snap. Mark

In the very first ones off the line there was a problem with this. I've read where Sony will accept the cameras back and will re-center the lenses free to solve the problem. The later versions do not have the problem anymore. Contact Sony. Mark

I'm shooting a low budget feature in March 08. I will be using a Sony Z1U or the New Sony XD Cam (PMW-EX1). I will be editing with Premiere Pro CS3 and want to end up with a digital intermediate for digital projection at a theatre. Does anyone know of a good digital intermediate house that could help me with this low budget project? Thanks, Mark (Posted under Sony/HD also)

I'm shooting a low budget feature in March 08. I will be using a Sony Z1U or the New Sony XD Cam (PMW-EX1). I will be editing with Premiere Pro CS3 and want to end up with a digital intermediate for digital projection at a theatre. Does anyone know of a good digital intermediate house that could help me with this low budget project? Thanks, Mark

Looks like some great replys guys. Should help a lot of people make a decision. I bought the Z1U and I'm very happy with it. I bought it vs. the P2 because producers that called me kept asking for it. No one asked for the P2. The only people who want P2 (Panasonic 200) are the independent film guys and they never seem to have any money. Not being critical of them, it 's just the fact. I didn't get the V1U because it was just coming out. It seems the jury is still out on it however.Xavier Plaza said he owned it for a year and wasn't crazy about it, that should tell us something. Good luck, Mark

Hal: Thanks for the info! Best wishes, Mark

In looking at the Sony V1U a little closer it may give the P2 a run its money. It's only about 1/2 the price It shoots in 1080P (Progressive) and 1080i Can TC sync with other V1Us and Z1Us Has a HDMI out Suppose to not have vertical smear Overall seems to be a great camera if you want a camera that can do "film look" and 1080i. Mark

I'm interested in producing programming for The History Channel, but I can't find a contact for them however. I looked at their Web site, but it looked more suited for consumer or audience info. No contact info on the business side. Anyone have a contact number for their programming department or know the general guidelines. Thanks, Mark

"There were also some blue flashes that happened randomly throughout the movie." As for the flashes... You may be taking your eye away from the eye piece while you are shooting. This allows light to travel down the eye piece backwards and expose the film. I sometimes do it as a "look" when shooting music videos. That might be your "problem".

I went to look at the V1U again. It looks pretty nice for a HDV. It shots both 1080P and 1080i/60i. It can also TC sync with other V1Us and Z1Us. It also doesn't have vertical smear due to the CMOS chips.

At 50hz, 1000 fps would be right. Sorry for my imperialism. God save the Queen! I would never shoot this with HMIs. Too many problems you could encounter. In the United States, Rule of thumb with HMIs is that if you can divide the fps into 120 evenly (whole number, not a number and fraction) then it's a safe speed. Over 120 fps I guess as longs as it's in multiples of 120 such as 240, 360, 720, etc. it might be fine. Again, I'm speaking in USA numbers. In Europe with 50hz the fps should divide into 100 evenly. (In the US there are 120 light pulses per second. In Europe, there are 100 light pulses per second.)

Do you think those mini Pro 35mm adapters make that much difference? They are a lot of money. I believe somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000.00 new. That is a lot more than the cameras. I just bought the Sony HVR-Z1U and was wondering if it would work for that. I bought the Z1U camera vs. the P2 because for every job that a producer asked for the P2, I had 10 producers ask for the Z1U.

I find that HD might take slightly less footcandles than film, but I usually use more instruments to light HD. I have to make sure the subtle tones in the blacks and/or dark areas are brought out and that the white and/or light areas aren't washed out.

If you are powering off a generator you may want to power your 110 volt lights off 3 seperate legs (1/3 red, 1/3 blue and 1/3 off black). For your 220 lights you can run them off (1/3 red and blue, 1/3 blue and black, 1/3 black and red). This will get them on separate phases for you so they are not all firing at once. Also, you can shoot at multiples of 60. This will keep you in line with the hertz of the power lines. 1020 would be the closest exposure. Thanks, Mark

What do you think of the Sony HVRV1U vs. other HDV cameras and the Panasonic P2? I didn't know how to start an official subforum. Thanks, Mark

What's the word on the V1U? There is no subforum for it or I would ask there. Here's what sony.com says: With the groundbreaking HVR-V1U compact professional camcorder, in addition to standard 60i you can shoot progressive scan footage and still edit using regular Sony HDV equipment. In addition to typical 60i, the HVR-V1U offers 24p/30p progressive scan capture, enabling cinema and drama productions in its compact yet high performance unit. Seems like it offers 24P like the Panasonic P2, but without the card hassle. Thanks, Mark

Best monitors... I suppose there are different ways to go to get the best monitor: Any suggestions for... 110 volt monitors 110 volt/DC monitors and/or laptops w/for monitors I was wondering what others are doing to view scenes shot with their Z1Us vs. just the viewfinder in the field. I was thinking of getting the Sony Vario laptop with the 1920 x 1200 LCD (Sony VAIO AR170P23 Notebook) seems like it would give a faithful image. Anyone know? If I load the laptop with Adobe Premiere Pro can I record 1080i HDV with the Z1U and simultaneously record it in a file on my laptop (Vario) with Premiere Pro. If so, that would be another reason to go with a laptop as a monitor vs. just a monitor. Thanks, Mark

I've had some excellent replies. I'll buy some of the VS gels and test them. I'll let you know how they work. Thanks, Mark

Read the manual. I think the computer has to be connected first because it has the ground to the wall. If not, static electricity can build up and fry you camera if you plug it in first. Also, there is a distinct order items must be plugged in. This is after the settings are set correctly. Just read the manual and it will explain everything. Also, make sure the info in the computer is readable to the camera. Don't think static electricity can fry your camera? Lighting is static electricity. Mark

To achieve color splash on walls I use a 1K or 2K light shot through a Rosco color gel (the plastic 2x2' films). Usually a deep red, green, yellow or blue. However, I'm not real happy with the depth or intensity of the color. I've recently bought some ETC source fours. I plan to buy some Rosco colored "GLASS" gobos to insert in them (they are more like theatrical lights than film lighst) to see if I can get some deeper/richer colors. I'm just wondering what other members find works best? Mark

For years I have pushed and pulled photography and cinematography. It simply means to process longer (push) or process for less time (pull). You may do it because you do not have enough light available -- the sun is setting, you are wide open and you are still one or two stops under. In this case you shoot wide open and then tell the lab to push it one or two stops, whatever is needed to bring the film back to normal exposure. Some times you push or pull because you need to shoot at an f-stop that gives you the correct depth of field while unfortunately giving you the wrong exposure. Simply push or pull process to bring it back into correct exposure. You must always watch out for reciprocity, however. This causes a "color shift" in the film. The film has three layers that effect the blue, green and reds. Unfortunately the layers are effected differently when exposed or processed over a "lengthened" amount of time. One color layer may be effected more/less from simply being processed or exposed longer. Film that is pushed over 3 stops will usually go noticeably red because of this effect. Mark

They just want the music video shot on film or HD with a cine gamma look. They added the 24P to the HD because they don't want the 60i "live" video look. They want a quality music video shot with a "film" look. How do they want the finished product delivered to them? DigiBeta? It is what they weren't saying that is important. They didn't say shoot it on BetaSP, use a HDV cam, etc. Mark

From memory I believe... 0 db is silence 30 db is a whisper 40cb is a soft conversation 45-50 db is a conversation 55 is a loud conversation 60db is a loud radio 90 db is a lawnmower 110-120db is a jet So I wouldn't want to record anywhere around 70db. Mark