Ollie Bartlett

No but i would say that a typical shoot with a small prosumer DV camera would probably not have an AC. It might, but the majority I've been on have not... most have a runner or two who helps out with the camera when needed. The sudden addition of a lens adaptor adds time to the shoot, whether it be changing lenses, cleaning lenses, adjusting follow focus to fit lens gears, camera repositioning, back focus adjustment etc etc... it all adds time. Surely the requirement of the good AC is there as a direct result of the additional time created by using an adaptor. The more and more toys and tricks we use, the more and more skilled people you need around in order to keep the work time down.

Dont forget time.

wow... i couldnt find anything for 35mm adaptors on wiki. Right well the function of the adaptor is to allow the use of 35mm cine and photography lenses with non 35mm based video equipment. Most of the adaptors attatch to the stock lens of the camera in use, and onto the front end you would attatch your 35mm lens. The light passing through the 35mm lens is projected onto an image plane, either a still or spinning piece of high quality glass, inside the adaptor. This image is then captured from the opposite side by the camera in use. It works in the same way as if you were to film a back projected cinema screen. So yes, you can use your 85mm prime on your dv camera, but you would need a 35mm lens adaptor to do so. Check out any of the manufacturers websites that i mentioned and they should give you an in depth description of how it all works.

Sorry, it wouldnt let me edit my post. The XL series can mount other XL lenses of different focal lengths and zoom ratios, but whether the results are worth doing so when compared to cost is debatable. It can also accomodate the EF stills lenses when used with an additional adaptor, but i think it magnifies the focal length of any lens by 7.8X or something rediculous... you'll never get a wide angle shot with that!!! Other than the XL series camera i cant think of any prosumer model DV camera with interchangable lenses (unless you step upto 1/2 or 2/3 inch chip cameras with ENG style lenses). As i said... adaptors are probably the way to go.

No... but you can if you use a 35mm lens adaptor. Some noteable adaptors include the Redrock Micro, Letus Extreme (link to your right), SG Pro, P+S Teknik and the Movietube. If you wikipedia any of these, im sure you can get some good info as to how the adaptor actually works in principle.

The technique is used for some of the Sky interviews we do, when an interviewee will speak directly into camera, and we live feed the signal to the news studio for those live interviews (sometimes split screen with news presenter / interviewee on either side). Anyway, we call it a 'down the line' interview. I thinks its so called because of the down the eyeline shot framing (my boss reckons so aswell), but i guess it could also have that name because of the internet line its fed through to the studio.

I asked the same question last week... the answers can be found here: http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...showtopic=31355 and then discussed in further detail here http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...showtopic=29642 good luck, Ollie

PM me your email address... i may or may not have a PDF version of the 'Digital Cinematography' book that deals with the 900. Same applies for anyone really. Ollie

Totally off subject but thats where the company SQN audio get their name... 'Sine Qua Non', 'Second to none.' Useless bit of info there for those who dont know and dont care.

Just checked it out in the menus and yes youre right... PsF it is. I take it that would be the same path the Varicam or HDX-900 would take aswell when not recording in 720p, albeit that Panansonic would have to call it something else due to Sony's copyright addiction (seriously... you cant copyright 'memory stick'!). Is there any camera in that sony panasonic bracket (f900/varicam type systems) that can record in true 1080p, or do you need to take the step up to things like the f23, genesis etc? Not that i can get my hands on them but just curious! Ollie

Essentially i mean 'can the industry please hold on for a little while longer whilst i get upto speed on our current brand of HD. Then, when i'm experienced enough with various aspects of 1080 capture, we can all move on to 2k/4k/beyond as one happy family, hand in hand if neccessary.' Its a big ask i know (Im joking by the way)

Hang on, hang on... i havnt figured out this one yet.

Dont quote me on this, as im proving to be frequently wrong on this subject, but 720p 60 on the DVCProHD format is 60 progressive frames per second, and as far as im aware a camera cant recond progressively and scan in an interlaced way. Im guessing, at its most basic reason, its because of some sort of difference in timing when scanning the vertical lines. My follow on question (providing of course theres not massive issues with my answer), would be this: Ive been using a HDW-750p for a while now but somehow am only starting to address these progressive / interlace issues properly. Can the 750p record in 1080p? Or is it still a 1080i recording thats scanned 25 times progressively and then split into the corresponding 50 fields for tape? Cheers, Ollie

You mean aside from the systematic destruction of the good name of two of the greatest trilogies in film history? According to IMDB he's responsible for the lousy english summer we're having, high fuel prices, and all the pain and suffering in the world. OK, maybe, just maybe this isnt true, but somehow Indy 4 became only the fifth film ever to make me leave the cinema genuinely angry (the others being Star wars 1, 2, 3 and the new Transformers. Seriously... stop abusing the films of my youth). I didnt like the comedy CGI gophers or whatever they were. I wasnt sure why the nuke sequence was even there. I dont get why all the lights and metal things werent attracted to the alien in the first place, which would have made it much easier to find with all the hanging lamps pointing directly towards it. I didnt like the over the shoulder where Mutt clearly isnt talking. However, on the plus, although the diffusion and overblown highlights on a lot of the sequences were excessive and out of place, especially when there was talk of being sensitive to the style of the original films, the very fact that you guys have been talking about the use of behind the lens nets has made me go and try it for myself, and I've now had very pleasent results using both black stockings of different weave aswell as a perforated plastic baguette wrapper (65 pence from Waitrose, with a free baguette inside. The tights werent available). Dissapointed by the film, but then, could it ever going to live upto my expectations? Probably not... neither could Star Wars. Maybe its not Lucas thats ruined these things for me but my own expectations which were ultimately too high, but only so because i have been blown away by the work of these very same artists in the past. It wasnt great, but it's inspired a lot of discussion which in turn has educated me on everything from lighting techniques to the manufacture of rudimentary gunpowder based on a derivative of chicken poop. These are valuable skills and gotta be worth something. "Thats all i have to say about that" (Now that was a great film!)

Right... so when an HDX900 tells me that the system mode is 1080i and the camera mode is 25p, what is essentially happening is that its scannning the image progressively, and then converting the signal into 2 seperate fields to be recorded as an interlace picture (albeit at lower vertical resolution) Im not sure why this is seemingly so complicated for me :(

The man speaks the truth, but unfortunately in my house we demand our fair share of the football, the UFC, the girls next door, ray mears, top gear repeats and Carribean Cops uncovered. Its tough these days to not end up with cable TV, or certainly in Bristol anyway. Virgin media make you get two of their services, so its internet plus one, and phonelines in a shared house is never going to work so cable it is. They essentially force you to add services you dont need by monoploising the media market in the area and only selling bundles. To be fair, i'd forgotten about the radio incorporated in the liscensing fee. The kit room would be a far duller place if radio 1 were't blaring out one of their 5 tunes they choose to play.

... if i fly over from the UK can you ask if i can get a PA spot aswell. Would gladly cut off my left arm in payment for a possible 'in', if only i didnt need it for the occasional ACing i get. ... did i say fly over? Im broke... i'll swim.

I think Stuarts right on the 'you've just got to have one' policy. I had to sign something for the liscensing people recently when i bought a new computer, purely because it had a tv-tuner card in it. As far as i know, student houses and the like only need multiple liscences if there are certain types of locks on each of the individual bedrooms. I think council tax also works this way in some cases. And while were on the subject of council tax... :angry:

If youre blind i believe you get a 50% reduction... 50% (seriously... no joke)! Once you start paying, they've got you. You cant ever just stop, because really, how many people just decide theyve had enough of the TV. Add on the Sky or cable connection (£40/£20 a month), and suddenly youre paying 50 odd quid a month for something you dont really use other than to watch the DVD's you own outright anyway. Ok, i watch Top Gear, the football when its on and the news, but thats really the extent of the service i get from partially funding the BBC. ... Just one more of those payments i still havnt got round to cancelling.

jebus! i thought i had it then. ok so, let me see if i got this... 1080i 50i would be 25 frames, each frame being built up of 2 interlaced fields of 540 lines of vertical resolution each. The first field is scanned lines 1,3,5,7,9 etc, then the second field is scanned as 2,4,6,8,10 etc 1080i 25p would be 25 frames, each frame being 2 interlaced fields, but each field being built up of either the odd or even progressively scanned lines... ie its is scanned 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, but then split into either odd or even field for capture. 720p 25p is simply 25 frames of progressive scanning, ie 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 1080p 25p is the same but with more vertical, and hence more horizontal resolution. is any of this right? and does that mean that its therefore impossible to get a 1080p 50i signal because the very fact that its recorded progressively means it cannot have been scanned as an interlaced image? :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: Ollie

But from what i understand the camera needs to be taken to an engineer to be unlocked... seems excessive to just make sure settings aren't changed. Especially, in fact, if it were to inhibit the record function or any other vital operation. (Although my source may be wrong for this)

Hi there, From what im aware of you cant shoot 50fps on any sony at this present moment, unless you mean 25 frames recorded as 50 interlaced fields. The closest thing you'll get to 50fps at that level of camera is with the panasonic varicam or HDX900, which can shoot upto 60 progressive fps, but only at 720 resolution. I believe it will give you a 1080i recording, but only via uprezzing the original 720 signal, so not full HD anyway, (although i may be wrong on this), or at least, not the HD youre looking for if youre wanting to use HDCam. Hope this helps, Ollie

If youre looking for an SD prosumer camera then the XL2 is a fine little beast, but i really wouldnt buy something like that brand new these days. You'll pay so much for a camera that is unfortunately already out of date technology. I WOULD NOT buy this from ebay. I would have 5 years ago, but that was before some **** relieved me of 2 and a bit K for a PD170 that i never got... nor did i ever get my money back. I'd suggest just keeping an eye out on the bhphoto website and getting something second hand from them. If they say something is in good condition i would be happy to take their word for it (i buy stills glass from them and havnt been let down yet). Or check out what your local rental house has got and might be willing to flog on. Here in the UK it seems quite a few of them are getting rid of their DVX's, and as theyre from a rental house, you know that although they're well used, they're also well maintained. Then with the money you save you could spend more on a set of sticks, or, dare i say it, maybe some more lights, some fresnels perhaps (again, i've never had a problem with second hand lights. If youre just sticking to tungstens theres really not much that can go wrong with them). If you havnt got them already i'd spend any remaining money on various grades of ND and CC gels. Hope some of this helps... epecially the ebay warning. All the best, Ollie

... and lo and behold the factory reset function was revealed, and all was well. Nice one Mitch... your debt of gratitude will be sent via airmail. Cheers mate, Ollie Ooh... one last thing. Not important to me whatsoever, but why would panasonic include the 'engage security' feature? I cant think of one reason why i would ever need a button that, when pressed meant i lock up all the menus and would need to send the camera off to a technician to get all them unlocked again. Any reason you know of for its inclusion, or has the bbc in house guide to the camera got the function of it all wrong?

Hi there, Simple question... does the HDX have a factory reset in its menus? Cant find it for the life of me, and dont really want to go through the settings 1 by 1 changing the values. If there is one, and someone could tell me its location within the menu system, ill owe them a debt of gratitude. Cheers, Ollie