Dave Hall Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 I will be testing [a Bonzai drive] over the weekend with a colleague who is about to shoot a feature using the SDI out on his PDW-510. So, Simon - i don't recall that you mentioned anything after this email - did you get to test the Bonzai? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Wyndham Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 So, Simon - i don't recall that you mentioned anything after this email - did you get to test the Bonzai? Hi Dave. Sorry, I posted in another forum and forgot to mention it here. Yes, I did test the Bonsai. I found it to be a very well made device, but with some usability problems that need to be rectified before it can rival something like Firestore. The menu system is rather unweildy for one thing. The other thing is that although it records to its own Huffy compression, when you want to transfer the footage to your NLE you still have to play back from the Bonsai device via SDI into the computer (ie there is no way to connect it or the hard drive so that you can just drag and drop the files). On the plus side it can record up to eight channels of audio. It will also take composite and S-video inputs as well as being to output them at the same time as SDI. It is fairly portable (although bigger than I was expecting it to be), and it can take a 12v DC input. It isn't the golden egg I thought it might be. But with a bit of perseverance it could be used quite effectively if you can put up with its foibles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandeha Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 Hi, all. I have been following this thread about DSR450WSL for awhile now, but this is my first time posting. I finally ordered my DSR450WSL yesterday from B&H, and it will arrive by Friday this week. I had the same dilema as NBC shooter had about making a decision on buying HVX200, DSR450WSL, or for my case, SPX800. I will use this camera for a least two years shooting TV commercials and film projects that are distributed to DVDs. I figure SD can survice for at least a few years until HD format becomes the standard. I can accquire the HVX200 this year end or next year when HD player and HD DVDs become availabe to consumers. Please input your advise on my decision. Thanks. Van De Ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hall Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I finally ordered my DSR450WSL yesterday from B&H, and it will arrive by Friday this week. Please input your advise on my decision. Thanks. Did you get it yet? I went through the same thoughts in my mind, and also got the 450. The slow shutter can't be beat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandeha Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Hi, Dave. I had received my DSR-450 last night. My first impression was "Wow". a natural high kicking in really fast. I did not have much time to examine it throughly. However, I must say that the LCD is really weak (I wonder the quality of resolution it can displays.) I also pay attention closely to the tape transport. I will test loading some tapes tonight. I had glanced over the manual and read that DSR-450 does carry 2-3-3-2 pull down. Contrastly, I had read a thread somewhere saying that it does not. Anyway, I wish owners of the DSR-450 can share more information as we progress. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hall Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I feel like we are hijacking this thread, but I will answer. The tape transport is lousy. Large tapes have a tendency to not load correctly. I find that you have to push on the tape (to load) in the exact spot where the eject button is. I actually just got my 450 back from Sony repair, due to a mini tape getting stuck. Be careful loading tapes. I also just finished a test of a "true" 24P DVD using the 2-3-3-2 pulldown and Premiere Pro 1.51. The results are lousy! I think it looks much better using the "regular" 24P mode on a 60i timeline. What lens did you get? I'm happy with my wide YJ12X6.7 Canon. Dave PS-Make sure you press the LCD display button twice to get brighter colors. It's really only there to check white balance, in my opinion, and for that it's OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Bryant Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 DYING to know how much faster a DSR450 in 24psf @ 1/48th is, when compared to an HVX200 in 24pa @ 1/48th! HVX200 is rated f8 at 2000lux DSR450 is rated f11 at 2000lux Much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandeha Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Thank you for the tape warning and other information, Dave. Regarding the final footage produced from 2-3-3-2 pull down, can it be that your playback deck or player does not have progressive scan function? Anyway, the len received for my DSR-450 is Fujinon-A20x8.6BRM. Would Canon len be better? I would post more information soon. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hall Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 (edited) Lens-wise, at that price range, I guess that Canon and Fuji are fairly similar. You are getting a slightly wider picture with the 8.6mm vs. the Canon 9mm. Wider is always better for me! I don't have an answer for the ugly 24P DVD I made. I'm playing back on a Sony progressive DVD player with upscaling HDMI output into a Sony XBR 42" hi-def plasma. The bottom line is, you get better results with the regular 24P mode and 2-3 pulldown on a 60i timeline, as far as I'm concerned. Edited February 9, 2006 by Dave Hall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peter J DeCrescenzo Posted February 9, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted February 9, 2006 HVX200 is rated f8 at 2000luxDSR450 is rated f11 at 2000lux Much better. Hi Jonathan: I'm curious where you got the sensitivity spec for the HVX200? The reason I ask is because I didn't find it in Panasonic's User Manual or product brochure. (The brochure mentions "3 lux", but this type of description isn't very useful.) Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peter J DeCrescenzo Posted February 9, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted February 9, 2006 ... The tape transport is lousy. Large tapes have a tendency to not load correctly. I find that you have to push on the tape (to load) in the exact spot where the eject button is. I actually just got my 450 back from Sony repair, due to a mini tape getting stuck. Be careful loading tapes. ... I'm not a big fan of Sony's tape transport on some of their camcorders. The DSR-250 I owned for more than 3 years had the same/similar transport as the DSR-450WSL and it was finicky, too. However, to Sony's credit, they do have a caution sticker located inside the tape loading door, and a notice in the user manual, concerning how to properly load cassettes to avoid jams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Peter J DeCrescenzo Posted February 9, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted February 9, 2006 ... I also just finished a test of a "true" 24P DVD using the 2-3-3-2 pulldown and Premiere Pro 1.51. The results are lousy! ... Hi Dave: I'm not an editor, but my understanding is that a Sony DSR-450WSL camcorder records 24pA with 2-3-3-2 pulldown essentially exactly like footage recorded by the Panasonic DVX100a. NLE & DVD authoring software which correctly handles (removes) this pulldown can create DVDs which benefit from 24pA (fewer compression artifacts). Adam Wilt discusses this on his website: http://www.adamwilt.com/24p/index.html#24pRecording It would be interesting if you can do a comparison test with 24pA footage from a DVX100a to see if your Premiere Pro 1.51 NLE & DVD software handles it differently/better. Alternatively, do you know if the current version of Premiere (2.0) handles 24pA differently/better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yariv Mor Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 The 450 works fine with the flyer. The setup should be: no battery on cam, no viewfinder, power from the top part of the flyer to the cam. Preferred no matbox. Two V-locks at the bottom. The load is a bit on the upper side of the scale for the vest and arm. Some versions come with a plastic (Ocolon/Teflon) washer under the pin on top of the arm that needs to be replace with (disclaimer ? only my take on the subject) a metal one since the load can bend the pin while crashing the washer. A better option is to make your own hardened pin (still replace the washer). Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Oshiro Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 (edited) The 450 works fine with the flyer. The setup should be: no battery on cam, no viewfinder, power from the top part of the flyer to the cam. Preferred no matbox. Two V-locks at the bottom.The load is a bit on the upper side of the scale for the vest and arm. Some versions come with a plastic (Ocolon/Teflon) washer under the pin on top of the arm that needs to be replace with (disclaimer ? only my take on the subject) a metal one since the load can bend the pin while crashing the washer. A better option is to make your own hardened pin (still replace the washer). Good luck Wow! This thread is OLD! Great tip! I also have a DSR450 and a Steadicam Flyer. I have Anton Bauer bricks on my Flyer. I usually strip the EVF, and then power both the camera and the sled from a single ProPak14 mounted on the Flyer. Balances pretty good, with about two inches left on the post above the gimbal. But, I guess I have to address that washer issue IMMEDIATELY! I'll have to ask in more detail, exactly what I have to replace when I'm a bit more lucid. Thanks! Since I haven't visited this thread since it began (a couple years ago, now!!!), I FINALLY have some DSR450 images to share! Here's a couple frame grabs from a recent short of mine . . . Sony DSR450 uncorrected frame grab. Sony DSR450 uncorrected frame grab. Sony DSR450 image; 5600K; CC: -20R, -20G, +20B. Sony DSR450 image; CC: R75 G75 B200. This is what I lit the "legs" shot with! Nikon D70 uncorrected image. Edited March 2, 2007 by Ralph Oshiro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Regan Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 (edited) Thanks for the screen grabs Ralph. I look forward to seeing a stream of your short. I'd like to hear how your DSR-450 has worked out for you, both in dramatic shorts(compared to your DVX 100) and day to day bread and butter jobs. I would also like to talk to you about using a 35mm DOF adapter designed for a 1/3" camera on a 2/3" camera. I like your idea of using a Fuji 20mm prime as a relay lens and would like to know if you have tested it. The Brevis 35 looks interesting to me, along with the Red Rock M2. Here's a stream of a video I shot at the Bonneville Salt Flats with the DSR-450. I think it looks like a '70's 16mm documentary: 24P Sample #1 Here's a trailer for a feature by DP Dan Schmeltzer shot with my 450 and a Pro 35/Zeiss Super Speeds: 24P sample #2 Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com Edited March 7, 2007 by Jeff Regan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Oshiro Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Hey Jeff! Long time no talk! Sorry, but I completely forgot to reply to your PM a few days ago (I guess more than a few days ago). Those clips look NICE! Yeah, that DSR450 is a great image-making machine! I'm VERY pleased with it. I've shot one short with it (the one the airplane stills are from), and am working on prepping a much more ambitious short for shooting with my DSR450 in the next few weeks. I made some color correction blunders on that short--but, PM me and I'll send you a DVD of it someday. My next short will really put the DSR450 through its paces. I've only rented the DSR450 out a couple times ($450/day), since my "captive" client (that big TV network I work for) later bought a pile of JVC HD110s, and I basically lost that client to the JVCs. At least that paid for my new bricks! But I really only bought it to shoot my short films with anyway. I've also recently gotten on the RED reservation list, so as soon as my RED ONE camera ships, I'm going to dump the DSR450, probably at a huge loss. Well, at least I only paid $12K for it (after Sony's $3,000 rebate), including the glass, so, I hope I can still get some of it back in six months. But I'm not THAT sorry I bought it . . . I mean, I just couldn't take putting all that effort into shooting my personal short films using noisy 1/3" cameras anymore. And you know me, I CAN'T STAND NOISE! Talk to you soon, Jeff! Regards, Ralph Oshiro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now