Michael Rodin Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 (edited) Sorry.. personally I only used that camera a few times.. NBC had one.. but when I was using it,it was already an old design.. luckily my move from film to video coincided with the release of the more ergonomic ,all in one Sony 300/400 betasp cams.... You must be confusing it with HL55 or some other old all-analog camera. HL59 came out much later than BVW400, about the same time as BVW-D600. And the camera Macks bought is a 'V' version, which is one piece and the final Beta SP camcorder. But good point re the batteries.. we used Ni CAD batts in those days.. either PAG or Sony BP90,s.. I guess in the US it was pretty much 100% Anton Bauer.. Ni CAD,s were heavier but cheaper than Lithium Ion . Don't know about the US either. In Russia it was mostly Anton Bauer and some NP1. NiCd was sometimes preferred (over lithium) as it could sustain high loads better in cold. HL-V59 specs say it draws 29 watts, so a 65Wh AB Propack should give you 2 hours of runtime. Mine ran for some 70 minutes as far as I remember, but I had (and actually still have) a dockable version. Edited December 10, 2016 by Michael Rodin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin R Probyn Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 (edited) You must be confusing it with HL55 or some other old all-analog camera. HL59 came out much later than BVW400, about the same time as BVW-D600. And the camera Macks bought is a 'V' version, which is one piece and the final Beta SP camcorder. Don't know about the US either. In Russia it was mostly Anton Bauer and some NP1. NiCd was sometimes preferred (over lithium) as it could sustain high loads better in cold. HL-V59 specs say it draws 29 watts, so a 65Wh AB Propack should give you 2 hours of runtime. Mine ran for some 70 minutes as far as I remember, but I had (and actually still have) a dockable version. Oh ok sorry.. Im thinking of a much older camera then.. the HL55.. Im glad it isnt that one ! it was a bit of a beast ! Edited December 10, 2016 by Robin R Probyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Field Posted December 12, 2016 Author Share Posted December 12, 2016 Any of the B4 experts have a take on these three lenses? http://www.ebay.com/itm/152340502116?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT http://www.ebay.com/itm/162307037402?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT http://www.ebay.com/itm/182156765929?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Rodin Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Any of the B4 experts have a take on these three lenses? http://www.ebay.com/itm/152340502116?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT There's a mistake. It's not YJ18x9 (which I've shot with - moderately shitty cheap lens) but YJ19x9 which seems to be a newer design. Don't buy these YJ lenses - they were never good to begin with, and crap by today's standards. http://www.ebay.com/itm/162307037402?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Canon 13x9 is a solid high-end lens, a workhorse. This one is a very old version though: external focusing, likely different glass compared to newer 13x9s. It can even have CA corrected differently as it's obviously for tube cameras - it clearly reads "BVP3" on the label (which is an ancient Sony dockable), no matter what they say in the eBay ad. I'd avoid it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/182156765929?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT That's a once-expensive aspherical Fujinon. They're never bad unless they're beat up. Haven't shot on this particular one so can't comment on its quality. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin R Probyn Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Yes the YJ was the lower end lenses.. advertised as for "industrial" use.. the Canon is a very old lens.. for the Fujinons I only used the HA series.. ..anythng this old is going to be a gamble buying unseen or checked.. TBH Im surprised these first two lenses are even for sale.. they have absolutely zero value.. total door stops.. I would only risk buying any of these at about $50 at the most.. the Fujinon is the best of the 3.. My advise would be to spend more if you can for something newer.. at least a HD B4 zoom lens.. you could find one for $2-4K.. Buying a lens off eBay will always be a gamble though I guess.. unless they have some sort of guarantee system..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Field Posted December 13, 2016 Author Share Posted December 13, 2016 Buying a lens off eBay will always be a gamble though I guess.. unless they have some sort of guarantee system..? I talked to the company and they have 30day return policy. When I bought my HL59 off them, the tube extending the viewfinder was cracked and they're sending me a new viewfinder for free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin R Probyn Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 I talked to the company and they have 30day return policy. When I bought my HL59 off them, the tube extending the viewfinder was cracked and they're sending me a new viewfinder for free. Ok thats good.. and the same place you bought then camera from.. maybe worth having it checked yourself,then making any claims within the 30 days.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Field Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 Is the auto-exposure function on zooming just the nature of the lens? I've been noticing it a tad, trying to see if I can turn that off. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin R Probyn Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Is the auto-exposure function on zooming just the nature of the lens? I've been noticing it a tad, trying to see if I can turn that off. Thanks. You mean it gets darker at the long end..? ramping is just a nature of zoom lenses.. but you should only be seeing it wide open .. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Field Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 I'm used to zooms getting darker when turned longer, I guess more specifically what I'm asking is, did these cameras allow manual exposure? Or was that considered unnecessary for broadcast cameras at the time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 (edited) Yes, these cameras had (as do the current versions) manual exposure. The option of using zebra levels was available then as now and the B & W CRT viewfinders were good enough (when correctly set up) to set the exposure by eye. Most camera people used manual exposure rather than automatic. The cameras used by multi camera OBs (same as in the studios) had the exposure adjusted remotely by an engineer. who matched all the cameras on the fly. Edited December 18, 2016 by Brian Drysdale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tyler Purcell Posted December 19, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted December 19, 2016 The manual exposure switch is on the zoom control, right in the front in most cases. When switched, it will allow for manual exposure. Under the zoom control is the manual zoom lever, that disables the control if you need it. I always ran my cameras in manual iris mode, I never, ever used automatic mode. It's slow to react and doesn't deal well with backlight or any heavy light situation. The nice thing about the ENG cameras is the addition of a filter wheel and 3 position gain, right on the side of the camera. So if you're going from indoors to outdoors for instance, you can make the adjustments on the fly. I use to shoot regular news material for broadcast, so we'd be running around court houses and getting quick interviews, so being able to deal with these situations fast, was the key. These are part of the reasons ENG cameras are still made and used today, they just flat-out work for these quick situations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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