MZ! How is that DVX100B treating you?

[axlish]

Just wondering if you'd played with it and have anything to tell us about it so far.

I'm getting my finances together to purchase one very soon. Anyone know of a great price from a RELIABLE SELLER?

[DjfunkmasterG]

Just wondering if you'd played with it and have anything to tell us about it so far.

I'm getting my finances together to purchase one very soon. Anyone know of a great price from a RELIABLE SELLER?

www.bhphoto.com

[MinionZombie]

To be honest, I haven't gotten around to really using it properly yet. The IAZM intro (and "coming soon" gag-reel from said session) and the "impromptu video commentary" were filmed with the DVX on simple "point and shoot" methods.

Haven't really had a chance to get out and get filming with it, IAZM2 will be the first major usage of the camera in December, unless I do something with it before then. I would take it to the Bristol Bloodbath Film Festival where my short "VHS" is showing, but I'm gonna take the considerably smaller Canon MV700i that I'd used since summer 2004 until I got the DVX.

However, I've played around with the DVX quite a bit, selecting different options, and ooooh ... it's a sexy bitch. :) I'm lovin' it, I can tell you that for damned sure.

I really should get some insurance organised for it, but haven't done that yet ... see? I'm lazy. :D

[axlish]

Cool. So is there something online that I can watch that you filmed with the DVX (forgive my ignorance)?

DJ, I know who the good sellers are :) I'm looking for a good deal, let me know if you see one.

[MinionZombie]

Erm, I filmed the IAZM Impromptu Video Commentary (same session as the IAZM Intro and very-soon-to-come gag reel from said session). That's all that's online at the moment from that camera. However I was filming a bunch of different arty shots at dusk today so I must upload that footage and put together a little montage.

Of course uploading a WMV file reduces the spiffing quality of the actual image by quite a lot, but you can get an idea.

By far, my favourite feature is the colour temperature thingy. You can make it warmer or colder, so on the warmer side you can ultimately achieve that sickly orange glow you see in films set in L.A. It can also give you a nice autumnal touch to your shots, or it can really crispen everything up, give it a wintry bite ... so those shots I was getting today, I was fiddling around with the colour temperature feature.

Will see about upping that footage...

[Danny]

just saw one of these close up in action today and these be schweet!:D

but doesnt the footage take up a **** load of space on your pc one min of footage from my new minidv takes up 18mb

[MinionZombie]

18mb ... for one minute?! :eek:

What quality are you uploading at?

Full DV quality is indeed 1 gig for 5/6 minutes, but it's the full quality and is best in the end of the day.

Now, back when I was using my original (Hi8) camera I could upload utterly shedloads of content and it wouldn't take up that much space, but of course the quality wasn't the greatest in several situations (such as a "busy frame" - like with lots of trees/bushes etc - that caused break-up and the image to kinda 'devolve' into noticeable blocks).

Are you uploading at 'preview' level of footage? Hmmm...

I just stick with going the whole hog, fortunately I have enough space to do so - but I could actually do with more...

[Danny]

yeah i wish i could but im using an e machines pc, think of it somewere between a 56k modem and a gameboy advance and your almost halfway there.

AND NO BLOODY CARDS CAN EVER BE INSTALLED BUT PC WORLD GAVE US GAME SLIKE FAR CRY THAT IT WILL NEVER PLAY!!!:mad:

phew, **** i hate those spotty gimps and there purple shirts:lol:

[axlish]

I am guessing you are uploading via USB?

Get on a firewire card ASAP if you intend to do any serious filming/editing. They are pretty cheap, you could get a generic one for around 8 pounds.

[MinionZombie]

Ahhh, firewire ... how I love it so...

Ax-man - I'll get around to uploading and cutting together a little tech-ish demo-ish thing ... ish ... from that footage I got at dusk last night where I was playing around with colour temps, and post it online for folks to gander at.

Fudge me backwards I love that colour temp feature. :)

[axlish]

Can't wait, MZ. Are you playing around with the 24p at all? I know you are in PAL land, but I think it may be worth it for you to shoot in NTSC, unless you know a trick.

[MinionZombie]

Haven't been playing around with 25p mode actually, will look into that more seriously at a later date. But for now, I'm sticking with the normal mode, but fiddling around with the various settings, like colour temperature. :D

Speaking of which:

http://media.putfile.com/DVX---Colour-Temp-Demo

Like I said before, these are some shots I gathered yesterday at dusk and tried them out at 3 colour temperatures - full warmth, middle of the road, and full cold. It's about 2 and a half minutes, the shot right at the end was my favourite.

[axlish]

Nevermind, I see that the 'be' model is 25p in stead of the NTSC 24p. Hook up some 25p action for the homeys.

[Kaos]

I'm sticking with the normal mode, but fiddling around with the various settings, like colour temperature. :D

Speaking of which:

http://media.putfile.com/DVX---Colour-Temp-Demo

Like I said before, these are some shots I gathered yesterday at dusk and tried them out at 3 colour temperatures - full warmth, middle of the road, and full cold. It's about 2 and a half minutes, the shot right at the end was my favourite.

That was really cool, MZ. It definitely shows the camera was money well spent.

[MinionZombie]

I did do some tests with 25p mode on, but like LD-50 said, you can get a kinda hazy quality if you move too fast (be it the camera or something moving on screen), so the tests aren't really anything much, literally flying around my room with the camera. :D It's something I'd have to investigate much more, Google up some tutorials or something.

Kaos - indeed, money well spent. I can't wait to apply this baby to IAZM2.

[axlish]

Speaking of which:

http://media.putfile.com/DVX---Colour-Temp-Demo


Noice! I'm already planning on getting one, now I am just going to rush it even more. Thanks for the clips and keep them coming.

[Neil]

I am guessing you are uploading via USB?

Get on a firewire card ASAP if you intend to do any serious filming/editing. They are pretty cheap, you could get a generic one for around 8 pounds.

Now tell me something... When I borrowed someone's digital camcorder and came to transfer the footage to my PC, I did it via firewire. And it was a right pain in the ar$e!

You basically have to play the footage and record/transfer it realtime from the camcorder to the PC... Is that right?

Surely with modern technology you can just drag the data across as fast as possible, and not just at the rate of 2hrs of video in 2hrs of transfer time?


Like I said before, these are some shots I gathered yesterday at dusk and tried them out at 3 colour temperatures - full warmth, middle of the road, and full cold. It's about 2 and a half minutes, the shot right at the end was my favourite.

That's beautiful!

[MinionZombie]

lol, yes it's in real time. Because you're transferring the footage from a miniDV tape, where the footage doesn't exist as a data file of course, so it has to be played through.

Now, if it's one of those DVD camcorders, then (I think) you can just drag the files from the disc that you've ejected from your camera and stuck in your computer ... not sure if that is the case with DVD camcorders because I never bothered looking into them, more trouble than they're worth I reckon, nothing wrong with a miniDV in my eyes, hehe.

Indeed, uploading miniDV is real-time. However, a good bit of software will allow you to type in In and Out Points which will tell the computer to tell the camera where and to start playing (so the computer can upload the footage) and then tell it where on the tape to stop - so you could go off and do something else if you wanted. But that's on better editing softwares (which are harder to learn and for people who do a lot of editing).

One thing I like about uploading in real time is I can review the footage during the process, so I list all the shots and takes that I have and use a simple code to tell me which ones are good and which aren't and which can be used for different purposes.

Then of course there are newer camcorders coming out which have their own hard-drive, those ones are a case of dragging and dropping files, but of course with those if the drive buggers up it's all messed up. With miniDV if the tape gets messed up it's only that tape and you get a fresh tape, rather than a whole new hard-drive with all your footage lost.

*taps noggin* Not just a hat rack my friend. :)

*additional*

Why thank you Neil. I've got this obsession of late with sunsets and the colours of the sky, it's easy to get a good shot (well, I suppose having "the eye" for it helps too) when nature's done most of the work for you. :)

[axlish]

On the newer hard drive cameras, I guess you could just drop the file onto your hard drive and wait for the transfer.

The DVD cameras, you'd still have to rip the disc.

Real time is no big deal to me, in fact I think it is awesome. Then again when I first started out, I was using the USB which took around 20 minutes to snag a 45 second clip.

[Danny]

Why thank you Neil. I've got this obsession of late with sunsets and the colours of the sky, it's easy to get a good shot (well, I suppose having "the eye" for it helps too) when nature's done most of the work for you. :)

youre gonna go all joe fronz and get addicted to shooting in "the golden hour";)

[MinionZombie]

youre gonna go all joe fronz and get addicted to shooting in "the golden hour";)
lol ... you know what, I think I may very well just end up doing that. The magic hour is indeed magic, the colours of the sky are just fantastic ... *wanders off into a drugged-out (yet actually non-drugged) state, eyes glazed over and staring at the sky*

la la la la la laaaaaaaaa...

[Danny]

see told ya'.:sneaky:

[axlish]

Heck, with those color temp features, you can create your own magic hour lighting.