XDCam HD Shoting Tips Wanted

[Hiding Under Here]

I am going to use this camera for the first time on Saturday. I have never seen it before. Never touched it. I'm returning home from vacation on Saturday and have a few hours to check it out. I'm sure I will get a handle on the basics. I'll be using it at night but at a sports stadium with a lot of light.

Do any of the experienced XDCam users out there have any tips on things to be aware of? On how to make optimnal images with this camera?

I'd appreciate any input. Thanks.

[SimonW]

Don't use the DCC on the XD HD.

You'll get good results out of the box (assuming nobody has tampered with the settings of the camera you are using). But the STD gamma option is fairly limited contrast ratio wise. Cine 4 will give a similar colour rendition and 'look' to the STD gamma but with more range.

Otherwise it isn't any different to any other camera, other than the fact it starts up almost instantaneously when you press record. Also it will use more power than you are used to.

[Canonman]

other than the fact it starts up almost instantaneously when you press record.

Unless you put the VDR switch in the 'save' position which spins the disk down between shots. :)

cm

[cameragod]

One of the good things about XD is you can pick it up and treat it like a tape camera and you won’t go far wrong. Just be aware of the battery usage and don’t pull them off the back without shutting down the camera with the on/off switch as you can lose up to 8 seconds of your last shot.
The best way to get good results with XD cameras seems to be use all the best practice stuff I learned early on in my training. XD is a good time to re-implement all those little things the old ENG guys used to harp on about and kick some of the little bad habits that have crept into my day to day work because video lets you get away with it. Things like using the right amount of ND. TV lens’s have optimum resolution around the f4 - f5.6 range. On SP and DV it still matters but you can get away with closing it up but XD is not so forgiving. If it is bright sunlight and you are up in the f11 -f16 range then the resolution (MTF) of the lens will be significantly reduced. You need to use lots of ND.
-3 gain is your friend!

[Hiding Under Here]

I'nm going to be doing a lot of off the shoulder run and gun stuff. I'm following one of the team's personalities around. So we're just using stadium lights.

Thanks for the input so far. That's the kind of stuff I am looking for.

I have five Dionics. Four slim ones and one of the fat ones. That should be enough for a football game. Right?

[dinosaur]

I have five Dionics. Four slim ones and one of the fat ones. That should be enough for a football game. Right?

You'll be fine. Games usually last 3 to 3 1/2 hrs. start to finish. Even with the extra wattage draw of the XD. It burns batteries at about the same rate as a Varicam. You can always bring a charger to plug in where the rest of the media stages their gear.

Here the operating manual...start reading.
http://www.talamas.com/pdf/OM_PDW-F350.pdf

[cameragod]

Are you going to run with the cache on? It is good for not missing actuality but you need to be time of day… not as much of a prob for editing as it used to be… and you use more disc space as every shot gets an extra 8 to 12 seconds add to the top... and it uses more battery. I guess you should talk to the production guys and see what they want.

[SandRat]

If he's using the XD HD, it doesn't have the cache function.

Any gamma setting other than STD will be best. For sports, be sure to adjust the peaking on the viewfinder before starting. Too much peaking makes everything look in focus and too little peaking ... you already know what that does. Focus is incredibly critical, so try too keep from shooting wide open. Good luck, it's great camera.

[cameragod]

I know the 330 doesn't but I thought the 350 did?

[SimonW]

Nope, none of the XD HD's have the cache yet.

Unless you put the VDR switch in the 'save' position which spins the disk down between shots.

Unfortunately not totally true. I was recently speaking to the guys at Anton Bauer about the power draw of the XDCAM cameras, and although there may be some saving, there is still a significant power spike when you press record even in standby mode. This is what I was told by AB anyway. In fact they had a lot of interesting stuff to tell me about batteries and battery use!

[Canonman]

I was recently speaking to the guys at Anton Bauer about the power draw of the XDCAM cameras, and although there may be some saving, there is still a significant power spike when you press record even in standby mode. This is what I was told by AB anyway. In fact they had a lot of interesting stuff to tell me about batteries and battery use!

You're right, it does cause a power spike. I noticed this also and I tend to leave it in standby. I personally think it's a bad idea to have the disk spinning up and down like that. It will even spin down when you pause playback. Gets annoying very fast.

I was actually trying to make a joke in regards to instantaneous startup, not actual power savings.

Otherwise it isn't any different to any other camera, other than the fact it starts up almost instantaneously when you press record

IOW having a slight delay from pressing record until he gets the record light when in VDR save mode so it will act more like the camera he's used to.

Oh well Simon, you know how it is. American and British humor don't always align with each other. (grin)

cm

[Baltimore Shooter]

Don't eat the yellow snow. Don't take any wooden nickels. Don't stick your finger in a lightr socket. Don't stand under a tree in a thunderstorm.

:D Oh, you want tips for the HD XDCam...Damn, haven't had the pleasure of using such a wonderful camera yet. But I hope to soon.

Warren

[Canonman]

Don't stand under a tree in a thunderstorm.

I think that's a good tip for XDCAM or any other camera. :)

[Baltimore Shooter]

I think that's a good tip for XDCAM or any other camera. :)

Except mini dv :D :D :D

Warren

[SimonW]

Oh well Simon, you know how it is. American and British humor don't always align with each other.

You can say that again! :)

Something else to be aware of, which may or not be relevant (but will be for broadcast) isa the default settings for white clip and knee on the camera. Knee is set to 100 as default with the white clip at 108. Slightly above legal levels!

[SandRat]

You can say that again! :)

Something else to be aware of, which may or not be relevant (but will be for broadcast) isa the default settings for white clip and knee on the camera. Knee is set to 100 as default with the white clip at 108. Slightly above legal levels!

Since 100 is legal (right?), should your cam clip at 100?

I would think within any broadcast facility there would be some sort of internal white clip before it hits the transmitter anyway. Maybe in master control...

[Hiding Under Here]

I am looking the camera over now at 1:30 in the afternoon. It has a 2/3" inch lens just like the one I own. I wished I had known that's what they would supply me because I could have kept the price of the rental lower -- maybe. Cine 4 is what the camera is set on. It's easy to intuit your way around the menus. I have yet to look at the manual. I promise (dino) that I am only minutes away from doing just that.

I like the pop out color screen. It's great to have. SINy really knows what photographers are looking for in user functionality now. They scored so big with the D600 I think I woke them up a bit. In put from users is just as important as what engineers think. Look no further than the renaming of Federal Express to FedEx for that.

I don't know if I will have much to report. But I will post my perceptions about this camera after the shoot. Thanks for the tips.

[Baltimore Shooter]

Cool Tom. Now you'll be able to FTP your Caribbean shoots to Bruce for a few hundred dollars.

:D

Warren

[Canonman]

I like the pop out color screen. It's great to have.

It makes a good check of broadcast safe area without having to turn on the safety guides in the VF. It's also nice when you toggle it to the status display. Shows all the necessary info.

cm

[Run&Gun]

It makes a good check of broadcast safe area without having to turn on the safety guides in the VF. It's also nice when you toggle it to the status display. Shows all the necessary info.

cm


I'm just wondering why wouldn't you turn on the safety bars in the viwfinder?

In fact, something that I've been wondering for a couple of years now, why don't they(SONY, Pany, etc.) have 90% 4:3 safety bars available to display on HD cameras, at least with SONY, it's the complete 4:3 scan area. When you have to shoot with 4:3 center cut to worrry about, you need to have the 90% 4:3 bars, not just the complete scan. You have mutliple choices for 16:9, 1.85, 2.35, etc. but only 4:3 complete scan. I finally, with a little experimintation, was able to get the user adjustable bars pretty much dead on to 90% 4:3 on the F-900.

Sorry about the semi-rant, but I just think that should be built in on HD and 16:9 cameras.

[2000lux]

How did the shoot go? How did you like the camera?