Camera Requests

BluesCam

BluesCam

Well-known member
I have had some interesting camera requests recently.

Shoot:

Discovery Ch. Canada program: any HD with 4:2:2 minimum 50 Mbit full rez
VA Med Center: SD 16x9 camera (CC broadcast)
HGTV program: 3 F3s
Al Jazeera: F3 or C300

Looks like camera requests are all over the map. Remember when it was just Beta?
 
R

Run&Gun

Well-known member
I'm pretty stable. This year, so far, has mostly been P2 HD(2700) and since buying one in June, the C300. Unfortunately, about half of my LS's are STILL SD(16:9). My God, why won't SD just die and go away??? Oh yeah, that's right, it's cheaper...
 
S

Starman

Well-known member
Wow, same here. P2 is pretty popular in the Dallas market, but XDCAM is as well and the C300 is gaining speed too. I shoot more on my HPX370 than I do on my 3700 Varicam. I just bought my 3700 in June as well. Not a bad deal considering that I I also use the 2/3 inch lens on a rented HDX900 for some jobs too along with my batteries and tripod.

It's really different types of shoots too. I used the 3700 alongside some HDX900's for a reality TV show, and also used it recently for a Sports Illustrated shoot. PBS and History Channel are also quite fond of the 3700. But, we also used the C300 for the same reality show's interviews. I use the HPX370 for a lot of market research and corporate work. I also still use my Sony Z1U believe it or not, for some talk show video postcards and b-roll for Maury Pauvich, Trisha show, and the like. It is usually SD 16:9. I still see some DSLR's used for TV commercials though, 5D and 7D are popular for this, most recently, someone I worked with did Hidden Valley Ranch spots with a 5D MKIII. I also got a recent request to shoot on the Arri Alexa but that job went through.

It really is all over the map these days.
 
BluesCam

BluesCam

Well-known member
Yeah, the 5D III is big for spot work around here and so is the Red. Some high end corporate work uses the F5 and F55. Panasonic cams are very popular.
 
T

TVmercenary

Member
Format schmormat

There are times when a specific format is absolutely necessary. Matching cameras is one good reason. For the most part I would be hard pressed to find a reason to use one suitable contemporary format over the other. Reminds me of the old "Ford/Chevy" dispute.

I often get pointy-headed gear nerds questioning me about my preferred choice in cameras. They ask about codec, chip size, pixel shifting, upconverting, polarity, tachyon ratios, carbon emissions, camera size, or even the case it comes in looking for any reason that my camera is not worthy. These inquests often are for what essentially is an archived recording of a bland presentation that, at most, will be seen on the web but likely not by anybody. When iPhone video makes it on the Evening News why is this a matter for debate?

My point is that for the most part it does not matter ... unless you want it to matter then you are just arguing with the guy in the mirror.
 
S

Starman

Well-known member
I spoke with a bloke at a rental house up in Michigan, he told me some very interesting info. It appears that a lot of the network freelance newsmagazine/corporate/sports style shooters (I dabble in all three genres myself) are moving towards Sony F3, F5, F55 style cameras with large chips. Seems like the 2/3" chip market among freelancers could be getting phased out?
 
C

Capt. Slo-mo

Well-known member
I'm not sure that's necessarily because of the inherent advantages of the S35 sensor over 2/3. Clearly, in hand-held run & gun or reality work, a good 2/3s shoulder mount camera is hard to beat.

But there are a lot of producers out there who want the 5DMkIII "look" for everything, so it may be a bit of defensive gear selection. I know I've played the "just like the 5D/7D large sensor" card with several producers to talk them into my F3. Sync sound with XLR mike inputs can also help sell it.

But most likely, that's pretty much where the market is going over the next few years, anyway...off to the Land of Giant Sensors. And "future proofing with 4K!"
 
Shootblue

Shootblue

Well-known member
I spent a few days at the World Series. I didn't pay real close attention, but it was a pretty good spread of cameras- F55, PDW700, HDCam, Varicam, Red, C300, the cheaper Sony large format cam, Arri, etc. It was a mix of freelance and staff, though I saw plenty of 2/3 shoulder cams...probably 60/40 shoulder to large format. From that cluster, I saw nothing in more abundance than anything else. Didn't do a lot of events where a lot of cams were in the same room at one time, this was passing by others, so not sure if it was a 100% great sample, but it was wide enough to say that you should probably cozy up to a rental house for at least a couple years.
 
R

Run&Gun

Well-known member
The Thing on The Sticks

The Thing on The Sticks

PRO user
Has there been any serious talk of networks switching to a 4k standard for acquisition? From what I can tell we are still a few years off at least from any networks upgrading to 4k throughput. Or to put it another way 1080P and the other common flavors of hd still have at least 5 years left in them. If I see espn, fox, abc etc... building a big 4k production facility or starting to require 4k than it is time to sell what I have asap.

On a similar note
I do believe that we will be moving to a 35mm sensor standard with perhaps the 2/3" equipment opperating in a similar capacity to current 1/2" gear. But probably not for another camera generation.....I hope.
 
Shootblue

Shootblue

Well-known member
A surprising number of stations still acquire in SD. I'd guess at least 3-5 before networks start en-masse. For historic events like the World Series, it's a smart move to acquire in the best possible resolution. No producer worth a darn is going to turn down a future proofed version if it is price competitive.
 
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Run&Gun

Well-known member
Shootblue said:
A surprising number of stations still acquire in SD. I'd guess at least 3-5 before networks start en-masse. For historic events like the World Series, it's a smart move to acquire in the best possible resolution. No producer worth a darn is going to turn down a future proofed version if it is price competitive.
Click to expand...
I live in a top 25 market and the NBC affiliate STILL shoots on Betacam SX cameras that they bought in the late 90's AND their recently re-done studio is STILL SD, too. I guess it's fitting that they still use SD cameras from the 90's, that way everything including their graphics package and studio design all match.

We need sound journalism first and foremost, but TV is a VISUAL medium. Style does count.
 
Necktie Boy

Necktie Boy

Well-known member
I live in a top 30 market, and the CBS affiliate still uses PDW-510's(Maybe 530) in the field. How old are those cameras? They are HD in the studio. They are the only station still shooting SD in the field. Also, they and the a few other stations still do SD live shots.
 
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