XH A1 Animation? at DVinfo.net

Russ Hazard · December 4th, 2007, 08:59 PM

Hi,

I am an XH A1 newbie... Just bought my cam!

I got it for work but I was wondering if anyone knew about doing single frame shooting for animations. I could have sworn I read in one of the many articles I read about the XH A1 that it could do this but don't see it in the manual. I have never done it on any cam before so don't know where to look or what to do. I was going to try and throw something together as a Christmas gift for a kid I know.

Maybe I was wrong...

Russ

David W. Jones · December 4th, 2007, 09:45 PM

DSLR's are great for animation.

Michael Friedman · December 4th, 2007, 09:49 PM

I have to second the notion of a still camera over video. Much bigger bang for your buck.

If you watch the movie Corpse Bride, that was all shot with an SLR.

Petri Kaipiainen · December 5th, 2007, 03:04 AM

It is not possible to shoot single frames on tape. Programs like DVRack running on a laptop can capture single frames from the camera at preset intervals and this would play as animations "out of the box".

Better way is to use a digital still camera (on manual settings) and capture on PC. All better video editing programs can turn numbered jpg file sequences into a video file automatically.

Doug Davis · December 5th, 2007, 08:07 AM

I believe some of those Firestore drives are capable of variable frame rate recording... Not 100% sure but I believe that is possible...

Russ Hazard · December 5th, 2007, 09:29 AM

Thanks!

Maybe it was the HVX200...I VERY nearly bought that and had a mad session of comparative reading right near the end...nearly went crazy!

Ok...I don't have an SLR right now but I can presumably use the still feature on the camcorder.

I will start playing. I appreciate the direction.

Russ

Jack Walker · December 5th, 2007, 11:39 AM

You don't need an SLR. Inexpensive cameras, like the Canon Powershot, work great.

In fact, I have been told that it is not good to use a DSLR because most have a 100,000 shutter life. The mechanism can be quickly worn out.

I use a Canon Powershot 620 with the Granite Bay software:
http://www.granitebaysoftware.com/

The camera captures into a laptop.

The Canon cameras come with capture software. However, it is limited in the number of shots it will make. The Granite Bay software, though not free, is not expensive, and it allows complete control of the camera and the way the pictures are taken.

Jim Burton · December 5th, 2007, 12:38 PM

Believe it or not, I'd recommend a Kodak Z812, it replaces the
P880 which I own. don't laugh Kodak makes GREAT cameras.

The Z812 has been out only a few months and street price is $249
it does native 16:9 frames they call it "HD".

What you want to do is (i'm a linux geek, but have windows and linux)
is shoot and output JPEGs.... with mjpegtools (free) you can assemble
frame by frame into a motion jpeg avi and import that into whatever.

I made a movie by rendering (with command line tools only) single
frame JPEGs of the satellite position of Sirius. one simple command
line sucked in all the JPEGs and output'd the video its easy.

ALSO... the Z812 does HD video 720p 30 fps and you can manual zoom
while filming. sick i know. Just make sure you have an 8G card in video
mode. its CCD, not cmos, and Kodak's color fidelity is awesome in their
cameras. (i own their top of the line P880)

I'm getting one soon....

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQueri...q-locale=en_US

Don Palomaki · December 5th, 2007, 12:58 PM

I won't laugh. Kodak has done a lot of interesting stuff.

I believe they developed the 8mm video format, although it was Sony who brought it to market and popularized it!

Sam Johnston · December 8th, 2007, 01:21 PM

The XH A1 has a still shot feature; not too sure about it though.

I'd personally say get yourself a second hand Canon 10d; you should be able to find one for 300-400 US dollars, then get yourself just about any decent canon lens and a canon remote shutterer (you can also buy a nicer one which allows you to do time lapse shots) and you're looking at RAW camera output at 3072 x 2048 which is like double 1080i hidef, you could easily crop images to 16:9 or whatever your output is.

You can also tether most Canon DSLR's to a computer and control the entire camera from the computer (been a while since I've tried this, correct me if I'm wrong) and save directly to your laptop/etc with no need for swapping memory cards etc.

Provided you keep the 10d on 100-200 ISO it will work wonders; the battery on it also lasts for HOURS (with no flash).

December 4th, 2007, 08:59 PM	#1
Russ Hazard New Boot Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Peterborough Canada Posts: 16	XH A1 Animation? Hi, I am an XH A1 newbie... Just bought my cam! I got it for work but I was wondering if anyone knew about doing single frame shooting for animations. I could have sworn I read in one of the many articles I read about the XH A1 that it could do this but don't see it in the manual. I have never done it on any cam before so don't know where to look or what to do. I was going to try and throw something together as a Christmas gift for a kid I know. Maybe I was wrong... Russ

December 5th, 2007, 08:07 AM	#5
Doug Davis Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Birmingham Alabama Posts: 259	I believe some of those Firestore drives are capable of variable frame rate recording... Not 100% sure but I believe that is possible... __________________ "The only thing the camera sees is light..." http://www.GoWildOlive.com

December 5th, 2007, 12:38 PM	#8
Jim Burton New Boot Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 6	Kodak Z812 for single frames Believe it or not, I'd recommend a Kodak Z812, it replaces the P880 which I own. don't laugh Kodak makes GREAT cameras. The Z812 has been out only a few months and street price is $249 it does native 16:9 frames they call it "HD". What you want to do is (i'm a linux geek, but have windows and linux) is shoot and output JPEGs.... with mjpegtools (free) you can assemble frame by frame into a motion jpeg avi and import that into whatever. I made a movie by rendering (with command line tools only) single frame JPEGs of the satellite position of Sirius. one simple command line sucked in all the JPEGs and output'd the video its easy. ALSO... the Z812 does HD video 720p 30 fps and you can manual zoom while filming. sick i know. Just make sure you have an 8G card in video mode. its CCD, not cmos, and Kodak's color fidelity is awesome in their cameras. (i own their top of the line P880) I'm getting one soon.... http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQueri...q-locale=en_US

December 5th, 2007, 12:58 PM	#9
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,487	I won't laugh. Kodak has done a lot of interesting stuff. I believe they developed the 8mm video format, although it was Sony who brought it to market and popularized it! __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

December 4th, 2007, 09:45 PM	#2
David W. Jones Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Little Rock Posts: 1,383	DSLR's are great for animation.

December 4th, 2007, 09:49 PM	#3
Michael Friedman Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 57	I have to second the notion of a still camera over video. Much bigger bang for your buck. If you watch the movie Corpse Bride, that was all shot with an SLR.

December 5th, 2007, 03:04 AM	#4
Petri Kaipiainen Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Espoo Finland Posts: 380	It is not possible to shoot single frames on tape. Programs like DVRack running on a laptop can capture single frames from the camera at preset intervals and this would play as animations "out of the box". Better way is to use a digital still camera (on manual settings) and capture on PC. All better video editing programs can turn numbered jpg file sequences into a video file automatically.

December 5th, 2007, 09:29 AM	#6
Russ Hazard New Boot Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Peterborough Canada Posts: 16	Thanks! Maybe it was the HVX200...I VERY nearly bought that and had a mad session of comparative reading right near the end...nearly went crazy! Ok...I don't have an SLR right now but I can presumably use the still feature on the camcorder. I will start playing. I appreciate the direction. Russ

December 5th, 2007, 11:39 AM	#7
Jack Walker Trustee Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Burbank Posts: 1,811	You don't need an SLR. Inexpensive cameras, like the Canon Powershot, work great. In fact, I have been told that it is not good to use a DSLR because most have a 100,000 shutter life. The mechanism can be quickly worn out. I use a Canon Powershot 620 with the Granite Bay software: http://www.granitebaysoftware.com/ The camera captures into a laptop. The Canon cameras come with capture software. However, it is limited in the number of shots it will make. The Granite Bay software, though not free, is not expensive, and it allows complete control of the camera and the way the pictures are taken.

December 8th, 2007, 01:21 PM	#10
Sam Johnston New Boot Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Dubai Posts: 19	The XH A1 has a still shot feature; not too sure about it though. I'd personally say get yourself a second hand Canon 10d; you should be able to find one for 300-400 US dollars, then get yourself just about any decent canon lens and a canon remote shutterer (you can also buy a nicer one which allows you to do time lapse shots) and you're looking at RAW camera output at 3072 x 2048 which is like double 1080i hidef, you could easily crop images to 16:9 or whatever your output is. You can also tether most Canon DSLR's to a computer and control the entire camera from the computer (been a while since I've tried this, correct me if I'm wrong) and save directly to your laptop/etc with no need for swapping memory cards etc. Provided you keep the 10d on 100-200 ISO it will work wonders; the battery on it also lasts for HOURS (with no flash).