sd maybe be dead but if u HAD to shoot it...
 

afternoon from nyc

love the fact that many of us are waiting for toyko to awaken to see if this real live hvx200 and the coming test results (see other posts) will be the tool many of us are willing to purchase.

i'm interested in the hvx200 for the same reasons that many have expressed.

but my immediate needs have less to do with hd than sd. i 'm hoping to use the ability to shoot dvcpro50 channeled thru firewire to my laptop/fcp set-up will be a successful workflow in-studio. out in the field i maybe be "forced" to shoot dvcpro25 sd.

what sd tape would u recommend for this camera? i've long been a fan of the sony tape even when i ran it thru a dvx100a. but i wondered what others would do? panasonic? sony? pro quality? and lastly, does anyone run the 80min tape? i remember from years ago an urban folk-tale that the 80min tape would put too much pressure on the tape mechanisms that the 60min/30min lengths. any opinions?

of course there are opinions.

i chatting w/a room filled with production folks.

way else do we log onto dvi?

thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts

be well

rob katz
harvest films

Hey Rob, just wanted to mention the fact that SD is not dead. It still have more than half a decade to be considered "dead". And actually the DVCPRO50 feature of this camera is tremendously important, specially now when a big chunk of the world will be using their SD sets for the following 8-10 years.
And... considering the fact that downrezzing could lead to artifacts, the DVCPRO50 is my main purpose for buying the camera today. Plus the ability to move to HD when the time is right... and the overcrank function in 720p... and the 24p... and the cool tapeless approach... and the ability to use mini dv... etc. etc. etc.

About tapes... I use about anything, any brand will do. Just stick to a brand. I've read about dry lubricants on professional tapes, but to me, the tape that has worked the best is the $4.00 Maxell. Less dropouts than the "professional" grade MINI DV of PANASONIC. I never use SONY. But any would do, just be loyal to the brand.

hopefully the heads will be a little more robust than the 100 series...
i use MQs and i have no problems, i use PQs, and no issues there either, the only difference is tape density... but try any other tape without cleaning teh head... forget it...

as for DVCPro50, for SD work, were talking DigiBeta range here.. i mean for a camera to shoot this colour space would normally cost at least 20k...
Its a perfect system for broadcast (colour space) and event work (form factor) so we get teh bet of both worlds.

Oh one thing i might be missing the boat here, but it seems u believe that DVCPro50 can be recorded to tape?
It cant mate, u can only shoot DVCPro formats onto P2...
With the Tape mechanism on the HVX, it only shoots SD DV... not DVCPro25, although theyre on a same bnandwidth level, theyre very different compression formats... even DVCPro25 is far FAR superior to DV.... u wouldnt be able to tell offhand, but put the 2 side by side and youll be able to tell. COlour gradation, latitude and gamma curves are far more accurate than DV ever could be..

I guess coz ive worked with DVCPro for the last 4 years its a huge step for a cam like this to be released.. especially here in Aus where prices for gear are ridiculous (were talkin at least 40% more expensive than our Overseas friends have to pay...)

According to a Panny rep at DVExpo, the tape transport is identical to that in the DVX100B. So as far as tapes go, might want to skip the Sonys. TDKs too-- dropout city.

Actually the 100B is much improved over the 100A as far as the transport...




ash =o)