Weddings setting on newly aquired FX1000?
 

So, FX1000 arrived today and just started shooting some experiments. I was set to Auto and noticed a few "skips" in my recordings, but did not see any dropped frames while ingesting. I have researched a little and noticed the word "stutter" a lot. Is there a setting i can use that will eliminate this stutter? I am mainly shooting weddings and would be horrified if I came home with a 4 tapes full of these stutters. My previous SD footage was shot with VX2100's.

Re: Weddings setting on newly aquired FX1000?
 

Tape drop out. The only thing you can do to minimise it is.
Use a decent brand of tape and stick to it. Not a lot you can do if you find it on your tapes after recording.
Dont overuse head cleaning tapes.

Re: Weddings setting on newly aquired FX1000?
 

No, there is no setting to stop stutter.

I had two or three FX1000s. One of them skipped about 30 minutes into things from the day it was brand new. I never figured it out, and the cost of sending to Sony was very expensive.

I'd say you might consider getting your money back and returning the camera immediately, if you have the option. I wouldn't take a chance with it. I suspect you could have a problem camera. Colin is right, it's tape drop out, of course, but it should not be happening if you're using new tapes.

This might be why it was sold to you, I would wonder.

Good luck.

Re: Weddings setting on newly aquired FX1000?
 

Or you might get an external recorder for it, I still have a sony hvr-dr60 for my canon xh-a1 and that one doesn't have any tape dropouts. There is also a CF tape version available, mine is with a 60gb harddrive.

Re: Weddings setting on newly aquired FX1000?
 

I suppose I should also run a head cleaner once and try again tomorrow. I have always used the Sony premium tapes. What do you fella's recommend for mode for beginner, I was thinking Progressive off or P30.

Re: Weddings setting on newly aquired FX1000?
 

Your frame rate should be determined by your goal. Web video or DVD? For web 30p, for DVD 60i, at least that is what I would do.

Re: Weddings setting on newly aquired FX1000?
 

Thanks Jeff, mainly DVD, slowly learning this camera and cant find how to set to 60i....

Re: Weddings setting on newly aquired FX1000?
 

Did you buy the camera new or used. If used and you need a manual, it is available at

Sony eSupport - HDR-FX1000 - Support

I would recommend 60i because autofocus works better and also 60i is the most standard setting. For 60i turn PROG.SCAN to OFF in the CAMERA SET menu.

I'm not sure about the "skips" in your recording. This sounds like tape dropouts. Are you reusing tapes previously recorded in standard definition with the VX2100? Do these skips occur when you play the tape back to the television directly from your camera? Is your computer fast enough to play HD?

If you purchased a used camera, there is a possibility the tape transport is worn out. If it is a new camera, there is a possibility the tape transport is not yet worn in. In my experience, 1 or 2 dropouts can occur on a tape without anything being broken. If you have 10 or more dropouts something is definitely wrong. In high definition mode, tape dropouts will be more noticeable than in standard definition mode. If you set REC FORMAT to DV and DV WIDE REC to ON, then the FX1000 functions in standard definition mode but still shoots widescreen video. I usually use separate audio and multiple cameras so it is easy to edit around any dropouts.

Hope your new camera works out!

Re: Weddings setting on newly aquired FX1000?
 

When you say "stutter," are you talking about random intermittent periods of a half-second or so of blue screen? That's a drop-out and HDV is much more sensitive to them than DV, or rather they are more visible because of the way HDV is recorded. Or are you talking about constant jerky uneven motion? That's stutter or "judder" and that's because you are shooting progressive. Stop that immediately. There is never any reason to shoot progressive. It always looks horrible. Do not be seduced by those who try to fool you into thinking it looks "filmlike." It does not. It only mimics the worst flaws of film while still looking like crappy video.

Shoot 60i and only 60i. DVD and Blu-Ray do not support 30p. Your cam does not do real 30p anyhow; it does 30psf, which is simulated 30p over 60i, and which not all NLEs can handle.

If you are shooting for the web and only the web you could consider 30p, but even here there is no real advantage if you use a good NLE (i.e. not anything from Cyberlink). There are occasional reasons to shoot 60p but you're not doing them and your cam won't do it anyway.

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