I know I know I hear you all say if you wanted to sync the two cameras together for multi camera shoots then I should of bought two EX3s.

But the budget available would only take me to one x ex3 and one x ex1

So now Ive got them and been out on a few multi camera shoots ,Im not best pleased with my methods of trying to keep synced with these two cameras.

Ive tried timecode free run and set the clocks off at the same time ,Ive tried setting the timecode preset to clock but both methods seem to drift out of sync.
Have any of you got any get arounds for keeping a ex1 in sync with a ex3.
Any tips would be appreciated.

Actually this is a good question. I'm going to be working with a similar situation - ex1/ex3 multicam.

Basicly, you need a TBC, Time Base Corrector/Syncronizer. Back in the day.... we used $20k (cheap) units to sync cameras and other sources to a switcher. Today they can be had for a lot less.
How to Synchronize Multiple Cameras to a Video Switcher - wikiHow (http://www.wikihow.com/Synchronize-Multiple-Cameras-to-a-Video-Switcher)

Try Ebay for some ideas. You need a TBC syncronizer.
tbc video, Cameras Photo, Computers Networking items on eBay.com (http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZtbcQ20videoQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZQQ_sopZ12)

Problem is these are all NTSC.....

You need something more like this
http://www.for-a.com/products/category/frame_synchronizers_time_base_co.html

The problem is, all your solutions are expensive.

Basicly, you need a TBC, Time Base Corrector/Syncronizer. Back in the day.... we used $20k (cheap) units to sync cameras and other sources to a switcher. Today they can be had for a lot less.
How to Synchronize Multiple Cameras to a Video Switcher - wikiHow (http://www.wikihow.com/Synchronize-Multiple-Cameras-to-a-Video-Switcher)

Try Ebay for some ideas. You need a TBC syncronizer.
tbc video, Cameras Photo, Computers Networking items on eBay.com (http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZtbcQ20videoQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZQQ_sopZ12)

Problem is these are all NTSC.....

You need something more like this
FOR-A Product InformationFS & TBC- (http://www.for-a.com/products/category/frame_synchronizers_time_base_co.html)

The problem is, all your solutions are expensive.


I'm assuming that David has addressed this issue for live multicam recording?? Not for post production?

I don't see any problem with multicam to a switcher - Some switchers you don't need genlock just video out from each cam. Some of the new HD switchers are the same. In the past, it was much more time consumed with timing, SC adjusments.

For postproduction, it's easier when you let each cam record the whole time. And need one time to set up the sync between the clips.

Do it the way Hollywood has been doing for the past 80 years . . . use a clapstick . . .

Ive tried timecode free run and set the clocks off at the same time ,Ive tried setting the timecode preset to clock but both methods seem to drift out of sync.
Have any of you got any get arounds for keeping a ex1 in sync with a ex3.
Any tips would be appreciated.

wow. that's good to know. i wonder how often this happens. i'm planning a 3 camera(EX1) shoot next sunday and i was just going to set the clocks together if we couldn't find a Smart Slate. YIKES!!!!

Ive seemed to have set the ex1 clock to the same time as the ex3 more accurately this time.
It seems to be nearer the actual seconds and frames this time .
Will let you know if there is any drift as Im off on a 2 camera shoot .

When I get back I want to know if the clocks will be put out of sync if I were to use overcranking or undercranking?

Anyone tried this?

We've done a number of projects mixing EX1 and EX 3 cameras and found there was less drift when we set the CLOCK to the real time and used that, rather than set a timecode number and free run from there. There always seems to be some drift but it is easy enough to sync in FCP multicam mode that it has not been a great headache.
Firing a camera flash at your subject at the beginning of record gives you a nice visual sync mark too.

Do it the way Hollywood has been doing for the past 80 years . . . use a clapstick . . .

Or in a pinch your hands. "Clap"!

If free run doesn't have tight enough sync, you can sync the two cameras together, at least I think so.

Run a cable from the composite video out on the ex1 to the ext sync input on the Ex3. The two cameras are now in sync.

In the past when we were trying to use more than one camera and then finish the two or three camera edit we synced our cameras by pointing all three at one location where one of our folks held up a small digital camera and made a flash picture. We would do this about one minute before the event began and then kept the cameras running. When doing the edit we just put the three cameras each on a separate time line in Edius and then lined them up by finding the frame with the flash on it. We had to be careful not to turn off the cameras for the whole event or if we did we would sync them with another flash before recording again.
Kinda crude but it worked.

Take care

Ronnie Martin
Page 1 (http://www.dirtracingvideo.com)

Did anybody try use remote controller to sync between same model like two EX1Rs?

I do multi-EX1 recordings of live music events regularly. All we do is start the TC (free run) at 1-2-3, just to have them close. We also record a clapper an all cameras

During editing, it's very easy to synchronize them with pin-point accuracy by the waveforms, using the clapper sound.

Never had a problem.

I see the virtue of sync.
Cameras with synced internal freerun clocks can have their clips easily and automatically placed on a timeline.

I haven't done this but page 134 of the ex3 manual has stuff on sync
How about if you run a cable from the ex1 composite out to the ex3 timecode in? Would that take the timecode. Certainly you can do that with Genlock

We also record a clapper an all cameras

During editing, it's very easy to synchronize them with pin-point accuracy by the waveforms, using the clapper sound.

Never had a problem.

This is exactly how we do it on our 3 EX1 shoots. Using a camera flash is ok if you need to not disturb people with a clap, but whenever you can use sound it's way easier to use waveform. With a flash I've found that the footage can be off by a frame or two, especially if recording 24p... With sound there's no frame fishing required, just bring up the waveform find the spike, and add a marker on each clip then it's easy to 'snap' all the clips together...

Hiram, are you talking about using the clapper with cameras that are all getting their audio from a common source? In other words., if your cameras were only using their built-in mics and one of your three cameras was MUCH farther away from the clapper, there would be a time delay, no? That's why I always thought that the electronic flash idea made sense.

If you genlock the cameras then the timecode will not drift as the timecode is tied to the cameras video frames, so if both cameras are running in sync via genlock then the timecodes will run at exactly the same rate.

As has been said to Genlock the cameras take either the composite out or Y component out from the EX1 and connect that to the genlock in on the EX3. With a good quality BNC cable you should be able to go to around 25m (75ft). The cameras would need to remain connected together to stay in sync. If you disconnect them they will start to drift again.

While it is hard to get the cameras set to exactly the same timecode, at least if both are running in sync the difference between the timecodes will remain constant throughout the shoot.

Hiram, are you talking about using the clapper with cameras that are all getting their audio from a common source? In other words., if your cameras were only using their built-in mics and one of your three cameras was MUCH farther away from the clapper, there would be a time delay, no? That's why I always thought that the electronic flash idea made sense.

With distances typical for multi-camera stage recording (which I have experience with), the difference in the individual camera distances from the sound source(s) is negligible in this regard.

Sounds like it might be post-production (editing) issue. I never sync cameras together, and even turning them on and off, it doesn't seem like any particular problem to put them into sync on the NLE timeline. Dunno what the issue is here?

The software that works for syncing an HDSLR with external sound recorders also works with multicam.
Singular Software (http://www.singularsoftware.com/pluraleyes.html)

It is amazing.

When I shoot performances, I always use a film slate (I prefer the one which lets some backlight through). I then synch the audio peaks.
A camera that is far away, say at the back of an auditorium, will give you a delay of 1 frame per 13.72 meters (shooting at 25 fps) due to sound travelling at 343 m/sec. In this case you need to zoom in to see a closeup of the film slate before clapping.
For post: line the picture up with the audiopeaks then set your inpoints for the multiclip.

I prefer a clapper, because I usually record the sound with an external stereomic which is fed to a HN4. That way I can record the sound in 4-ch 24bit/48kHz . 2 for the external mic and 2 from the desk if I am shooting a performance. An additional microphone on the stage that feeds into the desk, for the sole purpose of feeding the clap to the line that goes into the HN4 makes everything real easy to sync.

And... I think slates are cool in this digital age... it also allows me to have visible notes on the beginning of each take that says something a bit more reasonable than just a bunch of numbers in the filename...

When we are doing a multicamera shot, we have a simple video running timecode on a laptop..
At the beginning we just point all the cameras to a laptop and then we can easily sync them in the timeline

You can sync anything to anything in various ways but that would be in sync only for a very short takes! As Alister has pointed in his post, only via Genlock or Clockbox would keep the cameras in sync. Although, present day "Hollywood" clock-boxes drift several fields to frames! Don't forget that the sound person on set needs to be experienced to keep all that in sync. Sound should always be recorded separately from picture! The guide track from camera is a very good idea for possible backup. That why when I edit on AVID, my projects are always "Film Projects", so that I could move fields in any directions I wish to accomplish absolute sync.
Cheers