Canon HF-S10: why can't I access Menu options at bottom of display? at DVinfo.net

Malcolm Hamilton · June 10th, 2009, 09:21 AM

Sorry for being dense... but I now I can't figure out how to access the different Menu items at the bottom of the screen (they come up when I press the Function button). I've read the Manual, and what should happen simply doesn't.
The Menu selection that's highlighted (in orange) when I press the Function button is the one at the very right-hand side.. I want to choose one of the ones to the left (Divide), but the Set joystick won't take me to the left.
Thanks for any advice...
Malcolm

Malcolm Hamilton · June 10th, 2009, 02:24 PM

Figured out how to do this...
Thanks, Malcolm

Chris Hurd · June 10th, 2009, 02:29 PM

Care to share the tip, Malcolm? For the benefit of anyone else having the same trouble...

Malcolm Hamilton · June 10th, 2009, 07:20 PM

Hi Chris,
I'm so deep now into crazy Canon->Mac->VideoPier->Avid issues... out of desperation, just installed Windows XP via VMWare Fusion onto my Mac, in hopes of being able to get a ten-minute chunk of interview off the Canon HF-S10 and onto my desktop.
As I struggle with this (the DVD that Canon supplied with the camera doesn't work on a Mac, of course, so I'm taking this almost unheard-of step, for me, of going Windows), and by the way, it's not working, I don't feel very confident about giving anyone any tips... but I'll try to remember (right now the camera is still hooked up, 'virtually' to Windows, so I can't look at it):
- the problem was that I was trying to choose one of the Menu items from the video file AFTER I'd selected it from the file choices at the top of the display (so that this particular file filled most of the display). This just wouldn't work. It's only if you leave the video files as very small little thumbnails at the top of the screen that the Menu selection works.
Does that make sense to people?
If anyone wants to hear more about the particular conundrum I'm facing, with one out of three (on average) Canon files, just let me know. Here's a taste: I've got one long (25-minute) file on the Canon, where I can screen every second of it, but when I connect the Canon to my computer (MacBook Pro, 10.5.6, latest QT), it's three files, and the middle one (even though in Finder I can see that it has 1.9 GB) is unscreenable, unuseable, by VideoPier anyway.
Any ideas, anyone?
thanks, Malcolm

Malcolm Hamilton · June 12th, 2009, 11:50 AM

Just tried out an app called Voltaic, which converts from AVCHD to QT for Macs (maybe PCs too) - - works nicely.
Malcolm

Chuck Fadely · June 20th, 2009, 10:03 AM

Malcolm - if you've got an intel-based MacBook Pro, you should have no problems with AVCHD files. You need to get an editing program that will recognize them, however.

iMovie 09 works great, as does Final Cut Express.

Don't torture yourself with Voltaic or the other transcoding solutions if you don't have to!

Malcolm Hamilton · June 23rd, 2009, 01:00 PM

Hi Chuck,
I appreciate that, but I've been using Avid for years, and can't imagine learning something else (wrong brain type).
I'm hoping Avid will integrate with AVCHD at some point... until then, I think I have to use Voltaic. What's the problem with it... is it that Voltaic converts (and loses something), and then Avid has to convert (and lose something) again?
Malcolm

Chuck Fadely · June 23rd, 2009, 10:35 PM

The biggest thing you lose with Voltaic is years from your life. It's slow.

You can use iMovie 09 to ingest as AIC files and then edit in something else. Those transfer to Final Cut ok, so I'm thinking, but don't know, that they'd go into Avid as well. Time code? mehhh... time code's for sissies...

Final Cut isn't that different from Avid... you could adjust to FCP quicker than you could transcode the files, I think. (You can remap FCP keys to what you're used to, by the way.)

By the way, the one-long-file being broken into three sounds like a PC FAT32 limitation of 4gb max file size. On OS X, you don't have that limitation.

good luck...

Andrew Plowright · August 9th, 2009, 08:12 PM

hey guys, just a quick note. i just bought an HFS-10 last week in Japan.
i have a 3 (?) year old MacBook Pro with OSX 10.5.4

I have FCP 5.0.4 which I use with my old DV cams, but I guess it's not the best version to be using for the new camera.

my iMovieHD is Vers. 6.0.3 - dunno if it'll work.

bit scared connecting the camera to be honest.

last night i COPIED the folders containing the 15min of footage on the camera onto an external drive (rather than importing)

i filmed a concert last night so i gotta dump it

next move: what do you guys suggest.

i don't really feel that i can afford to upgrade to new iLife and New FCP...

arrrgggh !?!

(btw, i like your style chuck - timecodes are for sissies ! classic !)

if i do get the latest version of iMovie, will it *permanently* diminish the master file quality when it converts the AVCHD files ?

can you suggest somewhere that i can learn more about preserving quality when importing on a Mac?

June 10th, 2009, 09:21 AM	#1
Malcolm Hamilton Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 844	Canon HF-S10: why can't I access Menu options at bottom of display? Sorry for being dense... but I now I can't figure out how to access the different Menu items at the bottom of the screen (they come up when I press the Function button). I've read the Manual, and what should happen simply doesn't. The Menu selection that's highlighted (in orange) when I press the Function button is the one at the very right-hand side.. I want to choose one of the ones to the left (Divide), but the Set joystick won't take me to the left. Thanks for any advice... Malcolm

June 10th, 2009, 02:29 PM	#3
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,366 Images: 513	Care to share the tip, Malcolm? For the benefit of anyone else having the same trouble... __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

August 9th, 2009, 08:12 PM	#9
Andrew Plowright Tourist Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Port Macquarie Australia Posts: 4	thanks hey guys, just a quick note. i just bought an HFS-10 last week in Japan. i have a 3 (?) year old MacBook Pro with OSX 10.5.4 I have FCP 5.0.4 which I use with my old DV cams, but I guess it's not the best version to be using for the new camera. my iMovieHD is Vers. 6.0.3 - dunno if it'll work. bit scared connecting the camera to be honest. last night i COPIED the folders containing the 15min of footage on the camera onto an external drive (rather than importing) i filmed a concert last night so i gotta dump it next move: what do you guys suggest. i don't really feel that i can afford to upgrade to new iLife and New FCP... arrrgggh !?! (btw, i like your style chuck - timecodes are for sissies ! classic !) if i do get the latest version of iMovie, will it permanently diminish the master file quality when it converts the AVCHD files ? can you suggest somewhere that i can learn more about preserving quality when importing on a Mac?

June 10th, 2009, 02:24 PM	#2
Malcolm Hamilton Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 844	Figured out how to do this... Thanks, Malcolm

June 10th, 2009, 07:20 PM	#4
Malcolm Hamilton Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 844	Hi Chris, I'm so deep now into crazy Canon->Mac->VideoPier->Avid issues... out of desperation, just installed Windows XP via VMWare Fusion onto my Mac, in hopes of being able to get a ten-minute chunk of interview off the Canon HF-S10 and onto my desktop. As I struggle with this (the DVD that Canon supplied with the camera doesn't work on a Mac, of course, so I'm taking this almost unheard-of step, for me, of going Windows), and by the way, it's not working, I don't feel very confident about giving anyone any tips... but I'll try to remember (right now the camera is still hooked up, 'virtually' to Windows, so I can't look at it): - the problem was that I was trying to choose one of the Menu items from the video file AFTER I'd selected it from the file choices at the top of the display (so that this particular file filled most of the display). This just wouldn't work. It's only if you leave the video files as very small little thumbnails at the top of the screen that the Menu selection works. Does that make sense to people? If anyone wants to hear more about the particular conundrum I'm facing, with one out of three (on average) Canon files, just let me know. Here's a taste: I've got one long (25-minute) file on the Canon, where I can screen every second of it, but when I connect the Canon to my computer (MacBook Pro, 10.5.6, latest QT), it's three files, and the middle one (even though in Finder I can see that it has 1.9 GB) is unscreenable, unuseable, by VideoPier anyway. Any ideas, anyone? thanks, Malcolm

June 12th, 2009, 11:50 AM	#5
Malcolm Hamilton Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 844	Just tried out an app called Voltaic, which converts from AVCHD to QT for Macs (maybe PCs too) - - works nicely. Malcolm

June 20th, 2009, 10:03 AM	#6
Chuck Fadely Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: United States Posts: 306	Malcolm - if you've got an intel-based MacBook Pro, you should have no problems with AVCHD files. You need to get an editing program that will recognize them, however. iMovie 09 works great, as does Final Cut Express. Don't torture yourself with Voltaic or the other transcoding solutions if you don't have to!

June 23rd, 2009, 01:00 PM	#7
Malcolm Hamilton Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 844	Hi Chuck, I appreciate that, but I've been using Avid for years, and can't imagine learning something else (wrong brain type). I'm hoping Avid will integrate with AVCHD at some point... until then, I think I have to use Voltaic. What's the problem with it... is it that Voltaic converts (and loses something), and then Avid has to convert (and lose something) again? Malcolm

June 23rd, 2009, 10:35 PM	#8
Chuck Fadely Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: United States Posts: 306	The biggest thing you lose with Voltaic is years from your life. It's slow. You can use iMovie 09 to ingest as AIC files and then edit in something else. Those transfer to Final Cut ok, so I'm thinking, but don't know, that they'd go into Avid as well. Time code? mehhh... time code's for sissies... Final Cut isn't that different from Avid... you could adjust to FCP quicker than you could transcode the files, I think. (You can remap FCP keys to what you're used to, by the way.) By the way, the one-long-file being broken into three sounds like a PC FAT32 limitation of 4gb max file size. On OS X, you don't have that limitation. good luck...