Firestore FS H200 and Canon XH-A1

Dave Stern · June 11th, 2010, 08:02 PM

well, my firestore is the hard drive version so I'm hoping one of the guys with the CF card version will answer

Howard Wilczynski · June 19th, 2010, 09:59 PM

How do you mount (use) it?

I got the cradle but there doesn't seem to be a "right" place to put it with the A1. As of now I have the cradle mounted on the tripod arm, but it is not super secure and doesn't seem right.

Thanks,
Howard

David Morgan · June 20th, 2010, 12:39 PM

If it's the same holder I got with my unit, it's almost useless. it's a well intentioned but impractical design. It's intended to mount on the camera handle not the tripod. Having to take it apart with a tiny allen head wrench and screw it to the FS is not what you should be doing in the field or when setting up for an inside job.
I'm considering coming up with a simple idea for a tripod mount and going to someone and have them make it for me. Haven't figured out just what I want yet.

For the time being, I use whatever is available to set the FS on top of within easy reach of the firewire cable.

Howard Wilczynski · June 20th, 2010, 01:18 PM

Thanks, that is what I was afraid of.

I guess I will leave it mounted to my tripod arm and use some gaffers tape to make it more secure.
Cause it is a real pain to take it off and put it back on.

Dave Stern · June 21st, 2010, 09:20 PM

I use a bracket1 with the A1 and the firestore .. I removed the heavy clamp part from the firestore bracket then drilled 2 holes in the remaining part and mounted that to the bracket1, so that the firestore faces to the operator side of the camera so I can watch it while I am recording .. I'll have to take a photo of it .. the clamp part of the firestore bracket is *really* heavy which gives it a solid feel but adds a lot of weight and I find it impractical ..

Howard Wilczynski · June 21st, 2010, 10:26 PM

Never thought of modifying it.
Looking forward to a picture.

Thanks.

Howard Wilczynski · May 18th, 2011, 10:19 PM

Thought I would post an update.
Since I got the FS-H200 I have used it about 15 times for shows up to 2 1/2 hours.
I've never had one single drop out and even though I have an extra 32GB card and extra battery I have not needed them. Though for the show that ran 2 1/2 hours, I was thinking of swapping.

I still have it mounted on the tripod arm in the cradle. What a pain. I wish "focus" would do something about that.

I've stopped using tapes in my A1 and just use them in the HV20, which is my fixed full stage shot secondary camera. If the FS-H200 was cheaper, I would get one for that and stop using tapes all together.

Since I used to use the top of the line Pani tapes, I figured I have save a couple hundred bucks, but that is not why I got the FS. I was hoping for no drop outs and am very happy in that reguard.

I use quicktime mode and have found that I need to use a de-interlace filter when I bring the mov files into Final Cut 7. Not a big deal except that it does increase render time.

Yair Etzion · June 1st, 2011, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Lei

David,

I purchased the FS-H200 recently to pair with my XH-A1 and everything seems to work fine. There are three control modes: Normal, External and Synchro. Normal is where recording is initiated on the device. External, which is recommended, allows recording to be initiated on the camera. Synchro is sort of the fallback mode that works for older cameras. It requires recording to tape concurrently. I got Normal working pretty quickly. Only just got External to work tonight (been fiddling with it just a bit for the past several days) after realizing "DV Control" was turned off on the camera ... Oops! The company probably hasn't run tests with a good variety of cameras, which would explain the inaccurate / conservative compatibility chart. You'll also notice that they only recommend using the Sandisk Extreme III 16 and 32 GB compact flash cards. Now, that's what I happen to be using but I'm sure cards rated at equivalent or better speeds from other manufacturers won't have a problem.

I haven't had a chance to test the unit extensively but so far I'm feeling pretty good about my purchase. I just hope Focus will do what they did for the FS-C line and add on-device video playback through a firmware upgrade. The color screen should be put to better use!

I'm currently in the process of setting up a blog about my cinematography / video interests and promise to write a detailed review of the FS-H200 for it when I can.

-David

Hello David -

Last week I purchased the FSH200 and I am going through the same ordeal as you have gone through. I got the FSH200 working in normal, I cannot control it through the camera (Canon XH-A1). Following your post I noticed that also in my case the camera DV control was off, and I turned it on, but it did not make any difference. I also tried syncro, but it did not seem to work. Any idea what else is wrong with my system?

Grateful for you help - Yair.

Steve Jordan · March 8th, 2012, 09:30 AM

Yair, did you work it out?
You need to turn the DV control on and set the FS to External (Operation Menu : Control) you will see an E in a box on the recording screen, this works perfectly with both XH A1 and the A1s.
The deal with the Canons, as far as I can tell, they will only run m2t files. The CF version I believe will work for all formats. There again as I do not use FC ergo QT files, I could be wrong.

Scott Clements · August 3rd, 2012, 12:20 PM

Thanks all...bought a FS-H200 16 months ago and used it for awhile, then went back to mostly tapes since the quality of the F@-H200 didn't seem as high (user error, I know). I tried using it again 5 months ago and couldn't get the video to record to the Flash drive...now I learned about the DV Control switch. THANK YOU!

I typically shoot in HDV 60i and wondered if somebody else who uses these settings could send me their complete FS-H200 settings for me to use and try this again. I've got some work coming up that will require quick transfer and I need to get this working properly. Thanks for any help you can give!

Steve Jordan · August 4th, 2012, 10:56 AM

How do you have the card formatted, UDF/FAT32?
Do you have the auto proxy turned on?

I have found that the UDF format works the best because it allows for files larger than 2Gb therefore if your shoot/scene is over 9minutes it does not get broken up (it is not as seamless as one would hope - I was getting breaks in the audio).

I do not use the proxies but have the option to create a proxy if I need it.

Which folder were/are you copying to your computer?

Ed Roo · August 5th, 2012, 07:51 AM

Here are photos of my FS-CF Pro setup...

Andy Johnson · March 29th, 2016, 07:39 PM

So I know this thread is a couple years old but I just purchased a Canon XH-A1s and a FS-H200 DTE. BUT I am having trouble getting them to talk to each other in HDV. Was there any setting other then the DV selection switched ON under system set-up in the camera?? Or is there a setting I am missing in the DTE ( I have reset both to factory settings, or so I believe), tried it in Quick Time and M2T with 24f, 30f, and 60i.
The cam and DTE will talk fine in DV mode and records really good, but when I switch both to HDV it doesn't record. The cam notices it is plugged in when I connect the firewire but that is all.
Thanks for any help , Andy

PS I am cross posting this to a couple of the threads on the fs-h200 if you see this post elsewhere given the age of the thread and the necessity to solve this problem before an event in April.

Josh Chesarek · March 29th, 2016, 07:44 PM

If I recall I had to format the drive not FAT/Fat32 but UDF or some other format that the device allowed and then I would select the format of .m2t 1080i

Once I did that I recall being to record things as needed as long as the camera was also set to 1080i hdv mode.

I wrote some stuff about it ages ago here: http://www.simplethoughtproductions....sh-200-review/

Andy Johnson · March 30th, 2016, 02:17 PM

Thanks for the article, it gave me some ideas, still no solution yet. Would the size or speed of the cards have nay major effect? I am using 16gig Scandisk Extreme lll at 30mbs (which i believe was the minimum listed, but didn't know if that would restrict HD recording but still allow DV recording?

June 19th, 2010, 09:59 PM	#32
Howard Wilczynski Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canyon Country, CA Posts: 71	Mounting it - Using it How do you mount (use) it? I got the cradle but there doesn't seem to be a "right" place to put it with the A1. As of now I have the cradle mounted on the tripod arm, but it is not super secure and doesn't seem right. Thanks, Howard

May 18th, 2011, 10:19 PM	#37
Howard Wilczynski Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canyon Country, CA Posts: 71	Re: Firestore FS H200 and Canon XH-A1 Thought I would post an update. Since I got the FS-H200 I have used it about 15 times for shows up to 2 1/2 hours. I've never had one single drop out and even though I have an extra 32GB card and extra battery I have not needed them. Though for the show that ran 2 1/2 hours, I was thinking of swapping. I still have it mounted on the tripod arm in the cradle. What a pain. I wish "focus" would do something about that. I've stopped using tapes in my A1 and just use them in the HV20, which is my fixed full stage shot secondary camera. If the FS-H200 was cheaper, I would get one for that and stop using tapes all together. Since I used to use the top of the line Pani tapes, I figured I have save a couple hundred bucks, but that is not why I got the FS. I was hoping for no drop outs and am very happy in that reguard. I use quicktime mode and have found that I need to use a de-interlace filter when I bring the mov files into Final Cut 7. Not a big deal except that it does increase render time.

March 8th, 2012, 09:30 AM	#39
Steve Jordan New Boot Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Evanston IL Posts: 10	Re: Firestore FS H200 and Canon XH-A1 Yair, did you work it out? You need to turn the DV control on and set the FS to External (Operation Menu : Control) you will see an E in a box on the recording screen, this works perfectly with both XH A1 and the A1s. The deal with the Canons, as far as I can tell, they will only run m2t files. The CF version I believe will work for all formats. There again as I do not use FC ergo QT files, I could be wrong.

August 3rd, 2012, 12:20 PM	#40
Scott Clements New Boot Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 5	Re: Firestore FS H200 and Canon XH-A1 Thanks all...bought a FS-H200 16 months ago and used it for awhile, then went back to mostly tapes since the quality of the F@-H200 didn't seem as high (user error, I know). I tried using it again 5 months ago and couldn't get the video to record to the Flash drive...now I learned about the DV Control switch. THANK YOU! I typically shoot in HDV 60i and wondered if somebody else who uses these settings could send me their complete FS-H200 settings for me to use and try this again. I've got some work coming up that will require quick transfer and I need to get this working properly. Thanks for any help you can give!

August 4th, 2012, 10:56 AM	#41
Steve Jordan New Boot Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Evanston IL Posts: 10	Re: Firestore FS H200 and Canon XH-A1 How do you have the card formatted, UDF/FAT32? Do you have the auto proxy turned on? I have found that the UDF format works the best because it allows for files larger than 2Gb therefore if your shoot/scene is over 9minutes it does not get broken up (it is not as seamless as one would hope - I was getting breaks in the audio). I do not use the proxies but have the option to create a proxy if I need it. Which folder were/are you copying to your computer?

June 11th, 2010, 08:02 PM	#31
Dave Stern Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Northern New Jersey Posts: 391	well, my firestore is the hard drive version so I'm hoping one of the guys with the CF card version will answer

June 20th, 2010, 12:39 PM	#33
David Morgan Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burbank CA Posts: 466	If it's the same holder I got with my unit, it's almost useless. it's a well intentioned but impractical design. It's intended to mount on the camera handle not the tripod. Having to take it apart with a tiny allen head wrench and screw it to the FS is not what you should be doing in the field or when setting up for an inside job. I'm considering coming up with a simple idea for a tripod mount and going to someone and have them make it for me. Haven't figured out just what I want yet. For the time being, I use whatever is available to set the FS on top of within easy reach of the firewire cable.

June 20th, 2010, 01:18 PM	#34
Howard Wilczynski Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canyon Country, CA Posts: 71	Thanks, that is what I was afraid of. I guess I will leave it mounted to my tripod arm and use some gaffers tape to make it more secure. Cause it is a real pain to take it off and put it back on.

June 21st, 2010, 09:20 PM	#35
Dave Stern Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Northern New Jersey Posts: 391	I use a bracket1 with the A1 and the firestore .. I removed the heavy clamp part from the firestore bracket then drilled 2 holes in the remaining part and mounted that to the bracket1, so that the firestore faces to the operator side of the camera so I can watch it while I am recording .. I'll have to take a photo of it .. the clamp part of the firestore bracket is really heavy which gives it a solid feel but adds a lot of weight and I find it impractical ..

June 21st, 2010, 10:26 PM	#36
Howard Wilczynski Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canyon Country, CA Posts: 71	Never thought of modifying it. Looking forward to a picture. Thanks.

August 5th, 2012, 07:51 AM	#42
Ed Roo Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Columbus USA Posts: 312	Re: Firestore FS H200 and Canon XH-A1 Here are photos of my FS-CF Pro setup... Attached Thumbnails

March 29th, 2016, 07:39 PM	#43
Andy Johnson New Boot Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: St. Joseph, MO Posts: 9	Re: Firestore FS H200 and Canon XH-A1 So I know this thread is a couple years old but I just purchased a Canon XH-A1s and a FS-H200 DTE. BUT I am having trouble getting them to talk to each other in HDV. Was there any setting other then the DV selection switched ON under system set-up in the camera?? Or is there a setting I am missing in the DTE ( I have reset both to factory settings, or so I believe), tried it in Quick Time and M2T with 24f, 30f, and 60i. The cam and DTE will talk fine in DV mode and records really good, but when I switch both to HDV it doesn't record. The cam notices it is plugged in when I connect the firewire but that is all. Thanks for any help , Andy PS I am cross posting this to a couple of the threads on the fs-h200 if you see this post elsewhere given the age of the thread and the necessity to solve this problem before an event in April.

March 29th, 2016, 07:44 PM	#44
Josh Chesarek Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 978	Re: Firestore FS H200 and Canon XH-A1 If I recall I had to format the drive not FAT/Fat32 but UDF or some other format that the device allowed and then I would select the format of .m2t 1080i Once I did that I recall being to record things as needed as long as the camera was also set to 1080i hdv mode. I wrote some stuff about it ages ago here: http://www.simplethoughtproductions....sh-200-review/ __________________ Simple Thought Productions - Life @ 30,000 Words per second

March 30th, 2016, 02:17 PM	#45
Andy Johnson New Boot Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: St. Joseph, MO Posts: 9	Re: Firestore FS H200 and Canon XH-A1 Thanks for the article, it gave me some ideas, still no solution yet. Would the size or speed of the cards have nay major effect? I am using 16gig Scandisk Extreme lll at 30mbs (which i believe was the minimum listed, but didn't know if that would restrict HD recording but still allow DV recording?