PDX10 & TRV950 for Motorsport
 

Hi,

My first post. Nice to find this forum, seems bloody great!

I've bought these 2 cameras (PDX10 & TRV950) for videoing a series of motorsport events I am involved in here in the U.K. The club, GTD40 club, make an annual DVD of all the events, action etc.

I intend to use the TRV950 for in car footage and the PDX10 for trackside filming, all in 16:9.

Question: What mics work well, filters etc. for this application?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I will be using a G5 with FC4 for editing.

Regards,

James Phillips.

Do you intend to use wide lenses? I think you have to for shooting like this. Camera's lens is not wide enough. ( Lenses are the same for both ).

Hello James.

I don't mean to be rude, but why didn't you get two Pdx10s instead of a 950? I ask because the 950 doesn't have the same great 16:9 that the x10 has. They are different in this way. At least that was the final word that I heard (I haven't used the 950). No doubt, though, you've played with them and you're happy with results.
Regards,
Shawn

I bought the TRV 950 first, and although completely new to the video world am very impressed with what this camera can do!

After reading, more recently, about 16:9. I decided it would be a good idea to buy a dedicated 16:9 camera. After using both and comparing the 2 cameras, there is a noticeable improvement with the PDX10.

Footage filmed from iniside a GT car will always be susceptible to vibration. Hence the use of the TRV950, in car, where image quality will distorted from the vibration. - this type of footage is often of lower quality any way.

My shopping list consists of wide angle lense, tele photo lense, ND filters, Polarising filters etc.

However, I do not want to be at the hands of a shop assistant when it comes to buying the extra items. I want to get it right first time. Hence my asking what everyone would recommend?

Regards,

James.

Well i will give it a best shot here...a Tiffin (inexpensive, no need for zoom through here) .50 or close wide angle lens on the 950 inside the car might be an excellent safety precaution as this may lend some help with vibrations and other obvious movement. Consider your mount carefully inside this car. The subject inside the car will be on both sides and in front of you almost constantly so if you don’t shoot full wide you WILL miss your shot. You may have to play around with a manual exposure setting as your camera will be shooting from under a shaded car bonnet...im guessing you will need to lock your focus to infinity as you will be shooting through glass, dirt, oil, water, and the occasional tire and assorted flying debris. You’re goinna lose your video as the car rotates into direct sunlight...live with it...perhaps a huge lens hood will help recover the quickest, but check to see if its in the way of your wide angle lens...You may be well advised to have a passenger ride around the track while recording, then look at the footage for further final adjustments to see if 65 or so percent of the tape is worth looking at...i will let someone else comment on the pdx10.....but check out this page...could help you a lot with fast focus and well many other tricks...i believe Boyd Ostroff
helped me locate this page

http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/index.htm

good luck...