Filming Totally Naked!
Stu Maschwitz (author of The DV Rebel’s Guide) post on his blog the other day a trailer for a short film by Ayyaz Waraich (judging by the name, I think he’s Muslim) titled “White Red Panic.”
http://www.vimeo.com/1053128What do I mean by “filming totally naked”? The trailer above was shot with a “naked” Canon HV20…
…without any special 35MM lens attachments or gizmos. Just your simple $600 camera.
It’s amazing what sort of results keeping to simple principals of video, photo, lighting, sound, and editing can get you.
Personally I’m looking to get the Canon HF100.
It’s similar to to the HV20 in price and features, except that instead of recording to tape in HDV, it records to SDHC flash media in AVCHD (compressed high definition) format. Personally I hate tape and the time it takes to transfer.
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awaqas1 Says: 13.06.08 at 8:53 am
“it records to SDHC flash media in AVCHD (compressed high definition) format.”
Whats the difference in terms of size between recording raw footage on mini-dv or HDV?
aslo,
Is the size of footage the same on HDV tapes or SDHC ?
AlBaraa Says: 13.06.08 at 9:02 am
The size comparisons in relation to time.
- DV: 1hr = ~13 GB
- HDV: 1hr = ~16GB
- DVCPro HD: 1 hr = ~24GB-32GB
- Uncompressed HD: 1 hr = ~500GB
- AVCHD: 1hr (@ 17Mbps) = ~8GB
Keep in mind that since all of these HD formats are compressed in a certain type of “codec”, for the computer to process them, it takes quite a bit of processing power. Its why a lot of people recommend that you have a render card in your system (they come for $300-$1500)
Kashif P Says: 19.06.08 at 1:58 am
I have a couple of Canon HG10s [hard drive-based]. While storage is more convenient the HV20 has better quality [AVCHD is fairly compressed], and you can keep tapes as master copies instead of further compression to transfer to the computer.
AlBaraa Says: 19.06.08 at 11:31 am
Technically yes, AVCHD is more compressed then HDV, but in terms of visual quality, the difference is hardly noticeable.
See the following links to see a head on visual comparison of the HV20/30, HG10, and HF10/100:
- http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2008/03/07/hv20-vs-hf10-vs-hg10/
- http://www.hv20.com/showthread.php?t=8291
Basil Mohamed Gohar Says: 21.06.08 at 9:44 am
I have to concur with AlBaraa, at least in what I’ve read. The most recent HD camcorders using AVCHD (which is the MPEG4 AVC/H264 codec) are supposed to have comparable quality to HDV (which uses the much older MPEG2 codec).
It’s actually frustrating because the AVCHD codec has so much more potential, and yet, they limit it to just the quality of HDV.
Basil Mohamed Gohar Says: 21.06.08 at 9:47 am
Oh yeah, and I forget to mention I was looking into the HF10/100. I’m thinking to get the 100 (I think that’s the one without the built-in 16GB) because of the cost savings, since you can just carry around an extra SDHC card. While I’m here in Malaysia I may even pick one up!
AlBaraa Says: 21.06.08 at 10:52 am
One thing I keep debating with myself is whether or not I should wait for the next generation AVCHD camcorders or should I go ahead with this one? By next gen release they will have either totally matched HDV in quality or surpassed it, not to mention cheaper 32GB flash cards (they run for ~$140 right now) and the advent of 64GB flash cards.
Consumer camcorders have become like computers these days. Buy one today and in 6 months they are already obsolete in terms of technology.
Canon FS100 Review and Process | Leech on to the Extraordinary | Leechon Films Says: 21.06.08 at 10:33 pm
[...] Canon HV20/30 and HF100 cameras [...]
Basil Mohamed Gohar Says: 23.06.08 at 5:50 am
Waiting will always lead to getting some better, generally. But you have to wonder at the value of the time that you lost that could have been spent on creative works. This is why buying one-or-two notches below the absolute top-of-the-line is generally the best approach, in my opinion, because the monetary investment is lower, and by the time it’s obsolete, whatever is available for the same price range is better than what was the best back then….
Okay, even I’m confused by my time travel statements there…
Saad Malik Says: 10.07.08 at 9:43 am
Canon HV20 and/or HV30 are definitely the way to go. I often visit the forums at http://www.hv20.com and watch the user-made videos there. The videos are extremely impressive and just goes to show what can be done from an average consumer camera.
Also, if anyone is interested in the FS100, http://www.6ave.com has the camera $313.12 at the moment. During checkout, apply 6% off coupon code “SUMMER7808″ on it (Expires 07/14/2008). Your final price comes out $294.33 + Free Shipping.
But I personally am not too fond of “compressed” HD..
AlBaraa Says: 10.07.08 at 10:01 am
Thank’s for the heads up Saad. That’s a sweet deal on the camera. Definently worth it. I purchased the FS100 through amazon couple days ago for $316 along with the Steadicam Merlin, Audio Technica lavaliere mic, and some small accessories.
In reference to the “compressed” video. I haven’t had a chance to test out the AVCHD format, but from what I’ve read and comparing the visual quality side by side with HDV, its nearly indistinguishable. Keep in mind, all HD formats are compressed, its just a matter of what sort of compression its using. The highest quality compression for HD that is currently out there in the pro/consumer market is DVCProHD (the P2 format), after which comes the XDCam (mpeg2), then personally i see a tie between HDV and AVCHD.
The great thing about the FS100 mpeg2 SD compression is that when uncompressed it looks just like it was recorded off tape. I cant wait to give it a full fledge test run once it arrives.