Z1, DV-CAM, any gotchas?

They're dumping some planes and helicopters here in Phuket next week to make an artificial reef and I've been hired for a dive to shoot the result.

The customer wants 4:3 standard def but I've only ever shot HDV with the Z1/Bluefin. And I've never shot DV-CAM on anything. Anything to beware of or just stick in a miniDV tape (as usual), stick it in DV-CAM mode, and shoot away?

Can you shoot all as normal then downvert 'in cam' for future reference...

Dive safe

DeanB

On the Z1 you can downconvert to SD in cam but it would be 16:9. I used to do it all the time for making SD DVDs before I got a laptop that can edit HDV.

This job is a case of handing over the (4:3) tape after the dive so that's not an option in this case.

Get your weird clips sorted Dean?

Well you will just have to do it 'OLD SKOOL' styley !!!!!!

Nah.. Marky (camdiver)Thorpe and Simon (the mockney..lol..)Spear suggested the RT should be set to safe.. But it already was when I checked... Just hope its a gliche... as all the clips apart from 2 are fine..and then those are fine before you drop them onto the timeline.. Weird stuff...

Just haven't got the energy, time or patience to put up all the settings on here.. so I'll soldier on...

Dive safe

DeanB

If they are paying you for SD, just buy a few DVCAM tapes and hand it over at the end of the shoot. Costs a lot more but it's the standard for SD broadcast.

DVcam is only 43 mins or around there, not the full 62-65 of a normal dv tape. thats the only diff. the Z1 will shade out the sides of the screen to make it 4:3

Mike.

DVCAM mode runs the tape faster (33%) so the recording time is shorter. DVCAM tapes have 15 micron track vs normal mini-DV tapes which use a 10 micron track. It's much more robust format. Check with them if they want DVCAM or not.

He just can't help himself...

Dive safe

DeanB

Nick,

The problem as I see it is that you might want to use this footage as HDV later on and shooting it in SD will prevent that. While it might take more time and effort, I think I would shoot in HDV, crop everything to 4:3 (Nattress might even have a filter that would do this for you) and then downconvert it all to SD for the client. Then you would have the master footage in the highest quality for future use.

Steve B)

Thanks guys. The dive site is supposed to be about 50m x 50m and it's just a single dive from which they want around 30mins raw footage. So a single tape will be fine. They'll take DVCAM or miniDV so I may as well go with the DVCAM as the camera will do it. No DVCAM tapes on sale here so I'll probably just use one of my normal Sony miniDV cassettes like I use for HDV in the Z1, unless someone says that's a really bad idea. At least then there shouldn't be any problems with changing tape brands etc..

Stupid question...

DV and DVCAM are they different?

Yes Jonny. DVCAM is a more reliable "pro" format but the codec is the same so the video looks the same as DV. DVCAM on Wikipedia.

Nick

I just corrected a few of Wiki's errors in facts... so much so I gave up. Where do these people get their info from?

Thanks boys,

Wikipedia is actually written by anyone as long as someone else says that the info is correct.

A pretty good source but not 100% reliable.

Jon

Nick most stuff shot on my PD100 was with normal DV tapes.

You will be fine.

DVCAM also locks the audio better to the video.....with normal DV the audio can drift around more.

Now if I was shooting it...I would shoot in HDV..... suck it into EDIUS as Canopus HQ 1440/1080.

Open up a DV 4.3 timeline and drop the 1440/1080 onto the DV timeline and instantly you have DV 4.3.

Plug in your DV camera and hit play on the timeline and it will firewire out to the camera as DV 4.3 in real time.

This is what I did with some stuff I sent in to 60 minutes but it was DV 16.9 and not 4.3.