Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
Well... aha! Tying into the other thread about Macs versus PCs... If you're shooting on a Xacti (or any other camera or phone which stores video as MP4 files on memory cards), then in my opinion you're better off cutting on a PC with Sony Vegas. Vegas (which a lot cheaper than FCP but just as good for 90% of jobs) will take your files AS THEY ARE, with no importing or conversion necessary. This can save HOURS. As you say, Neil, if you have three hours of footage, then you need around three hours for conversion. WTF. All because Apple can't make FCP work with MP4 properly. But that's not all. When you convert your MP4 files for use in FCP, after you've waited all that time, you'll find that their image quality may be impaired by the conversion from 640x480 to a .dv file. Particularly a NTSC .dv file, which has a different ratio. Vegas cuts the files *as they are* - it will match the sequence settings to the clip, not vice versa. For people shooting on Xactis or little digital point-and-shoot cameras or mobile phones, Vegas is, in my opinion, a much more user-friendly experience. Shoot, cut, save. I say this as a 8-9 year user of FCP and a life-long Mac user. Apple have dropped the ball in the important area of non-DV cameras and amateur video. And don't get me started on the new iMovie. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv/ On 17-Jun-08, at 1:49 PM, Neil Katz wrote: Neil Katz here, a journalist. I have had very good experiences with the Xacti CG65. Small, cheap, shoots well in low light, and is stable on zoom, and files sizes are small. I did an entire video story for the NY Times with that camera and even snuck a shot into a report for CBS News on national TV. http://video.on.nytimes.com/? fr_story=74e0011bd397f3fdad54e60c3b52612d009fa8bf Judge image quality for yourself. And keep in mind the NYT site is playing at about half resolution. I have purchased and returned every camera in the Xacti line except the CG65. The others have better specs, but nothing has a better picture. And it fits in your pocket, which means you will get the shot. Battery life is poor. Buy three batteries and a quick charger. Use an online site to buy non Sanyo batteries. They run $20/each. The only negative is in order to edit you will have to convert the native mp4 files into DV. Sanyo says you can edit with mp4 files and technically you can import them into Final Cut Pro. But it doesn't really work, trust me. That conversion process will take about 1 minute per minute of footage. So if you shoot three hours, expect three hours of conversion when you come home. As an aside, working in India, if you don't have Sony, you can't get it fixed or spare parts, adapters, etc. N --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I agree. I've been using a Canon Ixus 860 (European name for Powershot, I think) and it shoots beautiful video. I love it. And it's FANTASTIC in low light. Better than Xacti. But not quite so good a grip. I think the Xacti pistol grip is the best way to shoot - better than the traditional camcorder grip. It produces big video files, though, compared to other little cameras I've used - so get yourself an 8GB memory card or two. I found the best deals for memory cards online - shops will rip you off. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv On 12-Jun-08, at 12:48 PM, Jay dedman wrote: I'm heading to India for my honeymoon and the entire summer and plan to vlog and do some interviews from there. I *do not* plan to bring my macbook. I just want to bring a firewire or usb cable and upload at cafes. It needs to be small, light and easy to travel with and have decent sound. the canon powershot is actually a great choice. it has good sound, its small. It also records in AVI so a PC in an internet cafe will read them. Just use Windows Movie Maker that comes with XP. should be on most public computers. Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
perhaps slightly OT but try and keep the camera cool. I had one die due to the heat - it overheated, lost all colours and then finally even the lens motor broke. it gets really hot there and if you're using it a lot it's easy for the camera to overheat. so get a robust camera if you can!
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
Rupert... I use a Xacti HD1A and the newest version of FCE, and have no problems whatsoever with the MP4 files. Just sayin... David King davidleeking.com - blog http://davidleeking.com/etc - videoblog On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 4:10 PM, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well... aha! Tying into the other thread about Macs versus PCs... If you're shooting on a Xacti (or any other camera or phone which stores video as MP4 files on memory cards), then in my opinion you're better off cutting on a PC with Sony Vegas. Vegas (which a lot cheaper than FCP but just as good for 90% of jobs) will take your files AS THEY ARE, with no importing or conversion necessary. This can save HOURS. As you say, Neil, if you have three hours of footage, then you need around three hours for conversion. WTF. All because Apple can't make FCP work with MP4 properly. But that's not all. When you convert your MP4 files for use in FCP, after you've waited all that time, you'll find that their image quality may be impaired by the conversion from 640x480 to a .dv file. Particularly a NTSC .dv file, which has a different ratio. Vegas cuts the files *as they are* - it will match the sequence settings to the clip, not vice versa. For people shooting on Xactis or little digital point-and-shoot cameras or mobile phones, Vegas is, in my opinion, a much more user-friendly experience. Shoot, cut, save. I say this as a 8-9 year user of FCP and a life-long Mac user. Apple have dropped the ball in the important area of non-DV cameras and amateur video. And don't get me started on the new iMovie. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv/ On 17-Jun-08, at 1:49 PM, Neil Katz wrote: Neil Katz here, a journalist. I have had very good experiences with the Xacti CG65. Small, cheap, shoots well in low light, and is stable on zoom, and files sizes are small. I did an entire video story for the NY Times with that camera and even snuck a shot into a report for CBS News on national TV. http://video.on.nytimes.com/? fr_story=74e0011bd397f3fdad54e60c3b52612d009fa8bf Judge image quality for yourself. And keep in mind the NYT site is playing at about half resolution. I have purchased and returned every camera in the Xacti line except the CG65. The others have better specs, but nothing has a better picture. And it fits in your pocket, which means you will get the shot. Battery life is poor. Buy three batteries and a quick charger. Use an online site to buy non Sanyo batteries. They run $20/each. The only negative is in order to edit you will have to convert the native mp4 files into DV. Sanyo says you can edit with mp4 files and technically you can import them into Final Cut Pro. But it doesn't really work, trust me. That conversion process will take about 1 minute per minute of footage. So if you shoot three hours, expect three hours of conversion when you come home. As an aside, working in India, if you don't have Sony, you can't get it fixed or spare parts, adapters, etc. N --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com videoblogging%40yahoogroups.com, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I agree. I've been using a Canon Ixus 860 (European name for Powershot, I think) and it shoots beautiful video. I love it. And it's FANTASTIC in low light. Better than Xacti. But not quite so good a grip. I think the Xacti pistol grip is the best way to shoot - better than the traditional camcorder grip. It produces big video files, though, compared to other little cameras I've used - so get yourself an 8GB memory card or two. I found the best deals for memory cards online - shops will rip you off. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv On 12-Jun-08, at 12:48 PM, Jay dedman wrote: I'm heading to India for my honeymoon and the entire summer and plan to vlog and do some interviews from there. I *do not* plan to bring my macbook. I just want to bring a firewire or usb cable and upload at cafes. It needs to be small, light and easy to travel with and have decent sound. the canon powershot is actually a great choice. it has good sound, its small. It also records in AVI so a PC in an internet cafe will read them. Just use Windows Movie Maker that comes with XP. should be on most public computers. Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
On Jun 17, 2008, at 1:49 PM, Neil Katz wrote: Neil Katz here, a journalist. I have had very good experiences with the Xacti CG65. Small, cheap, shoots well in low light, and is stable on zoom, and files sizes are small. I did an entire video story for the NY Times with that camera and even snuck a shot into a report for CBS News on national TV. http://video.on.nytimes.com/? fr_story=74e0011bd397f3fdad54e60c3b52612d009fa8bf Judge image quality for yourself. And keep in mind the NYT site is playing at about half resolution. review of CG6 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnwLDeYSb_8amp I have purchased and returned every camera in the Xacti line except the CG65. The others have better specs, but nothing has a better picture. And it fits in your pocket, which means you will get the shot. Battery life is poor. Buy three batteries and a quick charger. Use an online site to buy non Sanyo batteries. They run $20/each. The only negative is in order to edit you will have to convert the native mp4 files into DV. Sanyo says you can edit with mp4 files and technically you can import them into Final Cut Pro. But it doesn't really work, trust me. I think that's what happened to me when I imported the .mpg from my Sony PD150 into iMovie..quality was compromised. I have an old copy of Sony Vegas (from '05), I will try it. That conversion process will take about 1 minute per minute of footage. So if you shoot three hours, expect three hours of conversion when you come home. As an aside, working in India, if you don't have Sony, you can't get it fixed or spare parts, adapters, etc. N --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I agree. I've been using a Canon Ixus 860 (European name for Powershot, I think) and it shoots beautiful video. I love it. And it's FANTASTIC in low light. Better than Xacti. But not quite so good a grip. I think the Xacti pistol grip is the best way to shoot - better than the traditional camcorder grip. It produces big video files, though, compared to other little cameras I've used - so get yourself an 8GB memory card or two. I found the best deals for memory cards online - shops will rip you off. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv On 12-Jun-08, at 12:48 PM, Jay dedman wrote: I'm heading to India for my honeymoon and the entire summer and plan to vlog and do some interviews from there. I *do not* plan to bring my macbook. I just want to bring a firewire or usb cable and upload at cafes. It needs to be small, light and easy to travel with and have decent sound. the canon powershot is actually a great choice. it has good sound, its small. It also records in AVI so a PC in an internet cafe will read them. Just use Windows Movie Maker that comes with XP. should be on most public computers. Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
On Jun 17, 2008, at 1:49 PM, Neil Katz wrote: Neil Katz here, a journalist. I have had very good experiences with the Xacti CG65. Small, cheap, shoots well in low light, and is stable on zoom, and files sizes are small. I did an entire video story for the NY Times with that camera and even snuck a shot into a report for CBS News on national TV. http://video.on.nytimes.com/? fr_story=74e0011bd397f3fdad54e60c3b52612d009fa8bf Judge image quality for yourself. And keep in mind the NYT site is playing at about half resolution. I have purchased and returned every camera in the Xacti line except the CG65. The others have better specs, but nothing has a better picture. And it fits in your pocket, which means you will get the shot. Big plus here. The PS type devices have the grab go feature, that larger devices don't have Cellphone cameras have the compactness, but not the quality (pinhole camera) Battery life is poor. Buy three batteries and a quick charger. Use an online site to buy non Sanyo batteries. They run $20/each. The only negative is in order to edit you will have to convert the native mp4 files into DV. Sanyo says you can edit with mp4 files and technically you can import them into Final Cut Pro. But it doesn't really work, trust me. That conversion process will take about 1 minute per minute of footage. So if you shoot three hours, expect three hours of conversion when you come home. As an aside, working in India, if you don't have Sony, you can't get it fixed or spare parts, adapters, etc. N --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I agree. I've been using a Canon Ixus 860 (European name for Powershot, I think) and it shoots beautiful video. I love it. And it's FANTASTIC in low light. Better than Xacti. But not quite so good a grip. I think the Xacti pistol grip is the best way to shoot - better than the traditional camcorder grip. It produces big video files, though, compared to other little cameras I've used - so get yourself an 8GB memory card or two. I found the best deals for memory cards online - shops will rip you off. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv On 12-Jun-08, at 12:48 PM, Jay dedman wrote: I'm heading to India for my honeymoon and the entire summer and plan to vlog and do some interviews from there. I *do not* plan to bring my macbook. I just want to bring a firewire or usb cable and upload at cafes. It needs to be small, light and easy to travel with and have decent sound. the canon powershot is actually a great choice. it has good sound, its small. It also records in AVI so a PC in an internet cafe will read them. Just use Windows Movie Maker that comes with XP. should be on most public computers. Jay -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
Great! I'm happy to hear that there's a Xacti MP4 file that does work in a Final Cut product without conversion, but I have to say it's the exception. I wonder why. The HD1a is an HD camera, unlike most of the Xactis I've come across. Are you shooting in HD or at 640x480, and what spec of mac are you using? I'm not just making it up - and it's not just on my system - over the last year or so I've noticed a *lot* people complain about this - as Neil did in his message just now. I don't know anybody with a Xacti who's been able to make it work properly - at best it causes FCP to grind slowly, at worst to crash completely. The same for non-Xacti ps cameras cellphones, as I said. Rupert On 17-Jun-08, at 2:20 PM, David King wrote: Rupert... I use a Xacti HD1A and the newest version of FCE, and have no problems whatsoever with the MP4 files. Just sayin... David King davidleeking.com - blog http://davidleeking.com/etc - videoblog On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 4:10 PM, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well... aha! Tying into the other thread about Macs versus PCs... If you're shooting on a Xacti (or any other camera or phone which stores video as MP4 files on memory cards), then in my opinion you're better off cutting on a PC with Sony Vegas. Vegas (which a lot cheaper than FCP but just as good for 90% of jobs) will take your files AS THEY ARE, with no importing or conversion necessary. This can save HOURS. As you say, Neil, if you have three hours of footage, then you need around three hours for conversion. WTF. All because Apple can't make FCP work with MP4 properly. But that's not all. When you convert your MP4 files for use in FCP, after you've waited all that time, you'll find that their image quality may be impaired by the conversion from 640x480 to a .dv file. Particularly a NTSC .dv file, which has a different ratio. Vegas cuts the files *as they are* - it will match the sequence settings to the clip, not vice versa. For people shooting on Xactis or little digital point-and-shoot cameras or mobile phones, Vegas is, in my opinion, a much more user-friendly experience. Shoot, cut, save. I say this as a 8-9 year user of FCP and a life-long Mac user. Apple have dropped the ball in the important area of non-DV cameras and amateur video. And don't get me started on the new iMovie. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv/ On 17-Jun-08, at 1:49 PM, Neil Katz wrote: Neil Katz here, a journalist. I have had very good experiences with the Xacti CG65. Small, cheap, shoots well in low light, and is stable on zoom, and files sizes are small. I did an entire video story for the NY Times with that camera and even snuck a shot into a report for CBS News on national TV. http://video.on.nytimes.com/? fr_story=74e0011bd397f3fdad54e60c3b52612d009fa8bf Judge image quality for yourself. And keep in mind the NYT site is playing at about half resolution. I have purchased and returned every camera in the Xacti line except the CG65. The others have better specs, but nothing has a better picture. And it fits in your pocket, which means you will get the shot. Battery life is poor. Buy three batteries and a quick charger. Use an online site to buy non Sanyo batteries. They run $20/each. The only negative is in order to edit you will have to convert the native mp4 files into DV. Sanyo says you can edit with mp4 files and technically you can import them into Final Cut Pro. But it doesn't really work, trust me. That conversion process will take about 1 minute per minute of footage. So if you shoot three hours, expect three hours of conversion when you come home. As an aside, working in India, if you don't have Sony, you can't get it fixed or spare parts, adapters, etc. N --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com videoblogging% 40yahoogroups.com, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I agree. I've been using a Canon Ixus 860 (European name for Powershot, I think) and it shoots beautiful video. I love it. And it's FANTASTIC in low light. Better than Xacti. But not quite so good a grip. I think the Xacti pistol grip is the best way to shoot - better than the traditional camcorder grip. It produces big video files, though, compared to other little cameras I've used - so get yourself an 8GB memory card or two. I found the best deals for memory cards online - shops will rip you off. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv On 12-Jun-08, at 12:48 PM, Jay dedman wrote: I'm heading to India for my honeymoon and the entire summer and plan to vlog and do some interviews from there. I *do not* plan to bring my macbook. I just want to bring a firewire or usb cable and upload at cafes. It needs to be small, light and easy to travel with and have decent sound. the canon powershot is actually a great choice. it has good sound, its small.
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
Let's see... I usually shoot at 640X480, but sometimes choose one of the HD settings. I have a newer Mac Book Pro (about a year old). To get the thing on my mac, I usually put the SD card into a usb card reader, and upload all the pics and video files together into iPhoto, then drag the videos out that I want to use and delete the rest. I'm able to drag/drop the video file from a folder right into the bin in FCE. It's FCE 4.0, and it's OSX Leopard (I update it regularly). Hope that helps! David King davidleeking.com - blog davidleeking.com/etc - videoblog On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 5:15 PM, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Great! I'm happy to hear that there's a Xacti MP4 file that does work in a Final Cut product without conversion, but I have to say it's the exception. I wonder why. The HD1a is an HD camera, unlike most of the Xactis I've come across. Are you shooting in HD or at 640x480, and what spec of mac are you using? I'm not just making it up - and it's not just on my system - over the last year or so I've noticed a *lot* people complain about this - as Neil did in his message just now. I don't know anybody with a Xacti who's been able to make it work properly - at best it causes FCP to grind slowly, at worst to crash completely. The same for non-Xacti ps cameras cellphones, as I said. Rupert On 17-Jun-08, at 2:20 PM, David King wrote: Rupert... I use a Xacti HD1A and the newest version of FCE, and have no problems whatsoever with the MP4 files. Just sayin... David King davidleeking.com - blog http://davidleeking.com/etc - videoblog On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 4:10 PM, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED]rupert%40fatgirlinohio.org wrote: Well... aha! Tying into the other thread about Macs versus PCs... If you're shooting on a Xacti (or any other camera or phone which stores video as MP4 files on memory cards), then in my opinion you're better off cutting on a PC with Sony Vegas. Vegas (which a lot cheaper than FCP but just as good for 90% of jobs) will take your files AS THEY ARE, with no importing or conversion necessary. This can save HOURS. As you say, Neil, if you have three hours of footage, then you need around three hours for conversion. WTF. All because Apple can't make FCP work with MP4 properly. But that's not all. When you convert your MP4 files for use in FCP, after you've waited all that time, you'll find that their image quality may be impaired by the conversion from 640x480 to a .dv file. Particularly a NTSC .dv file, which has a different ratio. Vegas cuts the files *as they are* - it will match the sequence settings to the clip, not vice versa. For people shooting on Xactis or little digital point-and-shoot cameras or mobile phones, Vegas is, in my opinion, a much more user-friendly experience. Shoot, cut, save. I say this as a 8-9 year user of FCP and a life-long Mac user. Apple have dropped the ball in the important area of non-DV cameras and amateur video. And don't get me started on the new iMovie. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv/ On 17-Jun-08, at 1:49 PM, Neil Katz wrote: Neil Katz here, a journalist. I have had very good experiences with the Xacti CG65. Small, cheap, shoots well in low light, and is stable on zoom, and files sizes are small. I did an entire video story for the NY Times with that camera and even snuck a shot into a report for CBS News on national TV. http://video.on.nytimes.com/? fr_story=74e0011bd397f3fdad54e60c3b52612d009fa8bf Judge image quality for yourself. And keep in mind the NYT site is playing at about half resolution. I have purchased and returned every camera in the Xacti line except the CG65. The others have better specs, but nothing has a better picture. And it fits in your pocket, which means you will get the shot. Battery life is poor. Buy three batteries and a quick charger. Use an online site to buy non Sanyo batteries. They run $20/each. The only negative is in order to edit you will have to convert the native mp4 files into DV. Sanyo says you can edit with mp4 files and technically you can import them into Final Cut Pro. But it doesn't really work, trust me. That conversion process will take about 1 minute per minute of footage. So if you shoot three hours, expect three hours of conversion when you come home. As an aside, working in India, if you don't have Sony, you can't get it fixed or spare parts, adapters, etc. N --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com videoblogging%40yahoogroups.comvideoblogging% 40yahoogroups.com, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I agree. I've been using a Canon Ixus 860 (European name for Powershot, I think) and it shoots beautiful video. I love it. And it's FANTASTIC in low light. Better than Xacti. But not quite so good a grip. I think the Xacti pistol grip is the best way to shoot - better than the traditional camcorder grip. It produces big video
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
Cool! Thank you. Interesting. You might have just influenced my next choice of Camera Assuming it will work in final cut *pro* 4 leopard, which is what I have. thanks! i guess we should store this kind of info in the wiki. how's the sound on the HD1a? Does it have the problems with motor noise that some of the older Xactis have? On 17-Jun-08, at 3:24 PM, David King wrote: Let's see... I usually shoot at 640X480, but sometimes choose one of the HD settings. I have a newer Mac Book Pro (about a year old). To get the thing on my mac, I usually put the SD card into a usb card reader, and upload all the pics and video files together into iPhoto, then drag the videos out that I want to use and delete the rest. I'm able to drag/drop the video file from a folder right into the bin in FCE. It's FCE 4.0, and it's OSX Leopard (I update it regularly). Hope that helps! David King davidleeking.com - blog davidleeking.com/etc - videoblog On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 5:15 PM, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Great! I'm happy to hear that there's a Xacti MP4 file that does work in a Final Cut product without conversion, but I have to say it's the exception. I wonder why. The HD1a is an HD camera, unlike most of the Xactis I've come across. Are you shooting in HD or at 640x480, and what spec of mac are you using? I'm not just making it up - and it's not just on my system - over the last year or so I've noticed a *lot* people complain about this - as Neil did in his message just now. I don't know anybody with a Xacti who's been able to make it work properly - at best it causes FCP to grind slowly, at worst to crash completely. The same for non-Xacti ps cameras cellphones, as I said. Rupert On 17-Jun-08, at 2:20 PM, David King wrote: Rupert... I use a Xacti HD1A and the newest version of FCE, and have no problems whatsoever with the MP4 files. Just sayin... David King davidleeking.com - blog http://davidleeking.com/etc - videoblog On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 4:10 PM, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED]rupert%40fatgirlinohio.org wrote: Well... aha! Tying into the other thread about Macs versus PCs... If you're shooting on a Xacti (or any other camera or phone which stores video as MP4 files on memory cards), then in my opinion you're better off cutting on a PC with Sony Vegas. Vegas (which a lot cheaper than FCP but just as good for 90% of jobs) will take your files AS THEY ARE, with no importing or conversion necessary. This can save HOURS. As you say, Neil, if you have three hours of footage, then you need around three hours for conversion. WTF. All because Apple can't make FCP work with MP4 properly. But that's not all. When you convert your MP4 files for use in FCP, after you've waited all that time, you'll find that their image quality may be impaired by the conversion from 640x480 to a .dv file. Particularly a NTSC .dv file, which has a different ratio. Vegas cuts the files *as they are* - it will match the sequence settings to the clip, not vice versa. For people shooting on Xactis or little digital point-and-shoot cameras or mobile phones, Vegas is, in my opinion, a much more user-friendly experience. Shoot, cut, save. I say this as a 8-9 year user of FCP and a life-long Mac user. Apple have dropped the ball in the important area of non-DV cameras and amateur video. And don't get me started on the new iMovie. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv/ On 17-Jun-08, at 1:49 PM, Neil Katz wrote: Neil Katz here, a journalist. I have had very good experiences with the Xacti CG65. Small, cheap, shoots well in low light, and is stable on zoom, and files sizes are small. I did an entire video story for the NY Times with that camera and even snuck a shot into a report for CBS News on national TV. http://video.on.nytimes.com/? fr_story=74e0011bd397f3fdad54e60c3b52612d009fa8bf Judge image quality for yourself. And keep in mind the NYT site is playing at about half resolution. I have purchased and returned every camera in the Xacti line except the CG65. The others have better specs, but nothing has a better picture. And it fits in your pocket, which means you will get the shot. Battery life is poor. Buy three batteries and a quick charger. Use an online site to buy non Sanyo batteries. They run $20/each. The only negative is in order to edit you will have to convert the native mp4 files into DV. Sanyo says you can edit with mp4 files and technically you can import them into Final Cut Pro. But it doesn't really work, trust me. That conversion process will take about 1 minute per minute of footage. So if you shoot three hours, expect three hours of conversion when you come home. As an aside, working in India, if you don't have Sony, you can't get it fixed or spare parts, adapters, etc.
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
Neato. I like the sound - it's got a great little internal mic. This video is a good example - it's picking up the birds in the background ( http://davidleeking.com/etc/2008/06/13/walking-in-phoenix/) pretty well. It gets overpowered pretty easily, so if something's loud, it WILL distort - there's no volume knob. The HD1A (I'm guessing the HD2 or whatever the new models' called, too) has an external mic jack, which gives a little more control. No, I've not heard the motor noise when zooming (though it might very well be there - I just haven't noticed it). Yes - we SHOULD put this stuff int he wiki - good idea! David King davidleeking.com - blog davidleeking.com/etc - videoblog On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 5:54 PM, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Cool! Thank you. Interesting. You might have just influenced my next choice of Camera Assuming it will work in final cut *pro* 4 leopard, which is what I have. thanks! i guess we should store this kind of info in the wiki. how's the sound on the HD1a? Does it have the problems with motor noise that some of the older Xactis have? On 17-Jun-08, at 3:24 PM, David King wrote: Let's see... I usually shoot at 640X480, but sometimes choose one of the HD settings. I have a newer Mac Book Pro (about a year old). To get the thing on my mac, I usually put the SD card into a usb card reader, and upload all the pics and video files together into iPhoto, then drag the videos out that I want to use and delete the rest. I'm able to drag/drop the video file from a folder right into the bin in FCE. It's FCE 4.0, and it's OSX Leopard (I update it regularly). Hope that helps! David King davidleeking.com - blog davidleeking.com/etc - videoblog On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 5:15 PM, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED]rupert%40fatgirlinohio.org wrote: Great! I'm happy to hear that there's a Xacti MP4 file that does work in a Final Cut product without conversion, but I have to say it's the exception. I wonder why. The HD1a is an HD camera, unlike most of the Xactis I've come across. Are you shooting in HD or at 640x480, and what spec of mac are you using? I'm not just making it up - and it's not just on my system - over the last year or so I've noticed a *lot* people complain about this - as Neil did in his message just now. I don't know anybody with a Xacti who's been able to make it work properly - at best it causes FCP to grind slowly, at worst to crash completely. The same for non-Xacti ps cameras cellphones, as I said. Rupert On 17-Jun-08, at 2:20 PM, David King wrote: Rupert... I use a Xacti HD1A and the newest version of FCE, and have no problems whatsoever with the MP4 files. Just sayin... David King davidleeking.com - blog http://davidleeking.com/etc - videoblog On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 4:10 PM, Rupert [EMAIL PROTECTED] rupert%40fatgirlinohio.orgrupert% 40fatgirlinohio.org wrote: Well... aha! Tying into the other thread about Macs versus PCs... If you're shooting on a Xacti (or any other camera or phone which stores video as MP4 files on memory cards), then in my opinion you're better off cutting on a PC with Sony Vegas. Vegas (which a lot cheaper than FCP but just as good for 90% of jobs) will take your files AS THEY ARE, with no importing or conversion necessary. This can save HOURS. As you say, Neil, if you have three hours of footage, then you need around three hours for conversion. WTF. All because Apple can't make FCP work with MP4 properly. But that's not all. When you convert your MP4 files for use in FCP, after you've waited all that time, you'll find that their image quality may be impaired by the conversion from 640x480 to a .dv file. Particularly a NTSC .dv file, which has a different ratio. Vegas cuts the files *as they are* - it will match the sequence settings to the clip, not vice versa. For people shooting on Xactis or little digital point-and-shoot cameras or mobile phones, Vegas is, in my opinion, a much more user-friendly experience. Shoot, cut, save. I say this as a 8-9 year user of FCP and a life-long Mac user. Apple have dropped the ball in the important area of non-DV cameras and amateur video. And don't get me started on the new iMovie. Rupert http://twittervlog.tv/ On 17-Jun-08, at 1:49 PM, Neil Katz wrote: Neil Katz here, a journalist. I have had very good experiences with the Xacti CG65. Small, cheap, shoots well in low light, and is stable on zoom, and files sizes are small. I did an entire video story for the NY Times with that camera and even snuck a shot into a report for CBS News on national TV. http://video.on.nytimes.com/? fr_story=74e0011bd397f3fdad54e60c3b52612d009fa8bf Judge image quality for yourself. And keep in mind the NYT site is playing at about half resolution. I have purchased and returned every camera in the Xacti line
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
If you could be sure your cell phone will work there, I'd get familiar with shooting vids on a cell phone. No internet cafe necessary. Found in 2005 it was difficult to find an Internet cafe in Amsterdam where I could actually upload ANYTHING. Free wi-fi was cool and relatively abundant, but cabling to a computer, not so much. In frustration, put m'self in the position of the cafe owners and realized that were you able to upload stuff via cable, assh*le folks could easily upload destructive stuff and there'd be trouble. So much for THAT option. That said, on the 2007 trip to Germany, I couldn't get the new cell phone to work there, so still had to go thru the computer -- wi-fi -- web. Had the phone worked, that would have been ideal. Guess you have to get a local sim card or something. You'd have to have pretty good International and Data plans in place, but, worth it. Congratulations and good luck on your trip! Jan --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, scoobyfox [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey all, I'm heading to India for my honeymoon and the entire summer and plan to vlog and do some interviews from there. I *do not* plan to bring my macbook. I just want to bring a firewire or usb cable and upload at cafes. It needs to be small, light and easy to travel with and have decent sound. Recommendations? (and it you know of any simple web-based editing tools, let me know!) heather Yahoo! Groups Links -- Jan McLaughlin Production Sound Mixer air = 862-571-5334 aim = janofsound skype = janmclaughlin [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India
I've been using my Nokia n95 to do interviews and streaming live to the web site using a Silicon Valley start-up called Qik. Check out my stuff at http://qik.com/djksar Granted it is a GSM based phone. Is where you are going GSM or CDMA? -Randy - Original Message From: Jan McLaughlin [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: videoblogging@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 7:54:05 AM Subject: Re: [videoblogging] Re: Recommendations for a small camera (Xacti or other) to shoot in India If you could be sure your cell phone will work there, I'd get familiar with shooting vids on a cell phone. No internet cafe necessary. Found in 2005 it was difficult to find an Internet cafe in Amsterdam where I could actually upload ANYTHING. Free wi-fi was cool and relatively abundant, but cabling to a computer, not so much. In frustration, put m'self in the position of the cafe owners and realized that were you able to upload stuff via cable, assh*le folks could easily upload destructive stuff and there'd be trouble. So much for THAT option. That said, on the 2007 trip to Germany, I couldn't get the new cell phone to work there, so still had to go thru the computer -- wi-fi -- web. Had the phone worked, that would have been ideal. Guess you have to get a local sim card or something. You'd have to have pretty good International and Data plans in place, but, worth it. Congratulations and good luck on your trip! Jan --- In videoblogging@ yahoogroups. com, scoobyfox [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey all, I'm heading to India for my honeymoon and the entire summer and plan to vlog and do some interviews from there. I *do not* plan to bring my macbook. I just want to bring a firewire or usb cable and upload at cafes. It needs to be small, light and easy to travel with and have decent sound. Recommendations? (and it you know of any simple web-based editing tools, let me know!) heather - - -- Yahoo! Groups Links -- Jan McLaughlin Production Sound Mixer air = 862-571-5334 aim = janofsound skype = janmclaughlin [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
