Radio-Television-Film - Equipment Tip Sheets

The main characteristics of DVCPRO HD are that it records at 100mbps,frame independent resolution (intraframe recording), and 4:2:2 color sampling, and uses metal particle tape or solid-state P2 cards.

DVCPRO HD uses intraframe compression, which means that every frame is compressed, recorded, and edited independently. DVCPRO HD has 4:2:2 color sampling. Tape or P2 implementations. SMPTE Standard. DVCPRO HD uses uncompressed audio with 4 and 8 discrete channels.

HDV uses Long Groups of Pictures (LGOP) frame compression that interpolates or inserts presumed frames and is not frame independent. HDV has 4:2:0 color sampling. HDV is tape based with low data rates of 25mbps and 19mbps. Cannot exchange content shot with different brand names of HDV cameras. HDV uses embedded and compressed audio. Dropouts on an HDV tape can be significant to data being lost and will affect GOP. In the DVCPRO tape based system dropout will only affect the frame it happens on; none using P2 format.

Recording Signals

The HVX 200 handles 3 modes of Standard Definition:

1) DV 25mbps

2) DVCPRO 25mbps

3) DVCPRO 50 50mbps Which is 4:2:2 has been compared favorably with Digibeta

Handles DVCPRO HD 100mbps in 1080i and 720p recording on P2 cards.

How can I record for durations longer than the P2 cards capacity?

In three ways: you can continuously record over from one P2 card to the next and hot swap them for unloading, or you can use the FS-100 mentioned above, which is an external FireWire drive. You can also open your capture window in your NLE and capture via FireWire to your external drive.

What type of lens does the HVX200 have?

It has a wide-angle Leica Dicomar high definition lens with optical image stabilizer (which can be turned off). It has a 13X zoom range, or rather 4.2mm to 55mm in focal length; widest aperture is F1.6.There are a number of other add on lenses and lens adapters that can alter the Field of View of this lens. See Century Precision Optics, PS Teknik, Red Rock Micro and Cinemek for starters.

What size is the 3-CCD imager?

The 3 imagers are 1/3"" CCD offering a 540 X 960 array in a 16:9 native aspect ratio. There is a spatial offset deployed in both the horizontal and vertical direction making the effective resolution of the chip set to be 1440 X 810 pixels. The output of the CCD system is an analog one and thus from here the signal is then scanned and captured at 1080/60p. The signal is then converted to 1080i, cross-converted to 720p or down converted to 480p/480i, or cross-converted for the many modes on this camera. This assures the highest quality of recording.

Does the HVX200 have manual or automatic focus?

Both manual and automatic focus are available. You can also adjust focus manually while the auto focus is working. Also has Focus Assist for accurate focus for shooting in HD because of the detail that HD has focus is critical

Does the HVX200 have manual or motorized zoom?

Like the DVX100, the HVX200 has both manual and motorized zoom options. Unlike many ""pro-sumer"" camcorders, the HVX200 has a mechanical zoom movement rather than an optically coupled system, snap zooms are a real possibility.

What is the zoom range of the HVX200?

13X, 4.2 to 55mm (35mm equivalent: 32.5 to 423)

What video inputs and outputs does the HVX200 have?

It pretty much covers the range of needed inputs and outputs, as it has HD Analog Component, 1080i, 720p, cross-converted 720p-1080i, 480i (D4) output, Composite input/output, S-Video input/output, Standard IEEE 1394 interface and How many channels of audio does the HVX200 support?

It supports 4 channels of PCM 48K 16-Bit audio via 2 XLR connections in DVCPRO HD, and DVCPRO50; 2 channels in DVCPRO and DV. DV tape can also record 32K 12-Bit signals for 2 channels live and 2 for dubbing later.

Does the HVX200 have IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface?

Yes, both streaming and file transfer.

Does the HVX200 have USB 2.0 connectivity?

Yes, for file transfer.

What is Gamma/Gamma Curves?

Gamma: Gamma (Plain old Gamma or Monitor Gamma)

Almost every computer monitor, from whatever manufacturer, has one thing in common. They all have a intensity to voltage response curve which is roughly a 2.5 power function. Don't be afraid, this just means that if you send your computer monitor a message that a certain pixel should have intensity equal to x, it will actually display a pixel which has intensity equal to x ^ 2.5 Because the range of voltages sent to the monitor is between 0 and 1, this means that the intensity value displayed will be less than what you wanted it to be. (0.5 ^ 2.5 = 0.177 for example) Monitors, then, are said to have a gamma of 2.5 A brightness of Mid-level tones in an image. The gamma setting controls the brightness and contrast of the midtone of an image without affecting the overall brightness (dark or light) of the image. Gamma, as part of brightness, is one of the three dimensions, with saturation and hue, in color space settings. See “Color Hue” “Color Saturation” and “Brightness”. Color hue is one of the three dimensions, with saturation and gamma/brightness, in color space settings and is the visible spectrum the human eye sees reflected from an image. It is color in the purest state without black or white. See “Color Saturation”, “Gamma” and “Brightness”. Color saturation is one of the three dimensions, with hue and gamma/brightness, in color space settings and is the strength or purity of a color, adjusting the color saturation will affect how “grey” the tones of the color are. See “Color Hue” “Brightness” and “Gamma”.

Gamma Curves in the HVX control how brightness information is distributed in the picture. Camera gamma compresses the whites and stretches the blacks.

Picture tube gamma stretches the whites and compresses the blacks.

What are CineGamma and News Gamma?

In addition to regular video gamma controls(8 Different Gamma Settings), Panasonic developed these two gamma sets specifically to help with film-look and news production.

CineGammaTM is derived from the one found on the VariCam®, which helps emulate the latitude of film.

News Gamma: Helps to preserve important image data by suppressing over-saturation in highlight areas during sudden changes in contrast, which may happen as news in progress is being captured. Can preserve a wider range of highlights than some of the other Gamma curves,But is a little noisier than HD NORM.

Example: If a shooter/Photog is placed in a circumstance where they are moving from shadow areas to bright skies and cannot adjust the exposure quickly as the situation warrants. News Gamma isdesigned to retain more over-exposure/sky detail until the shooter can adjust the proper exposure. Minimizes washout to faithfully capture all visual information especially in the highlights.

HD Norm: Suitable for HD shooting. Is the base Gamma curve that is compared to the other gamma settings. Normal video-like picture,medium level of image noise

Low Gamma: Works to flatten out a high contrast scene.Similar to HD Norm but compresses some of the mid-tones of the picture slightly while preserving and slightly boosting the darker parts. Low Gamma let’s you get more detail in the darker sections of the picture. Video will look a little sharper too due to the change in the gamma curve,which adds more contrast to the scene. LOW is also slightly less noisy than HD Norm.

High Gamma: Brings up brightness level of the darker parts of the picture while maintaining the same level of brightness in the brighter levels. Raises dark level,makes flatter contrast and overall brighter-looking picture. Provides leeway to be able to iris down and still preserve detail in the shadow areas which helps to extend the range of highlights that can be captured. HIGH GAMMA is noisier than HD GAMMA

SD Norm: Normal setting for SD. Handles highlights and dark tones similar to HD NORM,with slightly lifted mid-tones,but a little bit noisier the HD Norm

High: Provides additional contrast and color gradation

B. Press: Provides more contrast and blacks in low contrast scenes. Affects primarily the mid-tones of the image.Leaves Highs alone presses down the lows a little but raises up mid-tones,which provides more dynamic rangein the middle of the tonal scale. Mid tones are brighter,dark tones darker and provides for a stronger,punchier contrast. B-Press is the quietest or least noisy of the Gamma Curves.

Cine- Like-D: prioritizes dynamic range. Changes brightness response substantially. The overall contrast range is compressed and lowered,the brights and midtones are pressed down and more headroom is provided at the top of the scale. Gives the overall shot more latitude ( provides more range from the darkest dark to the brightess bright). Drawback: No “Knee” protection at top of the scale. The other Gamma curves but the CineLike gamma modes DO NOT have Knee protection which governs overexposure, ensuring that that anything that is overexposed is gently rolled off, making for a smooth transition from bright to overexposed. If you carefully control your shots and prevent overexposure CINELIKE D can result in the most Latitude the camera can deliver. The linear flat gamma and compression of the highlights that CINELIKE D provides will give a soft-contrast look to your image. To avoid overexposure on the highlights,it is wise to underexpose about a ½ stop. CINE-D can preserve gradations in bright highlights even better than HD NORM when using the KNEE LOW setting. CINE-D is optimized for Dynamic Range the side effect is an increase of noise in the picture than the other gamma curves so if you want the extended Latitude of CINE-D be aware of this. CINE-D gives you the most room to manipulate your image in Post and the most range for a potential film transfer but the images on a television will be flatter because of the widened flatter contrast.

Cine-Like-V: prioritizes contrast especially in the brighter parts of the picture. Optimizes for sharper contrast. Camera stretches both ends of the spectrum to exaggerate distance between the darks and brights resulting in a sharper,punchier contrast. More of the Dynamic Range is used so he image appears to have a sharper contrast but it is done electronically by stretching the gamma curve. You may end up with a little ess Latitude than with some of the other curves but it does make for sharp pictures on a television. CINE-V is less noisy than HD NORM.

What is Knee? :

Prevents the overexposure of video by rolling off the intensity of the brightest parts of the picture by engaging the Knee circuit of the camera the camera will detect when the highlights are getting to bright and will start attenuating the signal to bring them back into exposure range. The HVX 200 has 3 Knee settings to determine were you want the circuit to begin to detect overexposure of the brightest parts of the picture:

Knee low: Knee starts to attenuate signals at 80% of brightness

Knee Mid: Will begin to roll off at 90%

Knee High: Does not affect signal until it sees 100% brightness ( Out of 109% total;White Point Clip)

Auto: Camera decides what level knee should be set at. Caution,it may change in the middle of a shot.

The sooner the knee begins working (i.e. LOW) the more protection your picture will have from overexposure. However, too much Knee attenuation can look artificial,turning your whites to gray where as using a higher Knee setting let the image appear “natural” over more of the Dynamic Range of the camera: THE LOWER YOU SET IT THE FURTHER YOU WILL EXTEND THE DYNAMIC RANGE OF THE CAMERA AT THE POTENTIAL EXPENSE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS LOOKING A BIT GRAY.

Knee extends the Dynamic Range by compressing the high intensity signals,some what like an audio limiter compresses audio signals to prevent over-modulation and distortion.

Dynamic Range The range of light levels the human eye can handle. Indicates the difference or ratio of the smallest and largest signal that can be handled by a device. The Dynamic Range of a video signal is 100-110 %. For example, a camera with 2/3 inch CCD’s can handle a wide Dynamic Range of approximately 600%.

What shutter speeds does the HVX200 support?

Regular shutter speed.

60i/60p mode: 1/60 (OFF), 1/100, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000 sec.

30p mode: 1/30, 1/50 (OFF), 1/60, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500,1/1000 sec.

24p/24pA mode: 1/24, 1/50 (OFF), 1/60, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000 sec.

Does the HVX200 support Synchro-Scan Shutter?

Progressive mode off: 1/60.3 1/250.0

Progressive mode 30p: 1/30.1 1/48.0 1/250.0

Progressive mode 24p/24pA: 1/24.1 1/48.0 1/250.0

What are the gain settings of the HVX200?

0/+3/+6/+9/+12/+18 dB (60i/60p mode)

0/+3/+6/+9/+12/+18 dB (progressive mode (30p/24p/24pA)

(Note: set to 0dB when the slow shutter mode is used)

What is the filter size of the HVX200?

82mm

What signals and frame rates does the HVX200 support on Mini-DV tape?

While recording with the tape drive portion of the camera, you record in 25Mbps Mini-DV mode and in 30 frames per second. 24p and 24pA are available in NTSC models. You can also record variable frame rate footage in 720p mode onto a P2 card and internally dub this footage to DV, offering a unique function and effect to your DV productions.

Can I record directly to a FireStore drive (Focus Enhancements)?

Yes. The FS-100 from Focus Enhancements will give 90-100 minutes of high-definition content in 720p or 1080i modes. In DVCPRO50 it will record 200 minutes, and in DV or DVCPRO it will offer 400 minutes. It also supports recording in the MXF format, so it can seamlessly be edited by your favorite NLE applications, like Avid Xpress HD, Final Cut Pro and Canopus Edius HD.

Order of Viewing Camera Functions:

http://www.panasonic.com.business/provideo/promo/hvx2003d/index.html

1) Left Camera View

2) Rear View

3) Right view

4) Front View

5) Top View

Left Camera View:

A. Magnified Focus Assist Button: Focus is very critical when shooting in HD. When focus switch button is pushed it places a window in the center of the viewfinder or LCD panel, which shows a high resolution, magnified section of the image. You can use this function while recording.

B. Focus Switch: 3 possible settings “A”,”M”, “Infinity”:

“A” Camera operates in full auto-focus mode; hunts for best and sharpest focus

“M” Manual

Infinity focus setting where even the farthest possible objects (such as the Moon) should be in sharp focus. Not really a switch setting, it is a momentary push switch when pushing the switch down, lens gets set to infinity and then the switch automatically returns to manual focus.

Iris Dial and Iris Button: Iris dial allows you to set the f-stop manually. You can even use it when the camera’s in AUTO-IRIS MODE; Iris dial will let you override the auto setting to a certain degree though the camea will eventually compensate. One technique is to let the AUTO IRIS set the overall exposure level then switch to MANUAL IRIS and fine tune the exposure according to taste ( or according to Zebras or referencing a production monitor or WFM MON). The IRIS BUTTON lets you toggle between AUTO-Iris and MANUAL.

C. ND Filter Switch: Neutral density filters (Acts like sunglasses for your camera) Cuts down the amount of light entering the camera in very bright conditions to help get the right exposure. They add no color shift to the image because of their neutral shade of gray. The only image effect is to lower brightness. The HVX 200

Has three switch settings:

Off: No ND Filters (best used in lower light conditions)

1/8: Reduces the amount of light coming into the camera by 3 f-stops

1/64: Reduces the amount of light coming into the camera by 6 f-stops.

Gain Switch: Gain is an electronic amplification of the video signal. Using this will increase the brightness of the picture than it would other wise look. The downside is by increasing the gain will introduce more noise into the picture. Used as only last resort when shooting in dim lighting conditions.

3 position toggle switch:

L (Low): No Gain applied

M ( Mid): 6db (factory De-fault) 2x as bright

H (High): 12db (factory De-fault) 4x as bright

You can change settings in the SW MODE MENU. The HVX provides an 18db gain, which increases the brightness 8x, but the picture will be noisy. It cannot be assigned to the GAIN SWITCH. It must be assigned to one of the USER Buttons. 18db ONLY works in interlaced mode or 720p60/720p50 modes.

White Balance Switch: 3-position switch

PRST: Presets are P3.2K (3200 Kelvin/Indoor lighting) and P5.6K (5600Kelvin/Outdoor lighting) Good starting points but consider your circumstances because the presets may not deliver most accurate color rendition/temperature. Example: Incandescent and halogen lamps burn as low as 2700K. If you are using 2700K lamps to light your scene and set WB to 3200K lamps will look orange. Daylight varies tremendously in color temperature from 3000K during sunrise/sunset to over 10,000K on an overcast, cloudy day. The presets are good to use for run and gun such as News shooting. Presets will disable the COLOR TEMP feature in the scene file menus.

A Ch/B Ch Settings: For storing manual WB settings. When setting a manual WB setting zoom in until white card fills screen. Set switch to A or B and press and hold AWB switch until camera displays “AWB ACH/BCH ACTIVE” this lets you know that A or B Ch. Is being calibrated to an accurate WB. If your lighting conditions change re-white balance to have the colors rendered properly or consistent.

Another option is to set one of the WB SWITCH PRST/A/B options to ATW in the SW MODE MENU. Example: You could configure your camera to have the PRST = (3200K/5600K) Ach.= reserved for MANUAL B Ch.=ATW. Setting switch to B Ch then will start tracking WB by itself updating lighting conditions change. ATW is fairly slow and can take a few seconds to respond to changing lighting conditions) The camera does not immediately responds to a hard image change but will smoothly transition form the old WB to new WB.

DO NOT BLOCK WB SENSOR or ATW WILL NOT OPERATE PROPERLY! During MANUAL WB camera takes in information through the lens. But in ATW it takes its color temperature information through the sensor located near the S VIDEO PORT.

3.5” LCD Display: 210,000 pixel screen. Can be rotated 180 degrees so that it can be seen in front of the camera. Can also be in either screen in (normal closed state) or screen out position closed against the body of the camera, an assistant can be viewing the footage from the side while the camera operator uses the VF and an assistant operator can be tracking focus using the MF MANUAL FOCUS DISPLAY.

ZEBRA and OIS Buttons:

Zebras are exposure guides to judge overall exosure level of your picyure.Enabling the Zebras on the camera will display diagonally-striped black and whit lines patterns over sections of your video that exceed a specified brightness level.Using this pattern will let you know what overall brightness levels your video is at abd help to get the proper exposure and dynamic range of the video. There are two Zebra settings,Zebra 1 and Zebra 2. They display different diagonal patterns on the LCD so you can tell them apart. Z1draws its lines from the upper right to the lower left. Z2 draws its lines from the upper left to the lower right. You cannot display them at the same time. Settings range from 50% to 105%. Common practice is to set Z1 at 70% and Z2 at 105%. You use Z1 to guide overall exposure and use Z2 to protect against “blowouts” or when the brightness of some part of the image is too high for the CCD to resolve and so overloads the CCD and the “blown out portion turns to pure white (110 IRE),losing all detail.

OIS is the Optical Image Stabilizer system which helps smooth out shaky handheld shots. Consists of prisims and gyros in the lens that move and re-direct the image coming into the lens detects the motion and compensates for it. Turn off the OIS when using a tripod. If the OIS is left on, the image will already be stabilized and any motion such as panning the camera for instance will enable the OIS system to compensate for the motion and actually cancel out the panning motion. The result being a very noticeable jerky motion in the pan.

USER BUTONS: Can be customized to allow you to store certain features/functions such as:

REC Check: Plays back last couple of seconds of footage you shot without switching camera over to VCR/MCR mode. Note** If you have changed the recording mode since than last time you recorded REC CHECK will only play the last footage back that was shot in the mode you just changed to (Camera can only playback footage that was shot in the same mode it is currently set in) REC CEHCK is located next to the main zoom lever.

Spotlight: Similar to A. IRIS Level -3 Causes the Iris to stop down about 1 stop. If the camera was set in manual iris mode, pressing the SPOTLIGHT forces it to go into auto-iris mode.

Backlight: Similar to A. IRIS Level +4. Causes the iris to open up about 2 stops. If the camera was set in manual iris mode, pressing the BACKLIGHT forces it to go into auto-iris mode.

Blackfade: Pressing and holding button causes the picture and sound to fade to black. The longer you hold the button down the more the picture will fade: You have to hold the button in until the picture completely fades to black. To reverse the effect if you want to fade from black to image hold the button in while the camera is paused, until the screen is completely black. Start recording and release button and the image will automatically fade up from black.

Auto/Manual Switch: If you have a situation were you do not have time to go and set up your manual controls etc… you can slide the Auto/Manual Switch to Auto and the camera will take over many of the functions automatically. You can configure it to switch into Auto-focus, auto-exposure, auto iris, auto-gain, and auto WB. In the MENU SETINGS GO TO CAMERA MENU>AUTO SW>and select what you want to turn on/off.

White fade: Same as Black fade.

ATW: Enables/Disables ATW

ATWLOCK: When using ATW system will constantly hunt for best color temp or optimal WB. To stop camera from hunting and tell it to lock in current WB setting use the ATWLOCK function, If you use ATWLOCK to lock in the WB press the ATWLOCK again and it will un-lock and return to hunting mode.

Gain: 18db: SW MODE switch settings for GAIN allow fro setting electronic GAIN as high as 12db. Only way to set camera to 18db is to use USER BUTTONS. Again as we discussed earlier using 18db will brighten you image by about 3 stops or 8 times as bright as without gain. Quite noisy use when image noise is not a concern. Will not work in progressive scan modes.

Focus Ring: Normally controls manual focus of the camera. Assigning this function to one of the USER Buttons You can actually change the Focus Ring to control the IRIS of the camera instead. To use this feature the camera must be set into the AUTOFOCUS mode.

Index/Memo: Recording to tape/ Tape Mode assigning this function to a USER BUTTON causes the INDEX SIGNAL to be written to tape whenever this button is pressed. The INDEX SIGANL is an invisible marker that you can use to quickly locate a particular segment on tape. Using the remote you can perform an “index search”, which F_FWD’s or RW’s the tape until the camera senses the presence of an INDEX SIGNAL. A good way to mark “ good takes” or interesting moments during recording. When Recording in P2 Mode button does not write an index, it attaches a text memo to the clip indexed to the time when you pressed the button. Can assign up to 100 text memos per clip (you can edit or delete unnecessary text memo assignments from the THUMBNAIL SCREEN)

Slot Sel: Relevant to P2 cards. Assigning this function to a USER BUTTON allows you to change, which slot the camera, will record the next clip on. YOU CANNOT CHANGE WHILE RECORDING; YOU HAVE TO DO THIS IN BETWEEN TAKES.

Shot Mark: Relevant to P2 cards. Assigning this function to a USER BUTTON While recording, you can press the button to add a “mark” the clip. The mark will show up when you view the clips in the thumbnail display. Can mark good takes with this function-button works as a toggle, so if you have marked a take as good and decide later during the recording that it’s no good you can press the button again and it will release the mark. You can mark a shot after recording when reviewing clips on the THUMBNAIL SCREEN or playing a clip back press the USER BUTTON that’s assigned to SHOT MARK will cause a mark to be assigned to (or removed from) the current selected or currently playing clip.

REAR VIEW OF HVX 200:

1) P2 Card Slots (PCMCIA ID to Laptop computer slots)

Sizes:

4 MB, 8mb and now 32mb

Has two P2 Card Slots under the VF each having glowing access LED lamps to give you status of the card. DO NOT INSERT A COMPACT FLASH READER CARD or a PCMCIA MODEM IN THE SLOT, AS IT WILL NOT BE COMPATIABLE!

Access Lamps: If blinking Orange: Card is being accessed, so do not eject it!

If Blinking Green: Card is Full or write protected

Record Times depend on what mode you are recording in. For DVCPRO it is 4 minutes per GB; in DVCPRO50, it is 2 minutes per GB; in DVCPRO HD 720p it is 1 minute per GB, and in DVCPRO HD 1080i it is 1 minute per GB. Using the 720p Native Capture mode, only the flagged frames are recorded so the running time will depend on the frame rate (just like film). A rule of thumb in this mode would be to treat 1GB as 100 feet of 16mm film or 250 feet of 35mm film. For example, running an 8GB card at 24P in this mode will give you about 20 minutes per card of 24P HD footage. Or more simply, if shooting 720/24p, you would get 21⁄2 minutes per GB.

Scene File Selector or CineSwitch: Is a 6 – position dial that can change the look of your video instantly. You can store up to 6 customized scene files (Named F1-F6) or you can use the pre-loaded scenes from the factory. You can switch between scene files while you are recording. All the settings in the scene file will be updated on-the-fly except for the recording mode and frame rate: YOU CANNOT SWITCH BETWEEN FRAMERATES, OR BETWEEN RECORDING FORMATS WHILE THE CAMERA IS ACTUALLY RECORDING. To access the SCENE FILE MENU to change or customize your settings go to CAMERA MENU>SCENE FILE>SET (SET BUTTON IS Located on top of Camera) there you will see all the settings that you may want to customize.

EVF Detail: Controls electronic VF DTL Peaking. Helps you to focus more accurately by providing a “peaking” feature in the LCD/VF. When “peaking “ is activated any items that in sharp focus will be outlined with a subtle white outline. If you have trouble seeing to switch VF to black and white mode (CAMERA MENU>DISPLAY SET_UP>EVF COLOR>OFF. Outlining is not recorded on your footage. Displayed only on LCD and VF. IN SD MODE MAGNIFIED FOCUS IS NOT AVAILABLE ONLY EVF DTL.

Mode Button: Three modes: Camera, MCR/VCR, and PC/DUB. Depends on the position of the MEDIA SW. When set to P2 the MODE BUTTON changes between CAMERA/MCR/PC mode; When MEDIA switch is set to TAPE the MODE BUTTON changes between CAMERA/VCR/DUB. In MCR/VCR mode you can play back the footage shot, rew, ffwd the tape, delete filesoff the P2 card or instruct camera to record footage from one of it’s inputs (composite, S-Vid, or 1394) MCR/VCR basically makes the camera act like a deck. If the unit is already in MCR/VCR mode and you press the MODE button again briefly it toggles back to CAMERA mode, However if still in MCR/VCR MODE and you hold down the MODE BUTTON for 3 seconds it will shift to PC MODE or DUB MODE light will turn orange. In PC MODE the camera serves as either a P2 card reader for a computer or as a host for for controlling an external 1394 hard disk. In DUB MODE, the camera allows you to convert HD footage on the P2 card into SD footage on the mini-dv tape. The only way to exit PC/DUB MODE is to power the camera off.

Media Switch: Defines type of recording media to use: P2 cards or Mini-DV tape. For P2 cards shooting set switch to P2. If shooting MiniDV tape or you want to dub HD footage from P2 cards and DWN CVRT it to tape switch to TAPE

*NOTE: You cannot record HD footage, DVCPRO, or DVCPRO-50 footage onto miniDV tape; Only DV footage can be recorded on the miniDV tape. The dub process will DWNCVRT HD footage into DV and record that onto tape.

Right View of HVX 200

Head Phone Jack

1394 Terminal: 400 Mb 4-pin 1394 port for streaming live content, offloading cards to an external 1394 hard drive, for inputting footage to record, and for connection to a computer running the MAC operating System. When functioning as a camera, the port will stream video, audio, and TC data in the CODEC that corresponds to the mode you are shooting in: DVCPRO-HD 1080,DVCPRO-HD720, DVCPRO50, or DV. Camera CANNOT OUTPUT 720pN MODES; ONLY 720p “OVER 60” modes can be carried on the 1394 cable. When functioning as a VCR or MCR, the camera can output to input any 1394 signal COMPATIBLE WITH THE ABOVE MODES. This streaming data can be captured on a computer running FCPRO AVID EX PROHD, or CANOPUS EDIUS BROADCAST or SERIOUS MAGICS DVC RACK.) Streaming data can also be recorded on an external 1394 recorder such as Focus Enhancements Firestore FS-100.

The camera can use this terminal to function as 1394 device letting the camera serve a s P2 card reader for Mac compatible computers. Can also be used to control a 1394 HDD for offloading P2 data directly to HDD (No computer necessary) Please Note*** Turn off the power before connecting the camera to a computer through the 1394 port.

SD Memory Card Slot: For loading and saving camera data and attaching P2 metadata to recorded footage. You can load and save scene files, the camera’s “user files”, and P2 metadata onto card. Scene Files can be saved and copied on a computer for building a library of scene files, exchange them with other users, or for archiving purposes. You must format the SD CARD before using and you can do this in the camera.

USB Terminal: 2.0 mini B terminal allowing the HVX to serve as a P2 card reader when attached to a computer running Windows XP operating system. Is MASS STORAGE COMPLIANT? When you set the PC MODE function to “USB DEVICE” and use the MODE BUTTON to enter PC MODE the camera appears as an external hard disk on the windows desktop (will show up as two hard disk ;one for each P2 card slot). You can copy files, play footage from the cards in the camera, or copy files to the cards through the USB port. USB terminal works only with Windows PC’s. For Macs us 1394 port.

Top View HVX 200

Audio Dub/Thumbnail: When in MCR MODE and MEDIA SW is set to P2 if you press the AUDIO DUB/THUMBNAIL button the screen fills with all of the thumbnail displays on the P2 card. To activate the MCR MENUS press the AUDIO DUB/THUMBNAIL button to remove the thumbnail screen and bring up MCR MODE MENUS by push the MNEU button again. When the MEDIA SW is in TAPE MODE and the MODE SW is in VCR MODE this button functions as AUDIO DUB instead of THUMNAIL and allows you to dub in two tracks of external audio in addition to the audio you already have recorded on tape (assuming that you have recorded in SP MODE with your audio options set to 32kHz 12 bit.

End Search: Used only in DV tape MODE when camera is in VCR MODE you can use END SEARCH to find the end of the tape. Camera will automatically FFWD or REWD until it finds what it thinks is the last recorded segment on the tape. Positions the tape to start recording after the last shot.

Page/Audio Mon/VarButtons: Multi purpose buttons that do different things according to what mode the camera is currently in. In P2 THUMBNAIL MODE, you can go BKWRD or FWD if you are already playing a clip. Buttons will also allow you to monitor live video to control the volume of the headphones or the speaker.

MENUS:

Scene File: OP Types: Film or Camera setting

Frame Rates: 13 What frame rates does the HVX200 support?

In 720p mode this camera handles: (Under cranking/Fast Motion effects) 12, 18, 20, 22, 24, (Over cranking/Slow Motion effects) 26, 30, 32, 36, and 48, 60 fps

Examples:

12fps: Usable for extreme fast motion; Twice as fast as normal speed: In “El Mariachi”, Robert Rodriguez made use of 12fps for the fast motion scenes such as the hotel front desk clerk scrambling to the telephone to make a call.

18fps: Early Silent Films were shot as well as most 8mm and Super 8 mm at this frame rate. If you are looking for the Keystone Cops or Charlie Chaplin look this is a good starting place.

20fps: Not nearly as exaggerated as 12fps but is fast. If you wanted to shoe someone running extremely quickly 20 fps might be a good choice for this but remember that it just starts to push the boundaries of what the audience can believe is “real”, it is very fats without being exaggeratedly fast.

22fps: For subtle fast-motion effect. Very popular frame rate for karate action movies-Shooting at 22fps and playing back at 24fps makes motion look very fast but completely believable. Shooting a cars chase or a fight scene at 22fps will lend an added edge of excitement and action to your scenes. The 50hz camera’s equivalent would be 23fps.

24fps: Standard movie film speed. Shooting and playing back at 24p gives footage the temporal feel of motion picture film. Is the speed you’d normally shoot all dialogue scenes and “normal action scenes”. 50 Hz equivalent is 25fps.

26fps: This frame rate can add a subtle subliminal slow motion effect to your footage, but the effect is very mild. Things moving slower than normal can be perceived as being “larger than life”-if you want to add a bit of elegance to your scene, without making it obvious that you have done so. 50Hz equivalent is 27fps.

30fps: A slow motion speed, mild but noticeable. Not very subtle; first of the “real” slow motion speeds.

32fps: A little slower than 30. If shooting in 720p/30 mode, filming at 32fps and incorporating in your 30fps project can give you a slightly-larger-than-life feel as 26fps does in a 24fps project.

36fps: obviously slow motion. Action tkes1.5 times as long to play our as it took to shoot it. 36fps is as slow or slower than many movie cameras can shoot. 50Hz camera’s equivalent is 37fps.

48 fps: Full fledged slow motion. This is a “walk- away- from- the explosion” caliber slow motion speed. Makes everything take twice as long to play back as it did to shoot it.

60fps: Super slow motion. 60fps is suitable for shooting explosions or extreme slow motion scenes. It is the slowest motion possible on a conventional video camera (Certain high velocity specialty cameras can go faster. 50 Hz equivalent is 50fps.

Syncro Scan: You can specifically dial in what shutter speed you want. Useful for shooting a scene with computer monitors (Or other flickering displays or lights) in it. Computer Monitors frequently have refresh rates that may not sync with cameras standard shutter speed and can result in seeing a dark /scrolling bar on the computer monitors in your shot. If trying to sync with a computer monitor, point the camera at the computer screen and then scroll through the shutter speeds until you find one that makes the monitor stop flickering. For TV screens in the United States normally you want to use a shutter speed of 1/60th. For computer monitors again you will likely have to us e the SYNCRO SCAN menu to find a speed that stops the flickering. In FILM OP SYNCRO SCAN shutter angle appears in degrees such as 180.od; In VIDEO CAM OP SYNCRO SCAN will appear as a decimal fractional such as 1/36.3

How does the HVX200 record 24P?

It shoots every frame as a progressive frame, so it is true 24P (more accurately known as 23.98 fps). In most recording modes, duplicate frames are added in a 2:3 or a 2:3:3:2 pull-down cadence and the progressive frames are divided into two fields in order to conform to existing interlace 29.97 formats. The 2:3 mode follows all of the conventions of film to tape transfer, so that the recorded material can be treated as a film transfer or in the 2:3:3:2 mode it can be extracted for 24 frame editing. In the 720p ""Native Capture"" mode only flagged frames are captured with 23.98 time code; these files are directly compatible with a 720p 24-frame timeline, and require only 40% of the storage capacity of 720p 60 fps or 1080i HD recording.

Glossary

Knee Prevents overexposure of video by rolling off the intensity of the brightest parts of the picture by engaging the Knee circuit of the camera the camera will detect when the highlights are getting to bright and will start attenuating the signal to bring them back into exposure range

Black Gamma: Allows the Gamma curve near the black signal levels to be either lowered or boosted with respect to the input level to achieve the desired picture reproduction in dark areas of the image. Adjusting this function dark areas of the picture can either reproduced with deeper darkness and more color saturation or with higher contrast but less color depth

Panning Rates

To execute a smooth pan depends on what focal length you have your lens set to. Below is a chart from the American Cinematographers Manual that is adapted to reflect the focal lengths of the HVX lens.This can also be applied to other various lens as well.

Zoom 24P Pan Speed 30P Pan Speed

Z00/4.2mm 15 seconds 11 seconds

Z20/6mm 18 seconds 14 seconds

Z25/6.5mm 21 seconds 16 seconds

Z36/8mm 23 seconds 20 seconds

Z47/10mm 36 seconds 27 seconds

Z63/15mm 50 seconds 38 seconds

Z73/20mm 60 seconds 45 seconds

Z84/30mm 80 seconds 60 seconds

Z92/40mm 90 seconds 75 seconds

Z99/55mm 120 seconds 120 seconds

Example on how to read the chart:

If your setting is on Z25 and you want to pan 90 degrees without juddering or stuttering and you are shooting at 24P it will take you 21 seconds to execute the pan. Remember the general rule of thumb: Make sure that an object takes about seven seconds to cross the screen.That’s for shooting 24P or 25P.You can go faster if you are shooting 30P@Z25 you can pan the 90 degrees in 16 seconds @30P and it will be smooth.When shooting interlaced (or 50/60P) you can pan at any speed with no restrictions,but when shooting slower-frame-rate progressive you have to carefully monitor how fast you pan.

If you are at maximum telephoto you have to pan much,much slower than if you are shooting at wideangle. If you want a glass-smooth-90 degree pan, It will take two minutes to execute that pan @24P.