peacedog

Light & Motion Bluefin housing for the Sony FX1/Z1U series for sale. Comes with: Standard Flat Port w/ Flip Macro Lens Housing Pelican Case Twin HID Lights/Batteries 2 L&M Multi-chem chargers All told, this housing has about 500 dives on it. Typical water spots on the aluminum from usage in the water but in great shape and has performed absolutely flawless for me. Never leaked once, only on its second set of o-rings. Interested parties feel free to PM me with additional questions. Make me an offer. I'm from Boston; I'm wicked negotiable, dude.

Guys, trust me - it's not always about how good you are. I think I'm a decent underwater shooter and a great storyteller, but there are a ton of people doing what I'm doing that are better than me on the technical side that don't get the gig because they're dicks to work with. I can't tell you how many shoots I've been assigned and then been told afterwards that it wasn't so much that I was a good shooter, but that I was a pleasure to have on-location. Get good at your craft, yes. Always. But never, ever give into u/w imaging snobbery. It'll be your downfall quicker than a bad air fill.

Steve, I have learned never to question why you choose what settings. I just wanted to publicly let you know that I tried out your Vimeo settings and they're amazing. Thanks again for posting this. Now, I just have a bunch of stuff to re-upload now. =)

Got a few minutes of a passenger on a liveaboard who's chowing down while we're in transit and he's giving me some great soundbytes for the video I'm working on. Trouble is, the hum of the diesel engines is just overpowering. I'm working in FCP - does anyone have any suggestions as to which of FCP's audio filters might help me cut this down considerably? I've tried a few but to no success.

Well put, Chris. What's I'm trying to accomplish is, for the least amount of investment (right now), be able to log and capture in the field and maybe make some very basic storyboard edits while I'm on location. I've seen some impressive stuff in that respect being done from a newer MacBook Pro, which is why I asked. Keeping on top of my footage while I'm in country is key for what I have coming up this year.

for the EX1, eSATA necessary? Can I run a new MacBook Pro and some FW800 externals?

can someone explain eSATA drives to me? ever the idiot, -A

Good call Drew! This may be more appropriate for the Editing forum, but I'll go ahead and ask my questions here. My questions focus more on this camera as a topside unit.. 1) Ergonomics? How does it handle? 2) Intuitiveness? It only took me a destination or two to really nail the Z1U, so I'm wondering how much more complicated this tapeless beauty is. I'm assuming it's got a bit of a learning curve. 3) Speaking of the Z1U...when shot at full res, how will EX1 footage match up to HDV footage shot on the FX1 or Z1U in editing? How difficult is it to mixed-media edit in FCP with these two units? 4) Generally speaking, how does it handle in FCP? Everything I've researched and seen with my own eyes shows that even on a MacBook Pro, it could conceivably cut down my rough editing by about half, particularly non real-time capture. I'm thinking of upgrading my PowerBook - which has served me very, very well over the last two years' travel and field editing - to a MacBook Pro stuffed with about 4GB of RAM. I'm thinking that and a tera of external space will make for a good in-the-field setup. I have some potential assignments coming up that will have me out on location for about a month at a time and I want to stay on top of my sequences. How would an EX1 handle a big ole' Lacie running firewire 800? just some of my initial questions. Thanks for all your feedback.

Please PM me. I have some questions about workflow and what a solid setup will entail (equipment, cost). I've seen enough about this camera to know it's time for me to start divorce papers with miniDV... thanks in advance, guys.

After a year or two around this board, I've noticed that there's a general feeling that getting your footage/program onto the BBC and Discovery Channel Canada seems to be the top of the mountain for underwater shooters. I just simply do not agree. There are so. many. channels. out there, guys. So many avenues to get your great footage seen and - way more importantly - to get your story heard. I have two pilots in production this September and not a single producer I have talked to at any of the channels/networks I have held meetings with who are excited to see the finished products have given me any indication that the initial idea I'm pitching needs to be in any particular format. They simply keep drilling the idea that an engaging story is far more crucial than the mb per second rate. Rather than obsessing over acceptable cameras we have spent tireless hours scripting and rehashing the treatments. There are about a dozen programmes shot by Ron & Valerie Taylor in the 70's and 80's that wouldn't stand up to any current broadcast requirements that in my opinion are far more engaging than any of the stuff I see on the Beeb or Discovery. What bothers me way more than the BBC's technical requirements? The fact that I still am chasing down the Taylor's work across the Google landscape to no avail. We need to focus more on artistry and less on definition. The bottom line is that our viewers could care less how many individual denticles are visible on the side of a white shark. They will, however, really care about the urchin and abalone divers who screw their solid brass balls on tighter than any of us could imagine when they dive into cold, murky water and risk their lives every day after a shitty commute out to the Farallons. Do NOT allow these faceless folks at the Holy Grail Networks to dupe you into thinking footage you shot and a story you've told isn't worth getting to broadcast because you wouldn't sell your kidneys to shoot it on a camera that will no doubt be unacceptable in 5 years. jeezus, people. Just my 2 cents. But hey - maybe this is from dealing with more L.A.-types than London-types this year.

Drew (and everyone else): What's your general feeling on docs and TV programs shot with mixed frame rates? Topside content in 24p and in-water stuff at 60i... I'm thinking about splitting the difference and sticking with my very trusty Bluefin housing and Z1U but acquiring an HVX200 for the topside stuff. For a lot of what I do, topside ends up being 50 to 75% of the total program. Thoughts? *passes microphone back* -Aaron

Folks: I'm agonizing over whether or not to get rid of my current rig (right, Steve?) and going with a bigger, more powerful camera that shoots 24p. Are the rest of you getting lots of requests for 24p footage? Is it worth it? I have been very, very happy with the Z1U footage I've acquired over the last couple of years and I would be bummed to have to give up my precious Bluefin for a rig and a camera that I would have to re-learn. It would also be a massive financial commitment. I'm wondering if the investment is that much more worth it to one of the cameras that's a few grand more than my Z1U. I was browsing the forums tonight and noticed that there was some talk about converting 60i footage to 24p in post to achieve a happy medium. Can any of you give me the positives and the drawbacks to such an approach? I'll be doing it in FCP. Drew, Shawn, Steve, I'm assuming you FCP guys have some thoughts you could share with the rest of the class... *hands microphone to other guys*

I'm feeling the love, gents. Thank you all very much.

Allow me to once again be the technical idiot on our fair message board... I needed to use a PAL FX-1 while in Australia last year. Now I'm back home and trying to import the footage and having difficulty. When the GV-HD700 is connected, Final Cut 6 recognizes the deck and lets me command it from the software, but although I'm watching timecode spin by, I get no picture whatsoever and even though it cues properly and runs, I cannot get it to capture anything. Again, I'm using the Sony HD700, running it through FC Studio 2, and some of my presets are as such: Capture preset - HDV Sequence Preset - HDV 1080i50 Device Control Preset - HDV Firewire Basic. I've tried every configuration of PAL/1080i50 settings and I just cannot get the program to recognize it properly. What IS interesting is that I can get the tapes to play through my NTSC FX-1, fully controlled and able to capture through FCP. So, at the risk of sounding like a complete goof, is this a good thing or is my footage coming in ultimately wrong? -A

I won't use anything but LaCies. They're as rugged as they come. I've dropped them from 6 feet onto concrete (accident) and dragged them around the world in a backpack and subjected them to the worst temperature/moisture extremes I could imagine in our work environment. They have never, ever let me down.