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My HVX200 After 2 Years, Taking A Moment To Look Back...
My HVX200 After 2 Years
by Ben Balser
www.bbalser.com
© 2008
I've been shooting with an HVX200 for about two years now. I love DVCPRO-HD and I love the looks I can get with this camera. After all this time, I find myself in the largest production of my career, and needing to upgrade to a larger, more HD network compatible camera. Thus, I'm reflecting on how this little HVX has served me over the past two years. Of course the big question is do I keep it or sell it? Will it still earn it's keep, or is it time to part ways? After contemplating my history with it in a variety of very demanding and unusual production situations, I've decided it's much to valuable to sell off.
You see, I haven't done a wedding in a very long time, although I still work extensively with wedding videographers. But I have become involved with some projects that required unusual shots in unusual locations. You could say I've become the extreme of "event" videography, outside of my commercial/promo, and post-production specialty work. It seems to have become a specialty for me, to get the shots no one else is prepared for, in locations no one else is willing to take camera equipment into, for situations that require the "unusual" in both the shooters personal behavior, as well as the handling of hardware. Thus, I've developed a system, a set of techniques and hardware, that have become second nature to me. Yes, my HVX200 is full of nicks, dings, scratches, but not nearly as much as you'd think. The rest of my hardware is pretty scrapped up, though. Including my FS-100, which with all it's physical abuse and damage, still runs like new.
Again, I'm about to embark on my largest production to date, an extensive and culturally very sensitive documentary. Due to the HVX's size, image quality, on the fly image controls, color space, lens attachments, I can easily see it helping me get shots the new larger DVCPRO-HD camera I'm ordering won't be able to get. It's small, compact, and will continue to serve me, I believe, in this new project. In a documentary, a big camera is great for interviews and such. But there are occasions your camera MUST be next to invisible, in order to not draw attention to itself, or you. And to allow run-and-gun shots (and I mean "running") in super spontaneous situations a larger, shoulder/tripod mount camera simply won't get.
So, what has the past two years with the HVX200 been like? What makes me think it's still worth hanging on it? What system have I come up with that makes my shooting so unique? Here's my reflections on the past two years. I think it gives some insight into why I'm hanging on to my small HVX system, as an enhancement to the newer, bigger camera system I'll be using more often now. This reflection has made me realize who I am as a shooter and producer, what my personal nature is about, and what makes my production techniques unique and valuable. Occasional re-evaluation of not just your business plan, but of your own personal nature, and how you work with that, can give you insight that will help reshape your business plans and strategies, and can help you become more valuable to the market you work in. All that "unexamined life" sort of stuff is really important to pay attention to, I guess. So, what is the nature of my production style, what makes it valuable, and how the hell did I get here?
To begin, without the FS-100, I'd have never gotten all the footage I do on events like Mardi Gras day in New Orleans, or in the bayous of south Louisiana, or at powwows, where there's no AC outlet, and you can only shoot as long as your batteries hold out. I'm often find myself on my feet the whole day, lugging around an HVX200 with an FS-100, not to mention a Canon Rebel XTi (which has also survived the elements and severe abuse, quite well). There's no way I could lug any sort of laptop or other equipment with me at the same time! This is not unique to the situations I tend to shoot, especially the nature footage I get on boats and such around the bayous and lakes of southeast Louisiana. Laptops have short battery lives, are too heavy, and too vulnerable to the elements. Thus, if not for the FS-100 and it's really long battery life and durability, the HVX200 P2 camera would be useless to me, unless I bought a ton of P2 cards, and that's simply out of my budget.
The first two things you need to make the FS-100 practical specifically on the HVX200 are reverse right angled firewire cables (with the angle on the 4-pin end), and the Firewire Saver for use with standard straight connector firewire cables. Each has it's own use at various times. The reverse right angled connector puts the cable up against the camera body, pointing downwards, for a very secure connection. The Firewire Saver uses an audio adapter plug to help it secure the flimsy 4-pin connector Panasonic dreadfully installed on this wonderful "tapeless" camera. Not only did Panasonic come next to shooting themselves in the foot putting a 4-pin firewire connector on this camera, but a low quality one at that! On a "tapeless" camera? Come on Panny, what were you guys smoking when you came up with this hair brained idea? At least the learned their lesson and now put the infinitely more solid and secure 6-pin connectors on the firewire P2 cameras they've made since! To begin, the 4-pin version eliminates the ground plug of the firewire connector, so you're more prone to shorting out your firewire ports due to static. Not to mention it's flat out a flimsy, unstable design, and the fact the specific ones on HVX200's are even more flimsy than what I've found on other prosumer cameras. But there you have it, and the solutions I mention work just fine to compensate for Panasonic being so short sighted on this. Love my HVX200, hate 4-pin firewire connectors. Why Sony ever began making them is a total mystery, and a major downfall to firewire devices everywhere. Shame on Sony for making it, shame on everyone else for using it!
The original problem with the FS-100 was mounting it to my HVX for these run-and-gun, and the wilderness shoots. Even if I did nature shoots with a tripod (tripods are not wilderness friendly by any means, either), I still had the FS-100 hanging loose somewhere. But with a little bit of thought, I've found two invaluable solutions that solve the problem for me 100% of the time! First is the CamHandle. It gives the FS-100 a place to mount on the side of my HVX200 that is solid, stable, allows for secure management of the firewire cable, and is compact. And the strategically placed handle is MUCH more natural, comfortable, and efficient than than ANY other handled unit on the market! Trust me, I've owned them all! The other units on the market make two major mistakes in their designs that render them totally useless to me. First, the handles are at right angles. I'm sorry, the human arm and wrist just are not made to work in those positions, period! Second, they place the handle so close to the camera, you have zero leverage, creating horrible strain on your wrist and elbow that are just not healthy. And they do not in any way contribute to getting steadier shots in any manner at all, due to the uselessness of their designs. In fact, in my own use of them, I found they give WORSE stability than if I plain didn't have them! The theory is there, but only the CamHandle incorporates that theory into a practical reality.
The CamHandle's arm is, to start with, in a NATURAL position, at a distance from the camera that gives you LEVERAGE over the camera's weight. Second, it's adjustable. Third, it goes run-and-gun to tripod-mount with a quick release clip in the blink of an eye. Finally, once on a tripod, the handle will in fact give you MUCH more stability in your pans and tilts, for sure! I've had other users test this for me. I've had them zoom the HVX200 as far as it will zoom, and then to a pan as slow and as steady as they could, both with and without the CamHandle. The difference the CamHandle makes is nothing less than astonishing! I occasionally use a 2.0x Teleconverter with my HVX200, and before the CamHandle, all I could do were static shots. Now I don't hesitate to pan and tilt, knowing the control the CamHandle gives me will smooth those extreme zooms enough to give me useful footage.
My second solution is the CineSaddle, with the included hardware that fits inside of itself. This lets me do my nature shooting, and location shooting in ways I never dreamed possible. I've looked at cheaper solutions, but no bean-bag style solution is as sturdy, nor has the durability and quality of the original CineSaddle (and MiniSaddle, the two make an awesome pair to have with you). Of course, the FS-100 can clip via it's belt clip to the side of the CineSaddle, or I can shove it into a side pocket, or clip it to the top strap that I use to hold the camera secure in the Saddle. Firewire cable management is not as solid as with the CamHandle, but is very easy to figure out. Just roll up the excess and shove it into the side pocket!
I've been in outdoor locations where the absolute best shot to get was not able to be done with a tripod, but only using the CineSaddle (or MiniSaddle) to place the camera in a practical, although very unusual and non-traditional location/position. And this hasn't happened just once or twice, but happens often to me! And in a run-and-gun situation, I love strapping the CineSaddle around my waist. It's light as a feather, but tough as titanium! And I can do mounted shots on "sticks", without the weight and cumbersomeness of "sticks". In my nature and outdoor shooting, I'm on the move. The lighter I can travel, the better. And being able to simply not lug around a heavy, awkward tripod is a blessing, thanks to the CineSaddle and MiniSaddle. Not to mention the shots I have to get in the office space of clients, where there's no real "room" for the wide spread of "sticks"! Or where sticks are just too unstable and dangerous to use. Tripods, besides not being boat or wilderness friendly, are also not industrial catwalk friendly, either.
So, with an HVX200, FS-100, CamHandle, and CineSaddle, I'm ready to shoot DVCPRO-HD footage any place, any time, under any situation! Not only that, but I can get shots no one else can get! If I shot HDV to Mini-DV tape, I'd still consider an FS-4 Pro HD. The Firestore products have proven themselves for years now to be durable and reliable. The time they save me, just copying QuickTime files to my Final Cut edit bay alone is worth it. And if I didn't use a Firestore, I'd still have the same CamHandle/CineSaddle rigging, no doubt! The CamHandle and CineSaddle go with me everywhere my camera does. And not just my HVX200, but I use the MiniSaddle with my Canon Rebel XTi, too!
Thus, I've been self aware enough to let my own nature flow into my work, shape my work flow, and lead me to a very unique position within my chosen industry. Just like my previous IT career, this one has been far from traditional. I've always worked on the fringes, always seemed to fall into methods and situations that aren't the norm, and I seem to thrive on the unusual. As I've re-shaped my productions and style in a very unique way over the past two years, different even from the previous years of unusual video work I did (I never did weddings like other folks did wedding, either, back then), I realize, it's just my nature to do so. And now I start on another journey, this new documentary, and I approach more experienced documentary makers, tell them of my project, and hear, "Well, that's a very different approach, don't know what to tell you!" So, I just "listen to the wind", and follow the path that seems most natural for me to take. Is that the one less traveled? No, it's the one not yet blazed...
by Ben Balser
www.bbalser.com
© 2008
I've been shooting with an HVX200 for about two years now. I love DVCPRO-HD and I love the looks I can get with this camera. After all this time, I find myself in the largest production of my career, and needing to upgrade to a larger, more HD network compatible camera. Thus, I'm reflecting on how this little HVX has served me over the past two years. Of course the big question is do I keep it or sell it? Will it still earn it's keep, or is it time to part ways? After contemplating my history with it in a variety of very demanding and unusual production situations, I've decided it's much to valuable to sell off.
You see, I haven't done a wedding in a very long time, although I still work extensively with wedding videographers. But I have become involved with some projects that required unusual shots in unusual locations. You could say I've become the extreme of "event" videography, outside of my commercial/promo, and post-production specialty work. It seems to have become a specialty for me, to get the shots no one else is prepared for, in locations no one else is willing to take camera equipment into, for situations that require the "unusual" in both the shooters personal behavior, as well as the handling of hardware. Thus, I've developed a system, a set of techniques and hardware, that have become second nature to me. Yes, my HVX200 is full of nicks, dings, scratches, but not nearly as much as you'd think. The rest of my hardware is pretty scrapped up, though. Including my FS-100, which with all it's physical abuse and damage, still runs like new.
Again, I'm about to embark on my largest production to date, an extensive and culturally very sensitive documentary. Due to the HVX's size, image quality, on the fly image controls, color space, lens attachments, I can easily see it helping me get shots the new larger DVCPRO-HD camera I'm ordering won't be able to get. It's small, compact, and will continue to serve me, I believe, in this new project. In a documentary, a big camera is great for interviews and such. But there are occasions your camera MUST be next to invisible, in order to not draw attention to itself, or you. And to allow run-and-gun shots (and I mean "running") in super spontaneous situations a larger, shoulder/tripod mount camera simply won't get.
So, what has the past two years with the HVX200 been like? What makes me think it's still worth hanging on it? What system have I come up with that makes my shooting so unique? Here's my reflections on the past two years. I think it gives some insight into why I'm hanging on to my small HVX system, as an enhancement to the newer, bigger camera system I'll be using more often now. This reflection has made me realize who I am as a shooter and producer, what my personal nature is about, and what makes my production techniques unique and valuable. Occasional re-evaluation of not just your business plan, but of your own personal nature, and how you work with that, can give you insight that will help reshape your business plans and strategies, and can help you become more valuable to the market you work in. All that "unexamined life" sort of stuff is really important to pay attention to, I guess. So, what is the nature of my production style, what makes it valuable, and how the hell did I get here?
To begin, without the FS-100, I'd have never gotten all the footage I do on events like Mardi Gras day in New Orleans, or in the bayous of south Louisiana, or at powwows, where there's no AC outlet, and you can only shoot as long as your batteries hold out. I'm often find myself on my feet the whole day, lugging around an HVX200 with an FS-100, not to mention a Canon Rebel XTi (which has also survived the elements and severe abuse, quite well). There's no way I could lug any sort of laptop or other equipment with me at the same time! This is not unique to the situations I tend to shoot, especially the nature footage I get on boats and such around the bayous and lakes of southeast Louisiana. Laptops have short battery lives, are too heavy, and too vulnerable to the elements. Thus, if not for the FS-100 and it's really long battery life and durability, the HVX200 P2 camera would be useless to me, unless I bought a ton of P2 cards, and that's simply out of my budget.
The first two things you need to make the FS-100 practical specifically on the HVX200 are reverse right angled firewire cables (with the angle on the 4-pin end), and the Firewire Saver for use with standard straight connector firewire cables. Each has it's own use at various times. The reverse right angled connector puts the cable up against the camera body, pointing downwards, for a very secure connection. The Firewire Saver uses an audio adapter plug to help it secure the flimsy 4-pin connector Panasonic dreadfully installed on this wonderful "tapeless" camera. Not only did Panasonic come next to shooting themselves in the foot putting a 4-pin firewire connector on this camera, but a low quality one at that! On a "tapeless" camera? Come on Panny, what were you guys smoking when you came up with this hair brained idea? At least the learned their lesson and now put the infinitely more solid and secure 6-pin connectors on the firewire P2 cameras they've made since! To begin, the 4-pin version eliminates the ground plug of the firewire connector, so you're more prone to shorting out your firewire ports due to static. Not to mention it's flat out a flimsy, unstable design, and the fact the specific ones on HVX200's are even more flimsy than what I've found on other prosumer cameras. But there you have it, and the solutions I mention work just fine to compensate for Panasonic being so short sighted on this. Love my HVX200, hate 4-pin firewire connectors. Why Sony ever began making them is a total mystery, and a major downfall to firewire devices everywhere. Shame on Sony for making it, shame on everyone else for using it!
The original problem with the FS-100 was mounting it to my HVX for these run-and-gun, and the wilderness shoots. Even if I did nature shoots with a tripod (tripods are not wilderness friendly by any means, either), I still had the FS-100 hanging loose somewhere. But with a little bit of thought, I've found two invaluable solutions that solve the problem for me 100% of the time! First is the CamHandle. It gives the FS-100 a place to mount on the side of my HVX200 that is solid, stable, allows for secure management of the firewire cable, and is compact. And the strategically placed handle is MUCH more natural, comfortable, and efficient than than ANY other handled unit on the market! Trust me, I've owned them all! The other units on the market make two major mistakes in their designs that render them totally useless to me. First, the handles are at right angles. I'm sorry, the human arm and wrist just are not made to work in those positions, period! Second, they place the handle so close to the camera, you have zero leverage, creating horrible strain on your wrist and elbow that are just not healthy. And they do not in any way contribute to getting steadier shots in any manner at all, due to the uselessness of their designs. In fact, in my own use of them, I found they give WORSE stability than if I plain didn't have them! The theory is there, but only the CamHandle incorporates that theory into a practical reality.
The CamHandle's arm is, to start with, in a NATURAL position, at a distance from the camera that gives you LEVERAGE over the camera's weight. Second, it's adjustable. Third, it goes run-and-gun to tripod-mount with a quick release clip in the blink of an eye. Finally, once on a tripod, the handle will in fact give you MUCH more stability in your pans and tilts, for sure! I've had other users test this for me. I've had them zoom the HVX200 as far as it will zoom, and then to a pan as slow and as steady as they could, both with and without the CamHandle. The difference the CamHandle makes is nothing less than astonishing! I occasionally use a 2.0x Teleconverter with my HVX200, and before the CamHandle, all I could do were static shots. Now I don't hesitate to pan and tilt, knowing the control the CamHandle gives me will smooth those extreme zooms enough to give me useful footage.
My second solution is the CineSaddle, with the included hardware that fits inside of itself. This lets me do my nature shooting, and location shooting in ways I never dreamed possible. I've looked at cheaper solutions, but no bean-bag style solution is as sturdy, nor has the durability and quality of the original CineSaddle (and MiniSaddle, the two make an awesome pair to have with you). Of course, the FS-100 can clip via it's belt clip to the side of the CineSaddle, or I can shove it into a side pocket, or clip it to the top strap that I use to hold the camera secure in the Saddle. Firewire cable management is not as solid as with the CamHandle, but is very easy to figure out. Just roll up the excess and shove it into the side pocket!
I've been in outdoor locations where the absolute best shot to get was not able to be done with a tripod, but only using the CineSaddle (or MiniSaddle) to place the camera in a practical, although very unusual and non-traditional location/position. And this hasn't happened just once or twice, but happens often to me! And in a run-and-gun situation, I love strapping the CineSaddle around my waist. It's light as a feather, but tough as titanium! And I can do mounted shots on "sticks", without the weight and cumbersomeness of "sticks". In my nature and outdoor shooting, I'm on the move. The lighter I can travel, the better. And being able to simply not lug around a heavy, awkward tripod is a blessing, thanks to the CineSaddle and MiniSaddle. Not to mention the shots I have to get in the office space of clients, where there's no real "room" for the wide spread of "sticks"! Or where sticks are just too unstable and dangerous to use. Tripods, besides not being boat or wilderness friendly, are also not industrial catwalk friendly, either.
So, with an HVX200, FS-100, CamHandle, and CineSaddle, I'm ready to shoot DVCPRO-HD footage any place, any time, under any situation! Not only that, but I can get shots no one else can get! If I shot HDV to Mini-DV tape, I'd still consider an FS-4 Pro HD. The Firestore products have proven themselves for years now to be durable and reliable. The time they save me, just copying QuickTime files to my Final Cut edit bay alone is worth it. And if I didn't use a Firestore, I'd still have the same CamHandle/CineSaddle rigging, no doubt! The CamHandle and CineSaddle go with me everywhere my camera does. And not just my HVX200, but I use the MiniSaddle with my Canon Rebel XTi, too!
Thus, I've been self aware enough to let my own nature flow into my work, shape my work flow, and lead me to a very unique position within my chosen industry. Just like my previous IT career, this one has been far from traditional. I've always worked on the fringes, always seemed to fall into methods and situations that aren't the norm, and I seem to thrive on the unusual. As I've re-shaped my productions and style in a very unique way over the past two years, different even from the previous years of unusual video work I did (I never did weddings like other folks did wedding, either, back then), I realize, it's just my nature to do so. And now I start on another journey, this new documentary, and I approach more experienced documentary makers, tell them of my project, and hear, "Well, that's a very different approach, don't know what to tell you!" So, I just "listen to the wind", and follow the path that seems most natural for me to take. Is that the one less traveled? No, it's the one not yet blazed...
Tags: camhandle, cinesaddle, firestore, fs-100, hvx200, video, videographer
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