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Author Topic: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
gallion311  672 posts
Registered: Sep '04
7714_Anakin Skywalker
Date Posted: 7/2 9:24am Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist? - Date Edited: 7/2 9:25am (1 edits total) Edited By: gallion311
Alright, so this is seemingly a stupid question, but I figured I'd double check just in case.

So I recently got married (on May 30th to be exact) and hired a wedding videographer.

I inquired about his services and learned that for an extra $200 he can film in HD, and slap it on a BlueRay disc, which I went for. (nothing like seeing my demise in glorious high definition wink )

Anyway so the videographer gets there, starts filming, and being the techy nerd I am I asked what kind of camera he was using. He went on for a minute rattling off this endless model number (which I don't remember) and my next question was "gotta love that HD huh?

He looked at me kind of puzzled and said, no actually this camera doesn't shoot HD. So I told him i paid the extra $$$ for HD and he went off to call his boss/owner. Came back a couple minutes later with a grinch-esque reply "Nevermind we got it all squared away, this camera has an "HD switch" that i didn't know about, but I switched over to HD and now we're all set".

Naturally that made me scratch my head, but I want to make sure I'm right before I demand some money back, so...

Are there pro-level cameras that offer the capability to simply switch HD On and Off? Or can I call him up and yell at him?


Thanks guys,
Ryan

 

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VaporTrail  9951 posts
Registered: May '02
14913_Obi-Wan
Date Posted: 7/2 9:32am Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
Well, even my consumer-class Sony HDR-HC9 will shoot in either HD (1080i) or standard def. And I'm pretty sure a friend of mine has a more expensive cam, $3-4000, that'll shoot SD as well.
It's a little troubling the guy handling the camera didn't know what kind it was or what its capabilities were, but I believe it until someone here tells us otherwise.

Obviously it'd be easier to answer if we knew the model number.

 

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Boter  1868 posts
Registered: Jul '02
44265_Chiss
Date Posted: 7/2 10:22am Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
More troubling is that you paid extra for something and the boss never told the guy in the field, meaning that you wouldn't get what you paid for on that special day.

HD cameras are usually able to shoot in either HD or SD, yes.

 

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Master_Comyn  1731 posts
Registered: Nov '00
19686_Nick Gillard
Date Posted: 7/2 10:43am Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
This leads to a host of other questions:

Is your wedding video in High Def?

Do you know what type of camera the shooter was using? There are three main types: consumer (these are easy to spot), prosumer (like the Canon XH-A1; these typically are slightly larger cameras with ring controls on the lens, but most are not shoulder-mountable), and ENG-style (these are the big, shoulder-mounted ones with huge lenses and viewfinders).

Once you know what type, we can narrow down the list, especially if it's a prosumer camcorder. Did the lcd screen fold over from the top handle, from the top of the body, or from the side of the body?

It sounds shady with the whole "Yeah... HD Switch..." thing. Either the boss wasn't very good at organizing a simple shoot, or the shooter new NOTHING about video. Sadly, both cases are common in the wedding video "industry".

 

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AdamBertocci  19879 posts
Title: Manager: Fan Films
 Registered: Feb '02
8070_Sal & Friends
Date Posted: 7/2 10:45am Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
Both the HD cameras I've personally worked with (the Z1U and the HVX200) were capable of shooting both HD and SD.


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Vidina  2986 posts
Registered: Jan '06
47925_Secret Apprentice
Date Posted: 7/2 12:42pm Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
Most HD camcorders, both prosumer and consumer are capable of shooting SD. However, they usually say "HD" on one side, so my bet is your camera operator had no idea what he was doing at all. There's no camera (afaik) that has a physical switch between HD and SD, though, so odds are your wedding is shot in SD.

 

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AdamBertocci  19879 posts
Title: Manager: Fan Films
 Registered: Feb '02
8070_Sal & Friends
Date Posted: 7/2 2:07pm Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
If it is, food for thought:

You paid for an 921,600-pixel image (possibly more).

You got an 388,800-pixel image.

You should tell them that and then suggest that you only pay 42% of your agreed-upon bill.



Don't worry too much about posterity. The truth is, you're NEVER going to watch that wedding video again after the first three months. tongue



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VaporTrail  9951 posts
Registered: May '02
14913_Obi-Wan
Date Posted: 7/2 4:22pm Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist? - Date Edited: 7/2 4:25pm (2 edits total) Edited By: VaporTrail
Vidina posted:
There's no camera (afaik) that has a physical switch between HD and SD, though, so odds are your wedding is shot in SD.

I recall either 1337mik3's cam that we used for LCCV, or a local buddy's (gah, memory) having something like this. Could be mistaken. I don't think it was just "HD/SD" though, I think it was all the different modes the camera could shoot or display.

[shrug]

AdamBertocci posted:
You paid for an 921,600-pixel image (possibly more). You got an 388,800-pixel image.
You should tell them that and then suggest that you only pay 42% of your agreed-upon bill.

Brilliant.
And if they actually don't know what they're doing, the appearance that you know your stuff will freak 'em out plenty.

 

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Ryan_W  3447 posts
Title: Fan Films: Emmy-Winning Lightsaber Geek
 Registered: Aug '01
44357_Fan Films - Ryan vs Dorkman
Date Posted: 7/2 4:41pm Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
The Panasonic HVX200 (what we shot RvD2 on) can shoot in HD or SD. You have to punch through a few menus and such, so it isn't quite a "switch", but yeah.

 

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Vidina  2986 posts
Registered: Jan '06
47925_Secret Apprentice
Date Posted: 7/2 6:54pm Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
Ryan_W posted:
The Panasonic HVX200 (what we shot RvD2 on) can shoot in HD or SD. You have to punch through a few menus and such, so it isn't quite a "switch", but yeah.


As I said, most HD cameras have the option to shoot SD, if not all, and some even offer a variety of resolutions, but none I can think of actually has a little switch/button labeled SD/HD on either side. It just doesn't seem logical to swap resolutions on the fly, whilst shooting the damn thing, let alone to even have that possibility. The camera would, within a fracture of a second, save the SD you are shooting, whilst start a new HD record. This could only(theoretically, mind you) be possible on a camera that doesn't even shoot on tape to begin with.

I just don't see it. I'll gladly eat those words, sure, but it just doesn't make any sense what so ever.

I say go with what Adam said. Ask them about total resolution, 1080i or 1080p, hell, even 720p or 480p. You could also ask them directly the model of the camera. It would help so much more.

 

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backdeskproductions  647 posts
Registered: Aug '07
42234_Venator-Class Star Destroyer
Date Posted: 7/2 8:07pm Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
The answer is yes.

 

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NateCaauwe  2304 posts
Registered: May '05
45236_5-25-77
Date Posted: 7/3 1:31am Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
Master_Comyn posted:
It sounds shady with the whole "Yeah... HD Switch..." thing. Either the boss wasn't very good at organizing a simple shoot, or the shooter new NOTHING about video. Sadly, both cases are common in the wedding video "industry".


Which royally pisses me off, BTW. To add to the discussion, the Sony FX1 and Z1U actually have the nifty little "DVCAM" and "HDV" labels on the body that light up depending on what you're shooting in, which makes it extremely quick and easy to tell. That setting is a few menus in, but could probably be set to one of the programmable buttons. So in a sense, and "HD switch" is exactly what you'd have tongue However it sounds like the guy was a little less experienced...or he just assumed you didn't know anything and just called it a switch for simplicity's sake.

 

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Joel_K  357 posts
Registered: Aug '07
24192_Anakin Burned
Date Posted: 7/3 1:39am Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
Answer: Canon XL-H1. Look at the fifth image in this gallery. See the switch where the little blue light is glowing around it?

I've used this camera before and it does indeed have this HD/SD switch.

 

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Vidina  2986 posts
Registered: Jan '06
47925_Secret Apprentice
Date Posted: 7/3 5:35am Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
Well, I'll be damned.
*starts eating*

 

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backdeskproductions  647 posts
Registered: Aug '07
42234_Venator-Class Star Destroyer
Date Posted: 7/4 7:35am Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
Joel_K posted:
Answer: Canon XL-H1. Look at the fifth image in this gallery. See the switch where the little blue light is glowing around it?

I've used this camera before and it does indeed have this HD/SD switch.



yup. At "the station" our studio cams have this switch.... which I believe is in the CCU. We're building an HD production truck now and we're slowly going HD. AND ya know, with this whole digital transition I don't know why everyone has had such a problem with it! If a tiny independent, viewer supported television station in the crappy town of Lima, Ohio...with the majority of our viewers using antennas... can switch December 1st, 2008... then what was such the big deal with February? I think we were the first to actually make the switch in the nation. (that is for those who weren't already completely digital)

just random rantings of mine, forgive me.

 

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bgii_2000  2599 posts
Registered: Jan '05
14744_Darth Vader
Date Posted: 7/15 2:44pm Subject: Pro-Level HD Cameras with an "HD on/off" switch? Do they exist?
It's that you can easily up-res SD footage to HD resolution.

You end up with an image that is technically "HD" but was shot with an SD sensor.

It'll also not look one lick better.

Same thing as cellphones that claim to have 8 megapixel cameras. Sure you get 8 megapixel images, (heck throw em in MS paint and resize 'em to be 30 megapixel images, wooooo!) but no way are they taken with an 8 megapixel sensor.

Worst case scenario: The guy didn't know what he was doing AND he tried to fix it -

-Shot in 24pA mode
-Converted to 480p24 by dropping half the fields
-upconverted to 1080p24
-converted to 1080i60
-Final product: Bluray disc, now with only 25% of the orginal information, blown up to 10 times the original size

//shudders

Best case scenario: It was one of the cameras with a 'switch', and he didn't touch the footage.

 

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