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Messages - Midphase

#151
Hardware and Accessories / Re: Lexar x1066
April 29, 2014, 07:04:38 PM
What camera are you planning on using it with?

Also, FYI, 32Gb will yield less than 10 minutes of video.
#152
Quote from: disfordrums on April 28, 2014, 09:49:51 PM
Ok, so just to see if I got it right:

1. Test cards in camera to see if they are up to speed
2. Format them with disk utility to ExFat to not be restricted by 4gb limit
3. Record RAW on set
4. Just dump the footage as is and check randomly using RAWMagic
5. Use slate to sync sound with image

Also playing around with the idea to get an iPad slate app, instead of using a physical one to save some time...

1B. Test the entire workflow, settings, etc. Things on a set are crazy, you'll be juggling 20 things at once.

2. Yes, but double check for that >4Gb setting in ML, should be in the raw recording menu. I forget if RAW_REC doesn't use it, but I know MLV_REC does.

4B. Use MLRawViewer to view the footage (you can do this straight from the card if necessary. This will tell you if everything looks good or not. Try not to blink when you review the footage so as to spot any corrupted frames.

4C. Make sure you have tons of hard drive space. What I recommend is this workflow: Recorded CF cards get a red gaffer tape piece stuck to them. When the CF card is handed to the DIT, he/she copies the files to 2 separate drives. Keep in mind that transfer time for 64Gb on USB 2 is about 30 minutes. Using USB 3 is drops to about 10 minutes. Also, make sure you have a good CF card reader, the one that everyone recommends including Komputerbay is this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Memory-Card-Reader-FCR-HS3/dp/B005ES0YYA/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1398716185&sr=8-10&keywords=cf+card+reader

Once the CF card contents have been transferred to both drives, and some of the footage reviewed for integrity, then you can re-format the card in Disk Util to ExFAT, remove the red tape and hand it off to the 2nd AC. Rinse/repeat. Expect to fill up about 500Gb of drive per shooting day, even more if you're using two cameras simultaneously.


Big NAY on the iPad slate. Seriously, it sucks and your assistant editor will hate you for it. The beep for sync is too faint and isn't clearly visible on the audio waveform, also if the iPad isn't fully in focus, information is hard to read. We used it on our production and not a day goes by that I don't kick myself for not using a regular slate (which I own anyway...duh!). Seriously, it will not save you time, it will waste you time in post.


BTW...feel free to PM me for more detailed info on my experience.
#153
Quote from: disfordrums on April 28, 2014, 02:03:41 AM
So do I understand correctly, RAWMagic is for conversion and MLRawViewer is just for looking at the footage without converting?

Why the formatting to ExFAT? I actually don't recall formatting the Komputerbay cards we had besides in camera and that worked well?!

Both RAWMagic and MLRawViewer can convert to CDNG. RAWMagic is a tad faster and a bit more elegant with drag-and-drop ease for .raw, but if you shoot .mlv, then MLRawViewer is the way to go (for now). What I like about RAWMagic is the simplicity of the interface, and the ease. If you need to export not as CDNG but as ProRes, then you also will need to use MLRawViewer since RAWMagic can't do that (for now).

About ExFAT....if you format in ExFAT that means you can record files larger than 4Gb without worrying about segmenting into a series of files. I prefer it for several reasons. First of all it's easier to keep everything organized and less cluttered. Also, it used to be that MLRawViewer would crash when playing back segmented files, but I think that's been fixed. I also think (perhaps incorrectly) that 1 single file is less susceptible to corrupted frames than multiple ones.

If you're shooting in .raw, I don't think you need to do anything more than simply format the CF cards on a computer as ExFAT. If you're shooting in .mlv, then you also need to enable the >4Gb option so that it knows to continue to write data larger than 4Gb on the card. The main negative of ExFAT is that you can't re-format the card in camera. Personally I don't think that's an issue since I try to discourage people from formatting in camera due to the great risk of losing footage by accident.
#154
Also:

Komputerbay cards can work quite flawlessly. The main reason why there are more reports of Komputerbay cards failures on the forums is quite simply because more people bought them than other brands, so it appears that they're more troubled than other brands; but if you look around you'll find reports of failed Lexar cards as well.

I own 4 64Gb cards, they all rock it and I've never had a failure or needed to send them back. With 8 64Gb cards you should be in good shape (are you using 1 or 2 cameras?).

1080p24 recording should not be an issue, even with sound. There are a few settings that you should adjust and which will give you the best performance. Once again, .raw is much more reliable and fast than .mlv in my tests.

Format the cards in ExFAT on your computer, and most importantly set up the >4Gb setting in ML.
#155
Quote from: disfordrums on April 27, 2014, 08:27:27 AM
Is this because Raw2DNG converts it automatically and RAWMagic doesn't?


No, it's because Raw2DNG is a crappy way to do it, especially on the Mac. Here is why:

1. On several occasions, Raw2DNG deleted my original .raw files, this is very bad.

2. It exports DNG and not CDNG, so you can kiss compatibility with Premiere Pro goodbye if that's a concern for you.

3. Doesn't work with .mlv files

4. If you love command line apps, than this is the one for you. On the other hand if you're a normal person, you will hate it.

5. There is no real-time preview like there is in MLRawViewer

6. No progress bar, awesome!


In short, RAWMagic and MLRawViewer on the Mac offer much more elegant, reliable, and fast solutions for an actual working production.

I don't know when your shoot is, but I can't overemphasize (for the 3rd time) how important preparation and know all of your tools really is when shooting in ML raw. For a film that I worked on a few months ago, we prepped for ML raw shooting for about a month. We tested, re-tested, used various settings, and ran various conversion apps. The shoot went smooth for the most part (there were a couple of hairy moments still).

I also think it's critical to not only have your camera operator knowing ML inside out, but also your DIT.



#156
Quote from: disfordrums on April 27, 2014, 08:27:27 AM

This is very concerning, thank you! So basically if we want to shoot RAW, we can't have a monitor?

That is not true at all. I shoot with my external 7" monitor in raw all the time. I'm using 1.1.3 firmware which at this point I would highly recommend you stick to for the time being.

Personally I think .raw is more stable than .mlv, so unless you really really in-camera audio, I would try to stick with .raw recording.

The system is stable, and reliable. You can do everything you can do with regular video shooting, and more.

I will say it again, run tests and get used to it. Preparation is really key. If you're planning on showing up on set without ever having used your particular set up and expect everything to work flawlessly right away, you're looking for trouble.

#157
P.S.

If you're on a Mac don't use Raw2DNG. Use RAWMagic or MLRawViewer.
#158
Just run a bunch of tests. Preparation is key. You can answer all of your own questions by simply testing your workflow thoroughly before your shoot.
#159
R3D is a variant of JPEG2000, but yes, it is protected and RED is notoriously litigious.
#160
Raw Video / Re: 2014: NEW Current Raw Capabilities
April 24, 2014, 07:14:31 PM
Quote from: -sandro- on April 24, 2014, 05:44:38 PM
There's one thing I never understood :) If cameras limited to 21MB/s the card speed is the bottleneck why going the JPEG way? I mean if the camera is able to capture 26 RAW frames in about 1 second why not capture the same frames in JPEG in 2K (to get the best resolution) in a way every second you don't over 21MB/s... of course assuming the software camera can do that like if it was video and not be limited by the burst mode for pictures!

Also wouldn't be amazing if the HDMI output could be used to transfer data? All cameras would become REDs :D

Sandro,

You need to spend some time on the General Development part of the forum and start reading some of the more technical posts.

The answer to your question is CPU. There just isn't enough CPU speed on the cameras to convert 24 frames per second to JPEG, not even close.

As far as the HDMI output, HDMI is a standard set in place, with controller chips which obey that standard. It is not a faucet that you can pipe anything you want through. Raw data, JPEG, or other formats are simply incompatible with HDMI and can't be transferred through it. Further, you would need a recording device which could understand what type of data is being recorded, and no such device exists.

If you want a camera which is affordable, records in high resolution, is pretty stable and reliable with the least amount of compromises, you should look into what Blackmagic has to offer you.
#161
Quote from: Lokki-pete on April 23, 2014, 11:08:41 PM
Thanks!

Dubzeebass, do you think resolve is as good as any other program for upscaling? I am worried about losing some of the gained quality boost when upscaling (compared to h264 that doesn´t need any scaling).

Resolve is fine. For such a small amount of upscaling there is really no need to worry about losing detail or the image getting soft. Resolve is also A LOT faster than AE. Resolve is so good and getting better with the new upcoming version, that I am seriously considering switching to it as my main professional NLE.
#162
Dunno if there are any faster settings. I think the bottleneck is AE.

You might want to look into Resolve, or maybe MLRawViewer
#163
Are you trying to edit the footage in Premiere Pro?
#164
Raw Video / Re: 2014: NEW Current Raw Capabilities
April 21, 2014, 06:46:41 PM
Quote from: anandkamal on April 21, 2014, 01:19:44 PM
hi i would like to stay with 1.1.3 for a while because i have started using it for a serious video purpose. But i have been noticing that .mlv can be preferred to .raw since it is under focus by developers currently. I would like to know if continuous shoot can be done with .mlv_rec, greater than 4GB file, without splitting? like in .raw?? if so how? thanks

Yes, simply:

1. Format your CF card as ExFAT (on a computer)

2. Change the setting in your ML video options for files > 4Gb.
#165
Raw Video / Re: Choppy video on 5d mk11
April 21, 2014, 06:43:16 PM
Quote from: fenix on April 21, 2014, 06:00:33 PM
I wish I could achieve the look in davinci that I can in camera raw as it would save a ton of time.  Have not been able to re-produce the grades I get in CR yet..

What do you mean? Are you talking about Resolve vs. ACR in Aftereffects or Lightroom?
#166
Quote from: budafilms on April 21, 2014, 08:40:18 AM
Do you know a guide for use ACR in a professional mode?

I don't know of a guide but there's plenty of info to be found around here. The main issue with ACR is that if you're going to use it in Aftereffects, the render times are way too long, especially if you're working on a lot of footage. Until Premiere Pro supports both CDNG playback with full ACR control I'm afraid it's way too slow of a workflow.
#167
Raw Video / Re: Choppy video on 5d mk11
April 20, 2014, 10:29:56 PM
Yeah, crop is the 5X mode. The problem with the 5D2 is that in order for the card to keep up with the data that needs to be written, the size of the image needs to shrink down. The sensor natively records at 1880x1250, so any size below that will need to be cropped down and pixels will be missing. Further, I don't think you can monitor the crop factor, hence you kinda have to guess what you're actually capturing on the frame.

#168
Raw Video / Re: What is BACKUP.RAW file?
April 18, 2014, 08:19:35 PM
My advice would be not to delete anything off of the card until you have converted all of the files you need into a usable format.

Not sure what backup.raw does exactly, but when in doubt I leave it alone.
#169
Raw Video / Re: Choppy video on 5d mk11
April 18, 2014, 09:57:48 AM
Quote from: elfrabo on April 18, 2014, 08:24:27 AM
I'm wondering when using MLRawViewer to convert MLV files it's preferable to convert to CDNG instead to convert to MOV?

MLRawViewer will do both, but converting to CDNG is considerably faster than converting to ProRes. For fast ProRes conversion I would still advise using Resolve which is by far the fastest way to do that conversion (although you're first required to convert to CDNG in order to import into Resolve).

Resolve 11 promises really great NLE functionality (and even Resolve 10 isn't a slouch for editing). I've decided that the next project I edit will be done in Resolve. Using Resolve does simplify the process quite a bit and avoids redundant files and extra drive space being needed for .mlv, CDNG and ProRes.
#170
Raw Video / Re: Choppy video on 5d mk11
April 18, 2014, 05:41:02 AM
My guess is that Premiere is not really assigning each frame an exact duration of 1/24th of a second, there might be just enough discrepancies in the duration of each image that it causes the weird timing. Probably not noticeable in a time-lapse since it's kinda skippy to begin with, but very noticeable on footage that is supposed to run smoothly.
#171
Sometimes the CF card needs to warm up to keep up the fast write speed. Enable the warm CF card option.

You shouldn't be dropping any frames at all as long as you have disabled the "drop frames" option. It's pretty normal for the ML icon to turn red and then yellow before turning green, but it should still be giving you a solid 24fps recording even when it's red or yellow.
#172
Raw Video / Re: Choppy video on 5d mk11
April 18, 2014, 12:20:32 AM
First of all congrats on getting one of those new 5Dmk11 (or I guess as Canon calls them 5DmkXI), I'm still stuck on the 5D3 and I can only dream of the speed and performance that your model must get!

Secondly, I think your problem is the way you import your CDNG's into Premiere as stills. I don't think this is a good way to do it.

You really have two (maybe 3 options) with Premiere:

1. Convert the CDNG sequences to ProRes using either MLRawViewer or Davinci Resolve or AE.

2. Convert the .raw footage with RAWMagic and bring them into Premiere CC as CDNG sequences (not stills) but this will have a nasty pink overcast on your footage which is quite annoying.

3. Convert  the .raw footage with MLRAwViewer into CDNG and bring them into Premiere CC to enjoy an almost-but-not-quite perfect display of your footage.

Within about a month or so (hopefully) a new solution will come out that will display CDNG into Premiere CC perfectly, but if you don't want to wait, the above options are your best bet. Stay away with importing CDNG sequences as stills and re-timing their duration to match the frame rate...it will only result in crap.
#173
Raw Video / Re: I must confess!!! Canon 60D Raw
April 17, 2014, 07:25:27 PM
#174
Raw Video / Re: Advantages of Bleeding Edge
April 16, 2014, 10:00:12 PM
As also a member of the Hackintosh community, the saying over there goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I think this applies very well to using ML. Right now I am getting consistently solid performance from ML running on 1.1.3. The builds are so stable, and everything working so well that (with the help of a new upcoming app) I have begun recommending it to my colleagues as a mature solution for professional production. While 1.2.3 might seem like a necessary leap forward, I remain cautious about upgrading. If there are no obvious advantages to be had (such as faster CF card write speed, smaller memory print that leaves more buffer available to ML, more efficient use of CPU which yields more stable GD, better thermal protection, optimized battery usage, you get the idea), then I prefer to stick with the tenet mentioned at the beginning of my post. Even if the developers assured me that 1.2.3 is 100% as solid as 1.1.3, I would still question the need to update without specific advantages to my workflow.

Of course, others have different needs and might disagree with my conservative advice. However I would caution to not succumb to the "grass is always greener..." fallacy and to obtain factual data before taking the leap.
#175
If you're on the Mac, a solution is coming your way. But yes, I actually shot a film using two 5D3's and the names were identical in several instances which caused quite a bit of headache in post.