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Is anyone else getting this error?

I'm confused, this didn't come up before, this batch converter worked perfectly before, now it won't work at all



That is followed by this...

Could be counterfeit products.

Word is they are Lexar cards that failed quality control for a variety of reasons. So it's bound to be hit and miss....

I just ordered two more and will compare when they arrive next week.

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Update, two new 1000x Komputer Bay cards have arrived, and I'm afraid they benchmarked even worse than the first two, never getting write speeds above the 50's, though the company claims write speeds of 140 minimum.

I will be returning them. Thank goodness Amazon makes it easy.

[WRITE]

Not really, cards are always rating for READ speed and not write speed. However, what you see are the hardware limitation in the camera body.

Actually the specs on the website are "KOMPUTERBAY 64GB COMPACT FLASH CARD CF professional 1000X 140 MB/s WRITE and 155MB/s READ speed RAW Extreme 64 GB UDMA 7"

So why is no one getting close to that 140MB/s? A few people at least are getting into the triple digits. Mine are stuck in the 80's...

If you think it's the camera, check out the benchmark tests I did on my computer via a new card reader. It actually did a lot worse (on the left is my card, on the right is the website selling the cards with a "screenshot" of how they are supposed to perform. I used the same testing software.



Here is the second card, also performing much worse.

Recently got a pair of Komputer Bay 1000x 64gig cards and have been running benchmark tests.

Now Komputer Bay says in the specs these cards should be getting a minimum of 140mb/s WRITE speed. I seem to be getting half of that. Is this normal with ML? Should I send them back and try again?

What was your methodology in post? Which apps did you use and what steps did you take for color correcting and grading and what did you render it as?

raw ML .MLV files off camera > ML raw Video Converter 1.9.1 to batch export in to .DNG sequences > import .DNG sequences to DaVinci Resolve, add all the individual clips to timeline > export as individually named clips in AVI YUV 422 10 bit codec as PROXIES for editing > import proxies to Adobe Premiere Pro 6.0 > edit footage > export XML file > import the XML file to DaVinci Resolve for color work > complete color correction & grading > export high quality AVI 10 bit file and transcode as needed depending on final destination.

Keep in mind that VIMEO will take whatever file you upload and turn it into H264 and downscale it as well (unless you're playing for a pro account.)

Did this video to stress-test the camera with Magic Lantern RAW in the woods.

Difficult conditions with very bright sun, lots of texture in the leaves and bark, harsh shadows and glare on the water. I wanted to see how much information I could recover in the shadows and highlights in post production... but as you can see there is still a lot of clipping in both color and highlights. Lesson: ML RAW will not solve everything, and DSLR's still have limited dynamic range even if you capture all of it

Also note the stuck/dead pixels when watching full screen.

What do you think Baldand????another Nvidia...

Very popular brand... no reason to assume it's the card. Never seen anything like this happen on any other kind of media or video rendering via AE or Premiere.

Which Graphic card do you have???

NVIDIA GeForce GTX-460

I finally figured that out Thanks though!

Okay, next quirk (because it can't be THAT easy, right?)

It exported *this*...
(the color should have been the same as in my last posted image)

I can't get MlRawViewer to export... not sure if it's the program or I'm doing something wrong.

It just stays stuck at 0.0% for forever :/

Suggestions?

mlv_dump is also not working for me... if it's the same drag-and-drop idea as raw2dng, then I just get a flash of the screen and no new files in the directory.

It's really difficult to find information about how this should be done. The tutorial video for mlv_dump is on a linux system... the post-processing thread on ML forums is about RAW files not MLV files. I'm confused... did the MLV format just get created? Should I try an older build of ML so I can get .RAW files and be able to process with raw2dng?

It's pretty frustrating having a card full of MLV files and no way to work with them, other than watching the clips in MLV viewer.

Thanks for the reply guys, what would be the right solution for non-Mac users? I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate and am trying to get Magic Lantern .MLV files to end up as something I can work with like ProRes, or at least a DNG sequence.

I'm doing that to a .cr2 file? Shouldn't I be doing something to a .MLV file?

When I did raw2dng M20-1531.MLV (one of the raw clips) I got an error that says "This ain't a lv_rec RAW file"

??

Found this thread doing a search for my problem, though I have a recent ML version so that fix didn't work for me.

"Raw2DNG flashes then leaves the screen, ie not working."

I'm having the same issue, though with me the file sizes are small (200-300mb). Downloaded the raw2dng.exe program, moved it to the same location as my .MLV files (on the card), have been dragging and dropping files onto the program but all I get is a flash open and then close with no resulting DNG files. Can't figure out what the problem might be... ideas? Links to alternative conversion methods?

When you extract the DNG's from the RAW or MLV file, You'll really feel like working with the digital equivalent of a film roll.

Frame by frame  

I love it!

Oh yah Love your siggy. "once you go raw you never go back" 

I wasn't referring to an Alexa, rather a black magic or something similar (but all the cheap solutions bring tons of their own special  quirks that have to be dealt with, so sticking with a system you already know sounds reasonable).

My dreams of an Alexa are entirely tongue-in-cheek
I looked into the Black Magic Pocket Cam, and it's unworkable. Batteries must be recharged *IN* the camera. It takes much longer to recharge the battery, then to use it up... so... how does one go shoot for 12 hours, then try to do it all again the next day? Buy a second Black Magic Pocket Cam to use as a battery charging station? LoL. I don't know what the designers over there at BM are smoking.

So the things left to say would be: Testing the two cameras a lot, so you know all the problem scenarios.
Recording raw while monitoring via HDMI might also behave differently, then without (does it even work at all?).

Shutting down the live view when ever you can, especially on a well lit set the cameras heat up quickly and I think i noticed an increased noise due to risen temperature on the 5d3 and the 7d has one of the worst sensors...

Maybe check at what ISOs the 50d and 7d have similar noise patterns for better matching of intercut shots.

When backing up, use a checksum tool, might save you a lot of trouble...

Yep, lots of testing ahead. I'll keep an eye on the overheating issue - it's strange that some people report it, while others say they've never had a problem. I wonder what's up with that.

The 60D and 7D have identical sensors (from what I understand) so the ISO pattern should be the same. The price difference is for better rapid-fire photography on the 7D, the better build of the body, the weatherproofing, etc.

I'll look into a checksum tool.

Komputerbay cards do not seem to be very reliable, some users say they run rockstable, some report corrupt files and some even corrupted cards that lose the entire data. Extensive testing of the cards beforehand will save you from losing material but even then a risk will stay...

Due to the lower resolution than 1080p you will not need the fastest card available so borrowing cards from friends/colleages or a rental becomes an option. Take a closer look at the Sandisk 32+GB 120,90 and 60MB/s cards too. Transcend 1000x also perform alright.

True, but as many on the forums have done, I'll send back any Komputerbay cards that are duds for replacements. The 2x or 3x price difference is just too much for Sandisk or Lexar.

For safety I would only use USB 3 card readers (with newest firmware) and stick to one reader only that is known to work, some UDMA7 cards get corrupted by readers.

I guess many of my points were already considered.

Just ordered the Transcend USB 3.0 reader that was recommended elsewhere on the forum. Also ordered the needed USB 3.0 upgrade for the computer. Yay

True, but it's always good to double check and point out any potential problems ahead of time. I really appreciate knowing the potential issues thanks to you all who've used RAW on the 7D. I'm sure it will save me a lot of troubleshooting time.

[It doesn't matter if a director wears one hat, or six, a feature film is NEVER, EVER a "one person show."]

... it seems clear to me that you might want to re-think ... you are setting yourself up to fail.  And as a producer...you always should be setting yourself (and your team) up to succeed. 

Some have suggested to you ways to acquire more expensive cameras for shorter periods of time that would give you better results.  1 was to rent.  Which you suggested was not possible due to a 6 month shoot time.  As a producer, when I hear 6 month shoot time my eyebrow gets raised.  Some hundred million dollar tent-poles don't have a 6 month shoot time.  Why is that necessary?  Is this a documentary where you are following someone down the amazon river for half a year or something?  Or is this a scripted feature? 

I don't really care what the answer is...I am just posting things to think about.

I never said we were shooting 180 days in a row. Don't make ridiculous assumptions.

You accuse me of being incompetent as a producer, but you "don't really care what the answer is" to your questions? Wow. Nice... that's really a great way to deal with people: judge them first, and walk away before the truth has a chance to correct your prejudices! That way, you can never be wrong! 

Actually it's fine that you "don't care" what the answer is, because frankly I don't feel the need to explain myself to a stranger on the internet who knows absolutely NOTHING about the circumstances of this production, but feels entitled to criticize anyway. The proof is in the pudding, and I'll let the film speak for itself when it's completed.

...the best person to answer your questions are your DP.  Or are you shooting, directing, producing, editing this whole thing yourself?  If you are doing the one-person show here I would strongly encourage you to reconsider that as the beauty of filmmaking is that it is a team effort and the sum of the many creative parts will always make something better than any one part can do on their own. 

First of all, I didn't come to the ML forums asking technical and specific questions so that someone who's opinion has not been vetted by an impressive list of IMDB credits, could talk down to me about the "beauty of filmmaking" as a collaborative art form.

Second, perhaps you have heard the word "auteur." Arguably the greatest directors of all time wore multiple hats across departments, as DP/director, Producer/director, writer/director, director/editor, director/composer, director/lead actor, etc. Orson Welles and Charlie Chaplin among many others.

Third, your presumption that if a film maker directs and produces, or directs and is behind the camera, they have somehow failed to leverage the "team" aspect of film making, is a gross injustice to the dozens of actors, crew, assistants, set designers, costumers, special effects people, technicians, and community supporters involved in any feature film. It doesn't matter if a director wears one hat, or six, a feature film is NEVER, EVER a "one person show."

So many filmmakers today fail to properly budget for post-production.  They think once the film is shot and they get through production...that is all the money they need.  Then they spend months in post-production hell learning that post production is usually MORE expensive than production.  Especially with regards to sound.  It is a fact that sound is more important to the audience perception of a film than picture.  Our brains will forgive not-so perfect images (almost rationalizing them as creative choices)...but WILL NOT forgive poor sound.  You could shoot on an iPhone and if the dialogue is clear and the sound design is massive and enveloping...people will be wowed, entertained and moved.  But then again...sound is getting away from the point of this forum's focus. 

No kidding. Everything you've said has been away from the point of this forum's focus.

And again, I am really not interested in being dressed down by a stranger because "so many film makers" fail to properly budget for post-production or don't understand the importance of sound. Please don't assume things about me, or this production without actually having ANY facts. Good manners would be first asking a question ("how are you doing your sound?" or "how are you doing your post production?") not presuming I am an idiot because you've run into some idiots.

I'm not going to waste what little free time I have answering your implied questions/points, because I am not on trial here for how I'm co-producing this film. Frankly, if you were in my shoes, I doubt you could shoot a 30 second commercial for $10,000, much less an indie feature.

I've personally had friends who shot no-budget features for a mere $3,000 over the course of 2+ years, and another year in post, and won festival awards. I can't IMAGINE what you might have told them had you run into them before they got started. The world would have never enjoyed the beauty of their work. #indiepride

A few more things to consider. If you decide to get a 50D and 7D you will need to purchase batteries for the 50D as they are different from the 60D and 7D. You do have the option to get a power adapter that works on AC power http://www.amazon.com/Canon-ACK-E6AC-Adapter-Mark-Digital/dp/B001KBZ3PK. Also raw obviously produces large files. You're gonna need a lot of cards, some way to dump the cards between takes, and a ton of hard drive space. I easily filled a 1TB hard drive with the MLV files alone. Be mindful of the storage needs of raw when making your purchases.

Oh, oh, different batteries? I don't like that Of course the lower resolution bothers me more. Maybe I'll have to borrow a second 7D for the days where it would be better to have two cams. I have a friend who owns one, but it's brand new and he's scared to put ML on it so far... I bet when I do it first, and show him what the footage looks like, he'll jump on board though

I have ordered two 64GB 1000x Komputerbay cards to start with, which will give us about 30 minutes of recording time. If we are mindful of what we shoot, and delete bad takes in camera, that should be a realistic amount of shooting time to get us through half the day, or a short day, before dumping the files during the lunch break. I will see if more cards need to be ordered depending on how things go. I keep in mind that most of the time on set is not spent running a camera, but setting up lights, talking to the actors between takes, doing hair/make-up/costumes and rehearsing the blocking. Then of course there is the driving between locations, and the staging. If we actually shot a full 30 minutes worth of footage in a 4-6 hour chunk of work time, I'd be thrilled.

Basically, with the file sizes being so huge, and the cards so expensive, I think of this as the digital equivalent of film film. You don't just let 35mm film roll on and on as people mess around. You really prep for a take before you "hit record." Of course with 35mm film you can't just hit a delete button after a flubbed line and get that cost of film back. So there are still huge advantages to high end digital video. The film analogy is something I would also bring up about everyone stressing they can't check the footage right away. This ability to check the footage instantly, is very new as far as the history of cinema goes. If directors have done it "blind" for 100 years, then we can step up to the plate as well. (Or step over to the computer on a break, and check it there. )

For storage space I have two 4 TB external hard drives. One to hold the data, one to back up the data.

Last thing I really need to get/upgrade is USB 3.0 connection for the computer. Currently it only has USB 2.0, and the transfers would take way too long.

They are the same chart.

The image in the post I linked, is simply a screenshot of an earlier version of the spreadsheet.  I recall this being advised in the thread.  However, I have edited the first post of that thread, to make that more clear. 

Yah, I figured that out shortly after I asked the question, haha... darn those screencaps!

I asked why you want to shoot raw, because it brings quite a lot of problems with it.

I realize that, but the end result is worth it.

Full latitude in color grading, highlight recovery, VFX, greenscreen, image quality... long list of benefits to shooting in RAW when making a feature if you really want it to look professional.

Of course the resolution is almost perfect 1080p (if you keep the iso low), you can recover the highlights and shadows (if you keep the iso low) and change the white balance to your likings. Special effects like keying or changing the color of whole objects is also is made possible by the data the raw files offer.
But in the end the look of the film will be more effected by the colors and light you chose in front of the camera. So I would prefer to shoot with a another camera, that offers true 1080p resolution and lets say a prores 422 10bit codec for better gradeability, that records more than only 15minutes per memory card and does not have all those funny quirks the ml raw cameras have...

Well I'd prefer to shoot with an Alexa, but that's not happening in the immediate future...

When in doubt, take the battery out.

I'm not sure why exFAT has suddenly earned a reputation as being less reliable.  AFAIK, there has only been 1 reported issue with exFAT, and that being when recording over 100GB in a single file.
exFAT vs FAT32 is a minor post processing issue (if you could even call it that, IMO).  The performance of either, in camera, is identical.  Personally, I would not base any purchasing decision on this.

You're in the market for 2 cameras, correct?
Looking at the spreadsheet, it would appear that the 50D has slightly less maximum writing speed, and less resolution.  However, they both use CF cards.  Considering that you are budget conscious, you may consider purchasing 1 of either camera.  The 7D for the slightly better feature set, and the 50D as a good solid well priced backup/secondary.

Yes, I agree - that's exactly what I was leaning towards.

This other spreadsheet is also floating around... and it has different figures. Which one is the accurate one? Quite a few differences in the 7D row.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgQ2MOkAZTFHdFFIcFp1d0R5TzVPTVJXOEVyUndteGc#gid=5

*EDIT* Okay, maybe that's the same spreadsheet but the image for it was saved from earlier, so a number of values have changed. The 7D went from red to blue...

I have read a number of things about exFat on these forums, some saying it caused problems, other saying it seemed to improve the write speed of the camera. Somewhere in the middle there must be the truth...

But then, is it even possible to use exFat formatted cards on the 7D? The charts don't agree. Someone give me a straight answer... (and no of course, the purchasing decision won't be based on that at all. Just curious.)

[any other negatives for the 50D]

To answer your question regarding ExFat and Fat32. It was an issue when ML RAW was first introduced cause then you were limited to 4gb clips.

The only difference between ExFat and Fat32 today, is that Exfat makes one huge file and Fat32 splits them up in 4gb files. Which is no issue at all, because all RAW or MLV processors today will automatically combine the 4gb files in to one file before extracting the DNGs.

Then you can delete the split files and keep the combined one to better keep track of your originals.

THANK-YOU for explaining that. Now I understand...

Okay, I am still curious though as to whether the 7D has ExFat or not, because I have seen two spreadsheets on the forums (one in the "current capabilities" thread, which states the 7D *does* have ExFat) and this one, which states it *does not* have ExFat... which is it??

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgQ2MOkAZTFHdFFIcFp1d0R5TzVPTVJXOEVyUndteGc#gid=5

It seems to me that having one huge file for a long take, as opposed to a bunch of little ones would be less confusing, even though they will eventually all be combined. Although on the other hand, maybe ExFat is more "buggy" and therefore should be avoided. What are the current recommendations?

Here is a tip for you Aria. Start working with ML Raw now on your 60D! You seriously do not want to start a shoot with ML Raw without having experienced the quirks and bugs first... You need to be in the shit a couple of times so that you know what to do if (when) ML suddenly locks your camera.

The workflow is hard and slow, but it is worth it. Learn it.

You bet - I just wanted to have some ballpark of "best practices" for ML, and a better idea of which camera would be suitable for this project and budget, before making more costly mistakes. It's a shame to have bought two EOS 60D's with ML installed, and only then realize the recording limit is all of six seconds.... not exactly workable for a feature film.

I'm still not sure whether a 50D would be sufficient, or a 7D would be better. I guess the continuous recording resolution is a bit less on the 50D, and no audio track with RAW (don't need it) so any other negatives for the 50D? Perhaps it could be a "B cam" to the 7D when we need two cameras shooting at once. A used 50D is probably half the price of a used 7D.   

I have been gearing up to be able to handle RAW, with a new video card, two 4TB external hard drives, just ordered the Transcend USB 3.0 Super Speed Multi-Card Reader, and two Komputerbay 64GB CF 1000X 150MB/s Extreme Speed UDMA 7 cards. Currently I only have USB 2.0 on my computer so that will need to be upgraded as well, or we'll be transferring files all day after shooting

I'll be testing the workflow with the 60D while waiting for the 7D(?) to arrive.

PS. What *DO* you do when ML locks your camera Kharak?

Also, Audionut asked what is "LM Raw". He was referring to the misspelling of the abbreviated ML as in Magic Lantern, not Lantern Magic.

Bust jecause I get things bass ackwards sometimes, doesn't mean I dave hyslexia....

Has anyone here had a chance to use both the 50D and the 7D with ML? I'm curious to know what the differences are, for such a huge price difference. I understand there is no audio recording on the 50D, but that's not an issue for me - film sound is always recorded separately anyway.

I prefer working with video files that I can play outside of the editor. So ProRes or Cineform are my preferred way of editing.

Good points, I'll keep that in mind!