MicrostockGroup
Microstock Footage Forum => Video Equipment / Sofware / Technique => Topic started by: WarrenPrice on January 12, 2010, 23:24
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Now that I am close to settling on the Canon Vixia HV40 or the Vixia HG21, what are the hidden costs? How much computing power should I have? Will Adobe Premiere Elements 3 get the job done? Do you backup your video to a hard drive? DVD? Will I need a special HD DVD recorder?
Any advice or cost estimates greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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I use premier elements 7 with the HV30 on a PC with a dual processor and 2GB ram. My PC came with a firewire port and I had to by a lead to connect the camera. Haven't had any problems. The files can be huge, 500mb sometimes. I keep the tapes as backup, I use the cheap DV ones, not HD. I use a 1TB external HD to store the files I have transferred to the PC and the files I have uploaded.
I have a fairly fast uncapped broadband connection but it can take an hour to upload one file.
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You need a very powerful computer for AVCHD with at least 4 GB of RAM, although I wouldn't use less than 8 GB. Not sure what's needed for HDV, but since it's a less spec I imagine you could get away with a dual core or even single core system.
I personally back everything up on an external RAID box. I couldn't afford a Drobo, so I bought a similar device for $100 and I stuck four 2 TB drives in it. Right my library of 1400ish clips plus AE projects, etc.. uses a little over 1.5 TB. Part of that is because I keep a lot of my raw AVCHD files around for at least 6 months.
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Thanks for the input. Keep it coming.
AVCHD ... is that the format used by the HDD units? Canon Vixia HG21, for instance??
Would the tape-based units require less computer power?
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Thanks for the input. Keep it coming.
AVCHD ... is that the format used by the HDD units? Canon Vixia HG21, for instance??
Would the tape-based units require less computer power?
HDV is essentially an MPG2 format which is designed for fast "decoding" so that less powerful devices can playback MPG2 video.
AVCHD, on the other hand was designed for encoding. Getting lots of data in a very small space and it takes a bit more power to decode the data, especially if you are recording at the full data rate.
I have the Canon Vixia HF11 and I record 1080p at the highest bitrate. My previous dual-core system running 64-bit vista could not decode it realtime. However, my current quad-core Windows 7 64-bit system can. Although, I think that partially has to do with Windows 7 natively supporting AVCHD files now.
The HV40 is a great camera and HDV is still very good for doing stock work. I just didn't want to deal with tapes. Between the built-in 32GB and my 16GB card I can record 6 hours before having to unload my camera. And I've never come close. The most I've recorded was a concert at my daughter's school and that was 90 minutes. You'll find when shooting stock that you tend to shoot tons of little clips. I usually end up with about 200 to 300 small files at 45 seconds to 90 seconds average.
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The idea of tapes is a bit bothersome. Reminds me a bit of 8-track, Beta, etc. I've been down a lot of those roads.
I'm also VERY concerned about processing power ... or, the lack of processing power. Doesn't it take a lot more to process the video from a hard drive ... AVCHD??
I may have to buy a new computer before video recordings. I am looking now at the newer Canons ... Vixia HF S21, for instance. What are your thoughts on that?
Thanks for taking the time to educate me.