720p vs 1080p film transfer (& HVX200 vs. HD100u)
by steve berg
on
Jun 21, 2008 at 12:55:14 pm
Hi All,
As I was reading the religious wars between the HVX200 and hd100u users regarding mainly differences of 4:1:1 vs. 4:2:2 , over/under cranking, workflow, HDV vs. DVCPRO HD codec, lenses and pulling chromakeying (Which was proved to be the same between the HVX and the 100u) I was wondering the following:
1. Has any1 tested the differences between converting/transfering 720p vs. 1080p to 35mm? I'm specifically referring to the use of HVX200 vs. HD100u since some DP's said that they shot films in 720p and transferred to 35mm since they didn't think the non native (up-res=upping the resolution) of 1080p which is done on the HVX200 (pixel shifting) would yield any benefit! some even said they thought it would cause the transfer to 35mm film look de-focused or "soft".
Any comments on that?
2. On the same note, assuming that there is a benefit shooting 1080p with the HVX200 - > If I was to use the Hd100U in 720p and then "upped" the resolution in my post NLE - wouldn't it be the same as I am basically scaling the image (doubling lines of resolution) - or maybe that would yield even a better result since the sensor of the hd100u is even higher resolution and the editing suite has more "time" to calculate the conversion vs. whats done in real time in the HVX200?
I hope some1 did the tests in conversion of hvx200 1080p to film and then hd100/110u 720p to film to compare and shed some light on the subject.
Re: 720p vs 1080p film transfer (& HVX200 vs. HD100u) by Noah Kadner on Jun 21, 2008 at 2:39:42 pm
As the HVX200 is native in 720p there's actually little to be gained in shooting 1080p. Either you're uprezzing in the camera or uprezzing in post. Considering you also lose the ability to shoot hi-speed in 1080 I'd push for sticking 720p. You also gain a lot more storage time. And as far as the JVC goes- it's not a fair fight at all with its more extreme HDV compression. If you want a camera that is a lot closer to the HVX you want the Sony EX1. That's about the only other camera in its class at that price range.
I'd also consider moving up to a 2/3" chip camera with interchangeable lenses like a Panasonic HPX500. Those will give you a much better 35mm print than prosumer cameras like the HVX or EX1. Also how you handle your footage in post and who does the uprez and filmout makes a huge difference.
Finally why the push for filmout in the first place? Generally as a DIY'er it's completely unnecessary. All festivals accept movies on digital- so no reason to get a film print for festival play. And if you are lucky enough to get a theatrical, run your distributor will want to be involved in the prints(i.e. control the edit, put on their logos) anyway so too early. In short, unless it's just the fun of seeing video printed onto celluloid it's a moot point (and a damned expensive prospect at that).
The whole point of shooting 24p is to end the expensive dependence on stock, process, negative, telecine, workprint, neg cut, answer print, optical soundtrack, release print, etc. Because the process is $$$.
Re: 720p vs 1080p film transfer (& HVX200 vs. HD100u) by Wade Harrington on Jul 13, 2008 at 3:01:00 pm
Just edited a feature shot with the JVC HDV (110u) I own the HVX-200. I was not impressed with the HDV. Especially how much of a pain it was to convert to an editable codec. I used Cineform HDV and it saved the project. If it were me, hving used both the cameras you talk about. I would shooot with the HVX-200a in the 1080pa format. do not use 1080p unless you want to convert everything again. Even though the 200 uses 720pn as it's native fromat it is not the highest resolution. 1080pa is 10-15 % more resolution. The first 200 is still way better than the JVC 110u..
But of course this is my opinion. To see some ways to convert film and prices check out this website.
