OT: New video camera for the blog

[EEVblog]

Cooling fan! 

[EEVblog]

You don't have to record in 4k, but you can take advantage of the fact it records in 1080p 50mbps

Yeah, at 3 times the file size I currently shoot at.

[Rasz]

that camera is already faulty, the other SD card slot has not been working for some time now. And Dave has been doing video blogging professionally now for years.

replace both sd card sockets, they arent magical, there are insertion limits.
Dead one is probably permanently open, while the flaky one has bad contact(high impedance, SD clock is 48MHz after all) because of vibration/heat/cosmic ray/material wear. I highly doubt its software fault, it is writing to the card after all, just not all the bits are correct.

But at this point I suspect Dave is too deep in the new toy phase to back down, plus spooked about the idea of wasting half a day with this particular camera.

[EEVblog]

Dead one is probably permanently open, while the flaky one has bad contact(high impedance, SD clock is 48MHz after all) because of vibration/heat/cosmic ray/material wear. I highly doubt its software fault

No, it's not a hardware fault, it's a firmware fault.

But at this point I suspect Dave is too deep in the new toy phase to back down, plus spooked about the idea of wasting half a day with this particular camera.

Replacing the relatively almost new SD card socket will not fix my problem, it will be a big waste of time. There is almost certainly nothing wrong with it.

[Eliminateur]

Cooling fan! 

wth indeed, i would steer clear from that contraption, nothing ever good comes from small cooling fans(noise, dirt, when they get old they lock and make more noise, powr consumption, etc).

BTW, why do you use a battery for the lab shots instead of an AC adapter?

my 2 cents:
Have you considered the sony HDR-CX900/B?:
it's not 4K so you're not paying for that gimmick
1080p60 and all the other formats, dual video recording
1" back-lit CMOS sensor
1cm to 100cm focus lens, F2.8 to F4.5 aperture 7 blade iris, adjustable ND filter and 24x zoom
true optical OIS (and we all know Sony OIS IS the industry top, well you use it on a fixed mount so ois might not be useful for you)
it has wifi .n
infrared for night shots
3.5" touch LCD with 921K pixels
accesory show, mic input

it's also super-new as it was unveiled in CES 2014

[BeJay]

For MY 2 bob,

I've always used Canon cameras for stills, my video has always been Panasonic. Back in the day I used a National A2 all the way through the whole DV thing and now to my latest  Panasonic HC-X920M which I love. Between this for video and my Canon D20 (underwater) and D7 I have all my capture options covered! For me Canon just can't get the video camcorder right, but that's just me.

[neuraxon77]

In addition to a new camera have you considered multiple cheap backup cameras that record continuously from multiple perspectives and just loop ala security/car cameras? Won't be the same quality, but might save your sanity.

[Eliminateur]

Won't be the same quality, but might save your sanity.

And who's going to "keep their sanity" importing(multiple sd, having to keep track of where each cam is, etc) and editing all that footage afterwards?
not useful for backup

[RyanAMT]

Long time browser - first time poster.

The Canon XA series cameras are great.  We have the XA10 at work for backup and small shoots that don't require taking out our Sony production cameras.  My gripe with the XA10 is the touch screen is terrible and clunky.  I've read that Canon has improved the touch screen on the XA20/25 but I have not tried it.  A complaint that I have seen in a few places with the XA20/25 is that the battery release button is blocked when using certain tripod plates.  With those aside we have gotten great looking video out of the XA10 and once it's set up to our liking it is very easy to use.  With that said I can only imagine that the new models are going to output an even better looking image than the XA10. 

The biggest plus to the the XA series are the dedicated XLR audio inputs and phantom power.  This will give you better selection of mics to use, manual control of the audio levels, and better sound as the use higher quality preamps.

^Just my 2 cents.

[Rutger]

How about taking a 10-30 sec test shot and then playing it back on the camera to make sure it is recording.

Also is it not possible to feed the video&audio signal into a computer as a second recording?

[pickle9000]

How about taking a 10-30 sec test shot and then playing it back on the camera to make sure it is recording.

Also is it not possible to feed the video&audio signal into a computer as a second recording?

Reliable gear for a job you do everyday. For a complex piece of equipment like a camera you need to know (as much as possible) that it's going to work. Same with test gear, sure if it's only being used once in a while maybe test before use.

Dave's primary bit of gear for the blog is his camera gear. He uses it more than his test gear. Unless this is a known problem with an easy fix a professional needs to shelve it or sell it and get on with a replacement. Even though it sounds harsh gear is changed all the time for many reasons (other than failure). It's not a big deal when your livelihood depends on it.

[free_electron]

dump the removable flash memory based cards. get a camera with fixed flash and/or harddisk.

[Eliminateur]

dump the removable flash memory based cards. get a camera with fixed flash and/or harddisk.

no camera has fixed flash, even less pro/prosumer equipment.
hdd are not used anymore in cameras either, i do remember some consumer sony handycam that had hdd back some year ago, in the prosumer camp you need to be able to swap out memory without having to move the entire camera with you

[RyanAMT]

There are some cameras with internal storage but they most always have removable storage options (XA10 for example) - just have to remember to set the camera to record to the right drive.  I do remember some consumer Sony Handycams that had HDDs and they had high failure rates.  One of the biggest issues with recording to internal memory besides running out of memory is with the post workflow as you either have to copy the footage over to the SD drive, which can takes more time, or you have to take your camera over to the computer and plug it in. 

[MJR]

Cannon is good, but they too fall prey to "why is that a problem?" syndrome. Classic example is their pretend it doesn't exist attitude to the DSLR image writing problem that existed for years and across several generations of cameras. Put simply, if you took a picture or a series of pictures and happened to shut the camera off while they were still writing to storage.... *POOF* They were gone. Other camera makers simply put the logic in to keep that circuit alive until the buffer was flushed, but Cannon let it go on for quite awhile. I am sure the DSLR write is fixed now, but I would not make any assumption about them fixing a product flaw in newer generations anymore.

Trust is like a cold glass of water in the desert, quickly gone and hard to get.

[IanJ]

Hi,

Thinking sideways a little.....it appears EYEFI sd cards compatible with certain camcorders.

The idea being the sd card will transmit over wifi back to his PC immediately after each shot (video).
Might be worth trying, the idea being after each shot Dave only needs glance sideways to a PC at the corner of his lab to see the video file being received/previewed.

I've tried it with still photos from a 7D and seems  to work ok.

http://support.eye.fi/cameras/

Ian.

[Circuitous]

The eyefi cards are great, and work with lots of cameras... but perhaps not all.
I have been using them with an older Nikon still camera, and two Canon video cameras (M40 & R50).
They have worked nicely, every time.  I have them upload the images/videos directly to my NAS, saves me lots of effort.
But, it might take a while to upload one of Dave's long shots.

[Lightages]

If the issue is lost work from failures, then you need to step up to a more professional camera IMHO. One that is built for more continuous use and has an SDI out so you can send the output to something like a Black Magic Hyperdeck. Actually I would use the Hyperdeck as the main recording device with a nice SSD you can swap to your computer for direct use and leave the cards in the camera unless you need to recover a failed recording on the Hyperdeck. I really think a jump up to a $4000USD camera plus the Hyperdeck would get rid of many headaches and make the workflow so much nicer, especially if the camera has true XLR inputs.

If you make your living doing video, then buying the right tool is just the smart thing to do.

Which camera in particular? Well, there are so many to choose from now. Find the one with the right features you want, lens range, light capability, storage media type, and with SDI out.

[EEVblog]

wth indeed, i would steer clear from that contraption, nothing ever good comes from small cooling fans(noise, dirt, when they get old they lock and make more noise, powr consumption, etc).

Yep, seems like madness.

BTW, why do you use a battery for the lab shots instead of an AC adapter?

Infinitely easier and less messy.
I have an extended battery pack lasts 4-5 hours, easily enough for whole days shoot.
Last thing you want is cable dangling around the place.

Have you considered the sony HDR-CX900/B?:
it's also super-new as it was unveiled in CES 2014

Juts had a quick look.
A 1" sensor is enormous.
I like that it's new. The others just seem a bit long in the tooth.
But I hate manuals that don't show you what the on-screen indicators are. i.e. does it have a true usable audio level dB bargraph?
They are still pushing memory stick? 
BTW, I do have an E-Mount macro lens for my Sony NEX-5T photo camera, so in theory the NEX-VG30 is possible, but the price is insane, and changes lens is 10 times in a shoot is not nice on the camera.

[EEVblog]

If the issue is lost work from failures, then you need to step up to a more professional camera IMHO. One that is built for more continuous use and has an SDI out so you can send the output to something like a Black Magic Hyperdeck.

No, that would kill my workflow, cables and external recording decides would suck for my purposes.

If you make your living doing video, then buying the right tool is just the smart thing to do.

I do have the right tool. A small, portable, battery powered cableless camcorder that does exactly the job I need it too, and does everything in-camera.
There is such a thing as over-production that can kill your efficiency in workflow.

[EEVblog]

Thinking sideways a little.....it appears EYEFI sd cards compatible with certain camcorders.

I've got one and my camera supports it, it's unreliable as hell.

[EEVblog]

dump the removable flash memory based cards. get a camera with fixed flash and/or harddisk.

My camera has 32GB built in flash, I rarely use it because it's not as convenient in several ways. SD card is just less messy and more flexible.

[EEVblog]

How about taking a 10-30 sec test shot and then playing it back on the camera to make sure it is recording.

I should have to.
If I can't trust my gear then it's not the right gear.

Also is it not possible to feed the video&audio signal into a computer as a second recording?

Possible but ridiculously inconvenient solution to a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.

[EEVblog]

In addition to a new camera have you considered multiple cheap backup cameras that record continuously from multiple perspectives and just loop ala security/car cameras? Won't be the same quality, but might save your sanity.

Nope. Once again a complex solution to a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.

[free_electron]

dump the removable flash memory based cards. get a camera with fixed flash and/or harddisk.

no camera has fixed flash, even less pro/prosumer equipment.
hdd are not used anymore in cameras either, i do remember some consumer sony handycam that had hdd back some year ago, in the prosumer camp you need to be able to swap out memory without having to move the entire camera with you

? really ? what planet are you from ?

Sony HDR-PJ420V : 32 gbyte flash built in
Sony HDR-PJ430V : 32 gbyte flash built in
Sony HDR-PJ380 : 16 Gbyte flash built in
Sony HDR-P J650 : 32 Gbyte built in
Sony HDR-P J540 : 32 Gbyte built in
Sony HDR-P J810 : 32 Gbyte built in
Sony HDR-PJ790V : 96 gbyte flash built in
Canon XA10 : 64 Gbyte built in
Canon Vixia HF R52 : 32 gbyte
Canon Vixia HF G20 : 32 Gbyte built in
JVC GZ-R70  32Gbyte built in

how many more do i need to list ?

I have two sony harddisk based machines that i use for underwater. (one 320Gbyte and one 250Gbyte) work perfectly fine :

Advice to dave : Go on ebay and buy a few used HDD based camcorders. shoot from different angles. simply plug in usb and copy files over.

SD cards are unreliable. I have a camcorder with Sd card. bump it while filing and you have corrupted files. the problem is the edge wiping contact of SD cards.
Compactflash is much more robust. that uses a real pinheader.

-edit- i just went to ebay. there's plenty 30Gb--60Gbyte HD camcorders used for between 60 to 200$.. you can get two or three for the price of one.