Challenge

Freelance cameraman Glenn Kantziper provides professional field production services to corporate and broadcast clients such as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and ESPN. “My client list is pretty diverse; they could call from anywhere in the world,” he explained.

Like other video production companies, Kantziper was looking to add HD capability to his portfolio. “At first, I was actually considering buying a full-sized camera, but decided it was wise to start smaller, test out the waters, and see the demand for HD among my clients,” he said.

For Kantziper, Panasonic’s AG-HVX200 camera offered the best combination of performance and price. “I’m always blown away when I see the quality of the footage from that little camera,” he said. While the HVX200 offered the best HD solution for his budget, Kantziper wondered how to handle the storage requirements. “At the time I purchased the camera, 8 GB was the largest card you could buy — and it was expensive.” Kantziper needed a more economical HD recording solution that would also give him the flexibility to handle long-format recording.

Solution

To address the HD storage challenge, Kantziper selected the FS-100 Direct To Edit recorder from Focus Enhancements. Designed to work with the AG-HVX200, the FS-100 lets videographers record DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO 50, and DVCPRO/DV streams directly from the HVX200 to disk via FireWire. With its standard 100 GB hard drive (and optional 160 GB) the FS-100 offers long recording times at a more cost-effective price point than several P2 cards.

“I had been seeing favorable reviews of the FS-100’s 3.0 software from users on forums and word of mouth. After seeing the success others were having with the device, I decided to pull the trigger,” said Kantziper. “And together, the HVX200 and FS-100 have exceeded my expectations in terms of quality and performance.”

Before the FS-100, Kantziper used to provide clients with a tape after each shoot. With Focus’ Direct To Edit technology, he now transfers files from the FS-100 to two external FireWire drives — keeping one for himself, and providing one to the client. When shooting SD, he often records to both tape and the FS-100 drive simultaneously. “This way the client can keep the Mini DV tape for archiving, with the added bonus of not having to digitize footage,” he explained.

The FS-100 is capable of recording video in a wide range of formats, including DVCPRO HD and DVCPRO 50 in native QuickTime mode for direct import into Final Cut Pro.

“The beauty of the FS-100 is I now have the capability to record in many different formats,” said Kantziper. “As a freelancer, I have to shoot for people from all different walks of life. And with the FS-100, I can shoot for almost any editing program, as opposed to a P2 card that only supports MXF.”

With the FS-100’s 4.0 software, Kantziper can now playback slow motion and fast motion footage directly in real time from the FS-100. “It’s always nice to be able to play something back in the field to make sure it looks the way I want it to,” he said. “That was a great addition to the product.”

Benefits

The combination of the FS-100 and HVX200 gives Kantziper a cost-effective entry point to offer HD services to clients. “The FS-100 and HVX200 have let me get into the HD world for a very reasonable price. Nothing else can touch the price — and the imagery is amazing,” explained Kantziper. “I can pass some of that discount onto my clients and they get great HD footage. Everyone is happy. Think about it — with the FS-100, I didn’t have to buy a 30K full-sized tape camera, and my clients don’t need to buy a 30K HD deck.”

And Focus’ Direct To Edit technology delivers added value to Kantziper’s clients. “Clients can now walk away from a shoot with the files right on their external hard drive — meaning they no longer have to digitize when they go back to edit. And clients have been extremely happy,” concluded Kantziper.”

Tags: PR //