![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Adventures of Frannen and her Camcorder : Set up and explanations! : Days 1 - 2
So, upon testing the old camcorder to see if the quality would be good enough for my senior project, I discovered that no, indeed, it was not. As said camcorder was at least 8 years old and digital, it was sadly not surprising.
So, after months of agonizing over getting a new camcorder, combing over pages of reviews and statistics, I finally got one.
![](https://p.dreamwidth.org/6f1189e56b28/608728-655753/i42.tinypic.com/34pmceh.jpg")
It's a Canon VIXIA HF 100. High Def and films on SD cards.
![](https://p.dreamwidth.org/fdc5f93fb673/608728-655753/i41.tinypic.com/2ahs68g.jpg")
![](https://p.dreamwidth.org/9f607a300a41/608728-655753/i41.tinypic.com/bi12fm.jpg")
This thing is almost the same size as my normal camera, just about quarter inch bigger all round.
Heck, it's almost as small as my computer mouse
![](https://p.dreamwidth.org/793088be157b/608728-655753/i44.tinypic.com/125l6c0.jpg")
I ordered this on Tuesday at a little before noon. I figured I'd get it by Saturday. Due to the wonders of New Egg, it was in my hands Wednesday at around 1.
Day 1 was spent gleeing over it, charging the battery, reading the manual and fiddling with the buttons. Small bits of test recording was done and attempted to be edited.
This was where problem one, which I knew about to start, came in.
AVCHD is a relatively new file format. My video editing software? Not so new. And, being on Linux, not so native. So, I figure I'll attempt to install the packaged software and just convert to AVI.
Problem! Packaged software will ONLY run on XP or Vista. It refuses to run under wine and my windows installation is 2000Pro.
So a few searches later, I find a Linux native editor, kdenlive, that says it has support for AVCHD files. Perfect, right?
Maybe if it didn't explode every time I tried to run it.
2 frustrating hours later, I finally get it to run. Kinda. It only runs from the commandline, where as using the GUI makes it explode. Whatever. It's running.
Playback within the program makes viewing the video near impossible, so I go with just exporting to another file format, toying with the different outputs, none of which produce anything of quality, either pixelating the image or adding glitches. A few formats that took excessive time to process didn't even include the video.
After another 2-3 hours, I gave up and called it a night.
Day 2!
After locating the camera bag I had stopped using for my normal camera because it was too bulky to be practical, I happily found the new camcorder fit in it! Rather snuggly, but still a good fit. There was even enough room to tuck in two memory cards in the front pouch. With intent to just toy about with it, I brought it with to go to campus. It's small and light enough to fit in my oversized pocketbook (in fact, I think it weights the same as my camera with it's 4 AA batteries) so I just stuck it in when heading down.
As is often the case with campus, there was something going on. The Femme fair was set up in the lobby, so after lunch, I decided to go use that for footage. Not having expected to really be taping much, I had not brought my tripod, expecting I would just use the mini one in my bag on a table for anything I would be taping.
Well, whatever. Moving pan shots were all I planned for the Femme Fair anyway, so having those done by hand wouldn't be too horrible, right?
Then came the belly dancing demonstration. Oh, how I longed for my tripod! Many failed attempts to brace the camera in such a way that it didn't move so much resulted in the resolution that I either need to just give in and carry my tripod everywhere, or find an ultra light collapsible tripod.
But playback on the camcorder itself showed good audio quality, which was very nice. Still need to figure out how to play back and/or convert the files on Linux. Or windows, even. Debating giving in and getting a new copy of Premier Elements so I can start editing with out having to camp out in the Mac Lab on campus (especially since I swear those machines have the touch of death to them. Toasted my portable drive's data, fucked up my files, won't read my flashdrive or card reader or anything else, won't import video in high def... -_-; I don't know whether to blame the computer illiterate stoner hippy art majors who use them or the Macs themselves. @_@)
So: Things learned so far! ALWAYS bring the tripod. Always always always.
Video to come once I get the software end working so I can start working with the footage. @_@
So, after months of agonizing over getting a new camcorder, combing over pages of reviews and statistics, I finally got one.
It's a Canon VIXIA HF 100. High Def and films on SD cards.
This thing is almost the same size as my normal camera, just about quarter inch bigger all round.
Heck, it's almost as small as my computer mouse
I ordered this on Tuesday at a little before noon. I figured I'd get it by Saturday. Due to the wonders of New Egg, it was in my hands Wednesday at around 1.
Day 1 was spent gleeing over it, charging the battery, reading the manual and fiddling with the buttons. Small bits of test recording was done and attempted to be edited.
This was where problem one, which I knew about to start, came in.
AVCHD is a relatively new file format. My video editing software? Not so new. And, being on Linux, not so native. So, I figure I'll attempt to install the packaged software and just convert to AVI.
Problem! Packaged software will ONLY run on XP or Vista. It refuses to run under wine and my windows installation is 2000Pro.
So a few searches later, I find a Linux native editor, kdenlive, that says it has support for AVCHD files. Perfect, right?
Maybe if it didn't explode every time I tried to run it.
2 frustrating hours later, I finally get it to run. Kinda. It only runs from the commandline, where as using the GUI makes it explode. Whatever. It's running.
Playback within the program makes viewing the video near impossible, so I go with just exporting to another file format, toying with the different outputs, none of which produce anything of quality, either pixelating the image or adding glitches. A few formats that took excessive time to process didn't even include the video.
After another 2-3 hours, I gave up and called it a night.
Day 2!
After locating the camera bag I had stopped using for my normal camera because it was too bulky to be practical, I happily found the new camcorder fit in it! Rather snuggly, but still a good fit. There was even enough room to tuck in two memory cards in the front pouch. With intent to just toy about with it, I brought it with to go to campus. It's small and light enough to fit in my oversized pocketbook (in fact, I think it weights the same as my camera with it's 4 AA batteries) so I just stuck it in when heading down.
As is often the case with campus, there was something going on. The Femme fair was set up in the lobby, so after lunch, I decided to go use that for footage. Not having expected to really be taping much, I had not brought my tripod, expecting I would just use the mini one in my bag on a table for anything I would be taping.
Well, whatever. Moving pan shots were all I planned for the Femme Fair anyway, so having those done by hand wouldn't be too horrible, right?
Then came the belly dancing demonstration. Oh, how I longed for my tripod! Many failed attempts to brace the camera in such a way that it didn't move so much resulted in the resolution that I either need to just give in and carry my tripod everywhere, or find an ultra light collapsible tripod.
But playback on the camcorder itself showed good audio quality, which was very nice. Still need to figure out how to play back and/or convert the files on Linux. Or windows, even. Debating giving in and getting a new copy of Premier Elements so I can start editing with out having to camp out in the Mac Lab on campus (especially since I swear those machines have the touch of death to them. Toasted my portable drive's data, fucked up my files, won't read my flashdrive or card reader or anything else, won't import video in high def... -_-; I don't know whether to blame the computer illiterate stoner hippy art majors who use them or the Macs themselves. @_@)
So: Things learned so far! ALWAYS bring the tripod. Always always always.
Video to come once I get the software end working so I can start working with the footage. @_@
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
What distro are you using? Sun's virtualization software (VirtualBox i believe its called) is so easy you can use it blindfolded. I can write you a tutorial for that if you can download it from your repos easily.
no subject