VX1000 General Discussion (gear/set-ups, filming/editing, tips/advice, etc.)

[Thomas]

What I usually do is work in a timeline with the same settings as my DV clips, then upscale during export to HD.
Will there be a difference if I work in a HD timeline instead ?

[doyle]

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If I'm understanding your question right, that's exactly what we're seeing at the end of the video (normal upresed SD compared to AI enhanced).

[close]

at the end of his video, he compares the raw SD vs the result from Topaz, which is HD. obviously, we are going to see an increase in quality. i'd be interested to see if there was a difference between the Topaz clip, and an upscaled HD clip from FCPX.

The videos at the end with the "Original" title are the upscaled SD clips to HD though. If they weren't, and they were the actual original raw SD files (at original resolution), they wouldn't fill the video frame. Unless I'm still misunderstanding, the comparison at the end of the "Original" vs "Enhanced" videos is "editing software SD upscaled to HD" vs "AI enhanced."

What I usually do is work in a timeline with the same settings as my DV clips, then upscale during export to HD.
Will there be a difference if I work in a HD timeline instead ?

I haven't noticed any difference with these two methods (in Premiere), as long as you export with the same settings it should look the same.

[suckmadeck]

So I put the original clips into my HD timeline, and made them fill the frame, then I had the enhanced ones next to em. Now you mention that it would be interesting to see if the original clip vs. the enhanced one downsampled back to SD resolution. Sorry I didn't make it very clear!

[pj chad]

hoping to get the input of some fellow slap nerds. i searched this thread, and over the years there seems to be some differing opinions on shutter speed for the NSTC vx1000. i'm just learning that the general rule of thumb is to typically double the frame rate - so 29.97 = 1/60.

the below video (although it's not vx1000), says to typically shoot sunny daytime footage at 1/125 for shutter speed in order to find a balance between 1/1000 which is too jumpy, and 1/60 which is a little blurry. is this what everyone typically follows?

if i had planned on exporting a vx1000 edit to 60fps, should i be adjusting the shutter speed to corrleate with that (around 1/250 or 1/500), or should the shutter remain at 1/125 since the true frame rate is 29.97?

lastly, i know some people in this thread have said that f5.6 is the "sweet spot" for aperture on the vx1000. is that mostly because it is directly in the middle between a shallow depth of field vs a deep depth of field?

[suckmadeck]

hoping to get the input of some fellow slap nerds. i searched this thread, and over the years there seems to be some differing opinions on shutter speed for the NSTC vx1000. i'm just learning that the general rule of thumb is to typically double the frame rate - so 29.97 = 1/60.

the below video (although it's not vx1000), says to typically shoot sunny daytime footage at 1/125 for shutter speed in order to find a balance between 1/1000 which is too jumpy, and 1/60 which is a little blurry. is this what everyone typically follows?

if i had planned on exporting a vx1000 edit to 60fps, should i be adjusting the shutter speed to corrleate with that (around 1/250 or 1/500), or should the shutter remain at 1/125 since the true frame rate is 29.97?

lastly, i know some people in this thread have said that f5.6 is the "sweet spot" for aperture on the vx1000. is that mostly because it is directly in the middle between a shallow depth of field vs a deep depth of field?

It depends on what you're looking for. If you want crisp slowmo, I'd say 1/500th shutter speed is what you should use. If you want some blur, but still a decent crispy looking slowmo, I'd say 1/125th shutter speed.

And regarding the f-stop, if you have your camera setup at f1.8, the vignette is going to look soft, and at the higher f-stop it's easier to make focus mistakes. However, at f5.6 the depth of field is so deep that pretty much everything is going to be in focus which can be a plus, or a negative depending on who you ask. 

[Glurmpz]

Leaving the aperture wide open is why so much VX footage looks soft, always set it higher. (yes, 5.6 or higher is great)

[CHONGO]

Leaving the aperture wide open is why so much VX footage looks soft, always set it higher. (yes, 5.6 or higher is great)

exactly. anything below 5.6 gets a little soft.

[doyle]

Expand Quote

hoping to get the input of some fellow slap nerds. i searched this thread, and over the years there seems to be some differing opinions on shutter speed for the NSTC vx1000. i'm just learning that the general rule of thumb is to typically double the frame rate - so 29.97 = 1/60.

the below video (although it's not vx1000), says to typically shoot sunny daytime footage at 1/125 for shutter speed in order to find a balance between 1/1000 which is too jumpy, and 1/60 which is a little blurry. is this what everyone typically follows?

if i had planned on exporting a vx1000 edit to 60fps, should i be adjusting the shutter speed to corrleate with that (around 1/250 or 1/500), or should the shutter remain at 1/125 since the true frame rate is 29.97?

lastly, i know some people in this thread have said that f5.6 is the "sweet spot" for aperture on the vx1000. is that mostly because it is directly in the middle between a shallow depth of field vs a deep depth of field?

[close]

It depends on what you're looking for. If you want crisp slowmo, I'd say 1/500th shutter speed is what you should use. If you want some blur, but still a decent crispy looking slowmo, I'd say 1/125th shutter speed.

And regarding the f-stop, if you have your camera setup at f1.8, the vignette is going to look soft, and at the higher f-stop it's easier to make focus mistakes. However, at f5.6 the depth of field is so deep that pretty much everything is going to be in focus which can be a plus, or a negative depending on who you ask.

This is good advice. The "double the frame rate shutter speed rule" is generally suggested for film/cinema, i.e. use 1/48th shutter speed if you're shooting 24fps and want a classic film look. For skating (SD and VX1000 especially) it really doesn't apply. I personally try not to go below 1/125th unless it's pitch black.

[Thomas]

I still don't really understand why, but there is something with F5.6 and the MKI fisheye that just works well.

[Olympus Mons]

Anyone got a current link for vx1000 batteries for sale online?

[Thomas]

Requesting help from Slap pals.
One of my VX1000 got the classic jammed tape where the tape deck do not go out entirely.

How do I extract the tape, and can I fix this ?
I’m not asking for « send it to Kerry » but for some experiences and instructions to do it myself.
Thanks a lot !

[Kevve]

So I thought that the photo/video board was for stuff about photography and filming until i checked it out. Turs out it wasn't. Is there any active photography/filming thread on Slap? Figured I should ask here before starting one.

[bataaard]

Requesting help from Slap pals.
One of my VX1000 got the classic jammed tape where the tape deck do not go out entirely.

How do I extract the tape, and can I fix this ?
I’m not asking for « send it to Kerry » but for some experiences and instructions to do it myself.
Thanks a lot !

had the problem once and i managed to open the left shell of the vx. disconnected it, reconnected it without putting the shell back. turn on the camera, and the tape dexk went down. then i put the vx back together and it worked as intended.
i might have been lucky but it's worth a try.

[Thomas]

Expand Quote

Requesting help from Slap pals.
One of my VX1000 got the classic jammed tape where the tape deck do not go out entirely.

How do I extract the tape, and can I fix this ?
I’m not asking for « send it to Kerry » but for some experiences and instructions to do it myself.
Thanks a lot !

[close]

had the problem once and i managed to open the left shell of the vx. disconnected it, reconnected it without putting the shell back. turn on the camera, and the tape dexk went down. then i put the vx back together and it worked as intended.
i might have been lucky but it's worth a try.

Merci Romain !

I just tear the left part down, got rid of the whole the tape band, and I had to remove the tape deck without disconnecting it to have the tape finally out.
I made a few tests and everything works now.

I have another issue with this camera that someone may have had :
Whenever I set my aperture to something lower than F5.6 the image gets blurry. Not out-of-focus blurry, but more of like a foggy effect. This happens with whatever shutter speed.

Any idea ?

[bataaard]

show us an example picture of the fogginess.

does your lens seem clean ?

[Phosphoresence]

Anybody aware of a rough going rate for an MK1 century optic lens?

[Thomas]

show us an example picture of the fogginess.

does your lens seem clean ?

Here is a video showing the defect.
Focus is auto
Shutter speed is auto (well it is not set, so I guess ?)



Edit: auto shutter is OFF in the settings.

[bataaard]

I've never seen that, but i guess if you open the lens and clean it from the inside, there's a good chance to get rid of the fogginess

[doyle]

I had something similar where the whole VAP unit was loose and I only noticed when it starting looking soft at night. If I pushed the whole front end in it would go into focus properly, which was an okay workaround for that day, but I ended up just sending it back to get fixed since I'd just bought it.

Here's what it looked like:

[Thomas]

I had something similar where the whole VAP unit was loose and I only noticed when it starting looking soft at night. If I pushed the whole front end in it would go into focus properly, which was an okay workaround for that day, but I ended up just sending it back to get fixed since I'd just bought it.

This very much looks like the same defect, even if my VAP unit isn't loose.
I will try to open it and whether clean it or check if something might have moved in there.

Thanks !

[BJM]

Anybody aware of a rough going rate for an MK1 century optic lens?

See them going for upwards of $1000 these days on Ig accounts like VX1000MARKET. even saw one on ebay for $2000 lmao

[CHONGO]

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Anybody aware of a rough going rate for an MK1 century optic lens?

[close]

See them going for upwards of $1000 these days on Ig accounts like VX1000MARKET. even saw one on ebay for $2000 lmao

wouldn't send another dollar to vxKookmarket
Yea prices of MK1's are around 1200+

[Baklazanxd]

Hi, so my repaired vx1000 (the tape wouldn't eject), arrived yesterday and it was fully working with no problems.
Today I tried to film something and after I've inserted the battery into the VX and tried turning it on it just beeped and showed a full battery icon but nothing else worked.
First thing I thought was that the temperature was a bit too cold for the camera (it was around 7°C = 44.6°F).
But when I came back home and waited for it to get to room temperature it still wouldn't turn on :(.
I've tried multiple batteries and nothing helped. Any suggestions?

also sorry for my english, I'm from Slovakia

[pj chad]

Hi, so my repaired vx1000 (the tape wouldn't eject), arrived yesterday and it was fully working with no problems.
Today I tried to film something and after I've inserted the battery into the VX and tried turning it on it just beeped and showed a full battery icon but nothing else worked.
First thing I thought was that the temperature was a bit too cold for the camera (it was around 7°C = 44.6°F).
But when I came back home and waited for it to get to room temperature it still wouldn't turn on .
I've tried multiple batteries and nothing helped. Any suggestions?

also sorry for my english, I'm from Slovakia

That's rough. Sorry to hear. VX1000's are notorious for hating cold weather. It's a long shot, but is your VX on autolock (switch below the power)? Are you able to see a picture through the viewfinder, or is it black? Are you able to change the program type, shutter, aperature, white balance? Does anything show on the rear door when you try to change any of these settings?

[Baklazanxd]

Expand Quote

Hi, so my repaired vx1000 (the tape wouldn't eject), arrived yesterday and it was fully working with no problems.
Today I tried to film something and after I've inserted the battery into the VX and tried turning it on it just beeped and showed a full battery icon but nothing else worked.
First thing I thought was that the temperature was a bit too cold for the camera (it was around 7°C = 44.6°F).
But when I came back home and waited for it to get to room temperature it still wouldn't turn on .
I've tried multiple batteries and nothing helped. Any suggestions?

also sorry for my english, I'm from Slovakia

[close]

That's rough. Sorry to hear. VX1000's are notorious for hating cold weather. It's a long shot, but is your VX on autolock (switch below the power)? Are you able to see a picture through the viewfinder, or is it black? Are you able to change the program type, shutter, aperature, white balance? Does anything show on the rear door when you try to change any of these settings?

It's on manual. There's no picture, just the battery indicator. I can change the program type, shutter speed, white balance, but not the aperature. Yes the icons pop up but I don't think it does anything, also the menu doesn't work.

I guess I'll be sending it back for another repair.

[Thomas]

My friend's board smashed into my fisheye this week-end, poping of the front of the VAP unit and scratching my brand new MKI when it hit the ground. I feel so bad because I have a Tadashi filter and it was in my bag but I just didn't put it on...

Do you guys know if Century is still selling front elements ?

Also, I glued my VAP unit back after removing the front lens and let it dry overnight with my camera standing vertically.
Still, there was a little fog in the inner lens this morning, so I didn't touch and let it until get to work.

If I fucked it up, is there any way to fix this ?

Thanks for your help, I feel like a total noob...

Edit: pictures for reference

[doyle]

Dang, sorry to hear. I've always heard never to use any glue on broken lens mounts for that exact reason (glue causing foggy internal lenses) and to always use electrical tape instead. I'm not sure if it's fixable honestly, but I would suggest hitting up Video Electronics or a similar repair place for their insight on that one. You could also just try breaking it where the glue is and cleaning it yourself.

As far as the lens goes, I believe Century is only replacing front elements themselves, and charging a bunch for the labour on top of the glass itself. I think I read on here it was something like $600 or $800 for that, but honestly it's probably worth it since once they're out of stock it'll be impossible to fix it.

[bataaard]

it depends of the type of glue you use and the quantity.

I always used gorilla glue in small quantities and never had a problem. It's better to glue your bayo in 2 or 3 times to avoid too much fume. I even glue the bayo part of the vx before it's even broken to make sure it doesn't fall.

[CHONGO]

Ahhh shit man. I always used hot glue so that it doesn't get fumes on the lens

[Thomas]

Alright so I sent my camera to VX doc, I hope he will be able to fix it.

As for the fisheye, Century sent me a service form for repair.
The front element is 295$ and the labor rate is 150$/hour...