Shooting in 4k

[Blake Merrell]

Mod note: This thread is split from: http://backcountrypost.com/threads/...backpacking-90-miles-in-the-wind-rivers.5352/

I was filming in 4k 24 fps

Would you mind elaborating why you filmed in 4K?

 

[Nick]

Would you mind elaborating why you filmed in 4K?

Because it's AWESOME!!!

 

[Blake Merrell]

Because it's AWESOME!!!

HA! If you have a 4K compatible TV, maybe

Wondering if it is worth the memory space, processing time, and battery usage. I sometimes film in 4K, but that is when I might want to grab a still from the video, or do a bit of zooming in post production.

 

[Nick]

I don't have a 4k TV yet, although I've started thinking about picking one up because of all the great 4k content on the internet lately. But I do have an iMac that has more pixels than a 1080p TV at home and a 5k iMac at work. Even the non 5k iMac is awesome to watch 4k stuff on. It's only a matter of time before everyone is on 4k and then we'll look back and wish all that 720/1080p stuff had twice the pixels. Hard drives are cheap, memories are priceless.

 

[steve]

Would you mind elaborating why you filmed in 4K?

Sure.

This:

do a bit of zooming in post production.

and...

Because it's AWESOME!!!

and...

It's only a matter of time before everyone is on 4k and then we'll look back and wish all that 720/1080p stuff had twice the pixels. Hard drives are cheap, memories are priceless.

I film everything in 4k these days, because it's cheap and I might as well. i like being able to punch in in post, and I like future-proofing it. If I need to go back and reuse any footage 5 years from now, 1080p will feel like 480p. The price point is cheap enough to make 4k a reality. Do I need to do it for YouTube content? Absolutely not, but it holds up better after grading and effects, and it gives me a lot of latitude for zooming in a little. That's especially worth it for GoPros, where it's already so tough to see something off in the distance.

Also, even if you're only publishing to 1080p, you'll still get a crisper video by filming and editing in 4k then exporting it down to 1080p. Each pixel is packed with that much more info, and you'll get a 'better' 1080p video. I don't know how to explain it better.

Is it worth it? I dunno. It's cheap, and it doesn't cost me any extra money to film in 4k. It takes one heck of a computer to edit it though. For most people it won't be worth it. For me, looking back at videos, I can definitely see a big difference between my 4k ones and my 1080p ones. Once you have a 2k, 3k, 4k, or 5k screen, it makes a huge difference.

I've still got a lot to learn, but this is my effort to make the best videos I know how, and when I look back at my time there I don't want to be saying "I wish I had just turned 4k on, it would have looked so much sharper."

 

[Blake Merrell]

It takes one heck of a computer to edit it though.

Yeah... this is one of the biggest issues.

what do you do with all your old footage? Do you archive it? If so, how do you archive it.

Where can I find a nice and cheap HD. looking for 100 TB for under $20... haha

 

[Nick]

The only 4k editing I've done was on a time lapse. I can't even imagine how long it takes to crunch these videos Steve is cranking out. As for storage, go big or go home!

 

[Parma]

I believe this alleged quote by Bill Gates has relevance here:
"No one will need more than 637 kB of memory for a personal computer"

 

[Bob]

want, want, want more........never ends.....
Hate to tell you as you get older your eyes get worse.....so you can't tell so much the difference..... but 4k is nice....

 

[steve]

what do you do with all your old footage? Do you archive it? If so, how do you archive it.

I dont keep my raw footage. My a7sii records at 100 mbps. At the end of a weekend I'll often have over 100gb of Raw footage. I only keep backups of my final produced video.

 

[Kullaberg63]

What is the "one heck of a computer" you're using?

 

[Upgrayedd]

What is the "one heck of a computer" you're using?

I'm curious on the specs as well. I've edited video at 1080p before and it's resource intensive, I can only imagine 4k.

 

[Nick]

I split the discussion about shooting in 4k into it's own thread. This originally started in this excellent video TR from @steve : http://backcountrypost.com/threads/...backpacking-90-miles-in-the-wind-rivers.5352/

 

[Dave]

Hate to tell you as you get older your eyes get worse.....so you can't tell so much the difference..... but 4k is nice....

That's what laser surgery is for.

I'm curious on the specs as well. I've edited video at 1080p before and it's resource intensive, I can only imagine 4k.

One thing that can help is transcoding to a less resource-intensive format. My 2006 Mac Pro chokes on raw 4k footage, even upgraded with a 1 gig video card. If I transcode that same clip into Apple ProRes, Final Cut can edit and play just fine. Trade-off is just transcoding time and greater use of disk space.

 

[steve]

Thank you for splitting this thread Nick.

What is the "one heck of a computer" you're using?

I built my own machine specifically for video editing. It's a couple years old (it'll be for sale in the next month or two before I hit the road since my RV can't keep up with its small battery)

I can't remember the motherboard. I think it's an ASUS
Intel Core i7, 980 @ 3.33 GHz hex-core with hyper threading (able to run as 12 cores)
24gb ram
4GB Nvidia Gforce GTX570
Fast Drives
Huge Power Supply
DVD burner
dual dell widescreen monitors (can't remember the exact specs, they were about $400 each)
I'm editing on Premiere pro CS6 (I don't make enough money on my videos to be able to afford $50/month for CC) I use CC at work and I like a lot of the features, but CS6 is more than enough

There are sexier machines out there, but this one handles my 4k content just fine.

 

[Bob]

That's what laser surgery is for

I don't want anyone messing around with my eyes.....

 

[Blake Merrell]

idk... 1080p seems to look pretty cool on the big TV's still, and I can film in much faster framerates that allow for some pretty cool slow motion and such.

now if I was making some money from my video content, then I might be able to afford the nice cameras and PC, and software that Steve is using.

Having a capable machine to crunch the videos is essential. sounds like @steve has a pretty slick set up. I do like your idea of making the video and archiving it, and then deleting the raw footage. I sometimes take a bunch of screen captures from the video to help preserve parts of it that way. with free Google Photo Storage, why not!

 

[Dave]

I don't want anyone messing around with my eyes.....

Your loss. LASIK was some of the best money I ever spent, especially for being outdoors: no glasses to worry about, no contacts, sharper vision for spotting distant objects.

 

[Bob]

I always wear sunglasses outside, so prescription lenses are no hassle. So, at least during the day there is no advantage. Others I know had it done (a while ago) have poorer night vision.....but they may have fixed that in the procedure. Each his own.....