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MillimeterShoot Review —
Focus Enhancements FireStore DR-DV5000
Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Barry Braverman
Disk recorder offers shooters tapeless acquisition.
The FS-3 is a FireWire-based DV disk recorder that can work with any DV camera. The integrated DR-DV5000 is designed to work seamlessly with the JVC GY-DV5000 camcorder.
As a shooter you know all too well that it's your camera's weak spot. Its appetite for battery power can be voracious, often requiring you to cart a case full of 8lb. bricks. Hot summer days dripping with humidity can easily cripple it as drops of condensation form on pressure pads and the record heads themselves.
Is there a pro shooter alive who hasn't experienced the horror of seeing the camera's DEW light blinking at the worst possible moment, usually before the day's big money shot? Of course, even if you survive the humidity, there's always the chance of dirt or abrasive sand penetrating the mechanism, wreaking havoc and causing dropouts. For the DV shooter, dropouts are an ongoing occupational hazard that only underlies the failings of an aging technology, built on pulleys and belts, pinch rollers and videotape.
I speak, of course, of the tape transport. Thankfully, the trouble-prone world of tape and tape transports is slowly fading from the scene. And good riddance! For today's digital shooter, the unsettling notion of dragging a magnetized strip of iron oxide across an electromagnet should be an anathema. We can do better, much better.
Consider the DR-DV5000 disk recorder from Focus Enhancements, a variation of the company's FS-3 designed specifically for JVC's GY-DV5000 and DV5001. It can also mount to JVC's GY-DV500, DV550, and DV700.
Ultimate flexibility
The DR-DV5000 is a fully integrated DV recorder that allows shooters to record and play back directly to and from a FireWire drive affixed to the camera. Detached and removed from its special carrier, the FireStore drive operates like any other FireWire drive, mountable on any Mac or IEEE 1394-equipped PC with a standard six-pin FireWire connection.
On the face of it, recording directly to the hard drive makes good sense. You're editing in an NLE with assets residing on one or more hard drives anyway, so it's only logical that you record to the hard disk in the first place. This not only saves time, but it also improves the reliability of small-format recordings. The direct-to-disk system also greatly improves workflow because good takes can be organized into folders prior to capture into the editing environment.
The DR-DV5000 also offers the DV shooter-producer a range of features not possible on tape-based systems. For one thing, it can record to tape and disk simultaneously, an interesting proposition for some multi-faceted productions requiring rapid capture of scenes directly into the NLE on the set. Moreover, the FireStore can record in a continuous fashion from tape to disk or from disk to tape in order to garner maximum running time from all available media. For ENG and wedding and event shooters, a Loop mode ensures that the camera will never run out of media, the same disk space being recycled continuously if desired.
Focus Enhancements provides pre-configured FireWire storage in a range of capacities from 0GB to 80GB. The 0GB option is of particular interest as any standard 2.5in. drive may be used in the special carrier. Simply insert the drive and snap on the controller. I wish all manufacturers were this considerate of our limited finances. In this way shooters can take advantage of lower-cost, higher-capacity drives as they become available in the future.
The DR-DV5000 as tested
While the FireStore DV video disk recorder will work with any DV camera, its functionality and reliability are enhanced significantly when the unit is integrated into the camera system itself. This obviates the need for a potentially irksome FireWire jumper cable, a source of user-reported problems in the past, especially around the notoriously fragile four-pin connector found ubiquitously on lower-end gear.
The DR-DV5000 disk recorder is mated to the JVC GY-DV5000 camera, a popular, moderately priced consumer DV camcorder with a three-CCD, 1/2in. chipset. The camera, noted for its economy and extensive feature set, is used widely by many wedding and events shooters, and it has become a favorite at many colleges and universities as well.
First impressions
The disk recorder has a robust feel, and that's good. The prospect of a hard drive being jostled and abused in the field goes to the heart of the recorder's basic reliability, so robust construction with excellent shock protection is essential for all users, not just ENG shooters. With its 10-second electronic shock cache, 8MB buffer, and commercial-duty error correction, the DR-DV5000 can survive the rigors of real-life shooting conditions, beyond the relatively cushy confines of an engineer's lab or magazine reviewer's hovel.
Above: The DR-DV5000 recorder mounted on back of a camera creates a back-heavy condition that can be greatly ameliorated by use of a production matte box like the Chrosziel 4x4 DV matte box seen here.
Operation is simple. Given the recorder's large, easy-to-read LCD display and logical connectors, there are no convoluted protocols to learn for using the FireStore system. The drive, once initialized on a Mac or PC, may be used just as well on or off the camera. The drive mounts and dismounts like any other FireWire drive, which is to say that it couldn't be easier. Again, the workflow is simple, which means this is a tool you'll likely use and use often, rather than stash away in your closet until you're ready to list it on eBay.
Key workflow features
Power utilization is always a major consideration for shooters, who know all too well how a low battery or defective power cord can cripple any production. The DR-DV5000, draining a mere 7.5W, is efficient at sharing power with the DV5000 camcorder, no matter the power source. The slim Anton-Bauer 90W Dionic battery efficiently powers the recorder and camera simultaneously without the typical excessive bulk or weight of a “brick.”
Many features enabled by the DR-DV5000 are simply not possible in exclusively tape-based camera systems. Besides the Loop function cited earlier, which allows for nonstop recording, shooters may specify a prescribed time for buffering video on the hard drive ahead of the actual trigger start point. Found increasingly in higher-end cameras like the Panasonic AJ-SDX900, this Retro Disk feature is, in addition to the Retro Cache, a multi-second prerecord data buffer exclusive of the hard drive. Now all DV cameras regardless of price can enjoy the prerecord disk and cache features enabled by the FS-3 and DR-DV5000 recorders.
For maximum flexibility, the DR-DV5000 recorder supports several DV25 record formats, including DV, AVI, QuickTime, Canopus AVI, Matrox AVI, and Avid OMF. The Organize OMF feature arranges all OMF clips into a single OMFI MediaFile folder so the Avid MediaTool can access it in the Avid timeline.
Shortcomings
The larger traditional Anton/Bauer brick battery will further exacerbate the weight differential in full-size camcorders, so the slimmer and lighter-weight Dionic model makes a better choice.
While the operation of the DR-DV5000 is straightforward, I did recognize at least one shortcoming in actual field testing. The recorder adds about 2.5lbs. (1.1kg) to the back of the JVC camera, so when combined with even a lightweight battery, the total package displaces the weight far enough back to be uncomfortable for handheld shooters. The addition of a production matte box (always a good idea) will help rectify the back-heavy condition by more evenly balancing the load on the shooter's shoulder. Good balance is critical if we shooters are to do our best work, especially handheld, so this should be a consideration in your buying decision.
Summary
The DR-DV5000 DV disk recorder combines the virtues of many advanced features with superior workflow and utmost flexibility. For shooters to take maximum advantage, however, integration with the host camera is highly desirable if not essential. The DR-DV5000 is mated to the camera body via the 52-pin connector, thus obviating the need for an external FireWire cable. The integrated configuration allows for additional file-handling options: Dump To Tape and Dump To Disk capabilities. In terms of workflow, DV5000 users can also constantly monitor the status of the disk recorder in the camera viewfinder, including the remaining disk space.
The unit's price tag is, of course, not cheap at just under $2,000, but the rewards can be considerable with respect to improved productivity and efficiency. If you're a wedding and events or ENG shooter, the future is upon you now. The tapeless revolution is here.
BOTTOM LINE
Company: Focus Enhancements Campbell, Calif.;(408) 866-8300
www.focusinfo.com
Product: FireStore DR-DV5000
Assets: Loop-recording function ensures that shooters never miss a shot; robust construction with extensive shock protection; low power usage.
Caveats: Weight (about 2.5lbs.) shifts balance enough to the rear of the camera to make handheld shooting uncomfortable.
Demographic: JVC GY-DV5000 and DV5001 shooters looking for a tapeless recording option.
Price: $1,995
Barry Braverman is director of DVD training at Video Symphony in Burbank, Calif., where he teaches Sonic DVD Creator, Sonic Scenarist, and Apple DVD Studio Pro.
feedback
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