Video Frame Rate Confusion - 24p or 60i (Expert Help Needed)

Still thinking about which camera to purchase, and taking the fact that I want to shoot HD videos, I have decided to get to know video photography better so I can make a better buying decision. What drove me into writing this post and thinking of getting a DSLR with video or Video camcorder, was the announcement of the Sony NEX-VG10 Interchangeable lens HD camcorder. I mean, if I've gotten a DSLR, I would probably went for the Canon 550D or the Canon 7D to get a high quality HD videos with my next DSLR camera.

The much I've read about video photography, the much I knew how much knowledge I was missing in that field. When you start reading about HD video photography, you learn about codecs, different frame rates, interlacing, video editing software, NTSC/PAL and so on. So it doesn't get really easier when you start reading to learn more about video photography.

I am starting from a point where I know that I want a capable DSLR camera that can shoot HD 1080i videos, that's for sure. My budget is around $2000, and the search is still going on.I've seen some great videos taken with DSLR cameras, Canon 550D, 7D and 5D Mark II among them, and I was very impressed with the image quality and the fact that I can have better control over the DOF, compared to consumer video camcorders.

Sony NEX-VG10 and 60i
The Sony NEX-VG10 is truly a breakthrough consumer camcorder, one which enables you to enjoy shooting high quality HD videos on a large Sony ASP Exmor sensor (an ASP-C size sensor), and it comes with a 18-200mm KIT lens. But after reading some info about the NEX-VG10, some photographers and reviewers have mentions that it can only shoot 60i videos. Yeh, I know, what is 60i anyway.

60i means 60 fields per second, and that means that the camera records both odd and even fields for better smooth video quality. So it is actually 30fps as far as I know. 60i is better for live video footage and for DVD or Blu-ray output. So my first question was "What is the recommended frame rate for the web, aka, YouTube?".

Does 60i means Better Video Quality?

So what it means? - so by having the option to shoot 60i will help me get better video qualities on YouTube, as seen on that video I've just posted? - I've got really confused. What can get from all that information is that the video can't be 60i and 24p at the same time, and I also know that YouTube (probably) re-sampling the video to 30FPS. My fast conclusion is that even when re-sampling (downgrading) the video to a lower 24p from 60i, you actually get a higher video quality, am I right?

60i vs 24p

This Scot guy shows the main difference in shooting videos in 60i and 24p. The 24p is a "flim like" frame rate, which is used widely in theater movies, DVDs and Blu-ray movies. You can see the smudging on the 24p footage, which I didn't like at all. So when you shoot HD videos in 24p and pan the camera fast from side to side, or you the photographed subject moves too fast (faster then the frame rate), you'll get a blurred (ghosting) image as seen on this video. 60i is usually the preferred frame-rate for broadcasting, news and sport events, when you want the "Live" video look.

We all know that YouTube is not the only option for uploading videos, but it is a great place to promote you videos online. I've searched for another popular tube site in order to compare the different options that other Tube sites offer. I've came across Vimeo. Here's a video footage shot with the Panasonic HPX170 camcorder.

The colors and the video quality is just amazing. The Panasonic HPX170 uses a 4:2:2 independent frame production quality HD recording and a 1/3" progressive 3-CCD imager system and a Leica Dicomar 13X lens. It costs $4,895.00, and because of the small sensor (and the high price) It is out of my list of course. But you can see that it can produce amazing videos when uploaded to Vimeo.

Vimeo vs Youtbe in terms of Video Quality

So the question is "Does Vimeo Tube site offer a better option to upload higher quality videos then YouTube?". YouTube only cares about resolution and recommend uploading the videos as-is, without re-sampling (downgrading or upgrading the video framerate). Read more here on YouTube support page on optimizing you video uploads. Ok, so now its time to dig into Vimeo help pages to find out about their encoder, to see if there is a difference between the encoder of Vimeo compared to YouTube.com site.

Luckily, it was easy to find in the help center under Compressions guidelines. Vimeo encoder convert every video to a 30 fps as far as I understood their help page. They recommend using up to 5000 kbits/sec for HD videos also and they recommend uploading MP4 files, even though that they support the following video formats: 3g2, 3gp, 3gp2, 3gpp, asf, asx, avi, divx, mts, m2t, m2ts, m2v, m4v, mkv, mov, mp4, mpe, mpeg, mpg, ogg, wmv. They have detailed tutorials on how to export you video for Vimeo using popular video editing software like Sony Vegas Platinum (and Pro), Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Elements and After Effects, Apple iMobie, Final Cut, Windows Movie Maker HD, Magix Movie Edit Pro, Handbrake, KDEnLive, Avid, Canopus and others. Click here for more info.

So my conclusion is that Vimeo is no different then YouTube, and for me that means that I will stay with YouTube because of its popularity among Internet users.

Convert 60i to 24p

So lets say that I've chosen the Sony NEX-5 as my HD video camera, how exactly I can convert 60i to 24p? -- I have found a great article on DVXuser.com, which explains about several software/plugins that you can use to convert between 60i to 24p. In that article you can see the differences in video quality between the different options. The first method was converting directly from the NLE (Vegas 6), the second method was to convert 60i to 24p using DVfilm Maker 2.2, and the thirds method was to use Magic Bullet 2.0 plugin within After Effect 6.5. Magic Bullet 2.0 yield much better results compared to the other options, but was very slow.

Sony Vegs Movie Studio HD - Affordable Video Editing Software

If you want an affordable yet high quality results, you should probably want to have a look at the Vegas Movie Studio HD, which cost around $44.95. It will allow you to quickly format you movies for online sharing sites like Facebook®, YouTube™ and others. It works on Microsoft® Windows® XP SP 2, Windows Vista™, or Windows 7 operating systems. You can even try their free trial offer (download link on the their product page).

Canon DSLR Cameras for HD Videos

I've already wrote a post which compared the Canon 550D vs. 7D vs. 5D Mark II in terms of video quality. In there I recommend buying the 550D if you want high HD movies and you are on a tight budget. You can read more about it in my post. The thing is that Canon DSLR cameras like the 7D, 550D (T2i) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, all produce excellent 1080i video clips. They offer 24p and 30p frame rate videos, great for uploading videos to YouTube. But as you saw the video that I have pasted above which compared the quality of bot the 24p and the 60i, and the fact that Canon 550D movie mode does not allow shooting in 60i, just 30p and 24p, I was thinking again if this is the camera I want for myself.

This is all went away after I've seen some great HD YouTube movies that were shot using the 550D/7D and the 5D Mark II DSLR cameras, and the fact that I need it for shooting landscape and cityscape videos, the panning blur doesn't bother me that much. Just to make things clearer, here's a YouTube video in HD, shot with the Canon EOS 7D. After watching this video, you will know what I am talking about. And that exactly what kind of scenery videos I want to shoot.

So What DSLR Camera/Camcorder Should You Buy?
So do I need more then this? - No. Is the image quality satisfy me? - Certainly YES!. The colors are amazing, the video quality is smooth and clear. So if you think of buying the Canon 7D/550D or the 5D Mark II, you will get both high quality movies and can also enjoy the best image quality as Canon is known for.

Again, I would be glad if some video expert guys will share there knowledge with me and post their comments on this post. There is a lost to learn about video photography and editing software, but for these kind of results I am willing to sit down and learn. But again, please share you knowledge and experience with my blog readers, I will greatly appreciate it. Again, Video Expert Help Needed!

BTW: Make sure that you also read my blog post about DSLR camera microphone if you want a great sound quality with your HD movies. Audio quality is not less important then video quality.

Camera News, Photography Reviews & Buying guides

July 15, 2010