Sure it's handy if you are looking at going to film but that's not what most are doing. Heck, rerender any video to 24p...same thing...
I think the big deal about this camera is that people think it's gonna give them the "film look". They're in for a surprise...
There is no magic tool that's going to do this. People are so preoccupied with trying to get video to look like film that most of the time they end up churning out crap. I know a lot of people like this...The have no idea of shot composition, the rule of thirds, the 180 rule, 3 point lighting, light temps....in other words, the basics...and they think that shooting 24 fps and adding some grain is going to make their stuff look like a film....
Hell, I wonder if some know what a 3:2 pulldown is, what is meant by 60i...
Everyone is so enamored by 24p that they totally forget that if you watch it on TV it's got to be 29.97 fps so shooting 24 fps is pretty irrelavent.

James

Well it's gonna be 60i at a 3:2 pulldown rate....

so it's pretty much 24p....
I've been studying cinematography for 3 years at University and this camera is quite interesting for what we have to do...

>>Sure it's handy if you are looking at going to film but that's not what most are doing. Heck, rerender any video to 24p...same thing...>>

Is it really the same thing? The Panasonic creates a file that, after inverse telecine will reproduce the original 24 frames it recorded. That wouldn't happen on native 60i footage, since there are no "frames" to begin with. I believe an inverse telecined 60i file would end up creating 24 artificial "frames" at lower resolution and with a softer overall image quality. Thus, giving the look of a low-medium grade 16mm transfer to film.

Personally, I was looking into this camera specifically because of the tape-to-film (and vice versa) possibilities, and for a more pristine film-look for DVD applications. My curiosity stemmed from doing sound editing on a DV project shot with the Canon XL1 (using frame mode). It looked like a pretty good 16mm transfer to video. When I heard about the Panasonic, I was curious to see if 1) it could produce an even better, sharper film-look image with higher resolution, and 2) whether it allowed for easier (and higher quality) 24p NLE capturing and editing. I am interested in a one-to-one comparison of those issues between this Panasonic and other similar level cameras that already have the ability to shoot progressive.

Thanks for that tip, db. I started this whole string because I'm 'reinventing' the NYC theatre company my actress wife & I had since 1990, as an indie film company. A major concern even for those of us small fry who don't really expect to be pitching Warner Bros. anytime soon, is FILM FESTIVALS where you do all your networking. In a movie theatre showing festival submissions, there's a very noticeable difference when video hits the screen. Being able to send an NTSC tape to a festival, which 'looks like film' when played on screen, is a serious competitive advantage.

The whole 24fps progressive scan thing is often misunderstood, but there has been a lot of good information in this thread. The 24p concept is explained exceptionally well in this month's VIDEOSYSTEMS magazine, it is a "must read." You can download the .PDF of the article here:

VIDEOSYSTEMS Magazine 24P Article (PDF)

John

Can someone give me the exact link (web address) for the "film look" tutorial that SonicDennis is talking about? Because I've searched all through the tutorials and the site and I can't find it anywhere.

Thanks,
Dan