Sony CineAlta HDCAM HDW-F900R User manual

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Neil Thompson
April 2007
www.imagemechanic.co.uk
The HDW-F900R is a high definition camcorder recording to the HDCAM
format. It can operate at a range of frame rates, in both interlace and
progressive scanning modes.
It builds on the performance of the HDW-F900 and incorporates many
features of the HDW-750P, including the mechanical chassis design.
This guide is designed for people using the Sony HDW-F900R
camcorder who need some practical advice when preparing for
a shoot. It’s pitched at a level that will make most sense to
people coming from a Digital Betacam
 background, but will
hopefully still be of use to those coming from film or other
formats.

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As usual with these guides, the general philosophy is to record as much information as cleanly as
possible to the tape. There are many ways you can change the look of your pictures in camera, but
unless you’re sure you’re going to get exactly the final effect you want, then you’re probably better
spending time on lighting and composition. There are some important settings you need to get right,
but after that, the ‘900R probably needs less ‘fine tuning’ than equivalent standard def. cameras.
C
Co on nt te en nt ts s
1. Quick Start
2. Differences between the F900R and F900 / 750P
3. Files and Menus
3.1 Menus
3.2 Files
3.3 Layers
3.4 File Structure
3.5 Loading Files
4. Camera matching
5. Frame Rate
6. Shutter
7. Gain
8. Outputs and monitoring
9. Options
10. Audio
11. Filters
12. Detail
13. Matrix
14. Gamma
15. Lenses
15.1Back focus
16. Viewfinders
17. Menu list
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1. .0 0 Q Qu ui ic ck k S St ta ar rt t
If you’re asked to use the camcorder at short notice, and don’t have the luxury of preparation time,
here’s a very short list of things to check to get you in the right ball park for getting sensible pictures:
• If you have a memory stick you wish to use: load an all file.
The all file overwrites all previous settings in the camera with your preferred settings.
• If you don’t have a memory stick, go to the file menus and set user file, reference file and
all file to ‘ALL PRESET’
This is effectively a factory reset.
• If you’re putting everything to all preset, after doing so, you may wish to turn on the preset
matrix and set it to matrix 2 (ITU-709). You should turn the detail level down to about –20.
These two adjustments will get you from the factory preset condition which is a little de-
saturated and over detail corrected, to a useful general purpose shooting condition.
• Choose a frame rate.
• Set the shutter speed to 2x the frame rate if in progressive scan mode.
All these operations are covered in more detail in the following sections.

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2. .0 0 D Di if ff fe er re en nc ce es s e et tw we ee en n F F9 90 00 0R R a an nd d F F9 90 00 0 / / 7 75 50 0P P
The following are the most important differences:
HDW-F900R HDW-F900 HDW-750P
Frame Rates 23.98P/24P/25P/29.97P
50i/59.94i/
23.98P/24P/25P/29.97P
30P/50i/ 59.94i/60i
25P 50i
Camera A/D 12 bit 12 bit 10 bit
Output connections HDSDI, HD Y, options for
SDSDI, CVBS
HD Y,Pb,Pr HDSDI, HD Y, options
for SDSDI, CVBS
HDSDI outputs 2 None 1
Component Output None 1 (3xBNC) None
3.0 Files and Menus
The explanation in the manuals of how the files and menus work is a little confusing to say the least.
This is an attempt to clarify what happens and when.
• There are menus, which allow you to access and adjust a parameter.
• The values for each parameter are stored in files.
• There can be a value stored for a parameter in each of several layers of information.
• The end result can be the sum of the data values in several layers (Relative Data)
• The end result can be the value of just the top layer of data. (Absolute data)
The terminology used in the manuals is possibly the most confusing aspect. For instance the word
‘USER’ is applied to menus, layers and files…user menu; user file; user layer. The difference
between these three terms is important.
3.1 Menus
The access point to groups of adjustable items.
• User Menu
Normally accessible whenever the camera is switched on. Stuff from any of the menus below
can be added to this menu, so that it could become the only menu you need. You can’t really say
what the user menu does, as it depends how many items and pages from the rest of the menu
are allocated to it.
• Top menu
This is the menu of menus…Normally when you turn the menu on, you get the user menu as
described above. If you turn the menu on whilst holding the front scroll button pressed in, you get
the following extra menus to pass the time with in airport departure lounges:
• User Customize
This is where you go to customize the user menu described above. Here you can add and delete
items to the user menu. You can create 5 pages of 10 items chosen from the menus below, plus
any whole pages you like, to create your user menu.
• All menu
72 pages of settings. As the name suggests it contains all the available pages. These 72 pages
are then split into more manageable chunks, comprising the operation, paint, maintenance, file
and diagnostic menus described below.
• Operation Menu

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Things that affect the way switches, outputs and displays are configured. Not items that directly
affect pictures, but affect the way the controls work.
• Paint Menu
Picture control. ‘The look’. Detail, Gamma, Knee etc. are all adjusted in this menu. Also has
access to scene files to store and recall different ‘looks’.
• Maintenance Menu
Format switching (25P/50i ) is here, plus more obscure technical stuff. Includes the things that
used to be in the menu accessed via the button on the timecode panel on digital betacam
camcorders.
• File Menu
Save, load, store and recall all the different file types. (You can also access some files from
within each individual menu. For instance you can load a lens file from within the operation
menu, or from within the file menu…it’s the same result.)
• Diagnostics
In the unlikely event of a problem! This menu can help isolate a fault to a particular board. Also
tells you software versions of the various boards in the camera, and drum running and operation
hours.
• (Service Menu)
Not normally accessible. You need to set internal switches to gain access to this menu.
3.2 Files:
Stored information about groups of adjustable items
• User File
Holds whatever values have been allocated to the user menu.
• User Preset
The user file can be stored as a default setting, by moving it from the user layer to the preset
layer. See layers below.
• Scene Files
Mostly items from the paint menu. Use this as a sort of ‘scratchpad’ for holding picture set-ups.
The camera’s internal menu can hold 5 scene files. Because of this it is easiest to save and
recall scene files from the memory stick in groups of five.
(When recalling files from the memory stick, page 00 shows the five files currently loaded into
the cameras memory slots. Pages 01 through to 20 show the scene files saved on the memory
stick.)
• Reference
Stored separately to the other files, this is only accessed during an ‘auto level’ operation. Auto
level is a function normally associated with systems cameras, and is only accessible from RCPs
designed for this kind of work, so is not really relevant to the ‘900R. During auto level the camera
reads the reference file, and copies the items held in it to the preset layer of the camera.
• All
Overwrites all the user and preset layers, except for items held in the lens file. This is the one to
use for matching cameras.
• Lens
Shading, flare and colourimetry info specific to the lens or camera.

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3.3 Layers:
Where the files are stored
• User
This layer is added to the preset, service and factory layers to produce the final output of the
camera. Any values you tweak via the menu are changed in this layer, and if you recall a file you
will see the results here.
• Preset
A default setting where you can decide what the default should be. When you hit the STD button
on an RCP, or ALL PRESET in the menus, you are deleting various values held in the user
layer, leaving the camera at its preset value. Use STORE USER PRESET or STORE ALL
PRESET to change the default settings.
• Service
Think of this as the factory reset level (though factory level is actually another layer down). If you
clear the user and the preset layers, this is where you end up, as the camera came out of the
box. (This is done using CLEAR ALL PRESET in the ALL FILE page of the file menu.)
• Factory
What it says.
• Memory Stick
You can store 100 user files, 100 scene files, 100 all files, 100 lens files and a reference file on a
memory stick. That’s probably enough. The files are very small, so you can use the smallest
capacity memory stick you can find. Doesn’t have to be Sony (though files loaded from a Sony
stick will of course give a much more pleasing look to your pictures). Memory stick duo or pro
won’t work, but ‘magic gate’ varieties seem to be OK.
3.4 File Structure
MENUS
LAYERS
USER USER
CUSTOM
OPS PAINT MAINT FILE SERVICE DIAG.
USER
PRESET
.
SERVICE
FACTORY
MEM.
STICK
User files
x100
Scene
files x100
Lens files
x100
All files
x100
Ref file x1
Best not to use the reference file. You can delete it using REFERENCE CLEAR, though loading an
ALL file will overwrite all the values created from it. (The reference file itself is not overwritten.)
Lens File
User File
Scene File
Preset
User
File
All File
Reference
File