Hi--

Joseph here again. Long time to hear. (This Tues, I'll be flying to Milwaukee to begin my masters program
in "experimental dv"). Was wondering if you might help me clarify something ---

I've decided to go with the Sony VX2000 camcorder, and I'm interested in shooting in 169 format. Now, from
what I understand, I have roughly 3 options

1) I can use the VX2000 built-in 169 shooting mode, which means I would need a special (and expensive!)
169 monitor to view the footage properly, correct?

2) I can shoot in regular 43 format (with both the camera's viewfinder and the flip-out LCD screen accurately
masked off -- with black electrical tape? -- so when I'm framing, I know just what will/will not be in the shot),
and add letterbox cropping bars in post-production, via a mask of sorts in Premiere 6.

3) Or I can use an (expensive) anamorphic lens on my camera, but again will need a special 169 monitor to
view the results, correct?

Please let me know if I'm on track with all of this. (Me thinks I may opt for the 2nd option).

Thanks.

Hope you're well.

--Joseph

P.S. If you should reply after Monday morning - Aug 20th - (say after 11am) please send your response to
jpodlesnik@hotmail.com

I don't know much about 169, 'cuz I'm a-gin' it. This is video, 43
on virtually every TV, and every pixel is valuable in this most-
marginal-
for-sharpness-medium. I think you have summed up the options correctly,
but in 1), the viewing options are very limited (it may be possible to
edit in Premiere and output 169, but while that uses all the original
pixels (and so is better than 2), it still results in limited-pixel-
count
output - but it is hard to view when shooting. No. 3) has the same
problems,
but also limits filters/lens-converters useable to about none... I
consider
169 a fad (in the future we will laugh at this inefficient, "slot-view"
format, I think...;-). I would shoot 43 and make best use of that...
You can always show it centered in 169 (with maybe a slight vertical
crop) if need be... BTW, cropping the 43 or using the internal
anamorphic
mode does not widen the view (actually, it narrows it, vertically...);
using the anamorphic lens does widen it, but must be set up with the
exact correct orientation, or the footage is spoiled. I would shoot
43...;-)