Make Camera Setup Easier with Better Organization 

That's why I put labels on everything indicating where it goes, and have the checklist in the bin.

@@djp_video you're suggesting they actually read instructions :)

When I point them out they usually do.

amzn.to/3SQXZX8

3M Dual Lock. Works much better than hook and loop.

I've had the HDMI port go out on two of my 10-ish converters. So I've relegated those two as backups or to be used with SDI monitors. Otherwise they're still okay. I haven't had the other issues you mentioned.

Yes, it has an internal battery that lasts about 3 hours.

I have one fiber optic HDMI cable, but I never use it since I'm based on SDI and SDI-over-fiber.

@@djp_video I think I’ll need to change to SDI and get some HDMIxSDI convertors. Right now I’m limited to HDMI due to older Extreme ISO.

If I didn't have events where I use the cameras but not the converters/monitors I'd seriously consider making up kits like that. But I do shoot quite a few events where it is just the cameras.

I've been getting Jeirdus cables from Amazon lately because they're affordable and I can get them quickly. djp.li/j75m

@@djp_video Nice, thank u.

1drv.ms/w/s!Aq9iquFi-Ojx07B9aFb9XE6egW_P0w?e=gZUvZ4

@@djp_video thanks very much that's awesome!

Yes, individually, one by one.

Yes.

The Optical Fiber 12G? Or the bigger Studio/Camera converter? Yes, and no.

@@djp_video yeah the studio smpte fiber and camera back.

That solution doesn't make any sense for me whatsoever. For most events I park my trailer in the parking lot outside of the venue, and then run a 24-strand fiber trunk cable inside. That trunk cable is 150m and I have a 150m extension for it as well. That provides connections for 10 cameras plus redundant ethernet and then two spare strands I can use for anything I want. The whole cable with fan-outs on both ends cost me well under $3000. The cables I run from my breakout box to cameras range from 10 meters up to 200 meters, and cost around $1 per meter. The ATEM Studio Converters that I use are $2500 each for four channels, and the ATEM Camera Converters are $595 each, though I waited for deals and didn't pay anywhere near that for any of it. I have 12+ channels worth of capability with that system. If I was to do a similar setup with the newer Studio Converter and Camera Converter products the cost would be enormous. For each camera I'd need a Studio Converter ($3325) plus Camera Converter (another $3245) plus SMPTE fiber to run between them, which runs somewhere in the neighborhood of about $40-50 per meter. Let's say for the sake of discussion that I'd need about 350 meters of SMPTE fiber for each channel to provide similar functionality to what I have... so we're looking at somewhere in the ballpark of $15,000 just for each fiber cable, plus $6500 for the converters -- for each camera. Multiply that by the roughly twelve channels I have currently and we're talking about over $250,000. I could certainly get away with fewer channels for most events, but 8 would be a bare minimum, so we're still looking at over $150,000. With my current setup, I probably paid around $12,000 *for everything*. Add to that the fact that the newer SC/CC products are awkward to use with cameras other than the Ursas, it would be weird to use them with my Sony cameras or anything else. And integrating that solution with my current intercom is going to be problematic and expensive as well. Yes, the SMTPE-based system does offer some advantages like Genlock and multiple return channels and multiple intercom channels and power for the cameras, but it doesn't seem like all of that additional cost is worth it for my setup and the types of events I shoot. And, on top of all of that, switching to the newer setup would push me well past my upper power limit for my trailer. And I don't have the space to install a dozen Studio Converter units. And would prefer to not deal with the heavy SMTPE fiber cables and having to run cable ramps everywhere they cross a walking path and the other headaches associate with a heavy duty cable.

The firmware update didn't fix the connectivity issues. It's still just as bad as it has been.

@@djp_video I wish they fix it at the earliest.. I forward your video link to their support but no response..

They've never acknowledged that there is a problem.

I do carry a cleaning kit, and inspection camera. But I consider that last leg of fiber from breakout box to camera to be disposable. If there's any sign of it not working correctly I just throw it away and replace it. At about $1/meter, it just doesn't make sense to try to repair them, considering the high cost of the equipment to do so. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, the crews I work with just refuse to deal with the dust caps. They almost always get lost the first time the cables are used. I've tried the type of caps that attach to the cables, but the ones I've found are junk and (1) don't stay on the end of the cable very well, and (2) fall apart at the drop of a hat.

For the camera operators, they get a red box around the video on the monitor. For talent, I haven't had that be a deal breaker yet, but if it was I'd invest in something like Cuebi or FlexTally from Cerevo.