you guys r gonna kill me

[TimurCivan]

ok when you guys get noise in dark areas when using 6 or 12 DB gain, how much noise do you get? cause im getting alot, i lowered chroma, it helped a little. but it still almost makes the footage unuseable.

[TC]

Here's the solution: Get more lights. :P

[bodaphoto]

Here's the solution: Get more lights. :P
Amen. Or increase exposure in the camera. What kind of Dark areas.... be a little more specific. What kind of scene and how are you lighting it?

[TimurCivan]

umm i kinda cover parties. *so its basically bar lighting. *in other words Uber dark. *and its hard for people to have fun when theres 50 watt light in their eyes.and i dont wanna brighten in post toom uch cause that looks as grainy as the gain does. i was just wondering if you got the blue speckles from hell too.

In ohter words im not really asking how to clea the picture up i know i need more light, im just wondering if it s as bad for you as it is for me.

[BLUESPIDER]

Here's the solution: Get more lights.


or shoot during the day. No really, listen to TC and you'll be cool.

[TimurCivan]

Tc is the man. and in other circumstances i'd be headed to my lighting chest. cause light = photography.

[TC]

I've got your approval! ;D

Filming parties and need more light... hmm...

My new solution: Just have everybody start drinking during the day. You'll get some good lighting, and by the time night rolls around they'll be too tossed to care about that 50 watts in their face. :D

[Barry_S]

How about coming up with a staggeringly popular luminescent drink? Or maybe just a lower wattage on camera light with some diffusion, so you're not annoying people as much. It doesn't take that much fill light to loose the gain.

[XCheck]

I don't know if that will help, but I noticed a significant reduction in grain when I turned off CINEGAMMA_D and CINEMATRIX. I don't have the camera with me, so I can't give you the exact settings, but I am pretty sure it's just plain CINEGAMMA, MATRIX NORMAL, plus bunch of other settings that don't have much effect on grain. Also, I am shooting in 24PA, and in low light situations I prefer to switch to 1/24 sec shutter speed with low gain over normal (1/48 sec) and gain increase. Increasing gain will increase grain no matter what.

Another thing someone mentioned in one of the threads - the blue channel is really noisy. If you can white balance over a 1/8 CTB gel, everything will get a warmer look, and it can have positive effect on the grain, too. DOn't know if that's an option in your situation, though...

Good luck!

Jerry

[XCheck]

How about coming up with a staggeringly popular luminescent drink?
I think that's the best suggestion so far! ;D Even I might be willing to be videotaped.

[uhrgl]

You could get to the bar early and replace any bulbs they have with higher wattage bulbs, but Barry's radioactive drinks sound cooler.

[Barry_S]

I have no 24p gain on DVX100 Classic--so gain just doesn't exist for me. I have noticed that it looks pretty noisy at anything above +3db.

And *hey* I didn't say anything about radioactivity in my luminescent cocktail, but I'm really warming to the idea. A luminescent drink could be very big.

Ok, i just did a web search and found these guys.

http://www.prolume.com/Biolume/BIOLUME.HTM

[XCheck]

Hmmm! Yummy... will the icing on the cake taste like fish? Or a firefly?

Maybe the drink will taste like fish oil! Oh - I miss the sixties! My mother fed it to me every morning - good for your bones, you know?. Maybe I glow inside... ;D

[taubkin]

The luminescent drinks could be a real solution to get more interesting images from a party. When I really have to, I use 3dB of gain, it's the only ammount that, although almost makes me cry, gets me enough quality to show to others. If you can, rigging some fixtures, for added "pools" of light before the party could get you better results, but since you are documenting an event, everything you do for your images would have to be part of that event. That's why I like the drink idea...

[GenJerDan]

Yeah, but once the guys figure out that what goes in as glowing colors comes out as glowing colors...they'll all be outside playing with their...um...lightsabers.

Dan

[HorseFilms]

Excuse me while I go write my name in the lawn...

[Phil]

...they'll all be outside playing with their...um...lightsabers.

Dan
LOL :D

[ransom]

You can remove some noise in post. PPRo has a Noise->Median filter that helps. Set the value to 1.

[TimurCivan]

Thank you, i turned off Cinegamma, and it actually did help alittle more. *if you drop Chroma, and keep the settings on normal. the image clears up. *Also 60i ( eww) is a little brighter. all together these thigns gives it a pretty good image in the dark. *

And as for the luminescant drink have you seen the British artist who made the luminescant rabbit? * anyway.

heres a grab tomake you all happy. *ITs from a Video art piece im making. Enjoy.
http://img26.exs.cx/img26/1908/84-Goldcrunch.jpg

(magicbullet gold crunch, so pretty.)

[TC]

Lightsabers. HAH!

Don't forget that 24p requires more light than 60i. So that could be a solution.

[TimurCivan]

yea 24P. *you know it sfunny ididint even realise 24p would become so important to me, origionally iwanted a pd170, or a XL1 or somethign that was pure Video. *then i saw DVX and was like well why is it so expensive, read about it joined this forum, then i was like, Hmm, i guess icould use 24P if i ever shoot anythign for film students or soemthign. *funnything is, asa i got the camera my Dial has never been off of F5. i almost forgot about 60i. thnei heard it had better low light. *so i finally switched to it like 15 minutes ago, and pow. better lowlight. *damn Dvx is sooooooo good. *so much more than i could ever ask for, especailly at the price.

P.S. DVX 60i is amazingly good. dont forget! you guys have it use it every now and then! Its as good as the DVcam pd170. at least to my eye. just not as sensitive in the dark. guess my party videos would benifit from the added lowlight, but i like the flexibility i get with the DVX.

[Guest]

has anyone worked w/ infra-red lights, or low light intensifying lenses (star scopes) etc. i will be working on a show that takes place in bars (yes, at night) and a camera light is not an option (radioactive drinks, hmm plutonium schlager). perhaps a black light and paint. has anyone worked with any of this. and this is not photgraghy, only tv.

thnx, d

[Neil Rowe]

..i would leave cinegamma on, and turn off cineMATrix.. then i would shoot at 1/24th shutter. id keep chroma pahse at -4, and chroma at 0 then id set the master ped to -6 if your at 0 IRE (which you should be) and by all means, keep the gain off it at all possible ..should yeild pretty satisfactory footage for ya.

[TimurCivan]

thanks neil, i will try alll of your suggestions and seewhat gives the best results.

[ChrisByrnes]

reply to DS re:infrared. Think about using the DVC30 instead of the DVX100 for that. It has an unexpectedly good infrared mode with a very small light source built in and an inexpensive add-on for things such as you are doing.

[BEENYWEENIES]

Infrared? You could get some nifty IR lighting for your camera. but I suppose girls gone wild wouldn't be so hot in night-vision green... ;)

http://www.photonlight.com/products/infrared_photons.html

[bodaphoto]

Ok, sorry I am late. Assuming you are shooting in 60i, there are several options that worl for me at wedding receptions, which is a simialr environment.

1. Get with whoever appears to be in charge of the event and ask what are the order of events, when things are going to happen.
When there are important things happening, someone speaking, cutting a cake, ask to have the lights turned up.

2. If there is a dancing environment ask if they can turn the lights up a little. You can also get some on camera lights and use them only in important parts, like a special dance.

3. Sometimes I turn footage into black & white, espeically if I get crazy strobe lights and multi color spotlights. Someimes you can't help it, but let the know ahead time. Also consider the DVC30 as it does really well in the IR mode in lowlight, though that is Black & White.

[TimurCivan]

Yea i ts kinda hard to get part promoters to adjust lights, they dont like breaking atmosphere for anyhting.

I've been using 60i more with 30th asec shutter, its pretty bright, and while a little blurry not as bad as 1/24. and you dont even have to use gain.