1 lux (gain +34 dB, slow shutter: 1/2 sec.)

The HMC-40 isn't really a good low light camera. It can be pushed to photograph in low light, but if the gain goes past +12dB, the noise is excessive. Here are 3 low light tests I did a while back:


In this first clip, I went to a well lit street corner and shot video at night. The conclusion is, IF the light is bright enough, "low light" photography works very well.



In the second clip, I go from +0dB of gain, all the way to +34dB of gain. Most users stop at +12dB of gain, but in a pinch, you can push to +18dB if you are willing to accept the extra grain. By +24dB, the grain is excessive and all the way to +34dB is watchable, but not great.



In the last clip, I set the exposure to 1/2 a second and the gain around +18dB. This timelapse video shows the limit for the camera.



Bob Diaz
 
Oh wow! That was nice from you to show those tests! Do you have some test on a grey cloudy day? If you have to boost with gain or just open the Iris?
 
I can't speak for Bob, but I don't have to add gain on typical grey, overcast days on mine. Exceptions would be during heavy rain, when I may have to gain up to around +12db, or when it's getting close to dusk. Outdoors, during daytime hours under most weather, the HMC40 does very well. I have a short project that I'll be uploading in a few days that was shot on a cloudy day, and it looks pretty clean.

Indoors, under available light, the HMC40 struggles. Under normal indoor lighting, you can get OK results with it, if you lower the shutter speed to around 1/30, use a low-noise gamma like B-Press, add about 6-12db of gain, and not move the camera much (because of the 1/30 shutter.) In genuinely low-light scenarios, like many wedding receptions, night clubs, or whathaveyou...it's pretty bad. It's not necessarily unusable, mind you, but you'll get better results in dim lighting with just about any other camera in its price range. I love the HMC40 for what it is, but a low-light camera it is not.
 
SLavictoire said:
Oh wow! That was nice from you to show those tests! Do you have some test on a grey cloudy day? If you have to boost with gain or just open the Iris?
Click to expand...


I really don't have any heavy overcast footage, but this was taken indoors at night:


I don't think any overcast day would cause any problem, there's more than enough light for shoot. If memory serves me correctly, it's about 4 stops difference for an overcast day.



Bob Diaz
 
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