Auto

I

indigo

Well-known member
Does anyone use the HVX in 'Auto' mode?

I've been in a number of situations that I need to concentrate on other things rather than the camera.... YET every time I put the camera in Auto results are truely appauling.

Main problem, and I've heard other people taking about this is that the HVX WAY under expose to the point that the footage is unusably dark.

Second, the focus likes to wander off and do its own thing for a bit before coming back and doing it's job.

Am I missing something? my $800 Panny handy cam works a treat!
Cheers

Indy....
 
I shoot with the Z1U a lot , and I'll use auto exposure sometimes and auto focus to a lesser extent. The HVX is so slow in auto modes that it's usually not feasible. I'll use auto exposure as a quickie exposure check, and auto focus in the same manner, but that's it. The auto WB is so brutally clunky that it never gets used.

The difference in speed between the two cameras is due to the Z1U being interlaced and the HVX I (shoot in progressive only) being progressive. Throw in 24 or a 30 frame setting and it slows it down even further. Put the HVX in an interlaced mode at 60 mode and it will speed up.

But then again- who would want to shoot 60i ? .... ;-)
 
indigo said:
Main problem, and I've heard other people taking about this is that the HVX WAY under expose to the point that the footage is unusably dark.
Click to expand...
If you record in high-contrast lighting, then you may want to try the SPOTLIGHT or BACKLIGHT mode. You'll have to assign these to one of the USER buttons to activate them. The AUTO IRIS level can also be used to shift the exposure from its default.
indigo said:
Second, the focus likes to wander off and do its own thing for a bit before coming back and doing it's job.
Click to expand...
Autofocus needs contrast to function properly, that means sufficient light and texture/edges. It may also shift focus as objects enter/leave the scene or change distance to the camera. It's not perfect, and never will be.
 
I've seen the same thing a lot. It's worse in 720p. But I shoot a lot of on-the-fly real-time (like parties, receptions) in SD and it works OK, but when it gets to low light, I will slow down the shutter a bit to help. But its still not as responsive as my Sony consumer D8.
 
Dick,
By responsive do you mean it does not have the same light sensitivity or that the auto features do not have the same speed sensitivity as your Sony?

The HD 1/3" cameras will never manage to be as sensitive as their 1/3" SD counterparts. I believe the HVX to be almost 2 stops slower than the DVX when comparing both in SD 60i mode. Though if you search around the forums you'll find the actual figures.
 
Dick Campbell said:
I've seen the same thing a lot. It's worse in 720p. But I shoot a lot of on-the-fly real-time (like parties, receptions) in SD and it works OK, but when it gets to low light, I will slow down the shutter a bit to help. But its still not as responsive as my Sony consumer D8.
Click to expand...

might that be that your handycam gets 60 samples per second as opposed to 24?
 
Yes, the light sensitivity is less, but I did mean speed sensitivity, and light has a lot to do with it. Auto iris is not bad, but autofocus can sometimes not lock, and a shot is ruined.

So, I only use Auto in live event SD situations where set up is not possible. When I start shooting live events in HD (whenever the clients start asking) then I gues I'll have to learn some new tricks.
 
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