Extreme frustration!

W

wedge

Member
The frustration that comes from having a brand new DVX-100, copy of DVRack and Ultra, a lighting kit, the DVX DVD, and assorted other goodies........and being away from home for another 4 days :D

It's like Christmas Eve purgatory, that's how I feel anyway. I haven't seen any of it, it's going to be a pile of boxes to open when I return...I think I'll take the afternoon off!

Anyway, just a quick question of camera pre-flight - and I know that before I ask the answer will be: "it depends"...but indulge me.

When you go to shoot (and of course it depnds on WHAT you will shoot, the mood you want, and the lighting you have), but what settings do check on the camera as part of your pre-shooting "preflight"?

I'm trying to get a feel for the best way to learn the camera, but still have a repeatable process and a method to the madness.

Any suggestions on how best to go about getting up to speed?

Cheers - P
 
Re: Extreme frustration!

Well, without going into specific Scene File settings... my pre-shooting check for each shot is:

1) White Balance
2) Exposure
3) Focus
4) Framing
5) Audio levels
6) Deal with the problems that will make you change any of the above
 
Re: Extreme frustration!

May sound lame, but practice putting the camera on your tripod safely. Do it a number of times to get a feel for the safety catch and where it all sits. Last thing you want to see happen is your new baby doing a face plant on the ground. ;)
 
Re: Extreme frustration!

In this order

I Check/set the

1. Camera Battery...remaining
2. White balance
3. Scene file setting
4. framing
5. focusing and exposure
6. readjust the framing
 
Re: Extreme frustration!

[quote author=wedge link=board=Events;num=1103248711;start=0#0 date=12/16/04 at 17:58:31]The frustration that comes from having a brand new DVX-100, copy of DVRack and Ultra, a lighting kit, the DVX DVD, and assorted other goodies........and being away from home for another 4 days
[/quote]

Yeah, sure sucks to be you ;)
 
Re: Extreme frustration!

All of the above for pre-check.

Also ...
- pick a good tape brand/model and stick with it (I use only Panny MQ) Oh, and put one in as part of preflight ;)

- in the beginning, I'd practice holding the camera and feeling where the buttons are. Over time you'll be able to punch up whatever you need without pulling away from the viewfinder, important for handheld. I had a heck of a time with this, but I'm a lefty.
- when using tripods, mounting adaptors/clamps, etc. be real sure everything is solid before letting go.
- don't remove the lens cap if the camera is looking at the sun.
- get a decent UV filter and leave it on if you can.
- check both magnetos, get tower clearance and go for it!
 
Re: Extreme frustration!

I actually learned this from the guy that shoots all the Kranked mountain bike movies, he used to actually have a laminated card with a list of 10 things to remember attatched to the handle of his camera, would make sure. He said after a few months the list became second nature.
 
Re: Extreme frustration!

That definitely is a good idea Jarred. It is so easy to forget one thing when the camera is new and your on one of your first important shoots.

In addition to the above checklist, if your going handheld turn on the OIS.
 
Re: Extreme frustration!

[quote author=scharky link=board=Events;num=1103248711;start=0#4 date=12/17/04 at 15:52:17]

Yeah, sure sucks to be you ;)[/quote]


For sure, poor me :)

Thanks for all the great suggestions, I love the idea of a checklist to get the start-up flow second nature (gotta start somewhere!).

I've got most everything unboxed and setup. I'm really going to like the camera -> laptop/DVRack -> harddrive capture setup for all the tripod mounted work. The ability to drag and drop from an external drive to an NLE is a dream. It's also nice to use DVRack and Barry Green's book to test setups and see instant results - it really is helping the learning curve.

Happy Holidays - P
 
Re: Extreme frustration!

Yessir, you have quite the nice setup there. I think that DVX Book is the biggest helper to start out with.

I went back over this thread trying figure out exactly what Jarred's friend had on that card of his. I want one for myself.
I put the steps listed here together, got rid of dupes and reordered the list in a somewhat logical fashion. I only came up with 8 items until I added to check tape remaining and recheck focus at the end because I have several times bumped the ring after setting it.
So, I'm wondering ...could this be close??

Camera Battery...remaining
Tape remaining
Scene file setting
White Balance
Exposure
[edit 12/27] GAIN
Focus
Framing
Audio level
readjust the framing
Recheck focus
 
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