Getting the right image ?
- Thread starter MrBeaker
- Start date
express2725
New member
How do I adjust the camera to different lighting conditions at indoor?
How do I adjust the camera to different lighting conditions at indoor?
Hi, I recently tried shooting at a house at night using the dvx 100A and faced with a few challenges. For instance, the kitchen light was dim, the living room was bright at one spot but too dark at the corners. As I needed to document the activities going on from one spot to another, I used autofocus mode and it turned out rather disastrous, including the colour temperature as well as it kept changing from time to time. How should I resolve this problem? Your help is very much appreciated.
How do I adjust the camera to different lighting conditions at indoor?
Hi, I recently tried shooting at a house at night using the dvx 100A and faced with a few challenges. For instance, the kitchen light was dim, the living room was bright at one spot but too dark at the corners. As I needed to document the activities going on from one spot to another, I used autofocus mode and it turned out rather disastrous, including the colour temperature as well as it kept changing from time to time. How should I resolve this problem? Your help is very much appreciated.
andy_starbuck
Well-known member
This is a complicated set of problems. You have too little light in one area, too great a variation of light in another, different color temperature light sources, and action that is moving through these different circumstances that you are trying to follow. Event videographers face this situation often.
For a narrative, I would consider dividing the shots up into separate scenes, setting them up, lighting them, and setting the camera up for each scene, and then shooting each scene independently. That gives you the greatest control over the results. Of course it involves much time and planning. For this strategy, you would want to learn as much a you can about the tade-offs involved in controlling exposure.
For a live event or documentary, I would suggest turning on the automation in your camera, such as auto white tracking and auto exposure. Add as much light as you can, and try to even out the range of brightness from one area to another. As one person said "the camera eats light" and it does not do well when starved for light. For this strategy, you would basically turn the camera on automatic and trust it to do the best it can with the available and changing circumstances. You can help, of course, by moving the camera slowly and giving it time to adapt, and by trying to keep the shots steady and minimizing the changes the camera has to deal with.
If you were shooting in 24 frame per second mode, the number of samples that autofocus receives per second is far less, so it takes longer for autofocus to work. If you moved to 30p or 60i mode the autofocus will work faster. Of course, there is nothing for it to focus on in the dark. So if the camera is pointed at or passes over a poorly lit areas, it will probably go out of focus and take some time to re-focus.
Provide some more details about what you are attempting to accomplish and the situation, so that I will know better what kind of information to provide.
Andy
For a narrative, I would consider dividing the shots up into separate scenes, setting them up, lighting them, and setting the camera up for each scene, and then shooting each scene independently. That gives you the greatest control over the results. Of course it involves much time and planning. For this strategy, you would want to learn as much a you can about the tade-offs involved in controlling exposure.
For a live event or documentary, I would suggest turning on the automation in your camera, such as auto white tracking and auto exposure. Add as much light as you can, and try to even out the range of brightness from one area to another. As one person said "the camera eats light" and it does not do well when starved for light. For this strategy, you would basically turn the camera on automatic and trust it to do the best it can with the available and changing circumstances. You can help, of course, by moving the camera slowly and giving it time to adapt, and by trying to keep the shots steady and minimizing the changes the camera has to deal with.
If you were shooting in 24 frame per second mode, the number of samples that autofocus receives per second is far less, so it takes longer for autofocus to work. If you moved to 30p or 60i mode the autofocus will work faster. Of course, there is nothing for it to focus on in the dark. So if the camera is pointed at or passes over a poorly lit areas, it will probably go out of focus and take some time to re-focus.
Provide some more details about what you are attempting to accomplish and the situation, so that I will know better what kind of information to provide.
Andy
andy_starbuck
Well-known member
Exposure
Exposure
Here are five things you can do to control exposure.
(1) Change the Aperture. Changing the amount of light that reaches the sensors.
(2) Change the Shutter Speed. Changing the duration that the sensors are exposed to light.
(3) Change the Neutral Density filter. An ND filter cuts the overall brightness of the image.
(4) Add Gain, which electronically amplifies the signals coming from the sensors.
(5) Manage the light in the scene.
The blend of techniques that you use to get a good exposure depends on the light that is available in the scene. In general, you will start with the ND filter, and use the Aperture for "fine tuning". If you are in a dark location, then boosting the signal with Gain may help. Changing the shutter speed can give you a range of exposure control, but it changes how the camera represents motion.
Most of the controls you can use to change the exposure have a side-effect. The side effect changes the quality of the results you get. So you need to understand whether the consequence is worth it. If not, you may want to try one of the other four controls to get a good exposure.
Here are the side effects.
(1) Aperture. Controls depth of focus. A small aperture causes deep focus. A large aperture causes shallow focus. Do you care whether the background is slightly blurred?
(2) Shutter Speed. Control motion blur. A slow shutter will allow normal movements to turn into blurs. You will have to be careful to pan very, very slowly. A fast shutter turns fast movement into a series of still images. It will look harsh and jittery.
(3) The Neutral Density filter has few side effects. The Aperture controls depth blur. The Shutter Speed controls motion blur. And the ND filter changes the range of available options between the two by cutting the overall brightness.
(4) Gain. Gain is an electronic amplification of the signals coming from the sensors. The problem with gain is that it amplifies *everything*. That means if there is noise in the image (often a problem when there is too little light in the scene), then the noise is amplified along with everything else -- making for a lower quality image.
(5) Managing light.
You might be surprised at how much better the options available in the camera are if you change a few things in the environment. Closing some drapes. Turning on or off a light.
Control your camera movement and framing
You can control a lot of the exposure simply by controlling the position and movement of the camera. This is especially useful in shots where you have to follow the action in an environment with varied lighting. Plan your shots. Try to avoid getting anything very bright, such as a direct light source or an open window in the frame. Consider positioning the camera so the light source doesn't have to appear directly in the frame.
Also, avoid paths that cross unlit areas. And stay tight on the action. Even if people are walking from one room to another, if you can zoom in on them or frame them closely rather than the staying on the wider scene, the change of light may be more gradual, allowing the camera's auto-exposure features time to adapt.
When to use auto-exposure ?
When you don't have time to make the changes manually. If the camera is changing the exposure during a single shot -- it's going to look like it. Images will be brighter or dimmer and then change on screen as the camera adjusts. If you are in a situation that requires rapid exposure changes in order to get the shot, then focus on the action and framing. Because people won't notice the camera adjusting so much if they are attending to what's happening in the scene.
Exposure
Here are five things you can do to control exposure.
(1) Change the Aperture. Changing the amount of light that reaches the sensors.
(2) Change the Shutter Speed. Changing the duration that the sensors are exposed to light.
(3) Change the Neutral Density filter. An ND filter cuts the overall brightness of the image.
(4) Add Gain, which electronically amplifies the signals coming from the sensors.
(5) Manage the light in the scene.
The blend of techniques that you use to get a good exposure depends on the light that is available in the scene. In general, you will start with the ND filter, and use the Aperture for "fine tuning". If you are in a dark location, then boosting the signal with Gain may help. Changing the shutter speed can give you a range of exposure control, but it changes how the camera represents motion.
Most of the controls you can use to change the exposure have a side-effect. The side effect changes the quality of the results you get. So you need to understand whether the consequence is worth it. If not, you may want to try one of the other four controls to get a good exposure.
Here are the side effects.
(1) Aperture. Controls depth of focus. A small aperture causes deep focus. A large aperture causes shallow focus. Do you care whether the background is slightly blurred?
(2) Shutter Speed. Control motion blur. A slow shutter will allow normal movements to turn into blurs. You will have to be careful to pan very, very slowly. A fast shutter turns fast movement into a series of still images. It will look harsh and jittery.
(3) The Neutral Density filter has few side effects. The Aperture controls depth blur. The Shutter Speed controls motion blur. And the ND filter changes the range of available options between the two by cutting the overall brightness.
(4) Gain. Gain is an electronic amplification of the signals coming from the sensors. The problem with gain is that it amplifies *everything*. That means if there is noise in the image (often a problem when there is too little light in the scene), then the noise is amplified along with everything else -- making for a lower quality image.
(5) Managing light.
You might be surprised at how much better the options available in the camera are if you change a few things in the environment. Closing some drapes. Turning on or off a light.
Control your camera movement and framing
You can control a lot of the exposure simply by controlling the position and movement of the camera. This is especially useful in shots where you have to follow the action in an environment with varied lighting. Plan your shots. Try to avoid getting anything very bright, such as a direct light source or an open window in the frame. Consider positioning the camera so the light source doesn't have to appear directly in the frame.
Also, avoid paths that cross unlit areas. And stay tight on the action. Even if people are walking from one room to another, if you can zoom in on them or frame them closely rather than the staying on the wider scene, the change of light may be more gradual, allowing the camera's auto-exposure features time to adapt.
When to use auto-exposure ?
When you don't have time to make the changes manually. If the camera is changing the exposure during a single shot -- it's going to look like it. Images will be brighter or dimmer and then change on screen as the camera adjusts. If you are in a situation that requires rapid exposure changes in order to get the shot, then focus on the action and framing. Because people won't notice the camera adjusting so much if they are attending to what's happening in the scene.
andy_starbuck
Well-known member
Contrast
Contrast
The camera has a contrast range -- a range of light and dark -- that it can represent. The range of a video camera is far less than that of film, and both have tiny ranges compared to your eyes. We can stand in an unlit room and look out a window on a sunny day and see detail both inside the room and outdoors at the same time. Cameras generally can't do that without help.
Image (1) is the real scene as it appears. Lot's of light and white areas in the sky. Lots of dark areas in the trees and on the barn.
If I want to get more detail in the sky (2) and change the exposure or camera settings for this purpose, I may "crush the blacks". Detail that was dark gets lost as it all falls into black.
If I want to get more detail in the trees (3) and change the exposure and camera settings for this purpose, I may "clip the whites". The detail in the sky gets blown out as it is pushed into a pure white.
If the original scene was less contrasty (1) , then there would have been some room to trade-off detail in the sky with detail in the trees. There might be a few exposure settings that would give different detail qualities that would still be a good exposure.
However, if the contrast in the original scene (4) had been too great to begin with, There would be very little lattitude to change anything. Because even a slight difference would crush the blacks or clip the whites in the shot, making the shot overexposed or underexposed.
Whether indoors or outdoors, think about the range of contrast in the scene. In the above example, maybe I would have lowered the angle and eliminated the sky from the shot. Maybe I would have used the barn as a backdrop more and tried to avoid the having the sky in the frame at all, by either moving closer to the barn or by zooming in. Maybe if I had framed more towards the trees it wouldn't have been so bright -- because the sun is just out of the frame on the right side in this shot. What if I'd approached the barn from a different angle, so that I wasn't shooting into the sun?
Experience and practice with your camera will help you understand when you can get a good exposure by changing the camera settings, and when moving the camera or framing the scene differently will give much better results.
Contrast
The camera has a contrast range -- a range of light and dark -- that it can represent. The range of a video camera is far less than that of film, and both have tiny ranges compared to your eyes. We can stand in an unlit room and look out a window on a sunny day and see detail both inside the room and outdoors at the same time. Cameras generally can't do that without help.
Image (1) is the real scene as it appears. Lot's of light and white areas in the sky. Lots of dark areas in the trees and on the barn.
If I want to get more detail in the sky (2) and change the exposure or camera settings for this purpose, I may "crush the blacks". Detail that was dark gets lost as it all falls into black.
If I want to get more detail in the trees (3) and change the exposure and camera settings for this purpose, I may "clip the whites". The detail in the sky gets blown out as it is pushed into a pure white.
If the original scene was less contrasty (1) , then there would have been some room to trade-off detail in the sky with detail in the trees. There might be a few exposure settings that would give different detail qualities that would still be a good exposure.
However, if the contrast in the original scene (4) had been too great to begin with, There would be very little lattitude to change anything. Because even a slight difference would crush the blacks or clip the whites in the shot, making the shot overexposed or underexposed.
Whether indoors or outdoors, think about the range of contrast in the scene. In the above example, maybe I would have lowered the angle and eliminated the sky from the shot. Maybe I would have used the barn as a backdrop more and tried to avoid the having the sky in the frame at all, by either moving closer to the barn or by zooming in. Maybe if I had framed more towards the trees it wouldn't have been so bright -- because the sun is just out of the frame on the right side in this shot. What if I'd approached the barn from a different angle, so that I wasn't shooting into the sun?
Experience and practice with your camera will help you understand when you can get a good exposure by changing the camera settings, and when moving the camera or framing the scene differently will give much better results.
Hello Andy,
I am a newbie and I was wondering after reading all of your great posts, what do you think would be the best camera settings to work fast and efficiently for a documentary/ shoot & run style...Like in a war documentary or in journalism documentary in natural & uncontrolled environments. (ex: war, riots..etc)
There'll be outdoors , indoors,
I'll be using a DVX 100 or DVX 100B and will be a one person crew. Mostly hand held shots and no xtra lights (may be a mounted light on camera). Shooting 24p advanced (F6) to have a chance to get a 35mm print.
There's a post mentioning about how to set up the camera to change the settings faster like i believe
1) keep the Gain level to 0, always
2) Keep iris manual
3)use ND filter
4)and last if there's no still not enough light, change the shutter to a slower speed
What do you recommend? what about shooting at night outdoors in a lit city like New York?
should I stay as neutral as possible and do the color & light correction in post?
in my case scenario, is grey scale more important than white balance?
any favorable filters to get the most contrast and vibrant colors, in and outdoors, and to give the best chance to the colors to not degrade during the transfer to a possible 16 or 35mm print?
sound wise...do you have preference about shotgun and lavaller?
Thanks a lot . Any suggestions are most welcome...
I could really use your help here.
I am a newbie and I was wondering after reading all of your great posts, what do you think would be the best camera settings to work fast and efficiently for a documentary/ shoot & run style...Like in a war documentary or in journalism documentary in natural & uncontrolled environments. (ex: war, riots..etc)
There'll be outdoors , indoors,
I'll be using a DVX 100 or DVX 100B and will be a one person crew. Mostly hand held shots and no xtra lights (may be a mounted light on camera). Shooting 24p advanced (F6) to have a chance to get a 35mm print.
There's a post mentioning about how to set up the camera to change the settings faster like i believe
1) keep the Gain level to 0, always
2) Keep iris manual
3)use ND filter
4)and last if there's no still not enough light, change the shutter to a slower speed
What do you recommend? what about shooting at night outdoors in a lit city like New York?
should I stay as neutral as possible and do the color & light correction in post?
in my case scenario, is grey scale more important than white balance?
any favorable filters to get the most contrast and vibrant colors, in and outdoors, and to give the best chance to the colors to not degrade during the transfer to a possible 16 or 35mm print?
sound wise...do you have preference about shotgun and lavaller?
Thanks a lot . Any suggestions are most welcome...
I could really use your help here.
andy_starbuck
Well-known member
Some amazing challenges ahead for you. The list of four items sounds right to me. In addition, you might want to experiment with some settings for different circumstances and store them as scene files for quick access.
In some cases, you may face a choice between using the gain and adding noise into the shot or missing the action entirely. So, although the rule about gain=0 is right for most circumstances. You need to know when the shot is more important to your story than its quality -- and then flip the gain and get the shot.
For fast shooting, I usually prefer to stay neutral on the settings and adjust in post.
Use the white balance presets. There are going to be times when you won't have enough light to get a white balance. So you have to be opportunistic. Take advantage of someone's white shirt or a white building in the closest light you can to what you will shoot in. And if the camera won't set the white balance and the color is off -- immediately go to the presets. At least you'll know you are working from a known baseline.
Filters: No advice on filters of color. I can't speak about going to film out. I'd keep a clear filter on for protection and another clear filter in my pocket. If something gets on your filter, you might not have time to clean it in the field. And you won't want to risk damage to the native camera lens. You know... UV cuts glare during the day, let's you see inside windows and cars. But it also kills the glare in smokey scenes that are supposed to be smokey or dusty. That's why I prefer clear to UV.
Grey scale more important than white balance? Hmmm.... I'd say that one is a shot-by-shot choice. I think you are asking should you try to maximize the number of grays and sacrifice color fidelity. Maybe. I would play with the scene file settings. You can get different contrasts with the scene files and might be able to get more detail into a low light picture there if you know for a fact that its going to be desaturated in post and you don't care about the color. I haven't tried it. So... experiment.
Iris and sometimes Focus: Use auto to setup the shot. Switch to manual, and then shoot. Remember that if you have enough light, you can stop down the lens and increase the depth of focus. Then the focus won't be critical. And that way you can get action shots in broad daylight without worrying about the focus getting off.
Shooting in a city like New York. "Use the light". You can get some really amazing and beautiful results if you use the natural light. For example, a brightly lit interior of a store front with big glass windows can make a great dramatic or even soft light source if you shoot your subject away from the window so the light falls on them rather than backlights them. Also... remember the rule about the distance of light. If you can't get the exposure -- move in! If you are willing to reframe into a closer shot, the light will be brighter by the square of the distance. So ... step in and get the shot.
Finally, the question about sound. Lavaliers are great for interviews. And they are tiny. But they also pick up clothing rustling, get knocked and point the wrong way. And wireless mics are problematic when you don't know what kind of interference you might run into. For all these reasons, I prefer the shotgun. Make sure that you have the other channel (2-channels) turned on on the camera. Use the in-camera mic for one and a shotgun for the other. Turn the in-camera mic down about 20% lower than the shotgun. This is a safety. When you go into post you will mix down the sound from a mono source a lot of the time anyway. And the in-camera mic will give you a "safety" so that if there is a loud sound or if the shotgun mic gets bumped, you can always switch to the backup channel in post and you'll have "backup" sound. Turing its sensitivity down a bit ensures that you don't lose all sound on a "blow out".
If you want to use it in stereo, you can always bump up the backup channel volume in post.
Hope this is of some help. There are a number of people on the site that have shot in war and documentaries on location and can offer you better advice.
Best of luck!!!
In some cases, you may face a choice between using the gain and adding noise into the shot or missing the action entirely. So, although the rule about gain=0 is right for most circumstances. You need to know when the shot is more important to your story than its quality -- and then flip the gain and get the shot.
For fast shooting, I usually prefer to stay neutral on the settings and adjust in post.
Use the white balance presets. There are going to be times when you won't have enough light to get a white balance. So you have to be opportunistic. Take advantage of someone's white shirt or a white building in the closest light you can to what you will shoot in. And if the camera won't set the white balance and the color is off -- immediately go to the presets. At least you'll know you are working from a known baseline.
Filters: No advice on filters of color. I can't speak about going to film out. I'd keep a clear filter on for protection and another clear filter in my pocket. If something gets on your filter, you might not have time to clean it in the field. And you won't want to risk damage to the native camera lens. You know... UV cuts glare during the day, let's you see inside windows and cars. But it also kills the glare in smokey scenes that are supposed to be smokey or dusty. That's why I prefer clear to UV.
Grey scale more important than white balance? Hmmm.... I'd say that one is a shot-by-shot choice. I think you are asking should you try to maximize the number of grays and sacrifice color fidelity. Maybe. I would play with the scene file settings. You can get different contrasts with the scene files and might be able to get more detail into a low light picture there if you know for a fact that its going to be desaturated in post and you don't care about the color. I haven't tried it. So... experiment.
Iris and sometimes Focus: Use auto to setup the shot. Switch to manual, and then shoot. Remember that if you have enough light, you can stop down the lens and increase the depth of focus. Then the focus won't be critical. And that way you can get action shots in broad daylight without worrying about the focus getting off.
Shooting in a city like New York. "Use the light". You can get some really amazing and beautiful results if you use the natural light. For example, a brightly lit interior of a store front with big glass windows can make a great dramatic or even soft light source if you shoot your subject away from the window so the light falls on them rather than backlights them. Also... remember the rule about the distance of light. If you can't get the exposure -- move in! If you are willing to reframe into a closer shot, the light will be brighter by the square of the distance. So ... step in and get the shot.
Finally, the question about sound. Lavaliers are great for interviews. And they are tiny. But they also pick up clothing rustling, get knocked and point the wrong way. And wireless mics are problematic when you don't know what kind of interference you might run into. For all these reasons, I prefer the shotgun. Make sure that you have the other channel (2-channels) turned on on the camera. Use the in-camera mic for one and a shotgun for the other. Turn the in-camera mic down about 20% lower than the shotgun. This is a safety. When you go into post you will mix down the sound from a mono source a lot of the time anyway. And the in-camera mic will give you a "safety" so that if there is a loud sound or if the shotgun mic gets bumped, you can always switch to the backup channel in post and you'll have "backup" sound. Turing its sensitivity down a bit ensures that you don't lose all sound on a "blow out".
If you want to use it in stereo, you can always bump up the backup channel volume in post.
Hope this is of some help. There are a number of people on the site that have shot in war and documentaries on location and can offer you better advice.
Best of luck!!!
as usual, you have posts Andy. Thanks so much for this great post.
I don't know if you have ever shot a doc before...but I have a quick question: what would be your personal choice for a camera for the type of documentary I explained in my post...especially woud you go for DVX100B or Canon H A1?
or would you go for something else?
thanks
I don't know if you have ever shot a doc before...but I have a quick question: what would be your personal choice for a camera for the type of documentary I explained in my post...especially woud you go for DVX100B or Canon H A1?
or would you go for something else?
thanks
andy_starbuck
Well-known member
Ooh, that's a tough one!
Think about the circumstances you expect to confront during the project, as well as your personal style and preferences when you shoot. Compare those with the characteristics of the cameras. If you can, you should see if you can borrow each camera and spend an hour or two shooting with it and also see what the footage you shot looks like in your editing program. A little hands-on will give you a lot of information -- and you'll probably learn something you didn't consider.
I don't have much experience with film-out. All I can say is that a lot of theaters today have digital projectors available, and burning to film is really expensive. Depending on what you want to do, you might find that preserving high-quality blow-up for film might be a difficult trade-off with getting the best video image. A little research right now on your final distribution targets might give you a lot of information that will help make your choices easier. For example, if you know that you want to premiere your film in a certain local theater, you might see if they can play DVDs, and whether HD is an option (Blu-ray) or whether its just DV.
Some factors to think about: 1) light sensitivity, 2) ease of use, 3) qualities of the recording, 4) durability, 5) flexibility.
The XH-A1 will record in HDV mode. And there is something to be said for recording in HD for a DV project. You can use the extra resolution in post to adjust the framing. So if you screw up the framing in the field, or if the shot is too shaky, you can re-frame the shot or use image stabilization to smooth it out in post. So shooting HD for a DV project buys some creative insurance.
The light sensitivity on the HVX seems to me to be a full stop less than the light sensitivity of the DVX or XH-A1. There are circumstances where the HVX just won't get a decent image without additional light. I thought the DVX and the XH-A1 were pretty comparable in low light.
Some of the new cameras shoot on cards. And cards are a lot more durable than tape. So if I was expecting to take the camera into dirty, dusty, areas and to be treating it roughly -- I would consider the durability of cards. Until recently, this meant the HVX and P2 cards. But with cards, you have to worry about copying and backing up the cards and clearing them for re-use. So it's a more complicated and time-consuming production process than just slapping another tape in the camera.
The zoom on the XH-A1 is more powerful than the DVX, and that Canon lens is really sharp. You can zoom in much further with the XH-A1. BUT... you need to put it on a tripod to use that extra zoom. The argument is that by the time you set up the shot on a tripod and frame it, you could have moved closer. But maybe there are some things you'd prefer to film in a full shot -- from a block away. And frankly, the XH-A1 will do that, and the DVX won't without the Tele Converter lens.
The DVX provides a more colorful image. Side by side shooting in DV mode, the DVX image is just richer and more film-like than the XH-A1. However, tinkering with the scene settings in the XH-A1 you can get really close to the Panasonic film look.
Finally, the buttons on the XH-A1 are laid out in a way that makes them easier to use for event videography. Rapidly adjusting the camera is easier on the XH-A1. For me, this isn't a great advantage, because after I get used to the cameras buttons and menus it just becomes a habit.
Good luck!
Think about the circumstances you expect to confront during the project, as well as your personal style and preferences when you shoot. Compare those with the characteristics of the cameras. If you can, you should see if you can borrow each camera and spend an hour or two shooting with it and also see what the footage you shot looks like in your editing program. A little hands-on will give you a lot of information -- and you'll probably learn something you didn't consider.
I don't have much experience with film-out. All I can say is that a lot of theaters today have digital projectors available, and burning to film is really expensive. Depending on what you want to do, you might find that preserving high-quality blow-up for film might be a difficult trade-off with getting the best video image. A little research right now on your final distribution targets might give you a lot of information that will help make your choices easier. For example, if you know that you want to premiere your film in a certain local theater, you might see if they can play DVDs, and whether HD is an option (Blu-ray) or whether its just DV.
Some factors to think about: 1) light sensitivity, 2) ease of use, 3) qualities of the recording, 4) durability, 5) flexibility.
The XH-A1 will record in HDV mode. And there is something to be said for recording in HD for a DV project. You can use the extra resolution in post to adjust the framing. So if you screw up the framing in the field, or if the shot is too shaky, you can re-frame the shot or use image stabilization to smooth it out in post. So shooting HD for a DV project buys some creative insurance.
The light sensitivity on the HVX seems to me to be a full stop less than the light sensitivity of the DVX or XH-A1. There are circumstances where the HVX just won't get a decent image without additional light. I thought the DVX and the XH-A1 were pretty comparable in low light.
Some of the new cameras shoot on cards. And cards are a lot more durable than tape. So if I was expecting to take the camera into dirty, dusty, areas and to be treating it roughly -- I would consider the durability of cards. Until recently, this meant the HVX and P2 cards. But with cards, you have to worry about copying and backing up the cards and clearing them for re-use. So it's a more complicated and time-consuming production process than just slapping another tape in the camera.
The zoom on the XH-A1 is more powerful than the DVX, and that Canon lens is really sharp. You can zoom in much further with the XH-A1. BUT... you need to put it on a tripod to use that extra zoom. The argument is that by the time you set up the shot on a tripod and frame it, you could have moved closer. But maybe there are some things you'd prefer to film in a full shot -- from a block away. And frankly, the XH-A1 will do that, and the DVX won't without the Tele Converter lens.
The DVX provides a more colorful image. Side by side shooting in DV mode, the DVX image is just richer and more film-like than the XH-A1. However, tinkering with the scene settings in the XH-A1 you can get really close to the Panasonic film look.
Finally, the buttons on the XH-A1 are laid out in a way that makes them easier to use for event videography. Rapidly adjusting the camera is easier on the XH-A1. For me, this isn't a great advantage, because after I get used to the cameras buttons and menus it just becomes a habit.
Good luck!
andy_starbuck
Well-known member
Remember to put a clear filter on whichever camera you use to protect the native camera lens. I had three experiences recently where the filter saved the lens. One was on location in Texas, the wind blew dust up in my face. A second time, a prop beer bottle (sugar bottle with water in it) was smashed on an actor's head, and the lens got coated in sugar water. A third time, someone walked up on set and said "so is this the camera?" and actually tapped the lens with his finger. Each time I sat cleaning the filter, I thanked my lucky stars I was cleaning something that I could see through and that I could throw away if it got scratched or if I couldn't get it clean.
Hi Andy,
YOU'RE AMAZING!!!! Your posts are most exciting than going to a film school... I really appreciate that you took some of your time to answer my question in details.
One more thing...you mention "However, tinkering with the scene settings in the XH-A1 you can get really close to the Panasonic film look."
do you know where I could find some extra information about these settings for a XH-A1 ?
I have not looked for it yet. I am going to do that now but just in case you know of a great site with this info, please let us know...
Thank you. It seems that you're shooting so have a great filming time.
YOU'RE AMAZING!!!! Your posts are most exciting than going to a film school... I really appreciate that you took some of your time to answer my question in details.
One more thing...you mention "However, tinkering with the scene settings in the XH-A1 you can get really close to the Panasonic film look."
do you know where I could find some extra information about these settings for a XH-A1 ?
I have not looked for it yet. I am going to do that now but just in case you know of a great site with this info, please let us know...
Thank you. It seems that you're shooting so have a great filming time.
andy_starbuck
Well-known member
This is the best resource for XH-A1 Custom Presets that I've found:
It's the XH-A1 Custom Presets thread at DVinfo.net. It lists both the VIVIDRGB and the PANALOOK cpf files for download.
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=81071
Filmmaker Steven Dempsey of Pinelake Films is the author of several popular XH-A1 presets, including PANALOOK and VIVIDRGB.
Here's a link to a review I wrote at MicroFilmMaker.com on the XH-A1.
http://www.microfilmmaker.com/reviews/Issue21/CanonXH1.html
And this page of the review has Steven's pictures made with his presets:
http://www.microfilmmaker.com/reviews/Issue21/XHA1_5.html
Here's the XH-A1 Custom Presets thread at DVXuser.com:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=80279
It's the XH-A1 Custom Presets thread at DVinfo.net. It lists both the VIVIDRGB and the PANALOOK cpf files for download.
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=81071
Filmmaker Steven Dempsey of Pinelake Films is the author of several popular XH-A1 presets, including PANALOOK and VIVIDRGB.
Here's a link to a review I wrote at MicroFilmMaker.com on the XH-A1.
http://www.microfilmmaker.com/reviews/Issue21/CanonXH1.html
And this page of the review has Steven's pictures made with his presets:
http://www.microfilmmaker.com/reviews/Issue21/XHA1_5.html
Here's the XH-A1 Custom Presets thread at DVXuser.com:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=80279
) andy_starbuck
Well-known member
At your service!
Best of luck with your project.
Andy
Best of luck with your project.
Andy
andy_starbuck
Well-known member
There's another sticky in the DVX100>Technical area that deals with uprezzing 4x3 to 16x9. I haven't done this myself. I understand there is some very good software or plugins for doing this today.
Mister Stocks
Well-known member
Andy, you should write a book.
Absolutely! Andy, write a book or make a tutorial DVD.
Quick question about filming at night in a busy city like New York.
Have you used any of the on-camera lights?
Any favorite settings (DVX100B) for filming at night, following or interviewing people in the streets?
thanks
Quick question about filming at night in a busy city like New York.
Have you used any of the on-camera lights?
Any favorite settings (DVX100B) for filming at night, following or interviewing people in the streets?
thanks
andy_starbuck
Well-known member
I haven't used any of the on-camera lights. I have friends that swear by some of the new LED light arrays that provide bright, soft light without using a lot of energy.
Remember that you can control exposure with shutter speed. Slowing the shutter will increase motion blur, so you might want to bring a tripod or monopod. Using gain will increase noise in the image, but sometimes the noise doesn't interfere with the purpose of the shot - maybe a "gritty" look is more realistic. Try a little gain and some slower shutter speeds in test before you go out to see the kinds of looks you can produce.
No. 1 advice is to use the available light. There is a ton of light dumping out of some store fronts at night. With an on-camera light you can use existing light for key or fill and get 2-point lighting. Even neon signs can provide a rim light or artistic lighting. With street lights, sometimes pulling a white balance even from a sidewalk will give a nice colored tone - giving a mood to the shot. When you have strong light sources look for where the shadows land. Sometimes just moving a person a few feet can make a big difference. Also, use reflective surfaces. So if someone is close to a large light-colored wall opposite the light source it can act as a reflector and bounce fill light into the shot.
Finally, remember that the inverse-square rule is your friend - light gets brighter or dimmer on a subject by the square - the change is much more radical than our instincts tell us. Moving just a few feet closer to or away from a light can make a huge difference in exposure.
And remember to compose the shot. Sometimes entirely different shots are possible by making sure that the light source is or is not in the frame.
Good luck!
Andy
Remember that you can control exposure with shutter speed. Slowing the shutter will increase motion blur, so you might want to bring a tripod or monopod. Using gain will increase noise in the image, but sometimes the noise doesn't interfere with the purpose of the shot - maybe a "gritty" look is more realistic. Try a little gain and some slower shutter speeds in test before you go out to see the kinds of looks you can produce.
No. 1 advice is to use the available light. There is a ton of light dumping out of some store fronts at night. With an on-camera light you can use existing light for key or fill and get 2-point lighting. Even neon signs can provide a rim light or artistic lighting. With street lights, sometimes pulling a white balance even from a sidewalk will give a nice colored tone - giving a mood to the shot. When you have strong light sources look for where the shadows land. Sometimes just moving a person a few feet can make a big difference. Also, use reflective surfaces. So if someone is close to a large light-colored wall opposite the light source it can act as a reflector and bounce fill light into the shot.
Finally, remember that the inverse-square rule is your friend - light gets brighter or dimmer on a subject by the square - the change is much more radical than our instincts tell us. Moving just a few feet closer to or away from a light can make a huge difference in exposure.
And remember to compose the shot. Sometimes entirely different shots are possible by making sure that the light source is or is not in the frame.
Good luck!
Andy
Capt Quirk
Veteran
Great info, but the "es really need to be fixed!