Getting the right image ?

mystico said:
Let me preface my question with the statement that I don't remember whether my issue was with the ND filter or the Gain settings. To those who understand the DVX, it will become clear as I ask the question. My question is this ... I set the ND filter to OFF as Andy suggested for general baseline setting. However, whenever the lighting would change, I would get a message to change it to 1/8 or 1/64. Again, I don't really remember whether that was the ND filter or the Gain. Anyway, each time I made the change, there was a clicking sound that is audible on the recording, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, a noticeable change in the lighting of the recorded video. For example, I turn from a shot of the bride and groom to a shot of the bridesmaids. Where they are standing is less lighted, so the ND filter warning says to crank it up a notch. I do so, and besides the loud click, there is a quick jump in the amount of light on screen, then the auto-iris (I guess) kicks in and ramps it back down to "normal." This didn't happen that often, but where it did I now have footage with the audible click AND noticeable jumps in the lighting. I will likely have to edit those parts out, which is annoying. Otherwise, I will learn to use manual iris next time. But with this being my first time, I just set the camera to the baseline as instructed by Andy, then let the DVX do its "thang." Its "thang" is great by the way, but these hiccups are annoying. I realise now that I did not actually ask a question, but I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice on handling/avoiding this next time. :o
Click to expand...

I'll try to tackle this. For the most part, your ND filters (1/8 and 1/64) are used when you encounter a very BRIGHTLY lit scene and need to put sunglasses on your camera lens to get the lighting level back down to where the camera (and the range of your iris) can handle it. This has the added effect of allowing you to open your iris which will decrease your depth of field. (Please turn off that auto setting!:)) That's really all the filters are, sunglasses for your camera. Normally you would use them outdoors where the light is very bright and ideally you wouldn't have to switch them on while recording a continuous event. I'd recommend setting it once, for a certain lighting situation, and using your iris dial to control the light entering the lens. You should also try to avoid using gain as much as possible. As you gain up, you increase the amount of noise in the image. I don't think you'd get a message saying to gain up on your camera, but I'm not totally sure about that. Hope that helps.
-Ryan
 
andy_starbuck said:
By the way, if you want to know more about shutter speed, then you should read the "Shutter Speed Tutorial..." In the technical section of DVXuser.com.

Andy
Click to expand...

shutter speed tuto?
 
Wow I know this tread is really old but I just a dvx100a today and have been reading the manual but after I read this it made it so simple to understand and helped alot...
 
It would be nice to read that great explanation - which I think is great (at the beginning of this thread) without the quot's all over the place.. obviously the quotes does not work on the thread..

quot;B&quot
 
I'm new to this here, but after reading all the information been given so far I'm realy impressed with the way you people help one another!
So I decided to join and come up with a few questions my self:

I own my dvxx now for a month and shot one wedding with it. I was impressed by the picture i got by using most of the settings in defaul and automatic. But when I decided to upgrgade my camera I did not now wich camera to buy. Eventualy I made up my mind and bought the DVX Pal versie as everyone was so exited about 24p or as on my pal version 25p.

Now here is my question: The film look wich I should be able to achive with the scen setting nr5 does not impress me as it seems to impress everyone els. I used the standard settings of scene nr5 -25p and moved my camera from left to right and up and down. The software I capture with is adobe premier 2.0 and here I use the option 24p what comes up after you click on new project. After editing I wanted to export to dvd now I can only burn to ntsc. Why not to pal was my question so I found on the internet a plug in that made this possible. After burning the test footage I looked at it on my pal tv and the image was irritating me. Not at al as i had imagend. there is a stutter or it looks jagged. Certanly the vertical lines where bad. Now I know that you can get a sort of film look through softwasre, but I don't want to go that way. I did not buy the dvx for nothing, and I think that I might do something wrong. The other option is just filming with scene 3 settings and adjust settings as cinefilm but why the the 24p or 25p? I also read alot about pulldown, I did not realise that i had to now this much to get waht I want and that is waht it promisses a "film look"

Thanks, Tony
 
I don't have the PAL version or know those settings. On the NTSC version, scene file 5 normally provides 24p which already has pull-down, and scene file 6 normally provides 24pA which is designed to have the pull-down removed.

I would suggest not just relying on the settings, but checking through the menu exactly what format you are shooting in. It is possible to save a scene file and to overwrite the default settings. So you could think you are working in one format and it might really be another format if the scene file was changed and saved.

It sounds very much like you are shooting in an "Advanced" mode and then the editing program was not removing the extra frames or not removing them properly. I can tell you that I did accidentally record in 24pA and edited it on Permiere Pro 1.0 without extra frame removal and the results were jittery and unwatchable -- much as you've described.

I created a PAL commercial using Premiere Pro 1.0. I actually shot the commercial on the DVX in 24pA mode, then output my final commercial to a file as 24p, and imported it back onto a PAL 25p timeline, and then burned a PAL DVD. You should check your workflow. Maybe the plug-in is not needed. Maybe you are going back and forth between NTSC and PAL because of having the wrong settings on capture in Permiere. I would check the Premiere documentation carefully for PAL workflow.

I'm not familiar with 25p / PAL and not running Premiere 2.0. It would be best if someone who uses 25p/PAL and Premiere 2.0 could advise you.

However, if not, then the next best thing is to intentionally go through and record one clip in every mode you can. And then go and try to load each clip in Premiere in every capture format the program will allow. Create a grid on a piece of paper and keep track of the results. This is a sure fire scientific way of determining which settings are correct on both the camera and the editing software to get the results you want. Its slow. Its tedious. But you only have to do it one time and keep notes and by the end you'll know what works. And that's how I eventually figured out my 24pA with Premiere Pro 1.0 problem and burned a PAL DVD.

a votre service,

Andy
 
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Thanks for your response Andy.
I have copied all you messages in this thread as they are very useful and professional answers to what people as me need to get ahead with the DVX.

I have done what you said, and used all the scene file settings available, and had a good result.
I found out that with my Pal version I should not capture at 24p as 25p doesn't need pulldown. I also learned to move the camera (pan) very slow and this most have been the answer to get film 25p without it looking jagged.
I also have been able to have a read of the first few pages of the DVX book. Unfortunaly I can't order the book here in New Zealand.

I am now using scene file 5 and have made some changes to the settings. Filmed some sunsets and they all came out really well.
I'll keep following everything you have to say and have to ask the question. "Why don't you write a book"

Good luck and many thanks Andy

Tony
 
this is by far the best set of posting ive read so far i learned alot about white balancing and it changed my video pictures for the better thanx!!
 
I got my DVX100B yesterday, and this was a savior. Thanks so much Andy.
I have another question.......In the manual next to the procedures for white balancing, they talk about black balancing. The way I understood it was right after you white balance (while still focusing on a white surface) press and hold the AWB button to black balance. Is this the procedure? Or should you focus on a black surface and press and hold the AWB button to black balance??
So I guess my question is should you focus on a white or black surface to black balance??
 
You don't. Black Balance closes the iris automatically, so it takes care of it; it shuts the iris so no light reaches the chips.
 
I have always shot on old ass beta and black and white balance was done all the time on white but the manual says to only black once and not again unless the cam has not been used recently i always thought black balancing was as important as white but if what does it mean to not black after the cam has not been used for an extended period of time what is considered an extened period of time?
 
I believe that "extended period of time" means if the camera has been in storage so that the internal battery might have drained, causing it to lose its black balance settings.

I probably set the black balance by accident on the DVX when I first got it out of the box when trying to set the white balance, and holding the button too long. And then I didn't set it again for a year.

The HVX200 is much more particular about black balance. Because every time you change format or recording medium you need to do a black balance. So I'm in the habit of doing a black balance on the HVX200 just about every time I start using the camera. Because of that I black balance much more often now when using the DVX100 just out of habit of using the HVX200. Probably every time I start a new project, or if the DVX has been sitting for a couiple of weeks. I don't think running an extra black balance hurts anything.
 
Hi guys, i'm shooting a Cd aunch of a popular local Dj and i'm shooting in a club. the lighting in this club is standard nite club lighting. this is my first offical shoot so i want to do it good. Any advice in terms of lighting or scene file setting to bring out great footage will be appreciated. the shoot is this friday the 28th.
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Sorry. I saw the post too late. How did it work out? I haven't done much of that kind of shooting, so I don't have any experience. But I'd be interested in finding out what you learned.
 
Andy,
I am very new to this and just started using my new DVX100B to shoot soccer games. The tutorial at the beggining of the thread was very helpful. Do the suggestions apply to the 100B as well? Is there anything different about the 100B that I need to know?
Thank you!
 
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