Long stand questions about the DVX100B

[Directorb]

Ok, so I've finally decided to sign up for an account, and for my first post, I'd just like three simple questions answered by someone who knows what they're talking about.

1. How do you get the absolute least grainy picture while shooting with 24P in broad daylight? Is it true that shooting between F3.4 and F11 is best?

2. Is the only way to avoid strobing during fast action with 24P by using a high shutterspeed?

3. Does the OIS ACTUALLY cause the picture to degrade if the camera is on a tripod?

4. Is there any way at all to avoid pixelated reds?

5. is this camera very sensitive to Heat? (Will shooting out in the sun until it heats up cause issues with it?)


Thanks to you all, and I look forward to my newfound freedom to post in such a kickass forum!

 

[DerrickTempleton]

all of these questions have been discussed in depth multiple times before. You should peruse the dvx section to read up on it, and use the search function. But that answer always frustrated me when I was new, so here's my advice:

1. shooting in broad daylight you're not gonna have grain issues. Make sure the gain is off, flip on the ND filter, and shoot around a 5.6 fstop (I believe the middle f stop ranges are the highest quality on video zoom lenses, can anyone confirm?)

2. If you put it on 1/250, you'll get that Saving Private Ryan look where you can freeze frame and not see any motion blur. Shoot 1/48 or 1/60 to get a more normal look. If you're doing fast action and don't want any strobe, maybe lower it to 1/24. I personally think strobe looks better for action though...

3. OIS doesn't change image quality. You want to turn it off when you're on a tripod because when you begin your pan or tilt, the OIS will think it is camera shake, and will try to correct for it. So the stabilizer on the OIS will be fighting against the tripod. It will make your footage more jerky.

4. The light frequency range for reds is not as broad as it is for blues or greens. It's always a bad idea to shoot red stuff on miniDV. The best way to avoid pixelated reds is in your art direction: don't film bright red stuff. And don't use red text in your credits. If you do, make it more pastel.

5. If you live in Phoenix and it's like 118 degrees then you might have some problems. If Al Gore hasn't gotten your hometown all riled up yet, however, you should be safe. I have shot with a DVX out in the sun for full days, several days in a row, and heat wasn't an issue. But I don't ever leave it sitting out in the sun or in a parked car. I try to shade it when possible.