ND Filter Broken? (with footage)

J

JohnnyFive5

New member
I just shot some footage of a panel of speakers in a decently lit indoor location and the footage came out terrible. My boss is very upset with me over this footage. I saw that the footage was very dark when I began filming and made sure the ND filter was switched off but that didn't seem to help.

Can you guys please take a look at the following and let me know what you think the problem might be...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAsCcLQ83Rk&feature=channel_video_title

Here is a video taken of the same panel from a guy with a cellphone camera so you can see the lighting in the room wasn't the issue...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1cHbKQjy3E

On a separate note, the viewfinder screen looks distorted so I have to only use the LCD. I was thinking of sending the camera into Panasonic to repair the viewfinder issue, do you think it could be related to the dark issue?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
 
What were the settings you used to shoot this: aperture, shutter speed, was the ND filter on?, scene file, etc.
 
Whether the ND filter was stuck or not isn't really the issue - the WFM and zebras would have told you the exposure was low. Even the so-so LCD on the 150 would give you a clue (though viewing angle makes a huge difference with it).

Do you shoot manual and check your exposure when you shoot? This doesn't look like a problem shot, it's not backlit and seems like there was ample light on the panel.

Aperture, shutter, and scene file aren't the issue here, it's "why did you choose the settings you used" - the shot is just too dark. What were you using to judge exposure? The 150 is one of the few affordable cameras with a wave form monitor - did the WFM look correct for these shots? If so, you've got a hardware problem. If the WFM lines were down at the bottom of the LCD, you need to learn about metering and exposure, preferably before shooting an important event...

If you don't know what the "WFM" button does, I'd read up on it. One of the simplest exposure tools there is, considering the wealth of info it gives you at a glance.

And is the viewfinder distorted or out of focus? You can adjust the diopter on the viewfinder for focus. But you should be able to do just fine with the LCD and exposure functions of the camera.
 
What shocks me is that it is not just a little bit underexposed, it's several stops underexposed. It looks like the iris was set at f/11.
 
My guess is your shutter speed was set WAYYYYYY to high, or your iris was closed down too far. I don't think this was an ND issue, unless your ND was set to off, and you were shooting wide-open aperture at 1/24 sec shutter and still were seeing this on your footage.
 
the fact the iris is not opening means there is a problem with the lens for sure. either that or the board controlling the ND filter is bad.
 
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