Hi all... I've got an XH A1S that I've been shooting with for the last year. Let me quickly say that I had zero prior education/experience with filming or editing, so the last year has been quite a learning roller coaster just getting familiar with the camera, all it's accessories & trying to manipulate our footage with FCP 7. So please be kind, I'm bound to be asking a lot of questions :undecided
I'm trying to educate myself now; I've spent the last few days reading hundreds of threads & I now realize the first thing I need to do is start experimenting with some presets for my cameras (both are the xha1s). For the last year, I have been filming using Auto for everything except the focus (I know what some of you are thinking... please be nice).
I'm guessing that for anyone to recommend proper settings, you'll need to know what I'm filming & what I'm planning on doing with it so here goes:
We film hunts (deer, turkey, elk, bear, etc) & we intend to use this footage for TV broadcast. I've looked @ multiple networks & their requirements are as follows:
• The image format is 1920 X 1080;
• The frame rate must be of 29.97 Hz (59.94 fields/s), interlaced
• High Definition cameras must use three CCD chips, each with at least a 1/2” diagonal and a minimum resolution of 1280 x 720.
First of all, I noticed that the xha1s specs state "(3) 1/3-inch Native 16:9 CCDs (1440 x1080)". If I use the proper settings on this camera, is the slightly smaller size of that chip going to be an issue?
Second... my filming conditions are pretty uncontrollable in regards to lighting, I get whatever Mother Nature deals me at the time. I need a setting (or likely, multiple setting options) that will help me adapt to whatever condition I might find myself in. We are generally sitting up for morning & evening hunts, so the lighting conditions will be changing dramatically over the 2-4 hour period. I'd like to reduce the grain, but most important is that I'm able to get descent footage @ sunrise/sunset, as these are the prime times for shot opportunities. Additionally, I'll still need to be able to zoom in on my target, which could be 15 yards or 200 yards (I understand some settings will affect the ability to get a good shot while zooming in & out in low light conditions, I need to be aware of how to manipulate that as best I can). Also, after reading many posts, I will be turning the AGC off. Suggestions for manually adjusting gain, shutter speed & other settings for that hour off time before & after sunrise/sunset to keep the best footage would be sssooooo greatly appreciated!!
Third... The camera is always mounted on a stable platform (tripod or tree arm). Should I turn the Image Stabilization off? And when I'm doing hand-held shots, should I turn it back on?
Thank you!!
-RaDonda
I'm trying to educate myself now; I've spent the last few days reading hundreds of threads & I now realize the first thing I need to do is start experimenting with some presets for my cameras (both are the xha1s). For the last year, I have been filming using Auto for everything except the focus (I know what some of you are thinking... please be nice).
I'm guessing that for anyone to recommend proper settings, you'll need to know what I'm filming & what I'm planning on doing with it so here goes:
We film hunts (deer, turkey, elk, bear, etc) & we intend to use this footage for TV broadcast. I've looked @ multiple networks & their requirements are as follows:
• The image format is 1920 X 1080;
• The frame rate must be of 29.97 Hz (59.94 fields/s), interlaced
• High Definition cameras must use three CCD chips, each with at least a 1/2” diagonal and a minimum resolution of 1280 x 720.
First of all, I noticed that the xha1s specs state "(3) 1/3-inch Native 16:9 CCDs (1440 x1080)". If I use the proper settings on this camera, is the slightly smaller size of that chip going to be an issue?
Second... my filming conditions are pretty uncontrollable in regards to lighting, I get whatever Mother Nature deals me at the time. I need a setting (or likely, multiple setting options) that will help me adapt to whatever condition I might find myself in. We are generally sitting up for morning & evening hunts, so the lighting conditions will be changing dramatically over the 2-4 hour period. I'd like to reduce the grain, but most important is that I'm able to get descent footage @ sunrise/sunset, as these are the prime times for shot opportunities. Additionally, I'll still need to be able to zoom in on my target, which could be 15 yards or 200 yards (I understand some settings will affect the ability to get a good shot while zooming in & out in low light conditions, I need to be aware of how to manipulate that as best I can). Also, after reading many posts, I will be turning the AGC off. Suggestions for manually adjusting gain, shutter speed & other settings for that hour off time before & after sunrise/sunset to keep the best footage would be sssooooo greatly appreciated!!
Third... The camera is always mounted on a stable platform (tripod or tree arm). Should I turn the Image Stabilization off? And when I'm doing hand-held shots, should I turn it back on?
Thank you!!
-RaDonda