Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

CaptainMench

CaptainMench

Carbonite Member
I just got my camera last night!!! I'm just an editor who yells at camera ops for not giving me junk to edit... AND an extreme hobbiest with two kids and a 40 year mid life crisis who moved from his Sony TRV730 to the DVX100A!!!

I love it but have a zillion questions. If anyone gets ticked at my simple questions just say so politely and I'll take it for what it's worth.

First - All is going well with me messing with buttons, learning all sorts of new terms putting a bunch of stuff to tape, but it was all INSIDE. I just went OUTSIDE to shoot in bright sunlight and the camera told me to add an ND filter.

I popped it on (1/8) and the image looked too dark on the LCD for me. I know enough not to trust the LCD, but should I be trusting the camera? It wouldn't go away until I flipped the switch (infact at one point asking me to go even darker!)

I don't really want to be flippin ND filters on and off on the whim of the camera... do I?

Ok. Let's see where we go with that.

Thanks again for your DVX forum... I'll be reading up on past posts if this happened to be asked/answered before.

Thanks,

CaptM
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

The camera is suggesting the ND for the harsh conditions. If you turned on the ND then you need to open up the iris. This can be usefull for depth of field effects. In either case, ND serves well to clamp down the harsh contrast without effecting color tempature.
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

yea, as filmelife said. I would try and turn the ND filter on as the camera suggests, then use the IRIS scroll wheel below it turn open that up more which will brighten your image up more.

welcome to the forum! its a great tool and youll be here every day.
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

ND is neutral density. It serves only to limit the amount of light reaching the chips without effecting color temperature and does nothing to inhibit contrast. If you want to effect contrast you have to use a low-con filter or change your gamma settings, and/or do some serious lighting.
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

They all nailed it; the most important being the IRIS...

By the way it sounds like you were shooting in the harshest of lighting conditions!
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

Thanks again. "Harshest of lighting condition!" Outside?? Again, all the manual controls and 'actual' control of the camera has given me a whole new appreciation of those camera flunkies I usually work with.

I'm heading down to the new WWII memorial tomorrow. I'll test out the ND and iris trick there.

Thanks.

CaptM
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

Also, keep in mind that if you're having "doubts" about what the viewfinder is showing you, there's always your zebras--which, if you're shooting outside, should probably be on at all times (at least that's my policy).
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

Try and get down to the WW2 Memorial as EARLY as you can; you'll ove the light for it.
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

Depending on where the majority of your "film" or project would be shot, you could also consider adjusting the shutter speed. Although I wouldn't mix it within a project too much or too drastically. i.e. if it's a mostly outdoors piece, jack that shutter speed up there for the 'Gladiator' look. This will allow you to back off the ND filters some.
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

Jared -- Thanks, I did some work there too. I tried to get a shot of a helicopter with super high shutter to see if I slowed it down if it would give me that 'standing still' kind of look...

Back to the zebra - the default is 80% I think... should I push it back to 100 and then close the iris until all zebra is gone? Or are some ok. Would setting a lower knee help this?

Thanks

CaptM
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

jaredalv mentioned changing the shutter speed for a "gladiator" look, what would that shutter speed be???

Thanks.
 
Re: Newbie with Questions: this one ND Filter

Crank it up until you get the staccato look you want. I'd say somewhere around 1/250 to 1/1000 should get you there.
 
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