Using HIGH SENS?

L

Larry Chapman

Well-known member
I shoot a fair amount of dance performances with low light. I've been using HIGH SENS mode as a default in these situations, adding 6dB of gain when necessary. More often than not, I'm forced to shoot with the iris open at 1/60th.

How are others using HIGH SENS, if at all?
 
I do not.
Spoiler: redacted
High Sens mode is basically +18dB gain at 1/2 shutter speed. You can set all that manually. The only way to keep the f/2.8 is to not zoom so I just shoot at f/4.5 all the time to avoid ramping. Adding +6dB in High Sens mode would therefore be +24dB gain, right? Again, something that can be done manually. But that is 4 stops exposure gain
...how dark an environment are you shooting? That sounds really dark. Anyway, I would rather be rolling in 30p with 1/60 shutter at ISO 2000 (+12dB). Must see footage! :D
 
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HIGH SENS is most definitely not what you describe. It isn't anywhere near 18dB of gain, nor does it have anything to do with the shutter speed.

HIGH SENS is basically 6dB of gain with additional noise reduction to minimize the grain that comes from adding gain. That's all.
 
Barry_Green said:
HIGH SENS is most definitely not what you describe. It isn't anywhere near 18dB of gain, nor does it have anything to do with the shutter speed.

HIGH SENS is basically 6dB of gain with additional noise reduction to minimize the grain that comes from adding gain. That's all.
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Thank you for the clarification, Barry. The people I heard that from were not you, and I'd trust you on Panasonic matters over anyone else. I redact that information in my previous post.

However, it still doesn't sound like anything you can't do manually, nor does it sound like something I'd want to activate given the additional noise reduction....IN MOST CASES. There might come a situation where, suddenly, "oh snap I need a High Sens mode on my camera because I don't have time to go make all those changes to the settings or I'll miss my shot" and that's when you push the button that activates that mode and you're glad your camera has the function. Rest of the time: I'm glad I can finally -7 the NR. :D
 
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Agreed, it's great to have the option. To me, HIGH SENS makes sense in indoor, under-lit conditions. But in daylight or in properly-lit conditions, I wouldn't use HIGH SENS. You definitely don't need more sensitivity in daylight, and the additional noise reduction can smooth out fine details.
 
Thread resurrection- I've had the cam for 9 months, digging in a bit deeper and modifying some previous settings. Is there any way to assign "high sensitivity mode" to a user button? Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see that option. It's a setting I'd like to have be more accessible than digging deep into the bowels of the menu.
 
hotchkiss said:
. Is there any way to assign "high sensitivity mode" to a user button? Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see that option. It's a setting I'd like to have be more accessible than digging deep into the bowels of the menu.
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Same on the HC-X1, no user assignable button for high sensitivity, i wish there was. Maybe on a future firmware

Paul.
 
I'm not near my camera.

When you activate HIGH SENS mode, does the camera have to do a restart? Anything more complex than just exiting the menu? If so, that might be why it can't be assigned to a User Button. Like, you can't change the System Frequency or the video recording format via a user button.
 
P.Kellett said:
Same on the HC-X1, no user assignable button for high sensitivity, i wish there was. Maybe on a future firmware

Paul.
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Darn! I was hoping I was just missing it. Of all the the features that would be great to have as a user button- this is one. Thanks for the heads up.
 
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