Suggestions for beginner settings in low-light

[Jabulani-Jonny]

First off,
Thank you guys for this forum and your patience with folks like me.

I have read a shiite militia load of posts about cinemode, the lock exposure trick, gain, etc. I've read most of the posts in the FAQ and run my own searches. I've had the HV20 for a week and have been trying to test different settings indoors to see what provides the best low-light performance and the most ease of use.

This Sunday I will be shooting, or having someone else shoot, my baby's dedication at church. Our church is typically kind of dark, with spots on the stage, but not overly bright. I won't have a chance to do, and don't fully understand, the whole phone trick/lock exposure technique. I'm trying to get the least amount of grain/gain in my shots.

So my thoughts are to just put the HV20 in 24p, cinemode and let it roll. There won't be a lot of movement so I think 24p should be fine. I would like sharp images, and I know that cinemode can soften things a bit, but I thought it might help with the grain. If not, correct me on this. Does this sound like the best settings to use to get fairly crisp, low grain, indoor shots in a lower light setting? I have fiddled with TV settings as well, so I could just set a shutter speed if that will give me crisper images.

As an aside, I've tried using Zebra at 70% and I have no idea what I'm seeing with that. I just know the lines disappear at darker settings, ie. higher shutter speeds. So is it just helping you not blow out the shot?

Thanks for the help!

Jonathan

[2Bdecided]

This depends mostly on the capabilities of the "someone else" who is shooting the footage. If they wave the camera around like a mad person (or even normal home movie maker), 24p will be a disaster. If they can keep it steady, or use a tripod, 24p can be OK.

More light is the answer to avoid noise, and reduced contrast (plus fewer "dark" parts in shot) is the answer to avoid blown highlights. Cinemode is one way of reducing the contrast. "P mode, custom settings, contrast knocked down" is another, but it's a much smaller effect so cinemode is safer. You'll have to adjust things afterwards though - cinemode often give too dull a picture for viewing as-is.

70% zebra is conservative. It's considered a sensible level for a white person's face, but that's not a hard and fast rule, and shooting with 70% zebras will cover everything brighter than this with zebra marks in the LCD. Unless you're used to working with this, it's a pain! I find 100% zebra more useful: if anything other than full white is showing zebra marks, it's too bright and I need to do something (but do you want the person shooting your event to worry about this? or concentrate on framing etc? how good are they?)

You don't want higher shutter settings in low light.

Don't forget the audio. Get a feed from the desk copied onto CDR or recorded into a PC and match it to the video afterwards. If you need to use the HV20's sound, make sure to use manual recording level, and set that very conservatively. It's easier to make it louder afterwards than quieter! If you're not happy setting it, leave it on auto.

Most importantly, enjoy your day. Forget the HV20! But copy the tape onto your PC afterwards. EDIT: or your Mac (saw your blog). Since you found a cameraman/woman for the birth, I'm sure you can find a good one for the dedication!

Cheers,
David.

[Jabulani-Jonny]

Thanks David!

I think i'm gonna go without Cinemode, but with 24p in either just straight P or TV. I'm pretty happy with the footage I'm getting from my indoor tests. We'll see! Thanks!