"Hughy"
<antispam@spamkiller.net> wrote in message
news:WuBPa.6111$oN.259425@newsfeeds.bigpond.com...
>
Using a VX-2000 at ballet/jazz ballet concerts:
>
>
Has anyone found a way to shoot stage lit concerts (on full manual iris),
>
without getting substantial brightness jumps (which are very time consuming
> to
smooth out in post) whenever you change the iris?
>
> We
used to shoot concerts on spotlight mode, zebras at 70 (not 100), with
>
the custom preset menu displayed - whilst we rode the custom preset exposure
>
adjustment. That worked well for a
while - until we hit the first concert
>
with a black stage background. The
custom preset just doesn't reduce
>
exposure enough to stop burnout and we were forced to go to full manual
>
iris. But with this regime, any VX-2000
iris change is a full f stop and a
>
sudden brightness jump is the inevitable result.
>
>
These days we've moved to zebras at 100 IRE (remaining on full manual iris,
> so
custom preset not available to give small changes to exposure level). I
>
try to "guesstimate" what the highest light level will be, and set f
stop
>
for that initially, however if stage lighting drops too low I'm still forced
> to
open up with consequent big brightness jump to deal with in post. That is
>
*very* time consuming to hide in post (especially if you're trying to hide
> it
completely and there are many of them).
>
>
I'm tempted to "set and forget" the iris for highest light level -
for
>
example, typically around f 6.8, but as soon as the lighting drops down to
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"mood" level, we either must open iris at least a full f stop (or
more) or
>
we're stuck with some very noisy footage as gain is applied in post - bad
>
normally but even worse for DVD production.
I've got a nasty feeling that
>
some of Sony's more expensive cameras (eg. DSR-300 upwards) may be the only
>
way to deal with this properly - by producing a usable image down to lower
>
light levels, hence not triggering an aperture change ...
>
> My
wife (shooting with XL1) doesn't have the same problem - using
"E-lock"
> on
auto, she can change her aperture in 1/3 of an f stop increments ...
>
giving beautifully smooth aperture changes.
>
>
Anyone have a workable solution (other than a live mix) that doesn't
> increase
editing time? A full pro camera isn't currrently an option.
The
VX2000, in common with most (all?) at its level, adjusts the
exposure
in manual mode in 1/2 stop increments, which is far too
gross
for riding the exposure during recording. Alternatively, I prefer
(as you
mentioned) to use AE with adjustment of the bias in the
custom
controls, but this does not help much with shifting light
levels
unless the exposure relationships remain fairly constant.
Cameras
with "real" lenses provide better (as in, continuously
variable)
aperture control, without the "jumps", and this may be the
only
viable solution for shooting in this unusual situation (most
others
can be handled well by using AE + bias or lock [and shifting
when
not actually recording...]). If you can come up with a
continuously
variable-density filter (crossed polarizers work, but
this
robs too much light at minimum density for theater work - and
a long
smoothly-varying-density filter, moved in front of the lens
for
optimum filtering may be rather cumbersome...;-). If you use
only
long FLs and wide stops, a variable diaphragm mounted
in
front of the lens may work, but would likely darken the edges
more
than the center...
--
David Ruether
d_ruether@hotmail.com
http://www.David-Ruether-Photography.com
Hey, take a gander at www.visitithaca.com,
too...!