On Mon, 15 Jul 2002 12:17:24 -0700, "Luc" wrote:

>I know I can adjust the exposure on most Sony mini-dv camcorders but is this
>simply achieved by changing the shutter speed? Is there also a way to
>increase the gain manually on TRV25/27 or TRV50? I.e. increase sensitivity
>of the CCD (with increase noise).

In auto mode, as light level falls, Sony camcorders
first drop the shutter speed to 1/60th (1/100th for
1-chippers, with stabilizer engaged), then open the
aperture to maximum, then increase gain toward +18db.
When you use the "lock-and-shift" method of increasing
exposure, the same sequence is followed, but with manual
control over the effect, not the specific mode of achieving
it. With Sony 3-chippers, you can use AE-A and AE-S to
select the aperture or shutter speed to be fixed while
the others shift, or other modes to fix the shutter speed
(and with the VX2000/PD150, to limit gain rise) and
aperture. With 1-chippers, using different program
modes can give you slightly biased exposures, if desired.
Generally, it is less desirable to increase gain, rather
than using the slowest shutter speed and/or widest
aperture, so this option is rarely offered in small
camcorders - but if you are after the "look" (not sure
why...;-) of high-gain, you can use ND filters sufficient
to force maximum gain - otherwise, the picture will
look better even if the lens is wide open (I often prefer
using "portrait mode" [with the TRV30 only...] to force
the aperture wide and to reduce slightly the overall
auto exposure level [I use "spotlight mode" with
other Sony 1-chippers to do this for exteriors, since
"portrait mode" has undesirable effects with these]).