On Tue, 29 Jan 2002 04:13:07 GMT, "Ed Mellnik"
>Generally I would say turn off all the auto stuff but the auto focus is so
>good on that camera it is very nice to just leave it on.
As I pointed out elsewhere in this thread, the VX2000 AWB
(except in daylight), AE, AGC, and (as you point out) AF
are so good on this camera, that most of the time one can
rely on these, using the custom controls to modify the
automatic controls when appropriate...
>As for everything else - you have to turn all the manual stuff on or it will
>do stuff you dont want.
This is not often the case, and applying shifts with the
custom controls, or locks, solves most problems when it
is..
>For example, if you leave auto gain on it will go up as you close the iris.
>This will make your video grainy.
But properly exposed...;-) Locking out gain rise limits
the low-light range of the camera, and is not a good choice
(especially since the VX2000 picture is so good at high gain
settings). A good compromise is to limit the gain rise to
+12db in the custom controls, which will insure a clean
picture down to the (higher...) low light limit for this
gain setting...
>Manual white will always give a better picture.
I have found this rarely true, unless one takes the time and
effort to balance to the best of a selection of off-white
sheets or gels - otherwise the color is very "cold" and
unnatural... I do use DWB for almost all exterior work with
the VX2000, though, and sometimes shift color balance to
+1 in the custom controls - and I always use AWB for
interiors, often adjusting color balance to + numbers to
bring the color balance for tungsten to the prefered
balance. This is faster and easier (and more ready for
quick changes) than using manual white balance. BTW, AWB
on the VX2000 is exceptionally good with flourescents...
>Also shutter on manual or the shutter will change with gain and iris also.
Unless it goes too high (above 1/250th or so) causing
strobing, this is not a problem - and the shutter speed
can be limited to 1/250th by selecting "manual shutter"
in the custom controls (not AE-S, or manual shutter
mode...).
>When you see the shutter speed on the screen you know it is in manual. same
>for gain.
In this mode, you are VERY likely to suffer unwanted
exposure shifts as the light changes - and changing
settings while in this mode results in "chunky", unsmooth
exposure shifts... BTW, the shutter speed also appears
with AE-S...
>extra stuff on the screen but better to have control of those things.
>ed
This camera is designed (very well!!!) to be an auto-control
device, and various excellent "bias" and "lock" controls
have been supplied to provide easy shifting or holding of
the auto settings. Trying to operate this camera in full
manual mode is to invite frustration and failure while
trying to get the same very high percentage of good footage
the auto controls are capable of providing, when used with
understanding and with the appropriate biases applied...