I'm not familiar with the JVC or Canon
1-chip camcorders, but Sony 1-chip Mini-DV
camcorders have slow shutter speeds
available under "digital effects", or
some-such. Often the 1/30th or 1/15th
are useable, with the resultant lowering
of gain improving picture color and
"grain" characteristics, or allowing
the taking of video in much lower light
levels than at 1/60th... Turning off
the stabilizer when shooting in low light
also helps with Sony one-chippers (the
shutter speed goes from 1/100th to 1/60th).
If a monochrome picture is acceptable,
the "night shot" feature can be used to
produce good-quality B&W footage in much
lower light levels than color (and a
light can be added that emits
nearly-invisible IR light). Most 1-chip
Mini-DV camcorders are so small that a
light would add significantly to size
(and heat) - and it is easy to add an
external light (with the source properly
above the lens, to avoid "ghoulish"
effects...).


On 3 Oct 2001 06:03:40 -0700, bluntmon@operamail.com (Major Blunts) wrote:

>How is Canon's Low Light mode?
>
>Why don't more camera's ship with a built-in light? It's somewhat
>common on the 8mm and VHS-C, but not very common on the DV cameras.
>
>The reason I bring this up is that I borrowed a friends JVC DV camera
>to record my kid's birthday party and the video was terrible. Very
>grainy and poor color. I think he paid about a $1000 for it.
>Personally, if it were my camera I would have returned it.

>d_ruether@hotmail.com (Neuman - Ruether) wrote in message
>news:<3bbac3e8.2237440@newsstand.cit.cornell.edu>...
>
>> What you describe (loss of color) is a result of the
>> camera using high gain; the other symptom is "graininess"
>> (noise-reduction may reduce this, usually at the expense
>> of resolution and color information). Small-CCD one-chip
>> Mini-DV/D-8 camcorders do not generally perform well in
>> low light; the best-model 1-chip Hi-8s often were somewhat
>> better; none comes close to a VX2000 Sony in low light,
>> though most other 3-chip Mini-DV camcorders perform
>> acceptably well in moderately low light. BTW, street
>> scenes at night may qualify as "low light", but normally
>> acceptable is the rendering the bright lights well, and
>> the small areas near them fairly well - not difficult for
>> many camcorders (though 3-chippers show the color better
>> in the bright-lights/neon/illuminated-signs/etc. since
>> they are better able to retain highlight [and shadow]
>> detail).