On Mon, 22 Apr 2002 03:53:58 -0700 (PDT), bigrocketman3@webtv.net (Steve McDonald) wrote:

> If you have a camera with manual exposure control, in some backlit
>situations you can raise the exposure level enough to lighten the
>subject, but yet keeping the backlighting from becoming so bright as to
>overpower the scene.

This ignores the basic problem noted by the poster: the
inability of most cameras to hold highlight detail well
enough to make what you suggest practical...

>This gives you more control than a one-position backlight button. But,
>it's best to arrange your shooting position to avoid backlighting, as
>even the most capable camera can't avoid some degradation of the picture
>with that problem. Some types of adverse shooting conditions just can't
>be overcome by camera controls or filters and you need to rearrange the
>shot to make it come out looking good.

This is true, but some Mini-DV cameras (some 3-chippers,
compared with most others, especially one-chippers),
handle highlights better than others, and they can retain
more detail in the brighter areas of the picture - the
VX2000/PD150 is notably good at this, though others that
are more expensive can also do it...