I am new to filmaking as a whole...but i recently picked up a HV30 on Friday from Best buy for $899.00.

I have been previuosly been using my GL2, which i really like, but I travel from USA to China for work and was tired of lugging my GL2 back and forth for 15000 miles.

The manual is not real clear on a couple of things... Is there a manual mode on the HV30? How do i get to it if there is? I have read page 49 and it appears there should be a manual mode with an exposure meter.

Is there Zebra stripes avail with this cam? if so How do i get to them?


Thanks...

Dave

The manual is not real clear on a couple of things... Is there a manual mode on the HV30? How do i get to it if there is? I have read page 49 and it appears there should be a manual mode with an exposure meter.

What's the problem? It tells you what to do on p 49.
Did you press the SET button (the joystick)? if so you should see the joystick guide in the viewfinder and LCD. Push the joystick UP (the UP arrow in the joystick guide will turn yellow) until you see EXP in white letters above the joystick guide. Then at the top left of the viewfinder/LCD you should see the blue bar display for manual exposure with the =/- indicator at the side. That shows you what the meter thinks of your manual adjustment.


Is there Zebra stripes avail with this cam? if so How do i get to them?


Yes - you have to set it up in Display Setup (page 43)
It's under ASSIST FUNC.


[ OFF], [ ZEBRA(70%)],
[ ZEBRA(100%)], [ PEAKING]
You can use the assist functions to make
sure you adjust the focus and exposure
correctly.
[ZEBRA]: A striped pattern (zebra
pattern) will appear over areas of the
picture that are overexposed (too bright).
[ ZEBRA(70%)] is more sensitive
than [ ZEBRA(100%)].


Things like this are easier to find in the PDF version of the manual. You can download the NTSC version at:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&tabact=DownloadDetailTabAct&fcategoryid=369&modelid=16206

Where i think i am getting confuse is I am looking for a completely manual mode where i set both the aperture and the shutter speed. I can get the in camera meter now as you explained, and I found the zebra stripes, but i can only get the exposure bar in AV or TV mode.

Is tehre a completely manual mode where i can control bot the aperture and the shutter speed?

Thanks for the PDF link.. I am reviewing now!

I can get the in camera meter now as you explained, and I found the zebra stripes, but i can only get the exposure bar in AV or TV mode.

Is tehre a completely manual mode where i can control bot the aperture and the shutter speed?

Thanks for the PDF link.. I am reviewing now!

Glad to have helped a bit. Sorry I'm not aware of another manual exposure mode on the HV20 or HV30.

there is a manual-ish exposure trick to control the aperture and shutter speed and it involves a miniSD card and a cell phone!

more information about that could be found here:

http://www.dvxuser.com/jason/hv20/


Or you can search for something like "hv20 cell phone trick" to find something simpler.

there is a manual-ish exposure trick to control the aperture and shutter speed and it involves a miniSD card and a cell phone!

more information about that could be found here:

http://www.dvxuser.com/jason/hv20/


Fascinating! Thanks for posting that. I'm not sure I'll get round to trying it myself at the moment - it's easier for me to reach for my XH-A1 to do exact exposures.

I find the 'double bump' technique easier than the cellphone trick. Basically, you slide the exposure meter all the way to the left then quickly 'double bump' the joystick in the up direction. This will reset the exposure meter and allow you to choose a greater selection of stops. Search for it as there are better explanations.

Kelly can you help us with this. "double bump" isn't giving me much of anything in a search.

There're different ways people play with the EV settings to get some noise free video. Double bump is one of them. You can also cover the lens with your hand. Then lock the exposure. Then move the EV value all the way to the left. People claim they get noise free voice. But to me, it's just max out the noise gain.. then use the EV value to make the noise less visible.

The best method is the light trick or photo button trick. That really deliver a complete noise free video.