Personally I limit my gain to 6 but that's me. I hate gain. I do use a light at receptions, I know many say no light, but after 20 years and a few weddings I've discovered that a light even a small one is necessary in most cases. Anyway I guess 12 db can work but try for less otherwise much of the detail of the dress for example will be lost.

As for a WA, I use it ALL THE TIME, EXCEPT on my 2nd cam if it's say in the balconey about 100 feet away. Other than that I use it for the ceremony and the reception and it only comes off if I'm doing something very special and need the look of no WA

As for slow mo' and most other special effects, I do about 99% of that in post because even though it might have looked good at the time I did it in camera, when I get to editing, I might have changed my mind and now I'm stuck with it. I would suggest NOT to do special effects in camera only because if you don't get it right or change your mind latter you can't go back and redo it.

As for lighting, how are you planning on using your camera? If you're going to be outside for a while set up for that and reset when you get inside. As for window lighting well again a light on the camera can help. Seriously, at this time, you might very well consider using the automatic exposure setup on the 150 and when inside if you're shooting towards the window, hit the "backlight" button which opens the iris about 2 stops. Only do that when shooting directly into the window of course. Don't be afraid to use the auto settings on the camera, they are very accurate and BTW, I'll bet a lot more people than will admit it use auto settings when shooting. There's no shame in it. I did over the weekend at the reception at a golf course on Friday. We got there around 5:30PM overcast but very bright and the room had 2 walls of windows that were each about 50 feet in length. I was constantly shooting into the windows. It was easier just to go AUTO and use the backlight button along with my 50W light until later when the light evened out then I went back to manual and a lower wattage on the light.
I reviewed the footage yesterday and it looked fine.
Hell, I've been doing this for 20 years and auto exposure has saved my butt on more than one or two occassions.

Sorry about the long post but I hope I've answered your questions, good luck and stay focused.
Don

<<<-- Originally posted by Lester DeLeon :Should I use higher shutter speeds if I plan on doing slow motion in post ?? -->>>

No, shoot at 1/60 sec then slow down in post. Higher shutter speeds will make it look choppier, unless that's the effect you want. If you enable frame blending in your NLE you can get a pretty nice 50% or even 33% slo-mo. Or at least that's what I've found in FCP....

Thanks for the advice to both of you.

Don, I have a PAG C6 light kit, with a 30W bulb and a diffuser & dichrotic filter. I plan on using it with the diffuser most of the time.
I think I will try 12db for gain this time, and see what it looks like, I just want to be safe.

About slow-motion, I am planning on doing it in post...as far as I understand it, I have to de-interlace and use about 50%...I might try 33% as Boyd suggests.

So it sounds like Wide Angle lens is the way to go...I have seen some good shots of the inside & outside of churches that could only have been taken with a wide angle lens.

Thanks again.

Am just waiting for some slo-mo to render right now! Have tried various approaches. I'm using DVFilm Maker to de-interlace the final product. However, DO NOT deinterlace until AFTER you slow down your footage. You want all the 60i fields, more data which can be used by the frame blending algorithm. If you deinterlace first you will get choppier motion when you use frame blending for slow mo. Take a look at the individual frames when you apply frame blending to interlaced frames - every other frame is either soft (from blending) or sharp (from deinterlacing). This gives sort of a stobing effect in the worst case (with fast motion).

So first I should apply the 50 % speed, and then de-interlace just the slow motion clip ??...or the entire project...I have noticed the flickering or strobing effect in my slow motions !!

I assume your final format is MPEG2 for DVD, do you output Field A of Frame ??...I am starting to feel that Frame or Progressive seems to play better, even on a regular TV & DVD player...

I have Media Studio Pro 7.0. I just started to output AC3 audio on my MPEG2s, but I need to upgrade to DVD Workshop AC3 author my DVDs.

Yes, or at least that's what I do. I like the way 25% speed looks for some things as well. Am working on a clip with a woman in a long dress blowing in the wind as she walks down the beach. The dress and waves look nice at this speed. Caveat: I use Final Cut Pro on the Mac.

Sorry, I don't work with MPEG2 or DVD's.... someday I'll have to catch up with the rest of the world! I'm working strictly with DV and deinterlacing for projection on a large screen.

Thanks for the advice.

I just tried it with a video clip of my daughter and it looks good at 25%, I however dont think I have frame blending...just de-interlace, which I dont think is the same thing.

What kind of wide angle lens do you use ???...is 0.7x fine ??..and what do I expect to pay for it ??..is more expensive better ??

As for DVD authoring...this to me is the easiest of all aspects of videography.

If youre interested, here is my website
www.CreativeDigitalStudio.com

Me and two other fellow mechanical engineers started about 8 months ago. We had to learn every single aspect from scratch. We did our own web page, we do our own director & flash programming, editing and all. We didn't mean to do start doing full length classic videography, but the money to be made is out there, and we started getting requests. The interactive CD-ROM (VideoTreasures) that we do is something that, as far as we know, has never been done before. And we still have our full time day jobs....for now...

I use Vegas for editing and my method of slo mo' is different than discussed here so I'll stay away from that but I will tell you that I have both a Century Optics WA and a Kenko PRO WA. (I seem to have 2 different of most everything:) Both are .65 but I'm sure a .7 will work just fine. I actually use the Kekno PRO more than the Century for 2 reasons. 1) the Kenko PRO has filter threads (82mm) and the Century does not which would mean a matte box with filter holder and frankly thats pretty heavy and to me awkward to be running around at a wedding reception. 2ndly IF something happened to my lens (drop, scratch whatever, the Kenko PRO is less money than the Century Optics. BTW in my opinion only, the quality of the image is only nominally (how do you like that big word;-) better than the Kenko PRO. Anyway that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
Don

<<<-- Originally posted by Lester DeLeon : I however dont think I have frame blending...just de-interlace, which I dont think is the same thing. -->>>

I don't remember if you said what NLE software you're using? If it's on the PC then you might want to post the question to the PC forum as I imagine techniques could vary with the software.

Frame blending isn't the same as deinterlacing. When you slow down a clip frame blending creates additional frames from the previous and next existing frames. It uses the two fields of your interlaced (60i) video to do this somehow. That's why you don't want to deinterlace before slowing down the footage. Deinterlacing combines the two fields so you would only have 30 to work with each second instead of 60. This feature may not exist on some of the more basic software packages.

1. Any one here use a Follow Focus unit on the PD150?
I believe there are 2 in the market?

2. Pictures of your pride. Anyone have pictures online of their proud pd150 rig setup?

I know what follow focus is for still cameras and pro cameras. How does follow focus work on a PD150 and can you direct me to a Web site?

Well. I've never used one but i know of these 3.

1) http://www.centuryoptics.com/products/prodv/dvx100/Manual_Focus/manual_focus.htm
(This one is for the Dvx100)

and

2)
http://www.cavision.com/follow_focusing.htm


oh. and this one too (Cinetech)... right on dvinfo.net...
3)
http://www.dvinfo.net/sony/images/images2.php

any info/comments?

Does anyone have any info about a PD170 ?

I rented a 150 last weekend and with touches of their respective buttons I was a able to change shutter speed, iris, and gain without wading thru menus?
Kevin Kirchner

Welcome.

It is only a PAL camcorder at this time and information, such as it is, is located mostly on European Web sites. Read some of the threads on this forum to see where those are located.

Hi folks,

Is there a third-party accessory with a sturdy firewire connector (like the xlr connectors at the top) for the PD150? My intention is to connect the handheld operated camera to a remote hard disk recorder, and tghe built in 4 pin connector is by no means suitable for that.

Thanks in advance.

I believe Firestore has all of that with their system.

No external device is going to solve the problem of the built-in connector unless you permanently affix something to the camera in some manner.

this is exactly what i am looking for, something lke the xlr connectors at the top, attached to the firewire via a right angle connector, and preferably a metal cover covering the firewire cable and the connector. i will have something custom built if one does not exist

For December delivery. Includes wide angle lens! Taking down- payments of $660 *now*! Any one had any dealings with Biz-Max?

Dave

Strongly suggest you consider dealing only with our authorized DV Info Net Sponsors (as listed on this page (http://www.dvinfo.net/sponsors/index.php)). B&H is a full-line Sony dealer and their prices are closer to the real world. Check out B&H at this link (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/?BI=155). When you buy from one of our authorized DV Info Net sponsors, not only are you assured the best possible price and superb customer service, but you're also giving back a little to this community. Hope this helps,

I was on the DVX100 and HD10 forums and they had some up-rezzed DVX100 footage that looked awesome. Has anyone seen what the PD150(or PD150p) looks like when up-rezzed

Really stupid question...
How do I lock the exposure in my PD-150???
If I use manual Iris, it still seems to automatically adjust...
If I use manual exposure, it also does this...
Do I need to use a combination or go into some sort of other mode ???

Thanks for your help !!!

Shutter and aperature need to be in manual. Helps to put gain in manual too. Then if you want to lock them from change even in manual mode, you can slide the upper-left switch on the rear of the camera to LOCK

THANKS !!!..that was quick...

Ahh. We're only inaccurate, not slow <G>

I've had my PD150 for over 18 months now and have been using it quite regularly (weddings) and I've never had a problem. My question is - when should you use a head cleaning tape? Should I have had it serviced at all? What do you guys do?

I clean the heads on my 150 when they need it. Which, so far, has been never. Same for my other cameras, my DSR-20 and all the cameras at the local college.

After a few years of use, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to ship it off to someone good and have it cleaned, lubed and align-checked (don't automatically have some one realign it because if it is your only deck and they 'make it right,' you've just lost the ability to read your old tapes).

I prefer someone I know rather than a generic shop. And that includes Sony. I'd prefer a local pro shop or someone like Armatos.

2 plus years on 2 150's with hard useage and I've cleaned 1 camera 1 time because of some dropout/pixelation problem. The other NEVER. I absolutely agree with Mike, if you have it done make it by someone you know and trust. I have never and I mean never sent any camera I've ever owned back to the mfg for "routine" maintanence. However my take is simple, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"!!!!!
Don

Hello,
Have had my 150 for about a year now, no problems until I noticed a small drop out in the video yesterday. Decided to record over a short 10 minute section of tape. As I played it back I noticed a quick 2-3 second horizontal bar playing the new video reorded over the old. Both were taken in DVCAM. The last 5 minutes are fine. Just that 2-3 seconds in the middle. Should I throw in the head cleaning tape for 5 seconds or is this just a really minor drop out that shouln't be worried about?

Also, I noticed for some reason on one of my tapes that I recorded in DV and DVCAM, Is this really hard on the camera as it switches when playing back?

Thanks everybody!
Take care,
Todd

There's no reason to panic. If you would have used a fresh tape or a stripped tape, most-likely you wouldn't have had that drop-out.

<<<-- Originally posted by Todd Moen :

As I played it back I noticed a quick 2-3 second horizontal bar playing the new video reorded over the old. Both were taken in DVCAM. The last 5 minutes are fine. Just that 2-3 seconds in the middle.

Also, I noticed for some reason on one of my tapes that I recorded in DV and DVCAM, Is this really hard on the camera as it switches when playing back?

Thanks everybody!
Take care,
Todd -->>>

Normally you should place only DV or DVCam on a single tape as the playback transport can become confused.

Notably, the only bad video I ever had from my 150's is when I recorded DVCam over a DV tape. No idea why and the tape was new. I tend to keep the tapes separated now. I had not meant to record DVCam at all on the 150 but this was a replacement unit Sony sent me and I forgot about the Factory Settings (only momentarily as it turned out!).

You certainly could run a cleaning tape for 5 seconds, no more. But running more regular tape and checking the performance would probably do as well.

hi all ... i am having a problem with focusing with my pd150.
i would zoom into my subject and then zoom out..i will be able to get to a certan point then the focus will go completely.
can any1 help me there.??
thanks

Hi there,
I'm john and am new to this forom. I'm new to this neiborhood. Sing with me first before I get to my question....emm... A video producer is a person in your neiborhood, in your neiborhood, in your neibor..ho..od. Very good, thank you. I do video production for my part time business and hope to grow to full time. I do different videos but I really like doing travel videos. I bring my camping gear and video equipment and go off into remote jungle aeras with locals and meet tribe people and missionarys, catch snakes, island hop, eat strange food, climb mountains, shoot many interesting tropical plants and animals, try to aviod conflicts with hungry monkeys, sleep in my tent in different places, avoid getting tangled up with jellyfish, ect. I would like to hook up with people with similer interests and plan other trips. I am in the process of edditing to videos, both in the Philippines. One on the main island of Luzon and one on Palawan. I then plan to make a website and sell them. I am a christian and thus give a christian perspective to my videos. I enjoy making videos and want to continue to learn to make them better in all aspects. I am using a PD150 and a video toaster. Does anyone know about the Digital Optics .45 wide angle lens? I think I overpaid for it but I hope it will serve as a good lens. I would like to get a lens hood for the lens with a lens cap if possible. I'm having trouble finding that at the moment. Also I would like to fing a training video on my camera so I could learn the ins and outs on using all the manual adjustments. Any help with this stuff from you camera wizzards would be great. My email is highendvideo@hotmail.com Thank you. John

There's a lot of info on this camera and the vx2000 on the BBC site.
http://www.bbctraining.com/

Here also:
http://www.urbanfox.com/

A tour through the archives here wouldn't be so bad either, Kevin

Haha. Oops
Yes, Of Course.

Hi. I have an upcoming shoot in which I will be using the PD150 for a film. I am looking for any advice from experienced users and/or DP's that can give me some tips to get the most out of this beauty. I'm looking for lighting tips, audio tips and anything else that might help me get the best image possible. I've seen some great films shot with this camera so I know it's possible.


Any help would be great. Thanks,
Brandon White
Another Green World Productions

I thought Alan Barker's article was chock-full of practical info for PD150/170 documentary shoots. Some of which MAY apply to your film or just help with wrangling the camera.

http://www.alanbarker.com

Try this site too:

http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/index.htm

Hey guys I am a little new to the pd150 and haven't learned all the ropes yet but I have ran into a little problem. I have recored a lot of fottage but never played it back. So I sat down to capture at hope and I noticed that the audio only recorded from the right side. I dont no if this is a setting some where I missed or possibly something wrong with my mic or the xlr. Any suggestion would help.

The mike is monophonic but you can set the channel select switch to send it to both channels:

http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/pd150sound.htm

when set to CH1/2 it records to bot channels (left and right)
when set to channel 2 only it will record to the right channel only.
The switch is on the left side of the camera.

Don B

Thnk you guys so much!!!!

It's not more than 7° C outside now. After a few minitues I'm loosing the manuall focus in this temperature. It does no metter if I turn the focus ring to the right or to the left, it doesn't work. The auto focus still works well. Is it normal?

No, operating temperature for the camera is from 0 degrees Centrigrade to 40 degrees Centigrade

Thank you.

Looks like I am going to be getting a PD150. For hte work that I want to do, my partner and I will mostlikely need a 2nd camera. Neither one of us has the money to put out for a 2nd PD150.

What are my options for a 2nd camera then?

We will mainly be filming indoors, but at times we will be filming in recording studio control rooms, which can be darkly lit, and they won't want any sort of a lighting rig in there (though an on camera light would be fine as long as it is diffused).

So, we need a 2nd camera, and the budget is real tight. We are definitely looking used. The optimal 2nd camera would be a VX2000, but that might be out of the price range of my partner. What are our alternatives?

We want to be able to basically match the "look" of the footage as closely as possible. After seeing screenshots of the VX1000 vs the VX2000, I don't know if a used VX1000 will give us a close enough look. It is more grainy, the WB is slightly different, etc. Maybe the VX1000 will work OK...

We will setup the cameras to match as closely as possible in the field, and then try to fix the rest in post if possible. I know that only so much can be done...

So what are my options other than the VX1000? I am thinking either a Canon GL1 or GL2, or a Sony PD100. Something around $1000 price range. I have not seen any used PD100s so I don't know what they are going for. Used GL1s for under $1000 are easy to find on eBay, and used GL2s for under $1000 can be had if you are patient enough...

Thoughts? Comments?

Thanks!

Alex F

As I was reading your post my mind was saying ''go get a PD100'' and there it was in your list. What about the TRV900? (forget the TRV950 because of its appalling low-light capability). The 900 won't allow XLRs, but will intercut well with the PD.

But you know it and I know it - what you really want is a VX2000. They're tough as nails and seem to suffer far fewer of the problem the first generation VX1000 had. The first ones are 4 years old now, and will be a better bet than the PD100, and a lot better than the dissapointing GL1.

tom.

Absolutely right, I would get a VX2000 if we had the extra cash. As it is, getting the used PD150 is going to tap me out for a while! My partner has even more limited funds.

I'll look into the TRV900 as well. Not worried about audio. We will probably either record the audio to the PD150, or run it by itself and synch it in the PC. We will have to experiment a bit and see what gets us the best balance of sound quality, synch, & ease of use/setup (setup being on the lower end of the list).

BTW, my understanding is that if you run audio into the PD150 and record using DVCam you get true SMPTE time code. Is that correct? Will the time code transfer out to the NLE?

If I go tapeless (direct to disk) will I still get the SMPTE?

Thanks,

Alex F

The transfer of timecode is entirely up to your NLE. Same thing for the disk approach (assuming it has SMPTE timecode)