Dave Largent
November 20th, 2003, 09:09 AM
In auto mode, the camera has good low light capabilities. But there may come a time where the lighting is even lower but you still
want to capture an image. You have two options. The shutter
speed is limited to a low of 1/60th so you can't lower the shutter
to, say, 1/30th. Now, this isn't mentioned in the manual, but in
auto exposure mode, the cam will not go beyond +15 dB of gain.
I imagine this was done to preserve image quality. But if you really need it, if you put the cam in manual exposure mode, you can increase gain to "+18" dB. Actually, there are about 8 different steps of gain within the +18 dB designation, just as there are multiple steps within all the other gain settings. This way you can precisely dial in just the amount you need. And if this isn't enough, there's Plan C. The PV-DV53, like many cams, has a "low light" mode. Unlike many of the others that use techniques in low light mode such as infrared "night shot" (which gives awful footage) or slowing the shutter down to speeds where the handheld image becomes a blur, the DV53 takes the high road. In all modes the shutter is limited to 1/60th at the slowest. What Panny did here is give this cam hyper gain. In low light mode, the gain flys up to something like +30 dB to +40 dB, I would guess.
Yes, the picture is grainy. But it's usable, viewable. It'll really light up a room. It looks overall better than the low light mode of most others. This mode might come in handy for someone doing docs where an on-cam light is not advisable but capturing the scene is important for the content. Or how 'bout for discreet
concert or club shooting. Or surveilance. Or late night camping with friends; capturing by moonlight the animals that only come out after dark. Or hiking at night.
This cam does have an on-cam light which is fairly bright and can
also light up a room. But it is harsh on peoples' eyes to look into.
want to capture an image. You have two options. The shutter
speed is limited to a low of 1/60th so you can't lower the shutter
to, say, 1/30th. Now, this isn't mentioned in the manual, but in
auto exposure mode, the cam will not go beyond +15 dB of gain.
I imagine this was done to preserve image quality. But if you really need it, if you put the cam in manual exposure mode, you can increase gain to "+18" dB. Actually, there are about 8 different steps of gain within the +18 dB designation, just as there are multiple steps within all the other gain settings. This way you can precisely dial in just the amount you need. And if this isn't enough, there's Plan C. The PV-DV53, like many cams, has a "low light" mode. Unlike many of the others that use techniques in low light mode such as infrared "night shot" (which gives awful footage) or slowing the shutter down to speeds where the handheld image becomes a blur, the DV53 takes the high road. In all modes the shutter is limited to 1/60th at the slowest. What Panny did here is give this cam hyper gain. In low light mode, the gain flys up to something like +30 dB to +40 dB, I would guess.
Yes, the picture is grainy. But it's usable, viewable. It'll really light up a room. It looks overall better than the low light mode of most others. This mode might come in handy for someone doing docs where an on-cam light is not advisable but capturing the scene is important for the content. Or how 'bout for discreet
concert or club shooting. Or surveilance. Or late night camping with friends; capturing by moonlight the animals that only come out after dark. Or hiking at night.
This cam does have an on-cam light which is fairly bright and can
also light up a room. But it is harsh on peoples' eyes to look into.