Capture with new GL2 at DVinfo.net

Tom Singleton · April 3rd, 2003, 02:19 PM

I just purchased the GL2 and it is incredible! I still have no clue how to work everything in it but I am learning (with your help).

I am filming my dad hitting golf balls (this is not the reason I bought the camera, just an interesting idea we had). Is it possible to freeze the shot to see if the clubface is open or closed at impact?

I know there must be settings to adjust, I am just unsure what they are.

I was filming in frame mode, and the lever was switched to "P" and not the green square. These are the settings I was using.

Thanks to this board. Reading the posts here and watching the clips by Steve Nunez, Bill Hardy and others.

Thanks Tom

Ken Tanaka · April 4th, 2003, 02:29 AM

Hello Tom,

I'm not a golfer, but I'll take a swing at this.

The basic settings you're using are correct, but there are a few other matters to consider. Most video in North Amerca (and some other places) is recorded at approx. 29.97 frames per second (let's just call it a nominal 30 fps). That is, your GL2 cannot capture images faster than this NTSC-standard rate. Unlike a film camera, setting higher shutter speeds on a video camera is principally an adjustment to exposure sensitivity, not an adjustment to the speed at which images are recorded.

That said, 30 fps may not be fast enough to capture adequate detail for your purposes. You'll have to review the footage by moving through it a frame at a time. To do so, you'll have to plug the camera into a tv (for best view) and use the Frame Advance/Frame Reverse controls located on the GL2's remote controller.

But by all means, experiment. If all else fails, just tell dad his swing needs work and that you need some more gear to analyze it in greater detail!

Hans Henrik Bang · April 4th, 2003, 03:34 AM

Not a golfer either, but I will putt forward an idea too...

I agree with Ken, that you will probably not be able to get a good frame of the club hitting the ball. Say that a swing takes 0.2 second (for the fast part). That means the whole swing will be covered with 30/5 = 6 frames, so the odds of one of them being of the exact impact are probably small.

You could try to fiddle with the shutter speed anyway though. The faster the shutter speed, the less movement "blur". Ie. a slow shutter speed will have the club moving perhaps 30 degrees within the same frame, whereas a fast shutter speed could make the club look almost stationary and not too blurred.

Just put the camera in "Tv mode", that is shutter speed set to manual, and see how the different shutter speeds affect your stills.

Hans Henrik

Tom Singleton · April 4th, 2003, 08:23 AM

Thanks Ken and Hans for the reply. I will try different settings to see if I get the effect I am looking for.

More posts soon to follow.

Tom

Paul Orwig · April 23rd, 2003, 10:49 AM

Hi Tom,

I am thinking about buying a GL2 and I am very interested in how well it can "freeze" high speed action by using high shutter speeds. I read Ken's and Hans' posts that the high shutter speeds don't act like they would with a film camera.

Have you done any additional testing as your last post mentioned? If so I would be very interested in hearing what your findings are about how well the GL2 can freeze high speed action!

Thanks,

paul

April 3rd, 2003, 02:19 PM	#1
Tom Singleton New Boot Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ridgeland, MS Posts: 5	Capture with new GL2 I just purchased the GL2 and it is incredible! I still have no clue how to work everything in it but I am learning (with your help). I am filming my dad hitting golf balls (this is not the reason I bought the camera, just an interesting idea we had). Is it possible to freeze the shot to see if the clubface is open or closed at impact? I know there must be settings to adjust, I am just unsure what they are. I was filming in frame mode, and the lever was switched to "P" and not the green square. These are the settings I was using. Thanks to this board. Reading the posts here and watching the clips by Steve Nunez, Bill Hardy and others. Thanks Tom

April 4th, 2003, 02:29 AM	#2
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Hello Tom, I'm not a golfer, but I'll take a swing at this. The basic settings you're using are correct, but there are a few other matters to consider. Most video in North Amerca (and some other places) is recorded at approx. 29.97 frames per second (let's just call it a nominal 30 fps). That is, your GL2 cannot capture images faster than this NTSC-standard rate. Unlike a film camera, setting higher shutter speeds on a video camera is principally an adjustment to exposure sensitivity, not an adjustment to the speed at which images are recorded. That said, 30 fps may not be fast enough to capture adequate detail for your purposes. You'll have to review the footage by moving through it a frame at a time. To do so, you'll have to plug the camera into a tv (for best view) and use the Frame Advance/Frame Reverse controls located on the GL2's remote controller. But by all means, experiment. If all else fails, just tell dad his swing needs work and that you need some more gear to analyze it in greater detail! __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

April 23rd, 2003, 10:49 AM	#5
Paul Orwig Tourist Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Parker, Colorado Posts: 1	Tom: any updates? Hi Tom, I am thinking about buying a GL2 and I am very interested in how well it can "freeze" high speed action by using high shutter speeds. I read Ken's and Hans' posts that the high shutter speeds don't act like they would with a film camera. Have you done any additional testing as your last post mentioned? If so I would be very interested in hearing what your findings are about how well the GL2 can freeze high speed action! Thanks, paul

April 4th, 2003, 03:34 AM	#3
Hans Henrik Bang Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Frederiksberg, Denmark Posts: 133	Not a golfer either, but I will putt forward an idea too... I agree with Ken, that you will probably not be able to get a good frame of the club hitting the ball. Say that a swing takes 0.2 second (for the fast part). That means the whole swing will be covered with 30/5 = 6 frames, so the odds of one of them being of the exact impact are probably small. You could try to fiddle with the shutter speed anyway though. The faster the shutter speed, the less movement "blur". Ie. a slow shutter speed will have the club moving perhaps 30 degrees within the same frame, whereas a fast shutter speed could make the club look almost stationary and not too blurred. Just put the camera in "Tv mode", that is shutter speed set to manual, and see how the different shutter speeds affect your stills. Hans Henrik

April 4th, 2003, 08:23 AM	#4
Tom Singleton New Boot Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ridgeland, MS Posts: 5	Thanks Ken and Hans for the reply. I will try different settings to see if I get the effect I am looking for. More posts soon to follow. Tom