Low light "dark bar" video at DVinfo.net

Chad Aaron · May 27th, 2007, 06:12 AM

I went to the darkest bar i know of and filmed this.
It doesn't take much light to improve the quality. In other words - the camera does NOT need tons of light.
However it was struggling to see and it was difficult to focus, even with the focus assistant. This was a very poor place to film (good place to test its limits)
Settings: Shutter priority 30
Shade setting ( i should of set white balance)
HDV standard (non 24p)
Pulled off camera with firewire and edited with Premier Pro 2.0
No color correction or contrast adjustments (when editing), i only adjusted opacity when fading.

I took a bandwidth hit on the last video so im going to try blip for this one.
Both files are the same, one is high def (1280x720 @ 10171kbps) the other is 700 x 394 with a low bit rate.
http://blip.tv/file/get/Road82-LowLightBOG16mb582.wmv Small 16mb file
http://blip.tv/file/get/Road82-LowLightBOG950.wmv Big 104mb
Its a 2 minute video.

Norm Goodger · May 27th, 2007, 07:50 AM

Not bad, sometimes I wonder what kind of low light quality reviewers expect when they say the HV20, I assume, doesn't do well in low light... Seems more like settings to me...

I think most any camera struggles to auto-focus in low light..

It seems pretty candid, did anyone notice that you taping?

Chad Aaron · May 27th, 2007, 08:43 AM

I asked everyone except the guy eating.

That was one of the first things i read about the camera when i started researching it. Don't remember where i read it but they said it does poorly in low light. It does just as well as my Panasonic GS500 - not that that is the ultimate camera in low light.

It does fine in low lighting i think. The test for me is how it does on the 4th of July. With the fireworks. If it passes that test i will be very happy!

Ian G. Thompson · May 27th, 2007, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad Aaron

I asked everyone except the guy eating.

That was one of the first things i read about the camera when i started researching it. Don't remember where i read it but they said it does poorly in low light. It does just as well as my Panasonic GS500 - not that that is the ultimate camera in low light.

It does fine in low lighting i think. The test for me is how it does on the 4th of July. With the fireworks. If it passes that test i will be very happy!

I just sold my 500 and have an HV20. I think it does better in low light than the 500. What I especially like about this cam is the ability to trick it in not applying any gain (in dark areas). It's not as sensitive as a DVX but it is adequate.
That first video byt the way was nice...second one stil downloading. Good choice in music (it fit the scene well).

Rikki Bruce · May 27th, 2007, 04:48 PM

I find it a lot better in 24/25p mode for low light. Its awesome this way.

Glenn Thomas · May 27th, 2007, 04:49 PM

It doesn't look too bad actually. The usual bit of noise of course. Wonder what kind of lighting Canon used for their HV20 clubs shot in a night club/bar also.

Funny, you never got permission from the guy eating? He appeared the most throughout the clip that I assumed he must have been a friend.

May 27th, 2007, 06:12 AM	#1
Chad Aaron New Boot Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10	Low light "dark bar" video I went to the darkest bar i know of and filmed this. It doesn't take much light to improve the quality. In other words - the camera does NOT need tons of light. However it was struggling to see and it was difficult to focus, even with the focus assistant. This was a very poor place to film (good place to test its limits) Settings: Shutter priority 30 Shade setting ( i should of set white balance) HDV standard (non 24p) Pulled off camera with firewire and edited with Premier Pro 2.0 No color correction or contrast adjustments (when editing), i only adjusted opacity when fading. I took a bandwidth hit on the last video so im going to try blip for this one. Both files are the same, one is high def (1280x720 @ 10171kbps) the other is 700 x 394 with a low bit rate. http://blip.tv/file/get/Road82-LowLightBOG16mb582.wmv Small 16mb file http://blip.tv/file/get/Road82-LowLightBOG950.wmv Big 104mb Its a 2 minute video. __________________ Road82 Last edited by Chad Aaron; May 27th, 2007 at 05:14 PM. Reason: file size

May 27th, 2007, 08:43 AM	#3
Chad Aaron New Boot Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10	I asked everyone except the guy eating. That was one of the first things i read about the camera when i started researching it. Don't remember where i read it but they said it does poorly in low light. It does just as well as my Panasonic GS500 - not that that is the ultimate camera in low light. It does fine in low lighting i think. The test for me is how it does on the 4th of July. With the fireworks. If it passes that test i will be very happy! __________________ Road82

May 27th, 2007, 04:49 PM	#6
Glenn Thomas Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 320	It doesn't look too bad actually. The usual bit of noise of course. Wonder what kind of lighting Canon used for their HV20 clubs shot in a night club/bar also. Funny, you never got permission from the guy eating? He appeared the most throughout the clip that I assumed he must have been a friend. __________________ Personal Website: http://www.avene.org

May 27th, 2007, 07:50 AM	#2
Norm Goodger Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Maple Grove, MN. Posts: 30	Not bad, sometimes I wonder what kind of low light quality reviewers expect when they say the HV20, I assume, doesn't do well in low light... Seems more like settings to me... I think most any camera struggles to auto-focus in low light.. It seems pretty candid, did anyone notice that you taping?

May 27th, 2007, 04:48 PM	#5
Rikki Bruce Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Glasgow. Scotland Posts: 79	I find it a lot better in 24/25p mode for low light. Its awesome this way.