Camera and Lighting Questions at DVinfo.net

Jim Yates · February 4th, 2007, 10:04 AM

Im new to video and have a couple of questions...

1. In your opinion which camera would be best for me? It would be used for shorts, Local commericals, and low budget features. I want a HD camera, I've been leaning towards the A1 because of the price and ive seen some very nice stuff shot with it.

2. Is video lighting different from film lighting? I come from a film background and can light film rather well, but ive never lite video.

I thank everyone for any kind of input you can give me.

Jim

Marcus Marchesseault · February 4th, 2007, 03:55 PM

In the U.S., I would say that the Canon A1 or the Sony V1U are the best choices in the under-$5000 budget. You can read all about them in these forums and even see some video clips. I chose the V1U as I really hate CCD smear so the V1's CMOS is a good feature for me.

Lighting for video is different in that the exposure latitude of video is less than film. You must pay attention to the highlights in video quite a bit or they will blow out. Video highlights are not as acceptable as they just clip at a certain point and all information is lost. This means that you must have a lower lighting ratio in video, but you can still get similar results as long as you don't blow out the hightlights. The good thing is that you immediately see your results, so your film lighting experience will be a great foundation and you can quickly make adjustments and see them on the monitor. You shouldn't have any troubles.

Larry Kamerman · February 5th, 2007, 10:45 AM

Agree that the A1 and V1U are probably your best bets in that price range. As to which one, it's personal preference. I prefer the A1. But do a search. There's a lot of discussion here about the pro's and con's of both cameras. (you can start here:http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=82181)

As Marcus has outlined, there are differences in lighting for film and for video. Check out this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Lighting-Digit...e=UTF8&s=books

It's a good primer for video lighting.

Jim Yates · February 5th, 2007, 01:52 PM

Thanks guys for your help with my questions. I know your info will be very helpful to me.

Jim

February 4th, 2007, 10:04 AM	#1
Jim Yates New Boot Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 6	Camera and Lighting Questions Im new to video and have a couple of questions... 1. In your opinion which camera would be best for me? It would be used for shorts, Local commericals, and low budget features. I want a HD camera, I've been leaning towards the A1 because of the price and ive seen some very nice stuff shot with it. 2. Is video lighting different from film lighting? I come from a film background and can light film rather well, but ive never lite video. I thank everyone for any kind of input you can give me. Jim

February 5th, 2007, 10:45 AM	#3
Larry Kamerman Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New York,NY Posts: 100	Agree that the A1 and V1U are probably your best bets in that price range. As to which one, it's personal preference. I prefer the A1. But do a search. There's a lot of discussion here about the pro's and con's of both cameras. (you can start here:http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=82181) As Marcus has outlined, there are differences in lighting for film and for video. Check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Lighting-Digit...e=UTF8&s=books It's a good primer for video lighting. __________________ www.gencofilms.com

February 4th, 2007, 03:55 PM	#2
Marcus Marchesseault Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,961	In the U.S., I would say that the Canon A1 or the Sony V1U are the best choices in the under-$5000 budget. You can read all about them in these forums and even see some video clips. I chose the V1U as I really hate CCD smear so the V1's CMOS is a good feature for me. Lighting for video is different in that the exposure latitude of video is less than film. You must pay attention to the highlights in video quite a bit or they will blow out. Video highlights are not as acceptable as they just clip at a certain point and all information is lost. This means that you must have a lower lighting ratio in video, but you can still get similar results as long as you don't blow out the hightlights. The good thing is that you immediately see your results, so your film lighting experience will be a great foundation and you can quickly make adjustments and see them on the monitor. You shouldn't have any troubles.

February 5th, 2007, 01:52 PM	#4
Jim Yates New Boot Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 6	Thanks guys for your help with my questions. I know your info will be very helpful to me. Jim