GY-HD 100 and Lighting
 

Hi,
I am new to this forum but I have to say its great! I got 2 problems solved before I even got authorized to leave messages. I have a question though, I love my GY-HD100s but I have been struggling with the lack of low light perfomance (compared to my old DV cameras) I was wondering what you guys are doing for lights. I used 35 watts in the past but that doesnt seem to be enough for me. I do weddings I am half tempted to go back to the old battery belt days and get a 75 watt light but I dont want to blast out my clients. I saw on a thread where guys are going to a 1/30 sec but im not HDV yet plus I dont know if I would like those results. I was just wondering if there was someone in my boat.

Thanks
Randy

I've shot many weddings with my HD100 with great results. I shoot in HDV at 24P (although many people favor 30P for it's smoother pans and better slow motion ability).

During receptions, I change my shutter to 1/24 (or 1/30 for 30P) and set my gain to +12.

The slower shutter speed really brings in a lot of light, the only downside I can think of is that pans and movement don't look as sharp, so I keep my camera steady and avoid slow pans during the reception.

+12db of gain on the JVC actually looks quite good to me, but it may be too noisy for some people. If you're downsizing to SD, then quite a bit of the noise will be averaged out when the image is downsized. If a sparkling-clean HD master is required, I'll run the finished reception footage through some noise reduction.

I also have a Frezzi mini-fill on-camera light, but I don't like to use it too much as it annoys people (especially when they're drunk). I do however turn it on when they dim the house lights even further for late-night dancing, or if I go outside for some nighttime interviews. It's a great light though, especially if you get the soft-box for it (expensive, but worth it).

GY-HD 100 and lighting
 

Thanks for the insight, I have a hard time bringing up the gain (old habits dies hard) but im getting better. I use Anton/Bauer stuff so I have the Ultra-light. I just recently purchased a Lowel I-light and I have an old NRG Varilight( A light with a dimmer) im just trying to find the right mix. When I go HD I think I will try the slow shutter thing right now I use DV and 1/30 gives me too much smear. Im told that will get better when I start using 30p.

Randy

Hi Randy,
I use a Low Light preset which you can find here on the forum.
With that I never go higher in gain then +6db.
A dimmable videolight also helps filling in the gaps.

agreed on keeping +6db. I've done higher with Ok results... NEVER above 12+. Also verify your black stretch/compress are OFF. If they are on by accident it really makes a low light image look worse. It seems to amplify the the black stretched portion and make it the image look like 3,000 ISO Kodak color film. Cool if you like the super 8mm movie look, but otherwise...