2 questions about, lights & shutter speed at DVinfo.net

Jon Jaschob · April 25th, 2007, 12:06 AM

Hi All,
I have had my hd100 for about a year. I've done a few projects and I have a couple questions.
I'm a real beginner when it comes to operating a camera so I hope my questions are not too silly.

Lighting, The HD100 likes light, seems the more the better. I have 3 tota lights, 2 500 and 1 1k, but I am still unable to get enough light on my subjects. I know these are not the ideal lights to use, they blind the talent, are pretty uncontrollable, and as I said, they don't cast enough light where I need it. So what kind of lights work well with this camera? I can afford a little for new lights, but as always I don't have a lot of money. Any recommendations for lighting for this camera?

Shutter speed. What the heck do I do with this function? I have shot all my footage at 60 for 30 and 48 for 24. I know what the shutter speed does on a still camera, does the shutter work for the same purpose on the HD100? Like 48 for motion blur and lower light, and higher to stop motion blur and brighter light? What other effects does this function have on the footage?

Thanks for your time,
Jon

Stephan Ahonen · April 25th, 2007, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Jaschob

I have 3 tota lights, 2 500 and 1 1k, but I am still unable to get enough light on my subjects.

If you're blinding your talent it should be enough light for just about anything... Are you sure you're camera's set up right, i.e. ND is off, shutter speed isn't too high, iris is open?

Quote:

Shutter speed. What the heck do I do with this function? I have shot all my footage at 60 for 30 and 48 for 24.

Shutter speed works exactly the same as for a still camera, except instead of affecting how just one picture looks, you're affecting a whole bunch of them in a row. The main thing you'll be using shutter for is either to cut down light when it's really bright out or to intentionally change how motion is rendered in your footage. Slower shutter speeds look a bit smoother, while faster speeds look more juddery. Motion blur is not as much of an issue for video as it is for stills unless you're doing some extreme slomo or pulling stills from the video. In fact I'd argue that motion blur is necessary in video in order for it to look natural, which is a definite change from still photography where you're doing everything you can to eliminate blur.

Dennis Robinson · April 25th, 2007, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Jaschob

Hi All,
Lighting, The HD100 likes light, seems the more the better. I have 3 tota lights, 2 500 and 1 1k, but I am still unable to get enough light on my subjects. I know these are not the ideal lights to use, they blind the talent, are pretty uncontrollable, and as I said, they don't cast enough light where I need it. So what kind of lights work well with this camera? Thanks for your time,
Jon

My God, that should be much more lighting than is required. The camera should be fine without lights a tall unless you are in a dark room. I use a Lowel DP kit and the tota light is amazing. You must be using the ND filter or something is wrong.

Jon Jaschob · April 25th, 2007, 12:11 PM

Thanks for your time guys!

Maybe I'm just not using the lights correctly. I didn't mean I run 2000w of light and can't get a good setup. More like 500 key, and another 200 - 500 fill. I have to turn on the gain to close the iris a little. I have no ND on when shooting inside. Maybe I should get some defusers/flags and stuff for my totas? One of the problems I have with the tota lights is they go everywhere unless I wrap them in tin foil, then I'm afraid of them over heating...

And thanks for the shutter speed info, I will do some tests on a bright sunny day.

Thank you again,
Jon

Don Bloom · April 25th, 2007, 12:35 PM

Flags, scrims, reflectors and such would be a great thing to have to help control the lighting but keep in mind that lighting the scene is a job that can take far more time than shooting it. Proper lighting can make it or break it and honestly it sounds like you're 'flooding' the scene with light as opposed to lighting the scene. Please don't misunderstand me, the above mentioned equipment is very important to help control lighting but understanding lighting and how it affects not only the look of the scene but also camera angles and camera operation is something that takes some practice.
Learning how 1 thing can affect another thru out the process is IMO one of the most important things to learn as one progresses as a camerperson.
Don

Jon Jaschob · April 25th, 2007, 01:04 PM

Thanks Don,
Yes I have much to learn and thanks for your advice.
I don't really have a problem with close shots, I use umbrellas/reflectors to soften the light and can get a nice look, it's lighting bigger scenes is where I run into problems.
Thanks again,
Jon

Jad Meouchy · April 25th, 2007, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Jaschob

I have to turn on the gain to close the iris a little.

I don't exactly understand why you would do this.

You should check your menu settings as well. Consider using Paulo's V3 - it's a pretty good baseline. It's possible that your overall luma is just set to a low gain. I can't remember which setting controls this, but someone else should be able to chime in.

Jon Jaschob · April 25th, 2007, 03:52 PM

I use TC ver3. I will check my setting anyway, maybe I messed something up fooling around.
Thanks!
Jon

Santos Ramos · April 25th, 2007, 04:13 PM

I got the JVC GY-HD110U for about 3 months and I have not had the chance to learn to use the camera yet.
I did 20 interviews and I use the tota-light 500 (KEY) the Omni-light 300
( fill) one arri 300 back light and 2 arri 600 for the green screen and the talent
need it more light. I had to add one more Omni-light 300 to get ok lighting.
The Shutter speed was set to 60 , f/1.4 and the ND off.

I hava the Panasonic 100a and the Sony DSR-400L 2/3-Inch 3-CCD and I can get do and interview with 2 lights and no problems.
one Omni-light 300 and and a tota 500.

I was thinking on getting a arri light 1000 becasue I thought that I need it more light.

anyways,
I am still learning to use this camera and it may be an user error.

Thanks

Jerry Porter · April 25th, 2007, 04:22 PM

These cameras do suck up ALOT of light. I have to basically double the power for the 110 over what I use for my Z1U. I love the picture but getting it to shoot a F4 takes alot of light. I use a variation of TC3 also, but if you can bump the luma somewhere I would love to know what people are useing for a setting.

John Mitchell · April 25th, 2007, 11:14 PM

We have a kit of Dedos (4), two redheads and 2 banks of flouros (with tungsten and daylight tubes) with soft boxes. The Dedo's tend to be our most used lights, but they are expensive.

Gil Whitney · April 26th, 2007, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Jaschob

Thanks Don,
Yes I have much to learn and thanks for your advice.
I don't really have a problem with close shots, I use umbrellas/reflectors to soften the light and can get a nice look, it's lighting bigger scenes is where I run into problems.
Thanks again,
Jon

It sounds like you have enough light for an interview style shot, but if you are trying to light a room with say 4-5 people (you really didn't describe what you were trying to do) you need an equal amount of light to try to achieve the same ratio you had with your close up. Increasing the size of the key to a 2k might help or adding another 1k to your setup just to bring the over all levels of your room up. What kind of large scene are you trying to light?

-gil

Paolo Ciccone · April 26th, 2007, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry Porter

These cameras do suck up ALOT of light. I have to basically double the power for the 110 over what I use for my Z1U. I love the picture but getting it to shoot a F4 takes alot of light. I use a variation of TC3 also, but if you can bump the luma somewhere I would love to know what people are useing for a setting.

Wow, I used a couple of LitePanels for lighting two people plus a bit of filler and they were plenty. Be aware that you loose light as you zoom in. That is a property of the stock lens, not the camera.

Jerry Porter · April 30th, 2007, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paolo Ciccone

Wow, I used a couple of LitePanels for lighting two people plus a bit of filler and they were plenty. Be aware that you loose light as you zoom in. That is a property of the stock lens, not the camera.

Hey Paolo, in TC3 you have the Luma set at -1. Does bumping that up to +1 pr +2 introduce noise or give bad distortion?

Bill Ravens · April 30th, 2007, 07:30 AM

I've had pretty good success bumping the gain to +3 or +6 without much grain increase.

April 25th, 2007, 12:06 AM	#1
Jon Jaschob Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 232	2 questions about, lights & shutter speed Hi All, I have had my hd100 for about a year. I've done a few projects and I have a couple questions. I'm a real beginner when it comes to operating a camera so I hope my questions are not too silly. Lighting, The HD100 likes light, seems the more the better. I have 3 tota lights, 2 500 and 1 1k, but I am still unable to get enough light on my subjects. I know these are not the ideal lights to use, they blind the talent, are pretty uncontrollable, and as I said, they don't cast enough light where I need it. So what kind of lights work well with this camera? I can afford a little for new lights, but as always I don't have a lot of money. Any recommendations for lighting for this camera? Shutter speed. What the heck do I do with this function? I have shot all my footage at 60 for 30 and 48 for 24. I know what the shutter speed does on a still camera, does the shutter work for the same purpose on the HD100? Like 48 for motion blur and lower light, and higher to stop motion blur and brighter light? What other effects does this function have on the footage? Thanks for your time, Jon

April 25th, 2007, 12:11 PM	#4
Jon Jaschob Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 232	Hmmm Thanks for your time guys! Maybe I'm just not using the lights correctly. I didn't mean I run 2000w of light and can't get a good setup. More like 500 key, and another 200 - 500 fill. I have to turn on the gain to close the iris a little. I have no ND on when shooting inside. Maybe I should get some defusers/flags and stuff for my totas? One of the problems I have with the tota lights is they go everywhere unless I wrap them in tin foil, then I'm afraid of them over heating... And thanks for the shutter speed info, I will do some tests on a bright sunny day. Thank you again, Jon

April 25th, 2007, 04:13 PM	#9
Santos Ramos Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: USA Posts: 54	I have the same problem. I got the JVC GY-HD110U for about 3 months and I have not had the chance to learn to use the camera yet. I did 20 interviews and I use the tota-light 500 (KEY) the Omni-light 300 ( fill) one arri 300 back light and 2 arri 600 for the green screen and the talent need it more light. I had to add one more Omni-light 300 to get ok lighting. The Shutter speed was set to 60 , f/1.4 and the ND off. I hava the Panasonic 100a and the Sony DSR-400L 2/3-Inch 3-CCD and I can get do and interview with 2 lights and no problems. one Omni-light 300 and and a tota 500. I was thinking on getting a arri light 1000 becasue I thought that I need it more light. anyways, I am still learning to use this camera and it may be an user error. Thanks

April 25th, 2007, 12:35 PM	#5
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Flags, scrims, reflectors and such would be a great thing to have to help control the lighting but keep in mind that lighting the scene is a job that can take far more time than shooting it. Proper lighting can make it or break it and honestly it sounds like you're 'flooding' the scene with light as opposed to lighting the scene. Please don't misunderstand me, the above mentioned equipment is very important to help control lighting but understanding lighting and how it affects not only the look of the scene but also camera angles and camera operation is something that takes some practice. Learning how 1 thing can affect another thru out the process is IMO one of the most important things to learn as one progresses as a camerperson. Don

April 25th, 2007, 01:04 PM	#6
Jon Jaschob Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 232	Thanks Don, Yes I have much to learn and thanks for your advice. I don't really have a problem with close shots, I use umbrellas/reflectors to soften the light and can get a nice look, it's lighting bigger scenes is where I run into problems. Thanks again, Jon

April 25th, 2007, 03:52 PM	#8
Jon Jaschob Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 232	I use TC ver3. I will check my setting anyway, maybe I messed something up fooling around. Thanks! Jon

April 25th, 2007, 04:22 PM	#10
Jerry Porter Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Satellite Beach, Fl Posts: 784	These cameras do suck up ALOT of light. I have to basically double the power for the 110 over what I use for my Z1U. I love the picture but getting it to shoot a F4 takes alot of light. I use a variation of TC3 also, but if you can bump the luma somewhere I would love to know what people are useing for a setting.

April 25th, 2007, 11:14 PM	#11
John Mitchell Contributor Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 873	We have a kit of Dedos (4), two redheads and 2 banks of flouros (with tungsten and daylight tubes) with soft boxes. The Dedo's tend to be our most used lights, but they are expensive.

April 30th, 2007, 07:30 AM	#15
Bill Ravens Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: santa fe, nm Posts: 3,264 Images: 10	I've had pretty good success bumping the gain to +3 or +6 without much grain increase.