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October 31st, 2002, 11:56 PM
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#1 |
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New Boot
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 12
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PAL Cameras under 60Hz Flourescent Lighting in the USA
Hi all,
All this "hype" (is that the appropriate word) of the PAL version of the DVX100 has me a bit excited... 25p + extra resolution sounds great. But I've also heard horror stories about filming under 60Hz flourescent lights using PAL equipment. I live in the USA and would like to know what do you do to reduce it? I've heard of something called a Ballast, but I suspect it is not something you can hook up to the flourescent lights in your house / office. So is it practical to use a PAL camcorder in the USA with so much flourescent lighting? Tim P.S. I'm using this to make inexpensive movies, not weddings or videos of my kids. |
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November 1st, 2002, 02:13 AM
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#2 |
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Regular Crew
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: London, England
Posts: 87
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all flouroscents lights have a ballast. It's what drives the particles in it to make light. ;)
the better ones get rid of that 60Hz flicker. And a good one isn't that much more than a low-grade ballast. Only makes a real difference if you're thinking of buying in the tens or hundreds.
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Adrian van der Park VFX modeler London, England |
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November 1st, 2002, 08:16 AM
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#3 |
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New Boot
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 12
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Err... ok... I'm a bit confused
(Note: I have no lighting experience other than turning on my light switch on and off in my house. =P)
So... I'm looking at the flourescent bulb in my house, hanging from my ceiling. Inside the bulb is a ballast? Does this mean I can get rid of the 60Hz <-> 50Hz PAL camera flicker by replacing my flourescent bulb in the ceiling? Tim |
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November 1st, 2002, 03:05 PM
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#4 |
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Warden
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Clearwater, FL
Posts: 8,287
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No, the ballast is part of the fixture. You would have rewire each fixture witha new ballast.
Jeff |
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November 1st, 2002, 11:38 PM
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#5 |
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Contributor
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 176
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Re: PAL Cameras under 60Hz Flourescent Lighting in the USA
<<<-- Originally posted by TimOtholt : Hi all,
But I've also heard horror stories about filming under 60Hz flourescent lights using PAL equipment. I live in the USA and would like to know what do you do to reduce it? So is it practical to use a PAL camcorder in the USA with so much flourescent lighting? -->>> Tim, if you set the shutter speed to 1/60th sec the flicker is eliminated. Sony PAL cameras have this option and I assume the PAL DVX100 will as well. For more info see http://www.dvfilm.com/book.htm |
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November 2nd, 2002, 01:23 AM
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#6 |
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Outer Circle
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Hope, BC
Posts: 7,524
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Having a PAL cam, I've noticed flickering under the cheap fluorescent lighting, but non under tungsten. If you want to do serious shooting, I suggest getting the right kind of lighting equipment. It's not expensive if you know where to look. Bryan Beasleigh would be the member to give you some good lighting advice.
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November 2nd, 2002, 07:15 AM
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#7 |
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Major Player
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Texas
Posts: 211
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Tim,
Just to close the loop on the question of the ballast in a fluorescent light fixture. It is the transformer and is usually a heavy rectangular black box that is mounted in the center of the fixture (although I have seen them mounted on the side of built-in commercial types of fixtures). The ballast is usually the thing that you smell when a fluorescent fixture is about to burn-out; "Does anyone smell something like electrical wire burning?" Most times it's the ballast. Nick |
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November 2nd, 2002, 11:05 AM
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#8 |
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New Boot
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 12
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Thanks
Thanks all, Nick included, for filling in all the information. Mucho appreciated all!
Tim P.S. I will probably get the NTSC version due to price, college student and all. |
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