HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please.

[Jeff Harper]

After you get your XA10, you might not want another XH-A1. You'll have the 20x zoom already. That's why I would love to have a AG130, that amazing 22x zoom. You're going to love your XA10, but I admit that zoom is very limiting. BUT the camera is nice and wide, which is another plus.

In my case, I'm keeping my expenses down this coming season. I'm buying another XA10, and a few odds and ends, like a glidetrack, but that' it. I spent most all of last season's money on gear, and I'm ready to make a dollar or two this year.

[Patrick Janka]

Harper, I totally get what you're saying, but you can't compare the 14mm to the 14-140mm. At the long range of that zoom your minimum aperture is f/5.6. Trying to compensate with ISO will be horrid. The difference between f/2 and f/2.5 might be going from ISO 160 to 320. Besides, everyone here seems to agree that the noise is negligible on the GH2 at lower ISO's. I will agree, however, that the pancake lenses are ugly and unintuitive. I prefer a lens with a workable focus ring, especially since I have a follow focus on my shoulder rig, and a pancake doesn't have the room to hook that up to it.

I don't primarily shoot weddings, but I do shoot indoor stand-up comedy shows, concerts, club events, etc, so I am familiar with dealing with low light situations. You may have convinced me to get the 12mm, however. I'm considering ditching my Voigtlander for the Panny 25mm and ditching my FDn for the 45mm simply for the autofocus capabilities. The only thing is, judging from the 14-42mm lens I have, I can't stand Panny lenses. They're cheap feeling and plasticky. Not to mention right now all my lenses have a filter thread of 52mm, so I have one Fader ND filter that fits them all. If I switch lenses I'll have to get a new Fader and step up rings :(

Hinson, be sure to hold on to your XHA1. As I said before, I get a fair amount of corporate work where it's necessary that I have a tape based camera.

[Jeff Harper]

Patrick, you don't get what I'm saying, exactly. The point of the story about the 14-140 is that I was told to simply raise the IS0, and that's always what people using slower lenses will say. It's human nature. We all do it.

I've attached some samples for you. You be the judge. Comedy clubs, etc are dark, but you are not looking for the same thing in your images that I am as a wedding shooter.

We look for details in the flowers, the colors, the dress, all of the things that are not so important in other stuff.

Keep in mind these photos were shot in natural light, no flash. And the benefit of the lens is not just that it's f/2.0, but how the colors look in lower light. Slower lenses in low light when used with a higher ISO just don't look the same.

[William Hohauser]

Depending on imaging device, higher ISO tends to flatten and distort the colors, usually due to the noise. Sometimes for other reasons.

To be truthful I am looking to create a small two to three camera interview kit that I can take on the subway to local jobs and perhaps the GH2 can do it. The new 45-175mm PZ lens is not bad, you can do a decent on camera zoom with it but it's not wide enough for some situations. Also the DOF is too shallow even at 5.6 for interviews with fidgety subjects. I am impressed enough to try out the 14-45 PZ lens. However Mr. Hinton, don't let my fantasy lead you astray. The way you are going is the best for your sanity and business.

[Kevin McRoberts]

I shoot scientific video, indoors, often in less than ideal light and with just the 14-140 due to time constraints. Three huge tips here:

1- use "Vibrant" film setting. It alleviates some of the mud of muted colors in low light. Things actually look like they should.

2- try a very moderate, conservative PTool hack. Higher bitrate reduces apparent noise at higher ISO. Larger cards are cheap.

3- NeatVideo. Cheapest $100 I've ever spent. It can clean up some mighty noisy messes, albeit with time.

[Jeff Hinson]

Kevin,
Thanks for the tip...will keep NeatVideo in mind.
Jeff H.

[Patrick Janka]

I second Neat Video. Great tool.

[Jeff Hinson]

Change in subject...I know this has been kicked around a lot...and opinions differ across the forum....but

Specific to weddings, what mode do you shoot and why. 60i,30p, 24p, or 60p. ?? I will deliver the video on DVD and most customers will have wide-screen LED TVs. I will be using a GH2,XA10, and possibly the XHA1 for the shoots.

Seems to me the "p" modes are the way to go since you can pull good stills off the frames should you need them.

BTW my XA10 arrived yesterday, still in the box, but hope to try it out today. I will be my first non-tape video camera. I ordered a larger battery (BP827).

Jeff

[Jeff Harper]

Jeff, there are lots of opinions on this matter, and you will get lots of suggestions, which can be quite confusing.

Ideally you should be able to determine yourself which frame rates (60i, 30p, 24p etc.) and resolution (720 or 1080) you should shoot in.

The way I determine this is from a practical point of view, not artistic. I want editing and rendering to be hassle free, and I want to produce my product with a minimum of fuss, while maintaining high quality.

You should Keep It Simple and think logically. What modes do you have to choose from to begin with? That is where you start.

Find the "modes" that your cameras all share. The only mode that your three particular cameras all share is 1080 60i. In the first place, for a wedding one should be using matching cameras, but if we don't have matching cameras, we want to match them as closely as possible by running them in identical "modes".

30p and 24p would be of no use for you because your XHA1 doesn not shoot in 24p, and your XA10 and does not shoot in 30p.

In your case, 60i would be the logical choice for you, because all of your cameras have 1080 60i. The XHA1 is going to be the odd man out because your GH2 and XA10 shoots 1920x1080, whereas your XHA1 shoots in 1440x1080, but that is a relatively minor issue which I would forget about for now.

Progressive mode is nice, but not necessary. In my case I can shoot in either 60i or 24p because all my cameras share those settings. If you remove the XHA1 from the equation, then you too can choose between 24p or 60i.

Now given all of the above you could choose to shoot in mismatched modes and then deal with the differences in post. That's not something I would do, because it would just complicate things unnecessarily.

[Jeff Hinson]

Jeff Harper

Yeah, decided on that Jeff.

BTW...I just received my XA10 today. When I lifted the box I almost threw it over my head....so light. ha
I think my GH2 is bigger than my camcorder now.....a real new experience. haha

If the XA10 proves to satisfy my "school" event needs I will sell the XHA1 and get another XA10. I expect the 12x zoom will not allow me to shoot most school plays, because most around here dont have a center isle to allow setup close enough. Im taking the XA10 to a couple of schools to see what the zoom will do.

The XA10 being so small, should make it a pleasure to work with. Finally going tapeless will be nice too.

Thanks for all the advice,
Jeff

[Jeff Harper]

XA10 is nice. With a shotgun, (even without a shotgun), the audio is awesome.

[Jeff Hinson]

At weddings is the "photographer" friend or enemy ?

Im curious to know what relationship you've experienced shooting video along side the photographer....since both are wanting to get the best vantage points for their shots/clips.

Do you get with the photographer and work out a plan at the rehearsal ? The weddings Ive attended always seemed the "photographer" was in charge and the video guy.....well, was just there. :>) It seemed the "priority" was on the photographs, rather than the video.

Im interested in knowing what your final product includes. Do you include the "raw" footage, a edited highlights, as well as a "doc" of the complete ceremony and reception. I assume it varies with the package they select. Id like to "limit" the options in my packages and keep it simple. The less the client has to ponder the better chance of getting the gig. Any advice in this direction is appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff

[Jeff Hinson]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

XA10 is nice. With a shotgun, (even without a shotgun), the audio is awesome.

__________________________

BH photo recommends this shotgun mic for the XA10
Audio-Technica - AT875 Short Condenser Shotgun Microphone

The spec calls for a min of 11vdc for Phantom power? Will this work on the XA10 since it only has 7.2 vdc battery...or does the mic contain batteries....did not show details on bh site.

Jeff

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

30p and 24p would be of no use for you because your XHA1 doesn not shoot in 24p, and your XA10 and does not shoot in 30p.

The XHA1 does shoot 24p or rather it shoots 24pf which is 24p inside 60i wrapper. Likewise the it shoots 30pf or rather 30f. The XA10 also shoots 24pf & 30pf. Finally the GH2 with the new 1.1 firmware will also shoot 30p in a 60i wrapper. Your editor will do the right thing with progressive footage in an interlaced wrapper. So you can in fact shoot 24p or 30p with all of your cameras.

[Jeff Harper]

If you are correct about the XHA1 then I was wrong if it shoots 24p. A friend of mine who has shot with it for years apparently doesn't know his camera. We were talking about his cam and he said it doesn't shoot 24p, so I was misinformed apparently. Wrong again on the 30p with the XA10 also.

I don't mixed wrapped and unwrapped footage personally, if Vegas automatically unwraps it I don't know about it, will look into that.