VX2100 questions

Tom Hardwick · March 23rd, 2005, 02:00 AM

Your right thumb has to switch the lever round the rearmost record button down to 'memory'. There's a little safety tab to switch forward to allow you to do this.

Don't forget to enter the menu and change the audio from its default setting to 16 bit 48kHz.

tom.

Advil Dremali · March 23rd, 2005, 02:51 AM

Ah, thank you Tom.

You guys have no idea how much I love you all!! hahah.

Once again, thanks so much for all this help :)

I did the 16 bit thing. Is there any way I can have the audio levels show up on the main display? I can't find anything about that in the manual.

Any other things I should change?

Tom Hardwick · March 23rd, 2005, 04:45 AM

You may love us all Advil, but more instruction book reading is called for I feel.

The rear panel of your VX has a button marked Audio Level. Push it and see. If you want to control this level manually you've got to push the menu button, access the audio and set the levels that way.

Other things? Forget the backlight button but don't ignore the spotlight mode - a very clever program indeed.

Don't forget (many do) that headphone volume is controlled by the buttons left of the side-screen.

Use the ND filters. If you wait till the camera calls for them it's getting mighty close to being too late.

tom.

Boyd Ostroff · March 23rd, 2005, 05:40 AM

This is for the PD-150/170, but most of it will also apply to your VX-2100: http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/index.htm

Advil Dremali · March 24th, 2005, 03:04 AM

Awesome, thanks. I've been reading the manual all day :)

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to adjust both, the f stop and the gain at the same time. I don't think you can.

Boyd Ostroff · March 24th, 2005, 06:59 AM

You can't adjust them independently on the VX-2100. As you turn the exposure wheel the iris will eventually be fully open. After that, each click adds 3dB of gain.

Ken Hudson · March 27th, 2005, 10:12 AM

If you're truing to take a picture straight to the memory card, move the selector switch to the last position. One direction is VCR mode, there are two selections in the other direction, last being photo or memory mode. There is a little sliding lock to block this in case you are not planning on using the stick, (keeps you from going there by mistake) Then you just press the photo button to take your picture. You can also capture stills to your memory stick from recorded footage. Put the camera in VCR mode and press the photo button when you want to capture a still.

Hope this helps, I have a vx2000 and a 2100. Love 'em!

Lou Bruno · March 28th, 2005, 07:54 PM

No Card reader with the VX2100.....that is a fact.

Lou Bruno

<<<-- Originally posted by Mike Rehmus : I cannot confirm that but I've got 2 PD 150's and 2 card readers that came with them. Maybe 2100's are different, there have to be other 2100 owners lurking around that can answer this question from direct experience. -->>>

Lou Bruno · March 28th, 2005, 07:59 PM

Here are some tips.

Always manually white balance the VX2100.

Go into your custom Pre-set....located via a small button located at the rear of the handle.

Increase your detail 3/4's of the way.

Decrease your saturation 2 clicks to the left.

Make sure you the SET the Custom Pre-Set via the menu.
You will notice a CP icon in the viewfinder.

Congratulations,
LOU

Boyd Ostroff · March 28th, 2005, 08:47 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Lou Bruno : Always manually white balance the VX2100. -->>>

I find that white balance button thing very confusing, and it took me a long time to realize one simple thing. If you don't see the manual white balance symbol in the viewfinder (or the tungsten symbol), then the camera is in auto white balance mode.

Also, I lost count of how many times I accidently hit the WB button while recording when I was searching for the audio level button!

J. Stephen McDonald · April 6th, 2005, 09:42 PM

No card reader included with the VX2100 and it doesn't have a USB port, either. This model was clearly designed for the best
video performance that could be delivered for its price and still pictures aren't a necessary part of this. However, the VX2100 does produce some of the best 640 X 480 stills you could find.
With a 128mb Memory-Stick, I am constantly clicking still images on mine for Internet posting and E-Mail attachments. With this low pixel-size and large memory card, I can get close to a thousand pictures stored in the camera. I'd prefer having two 128mb cards than one of 256mb size, to keep all my eggs out of one basket.

Those who have a Sony GV-D1000 mini-DV VCR, get full Memory-Stick functions and a USB port. I have an older Sony TRV730 Digital8 camcorder, that no longer has a working tape drive. However, its Memory-Stick and USB functions still operate and could be used to transfer the VX2100's still pictures. Also, many people have computers or DVD recorders with card slots. Some of these will take a Memory-Stick directly or with a card adaptor.
If you take inventory of all your gadgets and the ways you could adapt them for alternative uses, you may not have to buy anything, to carry out what you need to do.

And yes, the VX2100 is as good in low-light as many are saying. The best thing about this, is that many of its low-light pictures look very usable for important productions, not just passable in quality. I've shot unlighted footage of deer with mine, when it was too dark to see them with my bare eyes, but they showed up clearly, although not brightly, on the tape. And just a little bit of added light goes a long way with this camera. When I go hiking in the woods at night, I carry a tiny LED flashlight. I've mounted a clip on my camcorder to hold it lined-up with the camera's field of view and it shoots some amazing things with just this bit of illumination. This light cost 15 bucks and runs 50 hours on three AA batteries. I intend to get some Cougar shots this way or be eaten in the process-----or maybe both??

Advil Dremali · April 14th, 2005, 10:48 PM

Is there something like Frame Mode (on the GL1 and GL2) on the vx2100? I see Frame Rec, but I don't think thats the same.

Ethan Cooper · April 14th, 2005, 11:36 PM

Just shot a wedding with a DSR-500, DSR-300 and my trusty old vx2000. It was a dark ceremony with an african american couple. My little VX WAY out performed it's two bigger cousins in this instance. After we got back and took a look at the footage I was left wishing I had a whole army of vx's for shooting weddings.
Dont get me wrong, the 500 wipes the floor with the vx when you have ample lighting, but this was the first time I've seen the footage from the vx be much, much better than the 500.
I was kinda proud of my little fella. I'm always secretly rooting for the vx when we put him head to head against the big boys.

Brennan Lang · June 28th, 2005, 09:40 PM

I have just recently bought a VX2100. I have a few questions if you guys don’t mind helping me out. The first question is. What are my ideal settings to get the best quality of picture? The second question I have is when importing footage in to my Adobe Premier 6.0 what are the best settings to capture from? And last What is the best way to export from Adobe?

Thank You
All the help will be very much appreciated
Brennan

Mike Rehmus · June 28th, 2005, 09:49 PM

Congratulations on obtaining a great camera, Brennan.

You've asked 3 questions, only one of which can be answered with the information you provided.

Camera settings are application-dependent. It depends on upon what you are shooting at the time.

There are no settings on the camera for export. Plug in the firewire cable and grab the footage.

Exporting footage from any editing program depends on what ultimate use will be made of th footage and the media onto which you are going to record it. And, BTW, just to keep the lines clear between the forums, the editing question should be asked in the editing forum, not here. I'd appreciate you posting just the Adobe portion of your querie there.

And good luck, you will like the camera.

March 28th, 2005, 07:54 PM	#38
Lou Bruno Go Cycle Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Huntington, NY Posts: 815	No Card reader with the VX2100.....that is a fact. Lou Bruno <<<-- Originally posted by Mike Rehmus : I cannot confirm that but I've got 2 PD 150's and 2 card readers that came with them. Maybe 2100's are different, there have to be other 2100 owners lurking around that can answer this question from direct experience. -->>> __________________ Lou Bruno

March 28th, 2005, 07:59 PM	#39
Lou Bruno Go Cycle Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Huntington, NY Posts: 815	Here are some tips. Always manually white balance the VX2100. Go into your custom Pre-set....located via a small button located at the rear of the handle. Increase your detail 3/4's of the way. Decrease your saturation 2 clicks to the left. Make sure you the SET the Custom Pre-Set via the menu. You will notice a CP icon in the viewfinder. Congratulations, LOU __________________ Lou Bruno

April 6th, 2005, 09:42 PM	#41
J. Stephen McDonald Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 909	No card reader included with the VX2100 and it doesn't have a USB port, either. This model was clearly designed for the best video performance that could be delivered for its price and still pictures aren't a necessary part of this. However, the VX2100 does produce some of the best 640 X 480 stills you could find. With a 128mb Memory-Stick, I am constantly clicking still images on mine for Internet posting and E-Mail attachments. With this low pixel-size and large memory card, I can get close to a thousand pictures stored in the camera. I'd prefer having two 128mb cards than one of 256mb size, to keep all my eggs out of one basket. Those who have a Sony GV-D1000 mini-DV VCR, get full Memory-Stick functions and a USB port. I have an older Sony TRV730 Digital8 camcorder, that no longer has a working tape drive. However, its Memory-Stick and USB functions still operate and could be used to transfer the VX2100's still pictures. Also, many people have computers or DVD recorders with card slots. Some of these will take a Memory-Stick directly or with a card adaptor. If you take inventory of all your gadgets and the ways you could adapt them for alternative uses, you may not have to buy anything, to carry out what you need to do. And yes, the VX2100 is as good in low-light as many are saying. The best thing about this, is that many of its low-light pictures look very usable for important productions, not just passable in quality. I've shot unlighted footage of deer with mine, when it was too dark to see them with my bare eyes, but they showed up clearly, although not brightly, on the tape. And just a little bit of added light goes a long way with this camera. When I go hiking in the woods at night, I carry a tiny LED flashlight. I've mounted a clip on my camcorder to hold it lined-up with the camera's field of view and it shoots some amazing things with just this bit of illumination. This light cost 15 bucks and runs 50 hours on three AA batteries. I intend to get some Cougar shots this way or be eaten in the process-----or maybe both?? __________________ Steve McDonald https://onedrive.com/?cid=229807ce52dd4fe0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/22121562@N00/ http://www.vimeo.com/user458315/videos

April 14th, 2005, 11:36 PM	#43
Ethan Cooper Trustee Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 1,400 Images: 5	low light Just shot a wedding with a DSR-500, DSR-300 and my trusty old vx2000. It was a dark ceremony with an african american couple. My little VX WAY out performed it's two bigger cousins in this instance. After we got back and took a look at the footage I was left wishing I had a whole army of vx's for shooting weddings. Dont get me wrong, the 500 wipes the floor with the vx when you have ample lighting, but this was the first time I've seen the footage from the vx be much, much better than the 500. I was kinda proud of my little fella. I'm always secretly rooting for the vx when we put him head to head against the big boys.

June 28th, 2005, 09:40 PM	#44
Brennan Lang Tourist Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2	A few simple questions I have just recently bought a VX2100. I have a few questions if you guys don’t mind helping me out. The first question is. What are my ideal settings to get the best quality of picture? The second question I have is when importing footage in to my Adobe Premier 6.0 what are the best settings to capture from? And last What is the best way to export from Adobe? Thank You All the help will be very much appreciated Brennan

March 23rd, 2005, 02:00 AM	#31
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	Your right thumb has to switch the lever round the rearmost record button down to 'memory'. There's a little safety tab to switch forward to allow you to do this. Don't forget to enter the menu and change the audio from its default setting to 16 bit 48kHz. tom.

March 23rd, 2005, 02:51 AM	#32
Advil Dremali New Boot Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 70	Ah, thank you Tom. You guys have no idea how much I love you all!! hahah. Once again, thanks so much for all this help :) I did the 16 bit thing. Is there any way I can have the audio levels show up on the main display? I can't find anything about that in the manual. Any other things I should change?

March 23rd, 2005, 04:45 AM	#33
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	You may love us all Advil, but more instruction book reading is called for I feel. The rear panel of your VX has a button marked Audio Level. Push it and see. If you want to control this level manually you've got to push the menu button, access the audio and set the levels that way. Other things? Forget the backlight button but don't ignore the spotlight mode - a very clever program indeed. Don't forget (many do) that headphone volume is controlled by the buttons left of the side-screen. Use the ND filters. If you wait till the camera calls for them it's getting mighty close to being too late. tom.

March 23rd, 2005, 05:40 AM	#34
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	This is for the PD-150/170, but most of it will also apply to your VX-2100: http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/sonypd150/index.htm

March 24th, 2005, 03:04 AM	#35
Advil Dremali New Boot Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 70	Awesome, thanks. I've been reading the manual all day :) Right now I'm trying to figure out how to adjust both, the f stop and the gain at the same time. I don't think you can.

March 24th, 2005, 06:59 AM	#36
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	You can't adjust them independently on the VX-2100. As you turn the exposure wheel the iris will eventually be fully open. After that, each click adds 3dB of gain.

March 27th, 2005, 10:12 AM	#37
Ken Hudson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Forest, VA Posts: 42	If you're truing to take a picture straight to the memory card, move the selector switch to the last position. One direction is VCR mode, there are two selections in the other direction, last being photo or memory mode. There is a little sliding lock to block this in case you are not planning on using the stick, (keeps you from going there by mistake) Then you just press the photo button to take your picture. You can also capture stills to your memory stick from recorded footage. Put the camera in VCR mode and press the photo button when you want to capture a still. Hope this helps, I have a vx2000 and a 2100. Love 'em!

March 28th, 2005, 08:47 PM	#40
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	<<<-- Originally posted by Lou Bruno : Always manually white balance the VX2100. -->>> I find that white balance button thing very confusing, and it took me a long time to realize one simple thing. If you don't see the manual white balance symbol in the viewfinder (or the tungsten symbol), then the camera is in auto white balance mode. Also, I lost count of how many times I accidently hit the WB button while recording when I was searching for the audio level button!

April 14th, 2005, 10:48 PM	#42
Advil Dremali New Boot Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 70	Is there something like Frame Mode (on the GL1 and GL2) on the vx2100? I see Frame Rec, but I don't think thats the same.

June 28th, 2005, 09:49 PM	#45
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Congratulations on obtaining a great camera, Brennan. You've asked 3 questions, only one of which can be answered with the information you provided. Camera settings are application-dependent. It depends on upon what you are shooting at the time. There are no settings on the camera for export. Plug in the firewire cable and grab the footage. Exporting footage from any editing program depends on what ultimate use will be made of th footage and the media onto which you are going to record it. And, BTW, just to keep the lines clear between the forums, the editing question should be asked in the editing forum, not here. I'd appreciate you posting just the Adobe portion of your querie there. And good luck, you will like the camera. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!