View Full Version : Lowlight settings for Panasonic SDX900?


Jeff Ray
March 2nd, 2006, 09:42 AM
Hey all,

I'm shooting a music video this weekend (3/4/05) with the SDX900 + Pro35 adapter with Zeiss lenses. This will be my first time using the camera for an actual shoot and I was just wondering if anyone had some pre-set settings that might be helping when customizing the SDX900 before I start shooting. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Benjamin Kantor
March 3rd, 2006, 01:02 AM
I used the same setup for a music video last month. I used the 'Vivid' scene file available from Panasonic (http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?displayTab=R&storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=68651&catGroupId=14569&modelNo=AJ-SDX900&surfModel=AJ-SDX900) and made only a few adjustments. I rated the camera at 200 ASA using this setup, and was able to use a studio 2k as my key light for the entire band... so it's pretty effective in relatively low light (25fc was key level). I shot it at a T2, so I could have probably even used the Zeiss standard speeds instead of the superspeeds. If it's in your budget, I also recommend getting the paintbox. Hope that helps.

Jeff Ray
March 3rd, 2006, 10:47 AM
Hey Benjamin,

Thanks for the tips man. Any chance I could take a look at the video so I can see what my footage might look like (quality-wise)? If not, maybe a couple of stills from the video? Either way, thanks again.

Also, if I shoot in 24p mode, would I want to shoot any planned slow-mo shots in 60i? Would that match the 24p footage once it's slowed down?

Benjamin Kantor
March 3rd, 2006, 01:22 PM
Jeff-

The 60i for slo-mo doesnt work quite as well with SD as it does with HD, simply because you're now talking about 240 lines, which is dreadfully low... so I wouldn't recommend it. For slo-mo, I use "smart" motion estimation in Shake. After Effects may also have something similar, though I'm not sure.

The video isn't released yet but I can give you a few stills. I've put them here (http://www.benjaminkantor.com/download4/) for a few days.