3 quick questions
 

Gang,

Since I am a DV newbie I have a couple of questions. First, are there any recommendations for a good book that would explain some of the things that you guys are talking about i.e. white balance, f-stop, shutter speed etc. Secondly, as some of you may have read I will be doing a lot of wrestling matches that take place in the dark with a very bright fluorescent light over the mat,is the position where the light comes from (whether I am shooting into it or whether the light is coming from behind me) matter much. Lastly, I noticed that the VX2100 has a 1lux rating where the GL2 has a 6lux rating, is this a major decision factor, or can, with a lot of tweaking, the GL2 be adjusted to produce similar results in low light?

Thanks again,
Jim

I have a little experience with the GL-2 in a similar situation. Last weekend, I shot some footage at a museum. The exhibits were lit with a combination of halogen and tungsten lights, often with colored gels, scrims or other devices to focus or otherwise change the light. The walkway areas of the museum were very dim.

I was quite happy with the way the GL-2 handled this lighting. By using manual white balance, it could produce natural colors while still reproducing the mood that the exhibit designer intended.

Lux ratings are important, but not the entire story.

Jim

the gl2 will perform very well under the conditions you describe...Lux ratings such as these are very subjective, as there is no real standard as to what is considered an "acceptable image". The sony cam is more sensitive in low light, but unless you're trying to shoot in what I would term "no-light" situations, then there will be little difference in what you can attain with either camera...the situation you describe seems well within the gl2's sensitivity range, and you should be able to shoot with little or no added gain.

Your other question about camera position is difficult to answer without more explanation, but it sounds like, in terms of lighting, that your camera position could come from any direction and achieve a similar result, so I would pick one that provides the best view of the mat.

Barry

Barry,

when I first started researching digital camcorders, I originally was very interested in the GL2, then I found out that the Sony had a lower lux rating and supported videoconferencing and streaming, so I was leaning more towards the Sony. Anyway, after reading your marvelous review (the best that I have read including professional reviews), I am definitely seriously considering the GL2 once again. I just cannot get over how well the GL shot all of the still lifes on your web site as well as the video of the guy, I forgot his name, who switched from a PC to a Mac, marvelous.

Thanks a lot,
Jim

There is a spotlight mode for overcast powerful light like you are
describing. I do believe the VX2100 has a bit better lowlight
performance, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

I've had some troubles with all the words and settings and what
they did as well. I learned them fast enough from reading the
posts here and playing a lot with my camera to see what each
setting does with static shots and with moving shots.

The VX2100 does have a lower minimum lux rating, but honestly, even 6 lux is ridiculous. What I mean by that is, you would never be in a situation where you had that little light to work with, and even the Sony would not produce very good images. I believe the recommended min lux for the GL2 is 100lux. That's somewhat more believable. As a GL2 owner who has also used a VX2000, they are both good in low light. The images are quite bright without being too noisy - of course, you can adjust the gain. I prefer to slow the shutter to 1/30 and turn the gain down to +6 or +0 if I can get away with it.