First wedding with XA20

Tim Akin · October 31st, 2013, 07:19 AM

Thanks Jeff and Robert. Robert I'm sure the XA will perform well for you. I was amazed at how well it did at the reception for this wedding. The venue was very dark and drab but the XA handled the light on the brides dress and dark venue very well I thought.

Craig Chartier · November 1st, 2013, 11:06 PM

Nice work Tim. Soft focus on the bride gives it that nostalgic Hollywood leading lady look. ;-)

Tim Akin · November 2nd, 2013, 09:54 AM

Thanks Craig. haha yep, we fine tuned that focus to get that look :)

Tim Akin · November 2nd, 2013, 09:57 AM

Here's a frame grab from the timeline comparing the XA and the 90. The XA is on the left and is hand held with an LED lamp mounted on it. The AC90 is on a tripod with an LED mounted on a stand a few feet away. Edit: just remembered I set shutter speed to 30 on the XA when I went in the room where the cake was and never turned it back to 60. Just checked the media in camera to make sure, it was 1/30th. So not really a fair comparison since the AC90 shutter was 1/60. I'll leave the pics up anyway.

Robert Young · November 2nd, 2013, 10:17 AM

Wow
The XA image looks decisively better in this example.

Tim Akin · November 2nd, 2013, 10:37 AM

Yes it does but take into account it is several feet closer to the subjects than the 90. Also, looks like I might have chosen a frame grab that was either out of focus or not on frame well for the 90. When I went back and looked at it on the timeline it doesn't look so out of focus like it does in this pic.

I had the XA's gain limit set to 18db and I don't think it ever went above 13db or so. The AC90 does not have a gain limiter so I'm not sure where the gain was on it.

Here's a couple more.

Tim Akin · November 2nd, 2013, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Young

Wow
The XA image looks decisively better in this example.

I've been thinking and wondering about why the XA looked brighter than the AC and just remembered I set shutter speed to 30 on the XA when I went in the room where the cake was and never turned it back to 60. Just checked the media in camera to make sure, it was 1/30th. So not really a fair comparison since the AC90 shutter was 1/60.

Don Palomaki · November 3rd, 2013, 06:52 AM

Manual or auto (program) exposure?
In any case the brightness difference should be readily correctable.

On my PC the XA image looks warmer, a bit richer, and the people healthier
At 1/30 the dancing movement could introduce some motion blur.
With the AC on a tripod, something should be in sharp focus unless we are seeing noise reduction image softening artifacts.

Tim Akin · November 3rd, 2013, 07:03 AM

Both camera's are in manual mode with auto exposure.

In most scenes the XA does look more pleasing right out of the cam but the AC can be made to look like the XA with color correction in post.

I didn't notice any motion blur at all, very surprising.

The AC footage doesn't look out of focus in the video or on the timeline, it's just the frame grab that looks that way for some reason.

Anthony McErlean · December 1st, 2013, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

I like it Tim! Very nice trailer, great work.

Yes, great work Tim, wouldn't mind an XA20 myself.

Max Palmer · December 11th, 2013, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Akin

Good points Don. I was able to correct most of it in post. The worst being overexposure. I don't think any non professional will notice.

Here's a trailer for it, ya'll can tell me if it looks bad.

Tiffany+Matthew - Trailer on Vimeo

Edit: Well I just watched the trailer to make sure the linked worked and realized there's not many ceremony shots in there. The only overexposed shot is the B&W shot at the end of him saying vows. Her vows is the AC90 which is focused on the trees behind them :(

Hey Tim- I'm considering my cam options as I want to think about moving away from dSLR as a B-cam (use it for more like a C-cam) for a lot of shots, and it's too hard to match to my Canon XF100. I'm watching your trailer- how far away were you from the subject on the detail shots such as the hair preparation, in order to get the depth of field you desired? Was that done on the Canon, or the Panasonic?

Tim Akin · December 12th, 2013, 10:23 AM

Most of the prep shots were shot with a GH2, some with the XA. If the shot has blurred background then I'm sure it was GH2.

Tim Akin · December 12th, 2013, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony McErlean

Yes, great work Tim, wouldn't mind an XA20 myself.

Thanks Anthony! I have shot another wedding with the XA know, this one was indoor and the XA performed well and out performed the AC in most same situation scenes.

Anthony McErlean · January 12th, 2014, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

I still like the XA20, but the more I work with it the less I like it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

I agree that the wrong exposure with the XA20 can produce some very poor looking shots. It's a strange camera.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

It can be very tricky to adjust settings in certain situations and get anything decent out of the camera.

Reading through Jeff's post regarding the XA20 and comparing it to other posts in the same thread, you wouldn't think its the same camera that everyone is talking about :)

Just, that I'm thinking of buying the XA20 and Jeff's posts are not very encourageing.

Maurice Covington · January 12th, 2014, 10:12 AM

What type of shooting are you planning to use the XA 20 for? And, do you need the XLR jacks or can you get by with the less expensive HF G30?

October 31st, 2013, 07:19 AM	#16
Tim Akin Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newbern, TN Posts: 414	Re: First wedding with XA20 Thanks Jeff and Robert. Robert I'm sure the XA will perform well for you. I was amazed at how well it did at the reception for this wedding. The venue was very dark and drab but the XA handled the light on the brides dress and dark venue very well I thought. __________________ Tim

November 1st, 2013, 11:06 PM	#17
Craig Chartier DVi Contributor Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Austin Texas Posts: 374	Re: First wedding with XA20 Nice work Tim. Soft focus on the bride gives it that nostalgic Hollywood leading lady look. ;-)

November 2nd, 2013, 09:54 AM	#18
Tim Akin Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newbern, TN Posts: 414	Re: First wedding with XA20 Thanks Craig. haha yep, we fine tuned that focus to get that look :) __________________ Tim

November 2nd, 2013, 09:57 AM	#19
Tim Akin Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newbern, TN Posts: 414	Re: First wedding with XA20 Here's a frame grab from the timeline comparing the XA and the 90. The XA is on the left and is hand held with an LED lamp mounted on it. The AC90 is on a tripod with an LED mounted on a stand a few feet away. Edit: just remembered I set shutter speed to 30 on the XA when I went in the room where the cake was and never turned it back to 60. Just checked the media in camera to make sure, it was 1/30th. So not really a fair comparison since the AC90 shutter was 1/60. I'll leave the pics up anyway. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Tim Last edited by Tim Akin; November 2nd, 2013 at 03:09 PM.

November 2nd, 2013, 10:17 AM	#20
Robert Young Trustee Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Coronado Island Posts: 1,472	Re: First wedding with XA20 Wow The XA image looks decisively better in this example. __________________ Bob

November 2nd, 2013, 10:37 AM	#21
Tim Akin Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newbern, TN Posts: 414	Re: First wedding with XA20 Yes it does but take into account it is several feet closer to the subjects than the 90. Also, looks like I might have chosen a frame grab that was either out of focus or not on frame well for the 90. When I went back and looked at it on the timeline it doesn't look so out of focus like it does in this pic. I had the XA's gain limit set to 18db and I don't think it ever went above 13db or so. The AC90 does not have a gain limiter so I'm not sure where the gain was on it. Here's a couple more. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Tim

November 3rd, 2013, 06:52 AM	#23
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,487	Re: First wedding with XA20 Manual or auto (program) exposure? In any case the brightness difference should be readily correctable. On my PC the XA image looks warmer, a bit richer, and the people healthier At 1/30 the dancing movement could introduce some motion blur. With the AC on a tripod, something should be in sharp focus unless we are seeing noise reduction image softening artifacts. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

November 3rd, 2013, 07:03 AM	#24
Tim Akin Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newbern, TN Posts: 414	Re: First wedding with XA20 Both camera's are in manual mode with auto exposure. In most scenes the XA does look more pleasing right out of the cam but the AC can be made to look like the XA with color correction in post. I didn't notice any motion blur at all, very surprising. The AC footage doesn't look out of focus in the video or on the timeline, it's just the frame grab that looks that way for some reason. __________________ Tim

December 12th, 2013, 10:23 AM	#27
Tim Akin Major Player Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Newbern, TN Posts: 414	Re: First wedding with XA20 Most of the prep shots were shot with a GH2, some with the XA. If the shot has blurred background then I'm sure it was GH2. __________________ Tim

January 12th, 2014, 10:12 AM	#30
Maurice Covington Major Player Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Plainfield, Illinois Posts: 236	Re: First wedding with XA20 What type of shooting are you planning to use the XA 20 for? And, do you need the XLR jacks or can you get by with the less expensive HF G30?