canon xh - a1,setting lcd screen
 

When setting up lcd screen is there a screen angle position, particular lighting conditions you have to use when ajusting for brightness, contrast ect, to be sure what you see on lcd looks the same when viewing back footage.

You can never be sure with an LCD-screen that what you see is what you get. This is due to the fact that LCD-screens tend to vary in brightness, depending on the angle it is looked at. The viewfinder is much more reliable for judging exposure.

I've set my LCD screen up with the pluge pattern using the color bars looking dead on. This of course isn't foolproof since the slightest vertical viewing angle difference shows it a tad lighter or darker. But at least I know what my "dead on" reference point is.

Hi Bill. Sorry for my ignorance, but where do I get a decent 'pluge pattern'? Or do I just film the 0,1 density-steps gray scale that I have from my photo business?

Hi Luc. Activate color bars. Look in the lower right corner. You'll see 3 thin bars (you may have to raise the brightness level to see them). Adjust brightness so the thin bar on the right should just barely be visible of the 3.

OK, tried this. But even at the highest brightness setting, I don't see anything but the even black colour bar in the lower right corner... I suspect that this is something only avialable with NTSC-colorbars, not for PAL.

Hmm. I was referring to SMPTE bars ("type 1" in the menu). You may have it set to the type 2, ARIB HD bars, which still has a pluge but I'm not sure which is the target bar for brightness or the values. Have to read up on it.

OK, it's type two. Found it under 'customize', custom function. Thanks!
Luc