Wedding HELP!!!!
 

OK a few questions.

1. When I shoot in a church, there seems to be a picture noise problem on anything with defined lines? Anyone have this problem. For example, when I shoot the church inside, the top of the pews move a little like they are shaking? Anyone have this problem? I own 2 brand new cameras and they have been like this from Day 1.

2. Low Light problem. What should I use for a setting for reception rooms? I have on-board lighting but i still see a little bit of grain.
Should I have gain on Auto?
If not Auto, should it be on L M or H?

I want my picture to have as little grain as possible.

THANKS!

1) I'm not sure what you mean. If your camera is on a tripod, turn image stabilization off.

2) If you want little grain, don't go above +6db of gain. There is a lowlight preset in the custom preset thread that should also help. In a reception environment, it's pretty hard to get a gain-free picture.

Hope this helps.

when using gain , use about +6. at the same time you can also use the noise reduction 1. set it to low to get rid of the gain. If you set it to middle or high . you will seee ghosting

hm actually i have massive ghosting even with noise reductio set to low

YES I AGREE! I would recommend using NO noise-reduction and between 0 and 3 db of gain. I find that 6 is a bit much.. but hey if you really need it.

Try NR2 set to low. No trailing images, just a bit softer.

NR2 set to low
 

Does that mean Night Record and Gain on Low?

Gain
 

OK I might be confused. I thought LMH are the Gain. Is that not right? Also, why doesn't AUTO gain fix it?

NR=Noise Reduction, not "night record"

That is the gain switch with L M H meaning Low Medium High.

With all due respect Amie, you should really at least spend some time with the manual... & to make it easier, you should download the Acrobat file version

http://tinyurl.com/yrgoak

Bill

If don't want grain you need lights. Most high-end wedding videos are done with powerful light. They add color and contrast and are easier on the guest than a single light pointed at someone's face. Use your on camera light as fill.

I never shot a “real” wedding before, but I wouldn’t recommend the A1 or HDV for that type of project. For a clean image, HDV requires a lot of light and is less forgiving in low-light areas. In controlled conditions and/or in the hands of a highly skilled operator the A1 is phenomenal, but for a standard wedding... something like a Sony VX or even an XL1-S will give you the best low-light performance. If you aren’t required to deliver the final piece in HD, I would mix it up by taking your controlled/ staged shots with the A1 and then using a proven low-light beast for the rest.

Never shoot with Auto Gain, ever.

Further, put on an HD TV channel and really look at it. It's full of grain...especially films. It's always been there, HD just lets you see it.

Unless you have a penchant for the look of HDV at +36db.. it's more important to entertain your audience with your content than impress them with your noise free, low light shots.

Lighting Solution...
 

As far as light is concerned, here is a little fix for close shots, especially in the dark at weddings. Its a light you place on the mic, yeah, it might not be the greatest, but its the most inexpensive way to go. I shot in HDV 2 months ago, for 8 hours straight using a steadicam Merlin, pictures came out great. Here are two links:

http://search.ebay.com/new-48-LED_W0...Zm37QQfromZR40

http://flolight.com/miclight.htm

The second link gives a great description and examples of differences using this light, but obviously the first link is much cheaper. Thanks, good luck, and God Bless.

I just use a 3watt light on my vx2100 and even then you see people turning their heads if I point my camera directly to them. I think every wedding videographer would like to have the whole room lit up with bright white light because that's the only way to eliminate noise, unfortunately that's allmost never the case. If a bride decides to have only candlelight on the tables you just have to deal with that, and it starts with a camera that can handle low light, no way a bride would appreciate it if you would turn on powerfull light just to keep a "high end" wedding video standard.
I haven"t stepped into the hd arena yet but I heared many complain about the noise and lowlight problems, I think you just have to find a middle way so you don't disturb the guests or ruin the mood with an interrogation light. Use a light that provides just enough extra lighting so nearby subjects appear with allmost no noise and do a lot of testing with your camera's settings so you get the best image possible.

The issue is to manage the customer expectations so there are no unwanted "surprises" when the product is delivered. Most people are used to home 1-CCD handicam video, and their expectations can be managed. That process starts when the initial contact is made.

With the A1 (or any camcorder for that matter), work out your low light shooting presets and strategies in advance so you know what you will get, and what you will not get.

And for the people who are unreasonable from the outset, you may not want their business anyway.

Another powerful option is the Neat Video plugin.

It takes the edge off low light grain, making HDV processing easier on the CPU and taking a load off my mind when the lights go down.


"YO, One Candle, Auto Gain, No Prahblum, Bring It Ahn." .... :D



[But seriously, I shot my last wedding/reception using the HV20/HC7 combo, leaving the kings of low light, the PD's, in the truck. And I'm lurking here wondering if the AH1 is even better in 24f than the HV20 is in 24P. HDV is SO BEAUTIFUL.

Plus I asked the bride if turning the dimmer down only half way was cool, and she agreed.

Another idea, slightly OT for this forum and thread. I'm considering offering a supplemental light pkg, or just plain asking permission to bring my own set of rope lights and can lights to place around the Reception area to add just enough light to drop the gain and increase color saturation.....]