What are your best settings for the HD7?

[Lee Mullen]

I'd like to learn from others of what they feel are their own best settings when shooting with this camcorder.

Can you share what your settings are? Cheers

Lee

[Kaushik Parmar]

Always shot in Manual mode. Keep OIS off. Keep AGC always off, if light is poor than only use.

[Lee Mullen]

Thank you.

What about shutter speed and aperture?

Lee

[Kaushik Parmar]

Always keep your camera in Manual mode, then do not forget to put OIS and AGC both off. Before start shooting press both buttons "S" & "A" for two times, so your camera will come in Auto mode, though you are in originally Manual mode, then see LCD display and decide what you want, I mean how much light, see images are not more bright or over expose, set accordingly aperture, and if you are doing some fast action shoot put shutter speed 1/2000 or 1/1000, then lock "f" at 1.8, you can lock aperture and shutter speed by pressing buttons more than two seconds, do not leave button until symbol become white so its now lock. These locked function are good if you do steady shoot mean no panning, else you will have problem in brightness. Again you can unlock them by pressing two times. Use less zoom 10x would be not good for clarity, you come to closer to the object, avoid zoom.

Some time back light would be useful, but in my opinion JVC HD7 struggle in low light condition, if you put AGC on then your over all picture would be grayish kind of, not good camera in low light. Sorry JVC but it is true.

Kaushik

[Alex Humphrey]

I would also recomend that unless you have a specific reason to be other than 1/60th, you should stick with 1/60th of a second for shutter speed and use Neutral Density filters (screw on or electronic) to keep apertures 2 or 3 stops down from wide open. That goes for pretty much all NTSC and 1080i camcorders.

Shutter speed is one of the important settings that shouldn't be changed unless you have a reason to. As far as running up the shutter speed for action, I personally think it's way overused and is falling out of style in broadcast and film. But that's just a personal opinion.

[Waldemar Winkler]

I always shoot with the camera set to record 1440 CBR. This allows me to download my video via a "Firewire (IEEE 1394)" connection or "DV Anamorphic", depending upon the distribution intent of my project. Recording video in any other format demands conversion via MPEG Streamclip, as I work with MAC. That adds time in the editing process.

White balance is best managed via manual process, but the presets will, at least, put you into the right zone.

Exposure control for me is alway manual, which is really semi-manual. If you choose full manual exposure adjustments are in full stops. You need the option of 1/3 stops (via the BRIGHT button), which demands allowing the camera to engage AGC when it feels the need to do so.

Shutter speed for me is always 1/60, as I live in NTSC land. PAL settings would probably be 1/50. Either is based upon the display rate of TV, which is 29.97 or 25 frames interlaced. Any shutter speed faster will be displayed within this limitation, which will introduce unwanted strobing. Some blurring of video is preferable as it smoothes out the display.

Aperture shouldn't be less than f4.0 because that is generally where the lens begins to produce the sharpest images.

Staying within the exposure zones I have mentioned demands use of neutral density filters.

The HD7 produces excellent images, but due to 1/5" image sensors, suffers in low light situations. Plan accordingly.

Please search posts by Steve Mullen. He has an excellent e-book on the HD7 which is well worth the investment (DVC) .

[John Nantz]

What is "DV anamorphic"?

And another question (but I don't want to hijack this thread), do you burn your video to a DVD? If you do, then is it HD on a DVD or Blu-ray?

For info, I've been making videos in 1440CBR lately but the DVDs don't look like quality at all even though I believe I'm doing all the settings correctly. I'm using iMovie '09 for the DVD burning although I've got iMovie HD6 available for use if I want it. I also have the JVC CUDV20 burner but haven't used it yet.

[Waldemar Winkler]

[What is "DV anamorphic"?

And another question (but I don't want to hijack this thread), do you burn your video to a DVD? If you do, then is it HD on a DVD or Blu-ray?

For info, I've been making videos in 1440CBR lately but the DVDs don't look like quality at all even though I believe I'm doing all the settings correctly. I'm using iMovie '09 for the DVD burning although I've got iMovie HD6 available for use if I want it. I also have the JVC CUDV20 burner but haven't used it yet.]

A very general description: "DV Anamorphic" is recording a 16:9 aspect ratio within a DV 720 x480 pixel environment. In a NLE the environment is 854 x 480 and the camera's recorded pixels are stretched horizontally to look natural. When exported and burned the video is letter-boxed to display on a 4:3 TV display. It was the only way in the first part of this century to achieve a wide-screen look.

The HD video standard is 1440 x 1080. Cameras adjust pixel sizes to achieve either a 1920 x 1080 or a 1280 x 720 look. 1080 was initially an interlaced scan. 720 was initially a progressive scan. DVD is always interlaced.

iMovie 08 and 09 don't care about camera recording aspect ratios. They convert everything to 960 x 480 via AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec) unless you choose "Full Quality" upon import. Then they retain original quality with the AIC codec, which is a very good codec, by the way. Importing as a "Large" file allows easy conversion to DVD or internet use and significantly reduces file sizes. The problem is that the original video is usually compressed upon import. If you choose to export to iDVD via the "Share" menu iMovie compresses again. iDVD automatically compresses any incoming video, period. The end result is original video could be compressed three times before it gets on a DVD disc. This may be why your video looks soft. The way to avoid this is to import as Full Quality and Export as a QuickTime Movie, which will do the best job of preserving image quality. Then drop into iDVD, if your goal is DVD. If your goal is internet, then use the provides settings. It has been so long since I have used iMovie HD6 for export of any HD footage I don't remember if there is a choice of export formats. It used to only export as DV (another "go have a beer and maybe wait until tomorrow" scenario. Keep iMovie HD6, however, because it will accept old video with dropouts that will cause the more recent versions to stop importing.

I usually edit with Final Cut Pro. I have recently become interested in iMovie 09, but I really don't know my way around the application. I've primarily used it as a way to acquire footage when FCP balks.

DVD is only standard definition, although it is possible to burn HD footage on a DVD. The quantity of content is significantly reduced. I will be making Blu-Ray for the first time this year. I've read it is a challenging process. I wonder what kind of challenges I will encounter?

The only value of the JVC CUDV20 burner is archiving the original .TOD files of the HD7, and that's a good thing. Once transferred to disc the TOD files will have to be converted to appropriate files via MPEG Strteamclip for editing.

Because I edit mostly on Final Cut Pro, I shoot 1440 CBR on the HD7 because my other cameras record 720p video. It is easier and faster for me to import 1440CBR via firewire and drop it into my HDV 720p timeline in Final Cut Pro.

I hope I've answered your questions.

[John Nantz]

There is soooo much information there. I have to sometimes re-read the sentences several times to grasp everything. And, at the same time, think about what I'm doing wrong and maybe what I should be doing.

My goal is High Definition on a DVD, as opposed to posting anything on the Internet. And when I say DVD, I also mean BluRay. Basically, I want quality video, and the problem is how to get there from here (without going back to college and majoring in video photography or movie making). I think I have good gear for getting started but my problem is finding the right path to go down inorder to reach my goal.

The gear I have is probably not optimum. The JVC HD7 is an early generation Full HD camera and since it's introduction there has been changes in Codec, disk burning technology, audio standards (XLR), [well, the HD7 doesn't have XLR so I needed a JuicedLink pre], editing software, etc. And yes, some of the stuff I have is a little old now (my, what a difference a year or two makes!). The gear I have has been acquired on the cheap or for free as hand-me-downs, but even though it may be a struggle I would like to produce something, if possible, in FHD, or as close as I can get with what is available.

THEN, if things work out like I hope they will, I'll spend hard-earned money and upgrade whatever is needed to streamline the workflow. If that means changing cameras to get away from the *.TOD files, FinalCut Pro for editing, more powerful computer, BluRay burner, .... and I know these changes will work, then I'll do it. But hopefully it will be slow and methodical.

Editing

The HD7 has FHD capability but the problem is how to utilize that. Just taking videos and saving them on the JVC CU-VD20 DVD burner isn't enough because there basically isn't a video made that doesn't require editing. At the time when the HD7 came out iMovie HD6 was (I think) used for editing the files. But what happened to the edited files quality-wise I don't know. Last summer I tried using HD6 for editing but it was a struggle. Since then I have shot some video in 1440CBR and used iMovie '09 for editing and burning DVDs on a MacPro with less than stellar results. After reading your post it starts to make sense why my results seemed below my expectations. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or

Burning

Yesterday I came across a post on one of the Apple forums where someone wrote "Did you know that if you buy the BluRay plug-in for Toast you can burn up to 25 minutes of BluRay on a normal DVD disc with any DVD burner?" I'm okay for now with staying under 25 minutes on a DVD so this could be an option.

Also, yesterday, I found out there may be changes coming with BluRay as being "the" standard but I don't remember the details except to say that there may be another system that may be coming up later this year that might push it aside. So, if I can burn to a regular DVD for the time being then maybe when I'm ready to get a better video burner either the suposed new system will be established - or, and/or - the BluRay burners will be cheaper. (heads I win, tails I win)

The question for myself today is: How can I edit my *.tod movie files to retain maximum quality and at the same time have something I can burn to a DVD and continue to retain maximum quality?

Another thing happened yesterday, another HD7 user asked me what bit rate I was using. "Huh? Bit rate?" I'm thinking. Apparently he likes to use 8bps so this is another thing for me to find out about. But then he posts to the Internet. Check out his video at Video Archives Click on the video window and then a scroll bar opens up on the right, scroll down to "TX2K10 Supra Nationals". While I'm not a car buff, this video taken with a HD7 looks sharp and the guy did a very nice editing job. Consider also that he has never had a video/photography course in college and this was one of his early projects. Impressive. Lots of creative ideas here.

My first step is to read, re-read, and re-re-read Waldemar's post. There is just so much information there!

What path do I want to take?

And what is my next step? or even the next couple steps?

[John Nantz]

Originally Posted by Waldemar Winkler

A very general description: "DV Anamorphic" is recording a 16:9 aspect ratio within a DV 720 x480 pixel environment.

So apparently this one pixel ratio (DV 720x480) has a name to it, or does it apply to the 16:9 ratio too. Personally, I'd like to be in the 1920x1080 realm for maximum quality on a wide-screen TV.

Originally Posted by Waldemar Winkler

In a NLE the environment is 854 x 480 and the camera's recorded pixels are stretched horizontally to look natural. When exported and burned the video is letter-boxed to display on a 4:3 TV display. It was the only way in the first part of this century to achieve a wide-screen look.

NLE = Non-Linear Editing. Went and looked this up (more learning!). So, the pixels are stretched horizontally to look .... natural? Does this make the viewing image look wider than actual? Wouldn't that make everybody look, uh,... fatter? Is iMovie HD6, '09, or Final Cut, a NLE? Since all TVs now are the 16:9 format is this still important to know?

Originally Posted by Waldemar Winkler

The HD video standard is 1440 x 1080. Cameras adjust pixel sizes to achieve either a 1920 x 1080 or a 1280 x 720 look.

So, with the HD7 set to FHD it is supposed to record in 1920x1080, I had thought. When the setting is set to 1440CBR does it record, then, in 1440x1080 but if I set it to the 1920 setting it "adjusts" the pixel size to fit?

Okay, guess that's enough questions for now. Warning: there are many more where those came from!

After doing some surfing this morning I think I've answered one of my main questions. There is HD DVD and then there is BluRay. Apparently HD DVD only plays in SD (Standard Definition, in spite of the "HD" nomenclature) where as BluRay actually plays in real HD. Also, one site said that HD DVD, with Microsoft as one of the backers, is basically defunct. Don't know if that's true or not.

Also, if one burns in BluRay then you must have a BluRay player to play it back. A BluRay disk will not playback on a standard DVD player. So....

.... "the long and winding road"....(give the Beatles some credit here) comes to a fork. I think, maybe, unless something else comes up, I'd like to take the BluRay path.

In which case, one of the next steps is recording a BluRay onto a DVD (max 25 minutes). And I guess this would require "Toast" - and I don't know what that is. An editing program?

[John Nantz]

Hit the nail on the head. This is exactly what I was doing - using the "Share" menu:

Originally Posted by Waldemar Winkler

If you choose to export to iDVD via the "Share" menu iMovie compresses again. iDVD automatically compresses any incoming video, period. The end result is original video could be compressed three times before it gets on a DVD disc. This may be why your video looks soft. The way to avoid this is to import as Full Quality and Export as a QuickTime Movie, which will do the best job of preserving image quality. Then drop into iDVD, if your goal is DVD.

In the future I'll avoid the former route and take the QuickTime route. Hopefully I'll see an improvement. Based on what I have been getting, that wouldn't take much!

P.S. I wasn't going to post again but this was really important and I just wanted to pass the info along.

[Waldemar Winkler]

I am happy my post has been of value to you.

My opinion: the HD7 is quite an amazing camera. It was designed by JVC's consumer division for the advanced amateur videographer. A careful review of posts in this forum will reveal it attracted the serious attention of professional videographers as it fit the bill for a capable B-roll camera. Because of the annoying and time-consuming menu driven shooting selections, really little image sensors, virtually useless image stabilization feature, the inability to make 1/3 stop exposure adjustments unless auto-gain is activated, and the dreaded .TOD files (necessary due to copyright issues at the time of release), its images can be difficult to import into some NLE applications … iMovie and Final Cut for sure. However, I found it interestingly odd that the HD7 was pulled off of the retail marketplace within 8 months of introduction. A few months later JVC Professional introduced the GY-HM100U. The HD7 was the prototype, I am sure. As long as you are willing to work within the HD7's limitations, take time to plan your shots, I feel this camera will serve you well until it no longer allows you to capture the way you want to capture. At that point, you have outgrown the camera, and it is time to move forward.

One of the biggest challenges with editing video is importing it into the right editing space. Is the space DV, HDV, HDTV30, HDTV60, a PAL space, or one of the other 300 or so formats? Then there is choosing the appropriate codec (compression/decompression algorithm). Because I ended up with three cameras with unique recording formats I wrestle with these issues every time I edit with Final CutYou can produce HD on Blu-Ray with almost everything you have. The only missing item is a Blu-Ray burner and, perhaps, an application to encode the project. Toast 10 pro will accomplish the latter. Any blu-ray burner with FW800 connections will do the former (USB connections will work as well. I feel a FW800 is better for the MAC user).

Bit rates determine how much video you can fit onto a DVD. A bit rate between 5 and 8 is usually the best compromise between image quality and quantity of video content. If you use iDVD, don't worry about it, as the application decides for you.

My first suggestion regarding this whole process you have enthusiastically begun is to purchase Steve Mullen's e-book on the HD7. It is well written, provides extraordinary technical detail and practical advice in regard to how the camera works, the best shooting methods, and addresses importing workflows on how to make those pesky TOD files do what you want them to do.

My second suggestion is to not reach for new gear until it is absolutely necessary. iMovie remains the best free video editing application available to Mac users. Norkross video is a close second, and Adobe Premier Elements is another well known option. Norkross allows use of multiple video tracks on the timeline, which iMovie only "kinda-sorta" allows. It has a much different user interface, which I find confusing. At $50 or so for a license, it is worth looking at. I haven't used any of the Adobe Premiere products since the late 90's, so can't offer opinions. In any case, use iMovie until it won't do what you want, then upgrade.

On the audio import issue, MacBook Pro has an audio line input that converts analog to digital. I use a simple three mic/ 2 line audio mixer to manage any analog sounds I need to import.

Getting good audio from the start is most important, and there are a lot of good opinions regarding external microphones within DV Info forums. The HD7's audio recording system is actually rather good, but wind noise is a real problem if you find yourself without an appropriate external mic. Here is my DIY tip for reducing wind noise:

Buy a wire mesh tea strainer. The spherical type with a little chain that allows you to dip bulk tea into a cup. Keep one half of the sphere and cover it with fake fur available at most fabric shops. Use hot melt glue to adhere the fake fur to the tea strainer. Use the same hot melt glue to attach the covered tea strainer to the body of the HD7 camera over the built-in mic. Wind noise is suddenly gone. I like hot melt glue because it does not permanently mar the body of the camera and removes with no trace. Wind noise is caused by the motion of air impacting the microphone elements, causing a vibration. Stopping wind noise means stopping the motion of air. Foam wind screens block the motion of air, but that same motion makes the foam vibrate, creating a new sound that the microphones pick up. The backing of a fake fur fabric is porous enough to allow most audio frequencies to pass through. There is some loss in higher audio frequencies, but that would be true for all but the most expensive wind screens. The "hair" of the fake fur doesn't vibrate enough to create its own sounds to be picked up by the microphones.

[John Nantz]

Waldemar: Thanks very much for all the information. It's going to take some time to digest everything. I printed the posts and marked them up then, combined with some of the posts above, put together a rough settings list. (this is an attempt to keep the thread on track!) I also want to thank Kaushik Parmar, another frequent poster, for his earlier assistance.

Moving along on the main thread......

Also, it is understood the format settings are related to the ultimate destination of the video, be it DVD or Internet.

The settings I'm working on will be broken down into three major areas:
1. Recording
2. Editing
3. and in my case, Burning (vice Internet)

One thing nobody brought up was the "White Balance" setting.

Elsewhere it has been said that this is an important setting. To this point I haven't used it because I've been dealing with more elementary issues but the time is approaching when I'll need to visit this.

Question: Does anybody have thoughts about this?

__________________
More for Waldemar:
You're a little too late with the comment about buying more stuff. It's already happened! See one of my posts in this section "new to me" that I took last summer. When I got this camera the mic, while pretty good, was picking up too much undesirable noise. I found a Sennheiser shotgun mic that a guy wanted to unload - along with some other stuff - and that's in the picture. A MobilePre with XLR cables, books, etc., also came along with it.

The next thing I had to get was a charger and cables for the HD7 because when I got the camera they weren't included. Then I found a JVC GZ-MS130 video camera which is somewhat newer model but a point-and-shoot type for people to upload to YouTube really cheap. It had the same charger and cables so that worked out. Now I have what you might call a "B-roll camera".

[Kaushik Parmar]

Originally Posted by Waldemar Winkler

I am happy my post has been of value to you.

My opinion: the HD7 is quite an amazing camera. It was designed by JVC's consumer division for the advanced amateur videographer. A careful review of posts in this forum will reveal it attracted the serious attention of professional videographers as it fit the bill for a capable B-roll camera. Because of the annoying and time-consuming menu driven shooting selections, really little image sensors, virtually useless image stabilization feature, the inability to make 1/3 stop exposure adjustments unless auto-gain is activated, and the dreaded .TOD files (necessary due to copyright issues at the time of release), its images can be difficult to import into some NLE applications … iMovie and Final Cut for sure. However, I found it interestingly odd that the HD7 was pulled off of the retail marketplace within 8 months of introduction. A few months later JVC Professional introduced the GY-HM100U. The HD7 was the prototype, I am sure. As long as you are willing to work within the HD7's limitations, take time to plan your shots, I feel this camera will serve you well until it no longer allows you to capture the way you want to capture. At that point, you have outgrown the camera, and it is time to move forward.

One of the biggest challenges with editing video is importing it into the right editing space. Is the space DV, HDV, HDTV30, HDTV60, a PAL space, or one of the other 300 or so formats? Then there is choosing the appropriate codec (compression/decompression algorithm). Because I ended up with three cameras with unique recording formats I wrestle with these issues every time I edit with Final CutYou can produce HD on Blu-Ray with almost everything you have. The only missing item is a Blu-Ray burner and, perhaps, an application to encode the project. Toast 10 pro will accomplish the latter. Any blu-ray burner with FW800 connections will do the former (USB connections will work as well. I feel a FW800 is better for the MAC user).

Bit rates determine how much video you can fit onto a DVD. A bit rate between 5 and 8 is usually the best compromise between image quality and quantity of video content. If you use iDVD, don't worry about it, as the application decides for you.

My first suggestion regarding this whole process you have enthusiastically begun is to purchase Steve Mullen's e-book on the HD7. It is well written, provides extraordinary technical detail and practical advice in regard to how the camera works, the best shooting methods, and addresses importing workflows on how to make those pesky TOD files do what you want them to do.

My second suggestion is to not reach for new gear until it is absolutely necessary. iMovie remains the best free video editing application available to Mac users. Norkross video is a close second, and Adobe Premier Elements is another well known option. Norkross allows use of multiple video tracks on the timeline, which iMovie only "kinda-sorta" allows. It has a much different user interface, which I find confusing. At $50 or so for a license, it is worth looking at. I haven't used any of the Adobe Premiere products since the late 90's, so can't offer opinions. In any case, use iMovie until it won't do what you want, then upgrade.

On the audio import issue, MacBook Pro has an audio line input that converts analog to digital. I use a simple three mic/ 2 line audio mixer to manage any analog sounds I need to import.

Getting good audio from the start is most important, and there are a lot of good opinions regarding external microphones within DV Info forums. The HD7's audio recording system is actually rather good, but wind noise is a real problem if you find yourself without an appropriate external mic. Here is my DIY tip for reducing wind noise:

Buy a wire mesh tea strainer. The spherical type with a little chain that allows you to dip bulk tea into a cup. Keep one half of the sphere and cover it with fake fur available at most fabric shops. Use hot melt glue to adhere the fake fur to the tea strainer. Use the same hot melt glue to attach the covered tea strainer to the body of the HD7 camera over the built-in mic. Wind noise is suddenly gone. I like hot melt glue because it does not permanently mar the body of the camera and removes with no trace. Wind noise is caused by the motion of air impacting the microphone elements, causing a vibration. Stopping wind noise means stopping the motion of air. Foam wind screens block the motion of air, but that same motion makes the foam vibrate, creating a new sound that the microphones pick up. The backing of a fake fur fabric is porous enough to allow most audio frequencies to pass through. There is some loss in higher audio frequencies, but that would be true for all but the most expensive wind screens. The "hair" of the fake fur doesn't vibrate enough to create its own sounds to be picked up by the microphones.

Good notes, I am using CyberLink's PowerDirector which really good for HD7.

PowerDirector 9 - World 1st native 64-bit consumer video editing suite

[Waldemar Winkler]

[QUOTE=John Nantz;1605497

One thing nobody brought up was the "White Balance" setting. ]

White balance is telling the camera what color is white, whereupon it can determine all other colors correctly. Think of light in two ways: "transmitted" and "reflected". Transmitted light uses a color wheel based upon three primary colors; red, green and blue. Video, photography, computer screens, & theatrical lighting all use the RGB color wheel. Mix equal amounts of the primaries at 100% and you get white. Vary the percentage of the primary colors and you get all of the other colors. In a computer environment there are 256 levels of each primary. Black would be R=0, G=0, and B=0. Neutral Grey, the mid point, would be R-128, G-128, B=128. White would be R-255, G-255, B-255.

Light is also measured in terms of it's temperature, called degrees Kelvin. A common incandescent light bulb has a color temperature of around 2800 degrees Kelvin, which is yellow-orange. Quarts-Halogen lights have a color temp. around 3400 degrees Kelvin, past green and leaning towards blue. Fluorescent lights are predominately green, somewhere in the 3000 to 3100 degree Kelvin range. Manufacturers put filters in fluorescent lights to compensate for the inherent green, so you can have "warm white", "cool white", "natural white", even "daylight". Daylight, for photographic and video purposes, is considered to be 5000 degrees Kelvin, but can range from 4000-10,000 degrees Kelvin, depending upon time of day. Light above 10,000 degrees Kelvin leaves what we call "visible light" and moves into the realm of infra-red, ultra violet, X-Ray, etc.

All digital cameras provide the user with white balance settings of Auto and presets for what the manufacturer believes are average settings for common shooting situations. In most cases the "daylight" setting delivers natural looking colors and all other presets are a bit off.
The manual white balance setting allows you to record the best color balance for any given shooting situation, and believe me, the need to manual white balance happens often!

Getting a camera to record as accurate colors as possible significantly reduces the color correction process while editing, which can be a frustration. So, white balancing is as much a part of camera settings a shutter speeds and f-stops.

The other color wheel is for reflected light, and comes into play when working with paint pigments and printing photos, magazines, etc. These colors are Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK). In theory mixing Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow in equal amounts should deliver Black, but at best is a dark brown, so pure black is added to the mix.



__________________
[More for Waldemar:
You're a little too late with the comment about buying more stuff. It's already happened! ]

Acquiring additional equipment is a never-ending task. The challenge is determining what will really serve you well. So far it appears you have made a good start.