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-   -   Check this out! 1/12 shutter speed in MX300 - IT'S POSSIBLE! (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panasonic-dv-mx-gs-series-assistant/7643-check-out-1-12-shutter-speed-mx300-its-possible.html)

Steven Khong March 11th, 2003 10:12 PM

Check this out! 1/12 shutter speed in MX300 - IT'S POSSIBLE!
 
Hi, all!

I've been playing with the GAIN digital effect on my MX300. I've discovered some things that Panasonic didn't tell us:

1) The GAIN mode of MX300 uses 1/12 shutter speed!

2) DV tape info of recordings done in GAIN mode NEVER shows that the shutter goes below 1/50 shutter speed.


Here's how I tested:

I put a Sony Digi8 in Slow Shutter mode side by side with my MX300, recorded the same scene (shot at night, of cars passing my condo).

The Digi8 has a few Slow Shutter selections: Slow Shutter 1 = 1/25, Slow Shutter 2 = 1/12, Slow Shutter 3 = 1/8. I got the shutter speeds from the Tape Info on playback of the recording.

By watching through the viewfinder / LCD of both cams, as well as comparing the footage, I've discovered that:

The MX300 on GAIN mode matches the Digi8 on Slow Shutter 2 = 1/12 shutter speed!

WOOO HOOO! :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

OK, but what does it mean?

1) In low light, we have the option of 1/12 shutter speed = more light enters the camera = brighter scene.

2) We're no longer restricted to 1/50 when shooting DV. 1/25 was available for shooting to SD/MM Card.

3) In GAIN mode, the max we can boost the light is 6dB.

4) We have to use MANUAL FOCUS as the autofocus is disabled in GAIN mode :( :( :( :(

5) With such a low shutter speed, we have to put our cam on a tripod... unless.... (see next)

6) We can have those crazy jittery slow motion blur effects for our videos!



Can someone with a MX300 / MX350 / MX500 whatever, do the test with another cam that can MANUALLY set their shutter speed to 1/12. And confirm this discovery. Thanks in advance!

Yow Cheong Hoe March 12th, 2003 12:45 AM

Interesting, I'll check out on my MX350.

Probably taking the exposure from 4 frames of 1/50 shutter and combining them to form the GAIN mode.

I remember you telling methis, but checking the DV recording info didn't show the low shutter. I'll probably use Premiere and check the footage frame by frame.

My report in a few days' time.

Steven Khong March 12th, 2003 01:05 AM

Yup, I remember telling you, Yow.

But then, I ALWAYS thought it was 1/25 since it LOOKED like FRAME mode. Then that DV recording info kept saying 1/50...

Little did I suspect, until one day I realized in GAIN mode, the scene was a just little brighter, the blurring & jerkiness was more pronounced, compared to FRAME mode.

====

Did you know that if you pump DV data into the MX300, it doesn't show the DV recording info? SAME THING if you pump DV data from the MX300 to a Sony Digi8. This is not good.

BUT if you pump from a Sony to a Sony, the receiving Sony shows the DV recording info?

Maybe it's my firewire cable (Sony's)?

Does anybody else have this problem?

Frank Granovski March 12th, 2003 05:05 AM

Steven, that's interesting. I prefer 1/50th, though. It offers some nice blur effects when panning with a tripod.

My DVL9500 cams lack the 1/30th speed, but I make due with the 1/15th speeds for nice blur, for some of my scenes.

It's a "bummer" that Pana cams lack these low shutter speeds---oh, by the way, the Optura PI also lacked the 1/30th speed, whereas the original Optura did not---it had all the low shutter settings.

Steven Khong March 13th, 2003 09:22 PM

I find 1/50 is managable, as you can still hold it somewhat steady, and if you *intentionally* pan, you get somewhat of a blur effect. If you're stationary & vidcamming objects, there may be a slight blur on the moving object itself.

With GAIN mode, *ANY* movement, be it through unsteady hand holding the cam, a pan, or object movement, you will see a blur. Intentional or not. 'Cos it's 1/12. However, if the object is moving *too* slowly, then it will appear to 'jerk', from frame to frame - which ruins the effect :(

The best scenes I've had using the GAIN mode is to go to a street at night lit by lots of yellow streetlights. Not so dark that the MX300 is 'blind'. You may want to turn down the SHARPNESS so that there's less grain / noise / 'video mosquitoes'. Hold it very steadily and watch those pedestrians' arms & legs go blurry, and the streaks of car headlights as they whizz past. Real COOL! :) :) :)

====

Have you noticed, that on MX300 (PAL), the shutter speeds will be in multiples of 25 and 12 (12.5 to be exact), rounded to a nice number. So we get 1/12 (GAIN mode), 1/25, 1/50, etc.

For you MX3000 (NTSC) users, you get shutter speeds in multiples of 30 and 15. See Frank's DVL9500 (are they NTSC, Frank?), that's why he gets 1/30 and 1/15. So you get 1/15 (GAIN mode), 1/30, 1/60 etc. By this logic, NTSC MX3000 folks *should* have GAIN mode at 1/15. Anybody in NTSC-land try this yet?

Frank Granovski March 13th, 2003 10:07 PM

Yes, my 2 GR-DVL9500U cams are NTSC. The PAL version of the USA GR-DVL9500U is the GR-DVL9600. There is also a DVL9500 PAL version, but it's missing features. These are old cams, but I shoot nice video with them on a tripod, and with DIS shutt off. Very realistic, clean video. You need an external mic to improve the sound. The built-in mic picks up engine and zooming noise.

Tom Hardwick March 18th, 2003 04:39 AM

Steven - you talk about the Panasonic not displaying the data when it records DV from another cam. Most strange that it doesn't and of course the stream of digital bits is picture, sync, sound, info - the lot. It's all coming over via the Firewire, so the fault lies with the displaying camera - the information is all there, just not being displayed.

My MX300 shows my Sony VX2000 footage as being shot at 1/75th whereas it's all at 1/50th, so I suspect the Panasonic's D/A converter, displaying the wrong info.

tom.

Yow Cheong Hoe March 18th, 2003 05:03 AM

That could well be true.

All the while, I get info from comsumer Sony MiniDV cams being shot at 1/150, but the graininess of the Sonys seems to agree to that!

I'll invetigate further when I have the time and opportunity.

But Steven's point about the 1/25 not displayed, but only 1/50 displayed is true. I was with him, when we did a test, and I was the one who pointed out that, altough the footage seems like 1/12, the info read 1/50, so it was some digital manupulation. Then again, whether digital or analogue, the availability of slow-motion is cool... I must experiment. Too much work these days.


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