Recording issues with DVX100
 

Hey everyone, I have been reading these boards off and on for a while, but this is my first time posting here. I was just wondering if any of you DVX100 users have experienced problems with the recorded video level being significantly lower than what the viewfinder, LCD, and or monitor output shows. It seems like when we light and shoot something, it looks great on location, but when we digitize the footage it is always 10 to 20(or more) IRE lower than it appeared to be. Any info, advice or suggestions on how to deal with this "feature" of our camera would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Cliff Wallace

Welcome Cliff,

I would suggest you calibrate your viewfinders using the internal bars. If that doesn't help, it may be a quirky setting on your non linear editing system, but I don't have a clue what that might be. Someone here will have great information for you, of that I have no doubt..

Good Luck,

Stephanie

And be sure to use the zebras to check where your highlights actually are. You can't judge the actual appearance of the video just off the LCD because it depends on how your LCD is calibrated. But the zebras will give you an absolute reference.

Steph or Barry (or anyone), does the advantage to an external broadcast monitor vs an external LCD lie in better resolution, or in color accuracy (or chroma? or luma?)? Or both?

I'm using a 7.2" 800x480 LCD and it works great for focusing, so I can't see how a small broadcast monitor could be better for focus since 800x480 is more resolution than NTSC, as far as I understood it. As far as colors, contrast, brightness, etc., I have no idea how it compares to a broadcast monitor.

Thanks

Thanks to you guys for your responses. My problem really does not have anything to do with the camera set up itself. I have 10 years plus experience with everything from 35mm film to DV to HD. But I have only worked with the DVX100 a few times. Like I said before the camera has been calibrated using the VF, the LCD, and a CRT monitor and all was fine. But the recording always comes out at a lower level. Even when I play it back in the camera it does not look like it did live. This has been a reoccurring issue on several different shoots by no less than three experienced shooters. Seems like some sort of recording issue to me. I was hoping to hear from someone with a similar experience. This is really confusing to me.

Thanks,

Cliff Wallace

I bought my DVX100 from a local guy on ebay, it's a whole story on it's own. Anyway, when i picked it up he told me not to be afraid to use a lot of light because he had some problems with footage coming out underexposed. so it sounds to me like it might be a tendency in the DVX that the LCD is brighter than what makes it to the tape. I've noticed it a bit, but so far i've only used it on one tv commercial project so the lighting was pretty much standard three point without too much going on. i did notice i had to bump up the highlights in most of the shots in post a little bit but i didn't think too much of it.

Having shot for 2 years with the DVX I can tell you that with a proper setup exposing using the zebras and viewfinder should be pretty exact. However, what you are explaining cliff sounds really odd, and not like anything I have heard of before. Have you tried live tests, monitoring the output from the camera and then playing it back after recording? here is another good test. What happens to your highlights. If you are shooting with zebras and you have them set to 100ire do those same highlights come back into the latitude of the camera? Have you tested it with with a waveform monitor. If it is really doing what you are doing, you should have the camera checked out because there is something seriously wrong with the comera?