The Upside Down Thing
 

Anyone know how to get the image the right way up when shooting with a lens adaptor on a Sony TRV950? I heard there's stuff to be done with magnets.....?

There is a sweet spot on the LCD, flip it out and run the magnet over the edge closest to the camera (it is slightly different on all cameras). Keep trying until you get it. Make sure the magnet is only a fridge magnet or something weak.

Leo, this does not apply to all cameras. The GS400 (and this from the factory schematic) does not use magnetic reed switches. The "sensing" mechanism is evidently in the LCD hinge assembly, combined with sensors that detect when the camera is upside down.

Other than mirrors mounted to your LCD, or a prism/mirror image flip, there is no way to view footage upright on this camera. Turn it upside down, the camera detects that, and rotates the image. These "smart" LCD's are the worst thing possible for folks with adapters.

And the manufacturer thought it was doing us consumers a favor...sheesh.

They were.....most consumers don't strap a 35mm lens on :-)

Canon got it right with the flip feature on their XLH.

Dennis,

If your smart lcd detects being upside down and flips then you'd be ok!

Inverting a camera with a lens adapter results in a correctly orientated image
on the recording only, the display will still be upside down.

To check, rotate your camera whilst using your adapter and watch out for the lcd to suddenly detect it's upside down and switch. My guess is that it doesn't.

see http://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/~smithdm/upside.html
for example.


regards

Dave

I'm using an external field LCD monitor which I just flip over when mounting. I have an XL1s which doesn't have that kind of an LCD.

David, funny how the flip issue creates the discussion that it does:

My favourite is that rotating the cam 180 degress does not invert and flip the image...ha.

And yes, you're correct. With the GS400 inverted with an adapter, the footage is recorded correctly...however it's displayed upside down on the LCD. I found out the hard way after building a rail system to mount the cam inverted and realized to my surprise that the LCD had flipped what should have been a correctly displayed image, upside down again. This was a surprise to just about everyone over at pana3ccduser too. If you rotate the cam 180 degrees with no adapter..surprise, it rotates the image upright. It makes no sense as to why the 35mm image is not rotated, then flipped upright as the cam detects inversion.

I'm working on a FS mirror solution...

Hi Dennis,

I'm reckoning that if the LCD doesn't do a "smart" flip i.e. it doesn't detect which way up it is, then the image will still be upside down when the camera is inverted.

This is the case with mine.

regards,

Dave

Im with David on this one

Picture this:

GS400 is upright...no adapter present, normal image on LCD.

Now flip it upside down. LCD detects this and reverts image. Recorded image is upside down, LCD display is upright.

Now add adapter. LCD image is now upside down due to adapter. Recorded image is correct. So you're cooked either way.

That's a great illustration you linked to BTW. And yes, I agree, the image would be upside down regardless of the "smart" flip. It's a tough one to get one's head around.

Dennis,

So with this 'flip' feature, when you turn the cam upside down the LCD will also be physically upsidedown, but the cam flips the picture 180, correct?

So, if this is true, without the adapter, turn cam upsidedown, the image flips on the LCD and the image on the LCD appears upsidedown when viewed (as it would be when viewed on a conencted tv).

Put 35mm adapter on, and the image will be correct way around.

Correct me if im wrong....

EDIT:
Just to back this up, looking at that diagram posted above, you see on a normal cam without a flip feature, that even with the camcorder inverted, the image on the LCD appears upsidedown still from the opertators viewpoint. Now, if the 'flip' feature was on, then the image on the LCD whould be fliped 180 degrees, giving you an upright image from the operators viewpiont and on the final recording.

The GS400, with or without adapter, assumes that the image is correct when the cam is upright. If you turn the cam upside down, it flips the image, so that the image you got initially stays the same.

With the adapter, it does the same. It assumes that the inverted image is correct; so when you turn the cam and adapter upside down, it flips the image... which stays inverted.

I dont think this is correct.

Forget adapters for a second...

Normal camcorder upright = Image on LCD upright from operators view


Normal camcorder upsidedown = Image on LCD is still upright from operators view (since the LCD is also now upside down).

------------


Camcorder with flip feature upright = Image on LCD upright from operators view

Camcorder with flip feature upsidedown = Image on LCD upsidedown from operators view (as it is on the tape and to a connected tv)

-------
Now with adapter:

Camcorder with flip feature upright with 35mm adapter = Image on LCD upsidedown from operators view

Camcorder with flip feature upsidedown with 35mm adapter = Image on LCD upright from operators view (as it is on the tape and to a conencted tv).


So this suggests that a cam with this flip feature, if mounted upsidedown with a 35mm adapter, will both give you a correctly oriented image on the LCD and a correctly oriented image recordered to tape.


EDIT: I hope david does not mind but i added to his diagram at the bottom the result of a cam inverted, with flip option and a 35mm adapter added:

http://www.s149867411.onlinehome.fr/upside2.jpg

OK, there may be a bit of confusion on the word "flip" here.

The GS400 behaves like a "normal camcorder", as per your example.

So let me rephrase: The GS400, with or without adapter, assumes that the image is correct when the cam is upright. If you turn the cam upside down, it still gives you the image you had when it was upright.