stupid question

[Pietro Jona]

Hi, here i I have a stupid question for you experts...
I read Barry's review of the GL2/xm2 and i've seen the settings he uses (end of part three). Since the settings he talks about are about signal processing (gain, sharpness, setup) would it be the same to do the all thing later when editing?
I used a xm1 a few years ago on a trip to India and now I'm going for a trip to Iran and Afghanistan: i could get that (xm1) camera borrowed for nothing or i could spend 3000 euros to buy a new xm2 that i never used: what to do? Is the xm2 SO MUCH better than the xm1?
In case i should decide to save money and to go with the xm1 do you have any suggestion (settings, frame mode etc) for outdoor shooting? I would be desperate if my footage turns out to be bad BECAUSE of how i preset it!
I'm leaving in a few days, please give me an answer, thanx a milion!!!
Pietro Jona from Italy (not for long)

[Frank Granovski]

Since the settings he talks about are about signal processing (gain, sharpness, setup) would it be the same to do the all thing later when editing?

No.

Is the xm2 SO MUCH better than the xm1?

Yes. (Don't forget to visit the Caspian.)

Settings? Point and shoot, or white balance, then shoot. Keep in mind that the XM2's audio is a lot better, plus you get at least 40 more horizontal playback lines (with resolution).

PS: the XM2 is easy to use, but so is the XM1!

Sorry not to respond directly to your question, but I was wondering about your experiences traveling to India with your XM1. I'm going next month, and specifically have questions about how you managed to recharge your batteries (what adapters did you use, etc.) and were there any other things that I should keep in mond?

[Peter Moore]

Pietro,

I don't know about the guide you're talking about, but you can do almost anything in post that you can do with the in-camera settings. I said almost. :)

What you really want is to get the most neutral picture possible with the best color saturation when you shoot. That's why I always turn color gain all the way up. Brightness and contrast you want pretty neutral so that you can change it later. If you have too much contrast in the recorded image, you lose a lot of subleties of color and there's not too much you ccan do in post. Same with sharpness - if you make the picture too sharp, you'll get way too much noise and it will be very difficult to change.

Use the settings to a point, only enough to get a neutral picture. Then do what you want in editing. Just make sure your exposure is good (should always be right in the middle or a little below the middle of the meter), sharpness should be in the middle or maybe a peg up. Color gain all the way up. I definitely wouldn't mess with the Green->Red shift though, because that is better done in post.

[Pietro Jona]

hi, currently in Turkey heading to Iran.
Indýa was no problem for my xm1 and I hope central Asýa wýll be no problem form xm2... Battery charging was wýth normal charger and wýth a solar panel when trekkýng ýn Zanskar.
So, should I shoot on manual, some colour gain, sharpness one notch down? Should I trust the lcd monýtor for exposure? I always feel I would lýke to have ýt a lýttle darker... Problem ýs that I wýll not be able to see the footage before two months from now, when the whole trýp ýs fýnýshed...

[Pietro Jona]

sorry agaýn...
when shootýng ýn manual, settýng the exposure, should ý always try to have the gaýn as low as possýble (dependýng on ýrýs and shutter)? Thanks

Pietro, I'll be trekking in Zanskar also...

What solar panel do you have for recharging? How did it work?

[Pietro Jona]

ýt was a flexýble solar panel...
ý cannot remember the brand now because ý'm not home, ý'm sorry. ýt worked fýne even ýf ýt was mýnus twenty sometýmes (don't worry, ýt was wýnter...). hýgh altýtude, the sun ýs hýperstrong! enjoy Zanskar, great place to be!