HV 30 Image Stabalization ques.
 

I just noticed that in AUTO, I do not seem to have an IS option, on or off
But in P I do.

Just shot this video, all in AUTO, and had to clean up all the shaky stuff in post, and did not have a tripod with me.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzFkWhi6l6E


First shoot with the camera, maybe I should use P instead and get the benefit of IS being on?
Thanks
Stuart

From what I have learned, the IS is always on when you shoot in Auto mode. This is the reason the option is not available in the camera's menu. In P mode you have the option of turning it on or off. If your footage was very shaky while the camera was in Auto mode (IS on), you probably just need a little more practice using the camera. Keeping a small camera steady takes a certain amount of skill. On a side note, if you use a tripod at any point, make sure to turn off the IS.

As far as your footage, shooting in Auto makes things easier, but will more than likely give you the worst results. I would suggest always shooting in P mode, and playing around with the different settings. Choose the camera's TV mode, and you gain control over the shutter speed. This is useful in difficult lighting situations, and for fast moving images. Choose the camera's AV mode, and you gain control over the aperture. Changing the size of the aperture can allow you to adjust the camera's depth of field (i.e. the object closest to the lens can be in focus, while the background is out of focus). If you are looking to shoot footage that looks like 35mm film, you can choose the camera's Cine mode (set the camera to record at 24p to maximize the cinematic effect).

To get the best results from any camera requires controlling as many of the camera's controls as possible. Adjusting a camera's aperture, shutter speed, gain, and white balance are the 4 primary ways the image can be controlled. Since the HV40, HV30, HV20 is a consumer video camera it is a little tricky to control all of these functions at the same time. There are however many, somewhat involved technics for doing so.

Good luck,
Hugh

thanks
 

am familiar with speed, aperture relationship but chose to just shoot in Auto for the first time to get an image, then will start to use more controls.
Guess IS WAS on in Auto, seems to be a default, from what you say.
Why turn it off when using a tripod, though?
Thanks
Stuart

You want the OIS off when on the tripod as it will work against you when you pan or tilt. OIS sees small movements as a bad thing and tries to compensate for them. Tripod movements tend to be small or slow... the way you want them. OIS will hang on to the limit, then let go rather abruptly. you won't generally like the results.

IS, con't
 

thanks for the heads up on that
Never used a camera with stabilization before, and expected better results
will be a bit of a chore to keep turing the IS on and off, going handheld or on sticks
but much appreciation or the heads up for tripod use!
thanks
stuart