So...
 

All of you who say to set the low gain to -3 are dead wrong??? This guy got great shots with +6 and +12. Please explain.

Anyway, I called Canon and the tech talked me through resetting my camera. It didn't work the first time, but after the 2nd reset my picture started to look good - with a little noise when I boosted the gain. I fired up both my cameras and they matched up. I hope it stays that way.

Now, I'm ready to try some of the presets I've collected on your site. Thanks for the help.

Alex, anyone who suggests -3dB aren't "dead wrong". It's just what works for them and certain scene situations. I use it myself, depending on a scene. You're right that if AGC is on and in an outdoor situation like the still you posted, it shouldn't kick in. Mine doesn't (even though I never use it) and that's the way it is designed to work.

Anyone who is getting noisy images such as yours either has a faulty camera, or is doing something horribly wrong.

I Forgot To Mention
 

Before we 'Reset' the camera, I did notice it was in the "Cine" preset even though that alone should not have caused all that noise. Anyway, it looks decent now. I'll take it.

Alex I assume you spent a good chunk of money on the camera so why not use it to it's full potential?

Set it to M. AGC off. Gain set to -3. Shutter speed 1/60. Adjust aperture according to how brightly your scene is let. If you still get grainy images either you camera is broken or your monitor is crap.

Reset the camera to 'factory' condition - BEAUTIFUL!
 

Did a shoot last night. I guess resetting the camera worked. Push a paper clip into a small hole under the LCD screen - next to the speaker. Make sure you feel the detent, hold for 10 seconds. I had to do it twice. I had to re-customize the camera afterwards.

The only other possible culprit was before resetting the camera, I noticed that it was in one of the "CINE" presets, which is designed for shooting in 24f. I had been shooting in 30f and 60i. In my opinion, though, it should not have caused that much noise.

Hi All,
No mention yet has been made of the possible mistake of having the ND filter engaged. I did this once and was mystified why my video looked dreadful till I noticed the problem.

Cheers Alan.