MANUAL EXPOSURE.....still confused! at DVinfo.net

Ray Van Eng · March 6th, 2004, 02:02 PM

Just got my GR-HD1 and have read through the manual and topics related to manual exposure at this site. However, I am still confused about how to properly set BOTH aperture and shutter speed and be able to LOCK the two values so when I move the camera, the exposure won't change to compensate.

Can anyone offer any help in doing that?

Thanks in advance.

Ray

Raymond Krystof · March 6th, 2004, 10:38 PM

Ray,

I’m not an expert, and I’m surprised that nobody else has responded to your question. But then, it’s the weekend. Anyway, to the best of my knowledge and I believe the consensus of the forum, the HD1 and HD10 do not have full manual controls. There is aperture priority, lock the aperture and let the camera choose the proper shutter speed or shutter priority, locking the shutter and let the camera choose the proper aperture. Other than that you can set and lock the exposure wheel, which will lock both the shutter and aperture to allow you to over expose or under expose your subject somewhat. But the camera will decide what combination of aperture and shutter is required. This is one of the limiting aspects of this camera for many people on this forum. I’m a consumer/hobbyist and find the shutter/aperture priority function sufficient for my needs. However, the professional needs aperture control for depth of field purposes and also be able to lock the shutter to control overall lighting for effect and /or to induce shutter (slow frame rate to 30fps) to achieve a film like effect (full manual control). If you do a search on this forum or other forums and/or check into Darren Kelley’s “JumpStart” video you can find tips where people have used ND filters and other methods to partially compensate for the lack of full manual controls.

Ray Van Eng · March 7th, 2004, 08:03 AM

Thanks, Raymond.

You said “Other than that you can set and lock the exposure wheel, which will lock both the shutter and aperture to allow you to over expose or under expose your subject somewhat.”

How exactly do you do that? Can you elaborate with a bit more details?

I don’t mind the camera setting the aperture/shutter combo in many situations. I guess I am looking for the MOST SIMPLE way to lock exposure so when I pan the camera from highlight to shadow or when a spotlighted subject (e.g. a dancer on a theatre stage) moves out of the frame, the camera won’t compensate by opening up the iris or something.

Raymond Krystof · March 7th, 2004, 02:40 PM

Opps! I messed up in my explanation. What I should have said is that you can lock the “relative” exposure. The instructions are on page 44 of the HD10 manual under exposure control. You can set the exposure wheel, located just aft of the focus button, and the camera will hold the “relative” exposure. The aperture and shutter will continue to compensate for varying lighting but the “relative” amount of over or under exposure will remain the same. This will not lock the overall exposure for the example you gave. However, if you don’t require specific aperture or shutter positions, I imagine you could control the exposure wheel on the fly to hold the lighting the way you want. Although I suspect that it would get pretty tricky. Again, the bottom line is that this camera has no full manual control.

Ray Van Eng · March 8th, 2004, 07:11 PM

Thanks again, Raymond.

I guess I'll have to experiment a bit to find the solution that I am most comfortable with (and easiest for me to adjust.) I love this camera though. It is a solidly-built unit that handles quite well. And I have always enoyed the 16:9 look in the viewfinder. For some reason, the 4:3 view never quite get my creative juices flowing in NTSC video. Needless to say, I hope that the HDTV era is upon us already.

Cheers!

Ray

March 6th, 2004, 02:02 PM	#1
Ray Van Eng Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 25	MANUAL EXPOSURE.....still confused! Just got my GR-HD1 and have read through the manual and topics related to manual exposure at this site. However, I am still confused about how to properly set BOTH aperture and shutter speed and be able to LOCK the two values so when I move the camera, the exposure won't change to compensate. Can anyone offer any help in doing that? Thanks in advance. Ray

March 6th, 2004, 10:38 PM	#2
Raymond Krystof Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Santa Clarita, California Posts: 97	Ray, I’m not an expert, and I’m surprised that nobody else has responded to your question. But then, it’s the weekend. Anyway, to the best of my knowledge and I believe the consensus of the forum, the HD1 and HD10 do not have full manual controls. There is aperture priority, lock the aperture and let the camera choose the proper shutter speed or shutter priority, locking the shutter and let the camera choose the proper aperture. Other than that you can set and lock the exposure wheel, which will lock both the shutter and aperture to allow you to over expose or under expose your subject somewhat. But the camera will decide what combination of aperture and shutter is required. This is one of the limiting aspects of this camera for many people on this forum. I’m a consumer/hobbyist and find the shutter/aperture priority function sufficient for my needs. However, the professional needs aperture control for depth of field purposes and also be able to lock the shutter to control overall lighting for effect and /or to induce shutter (slow frame rate to 30fps) to achieve a film like effect (full manual control). If you do a search on this forum or other forums and/or check into Darren Kelley’s “JumpStart” video you can find tips where people have used ND filters and other methods to partially compensate for the lack of full manual controls. __________________ Ray

March 7th, 2004, 02:40 PM	#4
Raymond Krystof Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Santa Clarita, California Posts: 97	Opps! I messed up in my explanation. What I should have said is that you can lock the “relative” exposure. The instructions are on page 44 of the HD10 manual under exposure control. You can set the exposure wheel, located just aft of the focus button, and the camera will hold the “relative” exposure. The aperture and shutter will continue to compensate for varying lighting but the “relative” amount of over or under exposure will remain the same. This will not lock the overall exposure for the example you gave. However, if you don’t require specific aperture or shutter positions, I imagine you could control the exposure wheel on the fly to hold the lighting the way you want. Although I suspect that it would get pretty tricky. Again, the bottom line is that this camera has no full manual control. __________________ Ray

March 7th, 2004, 08:03 AM	#3
Ray Van Eng Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 25	Thanks, Raymond. You said “Other than that you can set and lock the exposure wheel, which will lock both the shutter and aperture to allow you to over expose or under expose your subject somewhat.” How exactly do you do that? Can you elaborate with a bit more details? I don’t mind the camera setting the aperture/shutter combo in many situations. I guess I am looking for the MOST SIMPLE way to lock exposure so when I pan the camera from highlight to shadow or when a spotlighted subject (e.g. a dancer on a theatre stage) moves out of the frame, the camera won’t compensate by opening up the iris or something.

March 8th, 2004, 07:11 PM	#5
Ray Van Eng Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 25	Thanks again, Raymond. I guess I'll have to experiment a bit to find the solution that I am most comfortable with (and easiest for me to adjust.) I love this camera though. It is a solidly-built unit that handles quite well. And I have always enoyed the 16:9 look in the viewfinder. For some reason, the 4:3 view never quite get my creative juices flowing in NTSC video. Needless to say, I hope that the HDTV era is upon us already. Cheers! Ray