Sony HVR-Z5 user pls help...... ND filter problems.......

[Steven Yan]

Hi,

I have a some problems when using this camera. That is the ND filters........

When i try shooting only indoor or only out door, the camera is good........ But when shooting from in door to out door or out door to indoor, it keep asking me to switch the ND filter......... This really make my footage strange......... Any advice from expert or Sony HVR-Z5 user????

[Adam Gold]

Just do what it says. It knows best. If the ND icon is steady, it's telling you what it's on. If it's flashing, it's telling you what it should be set to. Just play along and no one gets hurt. It will flicker for a moment as the other settings adjust then all will be fine.

[Steven Yan]

Hi,

Adam, thank for ur reply. I try doing what the camera showing me........... But end up the footage = strange

Example : I set the ND Filter to none at indoor as the camera ask me to do. Then when i try to walk from indoor to outdoor (now me @ outside of the house with roof), the camera ask me to switch to the 1st ND filter. And when i step out far from the house, the camera ask me to switch to the 3rd ND filter................

OK, now i having a footage with :-

--> normal brightness
--> abit bright b4 switch to the 1st ND filter
--> normal brightness after switch to the 1st ND filter
--> over brightness when totally standing at outdoor under the sun
--> normal brightness after switch to the 3rd ND filter


So need to ask, the Sony HVR-Z5 won't reduce the light to the sensors automatically ????
Is there any "set and forget" way for this camera for the situation above????
Basically, i use auto mode with this camera. Bcoz i'm just a beginner to video camera staff......

[Don Bloom]

Sorry Steven, a Prosumer camera like the Z5 still demands some personal attention like using the ND filters. Unless you KNOW what the F/stop should be and have enough F/stop to go to and can do it quickly enough while shooting and walking which is hard enough for a long time expereinced person then NDs it is. The camera is telling you that the exposure is wrong and unless you can use overexposed or underexposed footage than as mentioned do what the camera tells you and simply either stop shooting for a moment to readjust the camera the continue shooting OR adjust on the fly and work around it in post, most times a short dissolve will take care of it and be hardly noticable.
Cameras are smart but they aren't that smart.

[Adam Gold]

Steven, the cam is doing exactly what it is supposed to. It is adjusting, but it can't adjust far enough to totally compensate for changing light conditions, so that's why it asks you to engage various ND filters. When you think about it, the cam is very smart.

You still haven't said how your footage looks "strange." From your description it sounds perfectly normal.

The varying light levels in the real world are many thousands of times more extreme than the cam can adjust for by itself. Video cams (and to a slightly lesser extent, film cams) can really only work well within a relatively narrow light intensity range. That's why you must physically control the overall amount of light entering the cam to fall within that range. As Don points out, there are some low-level consumer cams that adjust NDs automatically, but you give up so much manual control with these that they're not ideal.

But you have an awful lot of camera there for a beginner. Just leave it on auto and all you will have to adjust will be the NDs.

[Jun Galinato]

If only Sony upgrade the firmware to have auto shutter speed up to 10,000, then shouldn't have a problem. As far as I know, my z7 is only up to 2000 in auto shutter.

[Dirk Pel]

This is absolute not a good solution to use 1/2000 sec. or shorter. If you film use normaly only 1/50 or 1/60 depending in NTSC or Pal world. Panning with such a very short exposure is horrible.
Dirk PEL(NL)