Oops! That's what that picture was for! I deleted a picture last night with me holding the camera because I couldn't remember why I took such a picture. Hah!

I'll put one up again.

Here go:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...e/DSC00125.jpg

Kept on forgetting to do this...

This picture is of an HC1000 with a round lens hood, UV filter and a RHODE Videomic. The swivel grip is rotated forward allowing me to hold it at waist level VERY comfortably and steadicam-like.

Nice. A Rhode is on my wishlist too. The only thing that im not happy about is the wideangle on the HC1000. 49mm is not enough.. Dont know what will suit my needs best, the Sony VCL-SW04 x0.45 or the Sony VCL-HG0737Y x0.7. Any advice? But its still an amazing little handycam..

/jens...

I'd be surprised if you were happy with a $75 wide angle lens. These are generally the cheapo ones that Sony sells for their low end single CCD camcorders: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

I haven't tried that lens, but I did get one of their cheap telephotos that I found on sale for $20. Screwed it on the camera, found that sharp focus was impossible, tossed it in the trash can.

Don't have personal experience with the high grade wide lens, but I do have their high grade telephoto and it's excellent. You get what you pay for... http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

But if you're interested in wide angle lenses, the topic has been beaten to death in this forum WRT to the PDX-10 which uses the same models:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=47438
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=45338
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=39271
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=29139
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=10273
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=25739

Yeah, I've been lucky to have only filmed in rooms big enough for me to scoot back and "take it all in". I keep on saying I'll buy a wide angle lens. Only need one because I can't imagine needing more than one wide angle shot of anything. But yeah, the wide bites on the HC1000.

The VCL-HG0737Y is one I've been eyeballing periodically. I guess I am just waiting for the fateful day I REALLY need it. Some reason to spur me on towards Fry's Electronics or Wolf Camera. I am lazy.

HC1000 frame record mode.
 

Since the CCDs on the HC1000 and the PDX10 are actually using 1152x864 and then recording that to an SD signal, I surmise (good word, huh?) that the frame mode gives you half of the CCDs' total resolution, which puts you somewhere in the range of NTSC's limits anyway. So I've set my camera to a shutter speed of 1/30, as it also halves the total resolution and turned on frame record and it really doesn't look half bad, if you'll pardon the pun.

If I change the shutter speed to 1/60, won't I then be splitting the NTSC signal in half, only getting a max of 360x240 or so?

Am I confused?

Apparently I am confused.

Frame Record mode on the HC1000 is only for stop motion animation. :(

Yep and i think i tried it myself a few months ago - it writes each frame to the memory card, so i think you can then use the frames later on in a software editor and concatenate them.

According to the manual, it records 6 frames each time the record button is pressed.

yep i just checked and you're right. Wonder why it records 6 frames.
Or more accurately (as pwer manual) it says "approximately 6 frames".

bit strange!

i've used the interval record before but the minimum amount it wil record is0.5secs to the tape. That's not what i wanted.
What i was wanting to do was do a "speeded-up clouds passing by". You know what i mean. didn't really work...

This same feature is there on other Sony cameras and isn't very useful. I think the idea behind saying that it records "approximately 6 frames" is due to the fact that it cycles the tape drive on and off, which isn't frame accurate.

The interval record feature is OK for time lapse work over a period of hours (I used it to record the snow piling up during an 8 hour period, for example), but not very good for moving clouds in the sky. You're much better off to just shoot that in real time and speed up in post.

What type of plant gives the best bloom sequences? ;)