Optimal mode/shutter speed?
 

On the VX-2000/2100 you can shoot in fully automatic mode or in one of the AE modes. When shooting weddings, stage plays, etc, is there a particular mode or set of settings that you normally use? I've seen a lot of you mention 1/60 for shutter speed. Why is that? There appear to be two ways to force the shutter to a certain value. One is by pressing the shutter button on the back of the camera and using the wheel to adjust the value. The other is to use the shutter priority AE function. Are these the same? When would you use one or the other if they are different?

In general, unless you are doing fast-moving run and gun in varying lighting, Manual mode is preferred. That means placing the camera in full Manual mode for Aperature, Shutter, and Gain. Manual White balance is also recommended in most cases.

One-sixtieth of a second is the 'normal' setting. I go down to one-thirthieth of a second in very low light situations.

Turn on your zebra patterns and put your camera in manual mode. Try doing a search on "zebra" here for some useful info. Most of the time you will want to leave the shutter at 1/60 and just adjust the iris. Shutter priority mode will cause the camera to automatically set the iris where it wants to. Stage shows are a particular challenge because of the high contrast found in theatrical lighting. You need to set exposure based on what's important in the scene, and you'll want to make this judgement and not leave it to the camera.

The only downside is that iris changes in manual mode on the VX-2000 produce noticeable "bumps" in brightness. The VX-2100 is supposed to improve on this by offering twice as many discreet steps in exposure. Speaking of this, has anybody had a chance to compare this new feature with a VX-2000 or PD-150? Are iris changes more subtle?