Remember to keep OIS off when on the tripod.

Sorry but why should you keep the OIS off while on the tripod? Does it make a difference??

When you pan, on a tripod, with the stabilization turned on, the camera tries to compensate for you panning, 'cause it thinks the pan is "instability", and will screw up your picture.

Funny but in my case, OIS is needed...
 

...because the photo tripod I'm using isn't as sturdy as the dedicated video tripods, so when I move the cam in any direction or push any button. shake is introduced and the OIS helps counteract this. If and when I get a proper tripod with remote controls then I'll leave OIS off.

Terry I hope you have not digressed. Surely you are going to have a professional tripod setup for your upcoming paying gig?
Perhaps this is your boot camp field expedition into the realm of wedding videography whereby your first few works are pro-bono, but even if you chalk this up to experimentation and ramping up of the learning curve, you still haven't practiced with the right gear.

It's still business and you have a deliverable. If the bride has contracted for a highly reduced price in view of the circumstances, then I fully understand.
If not, you might want to be sure your finished product is excellent before you turn on a camera for any client. Up here and south of the border, referrals are a huuuuuge part of the business.

Yup, she's paying a total of less than $100 labor for hiring the cameraman to shoot the footage ( You have to remember, the middle class in the phillippines is extremely small, skilled labor like the cameraman can go for very cheap )

In fact, she's paying the cameraman directly, I'm only supplying the camera because I wan't to use the cam for editing and having a quality camcorder image to play with. Trust me, i do food and architechtural and interior photography, and I can't live without my tripod but under the finanacial circumstances I'll have to take things slow. i already outlayed 2k for the camera and I'll be outlaying another 1k for the audio, this is roughly equal to what the minimum wage is in two years here, the pro tripod will have to wait. : )

Actually if there is a will to distribute high definition video there is a way. One delivery methoud is D-VHS. Now videotape may seem obsolete but many older people have a distrust of new technology and new ways of doing things. Somehow there is this idea that they just don't make things like they used to and the old technology is the tried and true way. Perhaps some old timer will come up to me and said "I suppose you are going to tell me I have to buy some $3000 Plasma television" and I will tell him that in actuality a good old fashioned picture tube television actually displays a better high definition picture for a lot less money and in fact some of these new fangled plasma televisions aren't even high definition. An old timer may come up to me and say that when he was a youngster he used to shoot weddings using 16mm film and years later he had it converted to DVD. But then I told him had he converted it to the old fashioned D-VHS format he could have preserved the high definition qualities of his film. And then I told this older guy that I distribute in D-VHS because its better than that new DVD stuff because D-VHS supports high definition. And the reaction was a lot of respect. A lot of older people like it when I tell them that I saw some old World War 2 footage on the PBS HD channel. Older people hate it when the younger generation looks down at them.

Tommy: Nice anecdote. The more you can stay connected to generations beyond your years, the better. Makes you a better story teller. And us old guys sure like to stay on the leading edge of tech., because one lapse and we're obsolete as well as being old.

The point here is that the shooter has explained his role and I think his foray into multi-discipline is now taking it's logical course.

As for HD, yes some of us geezers are being quite cautious as the brand trademarks and patents swirl aroung the net creating quite a storm of speculation as this evolution reaches the tipping point for producers and end users. You have to remember that we did endure through this once before and thankfully it was short lived, but sadly the superior format was squashed for consumer use.

Here's to HD! May it live for a long time. I just can't wait to see the deliverable.

XL-1 Audio
 

Hi Terry,

One thing to consider is the audio setting on the XL-1, either 12 bit or 16 bit. 12 bit will allow you to use the on camera mic in stereo as well as two other audio sources in mono. These sources plug into the hand grip via RCA jacks. The RCA jacks of the MA 100 plug into the RCA jacks of the hand grip.

If you select 16 bit, the RCA jacks in the hand grip are not activated. In that case you plug into the rear RCA jacks. Then one of the toggle switches inside the audio door will activate either the on camera mic or the RCA's, but not both at the same time. It's been a couple of years since I have shot with the XL-1, so I can't remember the name of the toggle.

Another thing to consider is this. Will your NLE let you capture 4 tracks of 12 bit audio? If the answer is yes, then go for 12 bit with the 4 tracks. If the answer is no, then you would have to go back and capture tracks 3 and 4 in a seperate audio capture.

I hope this helps and doesn't confuse matters even worse for you.

All My Best,
Mark Von Lanken
Picture This Productions, Inc.
www.TulsaWeddingFilms.com

One thing no one's mentioned.

Take your Sony TRV-20 and plop it on the cheap tripod either at the back of the church or the side of the alter (if allowed). This will give you cut away shots for when your main cam moves around.

***note*** I have never shot a wedding profesionally, so take my advice with a grain of salt. However, most event shooting is the same, and the more coverage the better.