Re: Lighting Difference in Two Cameras?

Hi Pat,

I'm not a lighting pro, but I have shot quite a few stage shows with pd170s (basically an updated 150). This line of cameras is very sensitive to light. When they light the stage for live affect, it often overexposes the Sony. These shots look overexposed to me.

When you start to close down the iris to the upper range (5.6), you loose a lot of detail. If at all possible, you should attend a dress rehearsal and experiment with your settings.
If not a dress rehearsal than at least meet with the crew running the lights and white balance without colored lights and experiment with your settings under the different lighting that will be used during the show.

If you can attach a broadcast monitor to your camera, you can show the director what he is doing to ‘his’ video. Not a bad idea for the camera operator either since there is nothing accurate about the LCD screen.

Did the lighting look good live? The faces look way blown out.

Did you try one of the built-in ND filters? This should allow you to have a more wide-open iris and thus more detail and a more shallow depth of field if you are zoomed in all the way. You could also try a matte box and filter in front of the lens. This will help with lens flare and you can cut through the glare a bit more.

I might also suggest using the second camera to shoot close ups on the contestants’ faces and set the camera for this purpose. Set the first camera to allow greater camera movement following the movement of the contestants. Since the images of the two cameras will be radically different, wide and close, the transitions will be much easier and capture more of the drama of the event.

Under a lot of circumstances the auto on the Sony works pretty good. But it is taking an average. Black curtain in b.g. will tell the auto exposure to open up the lens. Light to faces not b.g.

If you are in a hurry you can use the broadcast safe filter in FCP – should help a lot.



OSX 10.5.7; MAC Book PRO (EARLY 2008); Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30, Sony vx2000/PD170, Canon xl2; Pana, Sony, and Canon consumer cams; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.