Panasonic PV-GS120 - Recording in candlelight

17-01-2006, 2:48 PM

I bought my DV camcorder over a year ago and have been pleased with its performance. I have made many DVDs of my projects - edited with Studio Plus(8/9/10) - and have been happy with the results. I have little or no understanding about photographic techniques and I would be grateful if someone could tell me how to change my camcorder settings to take better pictures in poor lighting conditions eg parties and presentation dinners. This is purely a hobby for me but I would love to learn more.
Thankyou. A Grateful OAP

17-01-2006, 4:13 PM

Candlelight is always going to present a problem for video cameras, if it would not completely ruin the ambience then I would assist the candles with soom ordinary ceiling room lighting, if you have a 60w bulb this will help, though a 100w would be better, but mya be just a little too bright.

You have got a fair amount of manual control on your camera, I would try to use this where possible.

The following settings will help:

Keep the zoom wide, move closer for detail if required, this helps the lens to make the most of what light you have.

Set a manual aperture, (use the sliding switch on the zoom control side to manual) probably at 'OPEN+0db', when you click the '+' sign it will add 'db' up to 18db max, 'db' refers to noise, which is basically amplifying the picture, although there is a quality trade off, the most you can really add without it being unwatchable is about 12db.

Set your shutter to 1/50th or possibly even 1/25th if the camera allows, again this will catch more light, even at 1/25th the motion is still fluid enough.

I would also preset your white balance to the tungsten setting (small lightbulb icon) this wont be absolutely perfect, but it will retain the warm feeling from the candlelight.

I would also be tempted to set the focus manually, in low light it will really stuggle to focus automatically, MF set with a wide anglelens should render most things sharp.

Sorry if this is too technical but there isn't really a better way. Check the handbook for the cam for how to access all these functions.

17-01-2006, 2:48 PM	#1
Georgina Guest Posts: n/a	Panasonic PV-GS120 - Recording in candlelight Advertisement Want to Advertise? I bought my DV camcorder over a year ago and have been pleased with its performance. I have made many DVDs of my projects - edited with Studio Plus(8/9/10) - and have been happy with the results. I have little or no understanding about photographic techniques and I would be grateful if someone could tell me how to change my camcorder settings to take better pictures in poor lighting conditions eg parties and presentation dinners. This is purely a hobby for me but I would love to learn more. Thankyou. A Grateful OAP
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17-01-2006, 4:13 PM	#2
Roy Mallard Guest Posts: n/a	Candlelight is always going to present a problem for video cameras, if it would not completely ruin the ambience then I would assist the candles with soom ordinary ceiling room lighting, if you have a 60w bulb this will help, though a 100w would be better, but mya be just a little too bright. You have got a fair amount of manual control on your camera, I would try to use this where possible. The following settings will help: Keep the zoom wide, move closer for detail if required, this helps the lens to make the most of what light you have. Set a manual aperture, (use the sliding switch on the zoom control side to manual) probably at 'OPEN+0db', when you click the '+' sign it will add 'db' up to 18db max, 'db' refers to noise, which is basically amplifying the picture, although there is a quality trade off, the most you can really add without it being unwatchable is about 12db. Set your shutter to 1/50th or possibly even 1/25th if the camera allows, again this will catch more light, even at 1/25th the motion is still fluid enough. I would also preset your white balance to the tungsten setting (small lightbulb icon) this wont be absolutely perfect, but it will retain the warm feeling from the candlelight. I would also be tempted to set the focus manually, in low light it will really stuggle to focus automatically, MF set with a wide anglelens should render most things sharp. Sorry if this is too technical but there isn't really a better way. Check the handbook for the cam for how to access all these functions.
	Quote