camcorder manual programmes?

[phaetongraph]

Hi,

What HD camcorders have manual control over focus and shutter speed please?

Thanks

Phaeton.

 

[axiomprime]

Quite a lot have manual focus but without a focus ring the best you'll get is touch focus where you touch the screen to select what you want to look sharp. It's almost impossible to do without juddering the camera. My Samsung R10 has shutter speed but if you change it the aperture goes into automatic an vice versa. I don't think there was any way I could've found out about that before I bought it.

 

[phaetongraph]

Quite a lot have manual focus but without a focus ring the best you'll get is touch focus where you touch the screen to select what you want to look sharp. It's almost impossible to do without juddering the camera. My Samsung R10 has shutter speed but if you change it the aperture goes into automatic an vice versa. I don't think there was any way I could've found out about that before I bought it.

Many thanks,

I have a Canon MV830i which does everything I need: manual focus, manual shutter speed (select and fix), even manual White Balance if you need it, but technology must have moved on a bit since this cam was new and I want something with a higher / sharper definition.

But unless it has those manual features it won't fit the bill: I bought a Sony Handicam a while ago and it was full auto, I had no control over it at all.

Thanks again

Phaeton.

 

[PhilipL]

Hi

Many thanks,

I have a Canon MV830i which does everything I need: manual focus, manual shutter speed (select and fix), even manual White Balance if you need it, but technology must have moved on a bit since this cam was new and I want something with a higher / sharper definition.

But unless it has those manual features it won't fit the bill: I bought a Sony Handicam a while ago and it was full auto, I had no control over it at all.

Thanks again

Phaeton.

Take a look at the Panasonic 900 (or cheaper 800) series, has manual controls.

Regards

Phil

 

[phaetongraph]

Hi
Take a look at the Panasonic 900 (or cheaper 800) series, has manual controls.

Regards

Phil

Thanks Phil - this looks promising

 

[phaetongraph]

Hi



Take a look at the Panasonic 900 (or cheaper 800) series, has manual controls.

Regards

Phil

Do the camcorders in this range film exclusively in 16:9 format or can 4:3 be selected please?

Thanks again,

Phaeton.

 

[PhilipL]

Hi

Do the camcorders in this range film exclusively in 16:9 format or can 4:3 be selected please?

Thanks again,

Phaeton.

As they only shoot HD they are in 16:9. You will not find an HD consumer camcorder that will shoot 4:3 anymore.

You could of course shoot as though it were 4:3 then crop the ends off in an editing package then convert to SD or pillar box it for HD which is always 16:9.

Why do you want to shoot 4:3, that format is pretty much long gone, certainly in the context of HD?

Regards

Phil

 

[phaetongraph]

Hi



As they only shoot HD they are in 16:9. You will not find an HD consumer camcorder that will shoot 4:3 anymore.

You could of course shoot as though it were 4:3 then crop the ends off in an editing package then convert to SD or pillar box it for HD which is always 16:9.

Why do you want to shoot 4:3, that format is pretty much long gone, certainly in the context of HD?

Regards

Phil

Thanks Phil,

I have loads of old analogue home movies I want to transfer, all in glorious 4:3

What's the sharpest, finest dv format I could use that earlier 4:3 cams would carry, the equivalent of SVHS to standard VHS quality in other words?

Best regards,

Phaeton

 

[PhilipL]

Hi

Thanks Phil,

I have loads of old analogue home movies I want to transfer, all in glorious 4:3

What's the sharpest, finest dv format I could use that earlier 4:3 cams would carry, the equivalent of SVHS to standard VHS quality in other words?

Best regards,

Phaeton

An HD camcorder would capture those just fine, with more resolution than DV but they would be pillar boxed on playback, but that would be the case with any 4:3 material no matter how captured.

Regards

Phil

 

[phaetongraph]

Hi



An HD camcorder would capture those just fine, with more resolution than DV but they would be pillar boxed on playback, but that would be the case with any 4:3 material no matter how captured.

Regards

Phil

Not as bad as I thought then - the blank pillar box sections could be editied out in software, or maybe reduced somewhat, trimmed to a minimum?

Thank Phil - sorry, I'm on a learning curve here! :-o



Phaeton

 

[12harry]

If you've had a Manual focus-ring beware that the Pana uses this ring for adjusting other things too.
If you want real control over focus, you need a semi-pro camera. As PhillipL suggests many cameras have touch-screens which (in my opinion) are pretty useless and likely to be damaged.

Again semi-pro gear will give control over shutter-speed and gain etc. However, many Panas in the sub-£1k range have interesting features like Zebra.
However, the real Photo features you need are (surprisingly), completely absent.

 

[phaetongraph]

Thanks Harry,

Yes I think touch-screen technology is fraught in terms of what happens when you push too hard or too often? My old Canon has tiny toggles (difficult enough) but once you know your way round them all is fine, and I only ever use one set of manual settings but they are crucial. On the Canon I can just toggle then lock them.

A pro cam yes, but I'd need to win a double rollover first

In the meantime I must look for shoestring alternatives

Thanks again,

Phaeton

 

[rogs]

Thanks Phil,
I have loads of old analogue home movies I want to transfer, all in glorious 4:3

In what format? Do you mean 'home movies' as in film, or 'home movies' as in video tape?

Your MV830i had an analogue video input, that allowed you to use the camcorder to 'capture' analogue video - like VHS tapes for example - on to the computer as digital DV footage.

HD camcorders do not offer the same 'analogue in' option any more, if you were expecting to use your new camcorder to 'capture' analogue video tapes in the same way.

If however, you're just going to point your camcorder at your film projector screen, to record the film as video, then of course no problem.