Colour difference between two TRV950s

[cwright]

I have two Sony TRV950E camcorders which until recently I've used to get two shots of the same scene from different angles. I'd noticed a different in colour between the two angles but thought it might have just been down to the lighting.

Then recently I had to shoot the same shot from the same angle using both camcorders and it was immediately obvious that the colour balance is different between the two units. One has a blue-ish cast and the other a yellow-ish cast.

I've checked all the manual settings on both and they're the same. They have identical Sony Protector filters fitted, and just to rule those out I've checked without them and the difference still exists.

As a simple test I printed a simple PAL colour bar card and shot it from the same angle using both camcorders, one after the other. Stills from the two pieces of footage are below. I didn't have any lights handy so I'm afraid the lighting's quite poor. The difference is most obvious on the white bar.



Can anybody tell me if this kind of difference is normal between camcorders of the same model?

If not, can they be calibrated somehow or would I have to send them away to Sony and pay £176 for them to look at each one?

 

[cwright]

I've answered my own question.

I neglected to say that I haven't had the cameras all that long and still haven't really got to grips with all the controls.

To cut a long story short, a manual white balance was all that was required. Maybe the auto white balance parameters are different between my two units, though the serial numbers are only 1579 apart.

As a relative "newbie" to semi-pro camcorders I found the following site very useful: http://www.urbanfox.tv/workbooks/anycam/index.htm. Although it doesn't specifically cover the TRV950, much of the information can be applied to it with some or no adjustment of the instructions to account for the differing controls. For instance, the section on white balancing the PD-150 works perfectly for the TRV950.

 

[Roy Mallard]

i would actually consider using the white balance presets (indoors or outdoors)as this should ensure a closer match between the cameras than manually ballancing each.

 

[cwright]

Thanks for your advice Roy. I tried using the indoor/outdoor presets as you suggest; however, they don't give the same white balance on both cameras - the colour casts come back again.

The only way I can get both cameras to use the same white balance settings is to do a manual white balance using a piece of white card. I don't mind doing this though, and I guess it should give me better results.

I'm a big fan of People Like Us by the way - when's series 2 coming out on DVD?

 

[Roy Mallard]

Haaah! Rumbled!!!

You been watching the Nick Broomfield season on more 4? you can see where they got the idea for Roy Mallard from.

Don't know when season two is out, you can buy a copy occassionaly on a popular internet auction site if you can't wait....

the radio series is always on BBC7