Talk:Camera Operation

Old cameras

Dumping the old camera operation information here - these cameras aren't in use by anyone except the techies for weird and wonderful things any more.

Canon DV:

We have two of these, they are good for portability, and give a decent picture. Some of the buttons do many different things, depending which menu/operation you're in, so they take a while to get used to.

They can be used to record to DV tape for editing later, or can be used in the studio or on an OB to give a live video feed via a breakout cable.

On one of them the firewire circuitry (which plugs into the computer for capturing) is broken.

A common problem with the Canon DV cameras: There is a switch around the big record button on the handgrip that you put your hand in (ie not the handle on the top). This switch has 'standby' and 'lock'. In order for the camera to be turned on this switch must be set to 'standby' not 'lock'. If set to 'lock' then the camera won't turn on.

They both have a filter on to protect the lens. However one has a UV filter (which doesn't noticibly affect white balnce), and the other has a Skylight 1A (which makes the image slightly red). This means that if both cameras are set to a preset white balnce and used to film the same event, then one will record it slightly redder than the other.

MS4/MS5:

We should have at least three of these. they're old, but were used in various OBs in 2008/2009. If necessary they can be used to give an 'okay' output. They're very mechanical, but with less functionality than the Sky camera. The viewfinder is black and white, and not very good which makes it difficult to tell if the shot has the correct white balance, is in focus, and correctly exposed. The camera operator is very dependent on instruction from the director in these respects. In terms of weight they are lighter than the Sky Camera but Heavier and less comfortable than the HDVs.

Panasonic DV:

We have one or maybe two of these, they're similar but not the same. They aren't used often, mainly for wide shots, or left unattended for long periods of time to do time-lapse filming of the setting-up of events like woodstock. Also for static wide shots.

Deathstar:

this was so named because it (supposedly) resembles the Deathstar in starwars. It's an old remote controlled Pan/Tilt/Zoom CCTV camera. Unfortunately it has lack-of-functionality issues. This is probably because of the power supply, if a replacement power supply is found it might be useable again. It has been replaced by 'Howard' camera.