Cameras

• Camera Checklist - Also has a list of rarely-used terminology.
• Setting Up a Shot - Including framing, white balance, exposure, focus etc..
• How To Interview - Does. Says. Tin.
• Setting up Sound - Because it makes more difference than you'd think.
• Sony HDV Camera Operation Guide - A more detailed guide to using the HD camera.
• FAQ - Common issues using a camera - Fill it in as you make mistakes!

List of Cameras:

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.

Sony HDV: Our current flagship cameras. Many student TV stations would be lucky to have ONE of these, we have three (they and the associated tripod, lamp, (wired?) remote control, and bag were donated with money from the Alumni Fund).

They are light, but not as portable as the canon DV cameras. they have a good set of functions, setup by a touchscreen and controlled during use by buttons and a fly-by-wire ring. We currently use them in preference to all our other cameras for pretty much everything.

Their one present limitation is that the composite out of at least one of them is unuseable. This was probably caused by their use at Woodtock 2009 in which the video out and umbilical were dangling directly from the socket for some of the show. The solution has been to use an S-Video bodge CABLE. The fact it is a cable afixed to the camera body ensures that stress won't be placed on the socket and so we should be able to prevent the same thing happening to the s-Video socket.

Old Sky Camera, (Sony?):

This was obtained second hand by Anna Bucks from Sky News. It came with a large dedicated tripod, batteries, and charger - at the time of acquisition they suggested that a function doesn't work, however we haven't been able to determine which function this is so it doesn't matter.

This has a very nice lens on, and a good zoom. It is a very mechanical camera, with 2 internal ND filters, and 3(?) internal filters for extreme white balancing (there is also the function for fine tuning white balancing automatically by means of a switch). It can have two (or three?) sets of custom settings saved under different names for quick configuration - however there's no instruction manual so good luck on figuring out how to achieve this. The batteries are Ni-Cad and old so don't last very long.

We have four batteries and the charger (which can charge 1,2,3, or 4 batteries simultaneously). We also have a 12V, 2.5 Amp power supply for it. NB, the other 12V power supplies will power it for only a couple of seconds, before the camera turns off because it can't draw enough current.

It would be good on OBs as a static wide shot, tripod-mounted camera, or for long zooms.

It is extremely heavy, and the lake of reliable batteries make it a poor choice for shoulder-mounted use.

For zooming smoothly, there is a switch labelled 'servo', 'manual' which enables or disables the wide and tele paddle which drives the ring motor for zooming. The switch is located on the underside of the handle on the lens. The ring will rotate at a constant speed, the zoom probably isn't linear in the angle of view change for a given rotation of the ring. Evenso the 'servo' setting should be smoother than manually changing the zoom.

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.

Howard:

This was assigned the name at a station meeting vote. this is perhaps an unwise choice, particularly if we ever get a YSTV member named Howard. It is powered by a normal four-pin-XLR, and has a composite video out. It is controlled by RS422 which is currently sent over CAT 5e cable into a serial plug and that is connected into a serial-USB convertor.