New to mini DV cams i have a question pls answer thanks

[angelbuffy]

hi i have bought a mini dv camera it was a panasonic i had gritty dots come on the playback when i saw it so i figured there was something wrong with it & returned it back.

Now i have bought the Canon MV750i i bought it yesterday i have filmed with it a few times, i'm experiencing little tiny dots on ppls faces again when i video & then play it back does this mean there is something wrong with the camera?
I have had this problem with both cameras is this normal?

if so what can i do about it?
And how clear quality does mini dv usually give?

pls reply back someone
thanks

[CB]

MiniDV is better than VHS but not as good as DVCpro. If you are having quality problems, it could be a couple of things. First check that you are not recording in LP. MiniDV does the absolute worst LP mode recording of any format. Most MiniDV players can't even properly playback an LP recorded MiniDV cassette. If you are in SP, and you still have the issue, then try a better brand of tape. There a couple of companies that make some really cheap ones. It's usually best to buy the cassettes that are made by the companie who made your camera. I use Sony tapes in my Sony cam, and Panasonic tapes in my Panisonic cam. Otherwise, I notice a decrease in quality.

Also, on the Panisonic MiniDVs in particular there is a problem with the light, if you have the version of your model with the light on the front, then you need to know that there are two modes for that light (made this mistake myself once, and ruined a bunch of footage) There is a 'strobe mode' which gives this reall crappy quality effect. I'm not sure why anyone would use it, but it's there. You push the light button once, and you get that crappy mode, then you have to push it again to be in non-crappy light mode. then a third time to turn the light off.

If you still have issues, let us know.

[primesuspect]

You might want to post this at TotalGeekMedia's DV Tech Forum (http://www.totalgeekmedia.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=23) as well, since that is more of a video-centric site :)

[Guyute]

I have a Panasonic DV camera and I have not noticed this problem. I think I have JVC tapes. I'm not sure what mode I record in, but it seems to be reasonable quality. That is good to know about LP recording, though...

[Camman]

You might want to post this at TotalGeekMedia's DV Tech Forum (http://www.totalgeekmedia.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=23) as well, since that is more of a video-centric site :)


Definitly a good idea :D


For ideas to fix this: is it playback on the camera itself or on the computer?? My capture program by default compressed files into MPEG instead of making full quality DV (AVI) files because they can be quite huge, so I had to manually make that change. I'd check that if your problem is after capturing.

[angelbuffy]

Hi , ok i will try that, bt do u guys at all get little tiny dots when videoing or is it broadcast awesome quality?

pls reply i need to know soon
thanks
merry christmas
K

[Camman]

I know what you mean and with my cheaper camera (Sony TRV250) it happens a lot with low light, when its even a little bit dark you can start to see those little dots, and I use the expensive Sony tapes for filming so I know it's not that, I think it might just be how it goes with cheaper cameras, get better lighting and it will go away, when I shoot outside the picture is 10x sharper.

[CB]

Ja, If you are shooting indoors (and not in a studio) with one of those, you really need a good light kit to make it look great.