Improving Single Chip DV Camera Image.

[AirForce8]

Well it looks as though my Sony TRTV25 singlechipper will have to suffice, as much as it makes me cry myself to sleep everynight I cannot afford a GL2 or even a Gl1. I really wanted a better camera because I feel it's a waste to film something on an inferior camera.(I know there are much better cameras available then the Gl2.) This causes motivation problems for me and I don't want to waste my time or money filming stuff on my little petit camera that moms use to film their kids soccer games. Now that I've whined way too much I'll get to the point. What ways can I make the TRV25's image look better? I'm going to be writing and filming something to be done for a final project for an art class in highschool and I want to do a really good job on it. I want better/brighter/more vibrant colors. Also I want a wider range of view without much distortion. I feel the consumer cameras range of view is very limited and that limits what I can do with the camera. Can anyone recommend some wide angle lenses that don't distort much? Also some ways I can improve the image either through software or hardware. I'm looking for some good websites or books on lighting too. Thanks for the help.

Josh

[Yammeryammeryammer]

Hey man,
... Wait... I just said man... **** , Dazed and Confused is rubbing off on me. Anyway, I use a Sony DCR-TRV 740 for my stuff that has to be done fast, or just for fun. And I have a X0.6 Sony brand wide lens (VCL-0637H) that ran me about $85.00 in that good old useless currency of ours. The distortion is virtually nil, basically I use it on the end all the time just to keep a larger depth of field, and to be able to get closer. At any rate, try a 'Sony Store' or something for the best selection, but worst rate. Good luck, and don't worry about shooting on 'low quality' video man. Wave of the future!

[Yammeryammeryammer]

Also a way to fix the image a tad is to do colour correction stuff on Final Cut Pro 3. Most schools have it in the computer lab, just ask a teacher you know knows something about tech. It can make a great difference, and can also add a lot of warmth to your image.

[sn-films]

Something else you may want to look into is the use of different filters for your camera. For some of the outdoor shots in our last project, we threw a circular polarizer on the camera which really helped bring out some of the blues and greens. Also, there are "warming" filters that help enhance skin tones, diffusion and mist filters to soften some of the harsh edges on DV. The list gos on... anyway, its something to look in to.

[Alex]

Get physically close to the actors, (but don't block their light).

Use telephoto shots. Steady fluid camera movement can be fun. Solid audio from microphones not mounted to the camera also helps a great deal.