Consumer MiniDV Questions

[Randy Robinson]

I recently purchased a consumer MiniDV after watching a thrirty minute video sample that showed that it could look like just like a $4,000 camcorder recorded the footage. My question is what do I have to do to get superior picture and sound quality?

I am buying two filters (UV and Polarizer), using really good lighting (a lot of sunlight and halogen 500 Watt) and I am buying a shot-gun mic (not the best but it will get the job done and sound a lot better than the onboard mic). What else will I need, equipment wise, to make all this look and sound good?


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[AJ]

Didn't the video sample give details on how they made the sub-$1000 MiniDV look like a $4000 one?

You don't mention what model you have purchased, but I presume that the usual tips apply.

Basically, use a manual exposure, don't use any kind of steadyshot system the camera may have (it lowers your shooting resolution), turn off the auto-focus and set the distance manually, don't use any of the in-built special effects 'filters' and don't use any of the low-light gain functions. Also, be sure to use a tripod, the wobbly-cam is always a giveaway for minidv shot stuff.

All of the above should see you getting a pretty good quality picture out of any camera.

In addition, you may want to post-process your footage to get rid of the dreaded minidv colour blocking, and to deinterlace it.

Best of luck with your shoot