The Canon XH A1 HD camcorder
6
Quick Guide
ND filter continued:
Low light settings in manual mode:
Turn off the ND filter off
If you are shooting at nighttime, or indoors with available light (lamps, shooting
near windows etc. without additional lighting equipment), lower the shutter speed
- bring the number down to let more light into the picture
If using a shutter speed lower than 24, you may get afterimage trails
Open up the iris using the iris ring to let in more light
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GAIN CONTROL
As a last resort in low-light situations, use the Gain switch.
AGC (automatic gain control)
Turn off the AGC or the gain will be fluctuating all the time,
and set the gain manually.
Manual gain control is indicated by L-M-H settings
Use your viewfinder to judge the amount of gain control acceptable
Gain control allows you to digitally lighten the picture, rather than adjusting the
camera settings. You will get digital artifacting such as pixellation and graininess
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WHITE BALANCE
You tell the camera what
ʻ
white
ʼ
is in your shooting/lighting situation so it can
accurately represent color. In video, the white wavelength contains all the colors,
so when you white balance your camera, your are also setting all the colors
correctly based on your shooting situation, or on the desired effect
Two types of light:
daylight - more blue
tungsten - more yellow
The White Balance control is below the power dial
PRE = presets, used for outdoor lighting
presets are located the LCD screen – Sun icon for shooting outside, Lightbulb
icon for indoor lighting
How to white balance - setting a true white balance:
Set switch to A or B, either is ok. Having A and B options allows you to set for 2
lighting situations and white balance ahead of time
Set to A, have your subject hold a white piece of paper, and hit the WB button,
The WB icon will flash on your screen, and once it stops flashing, the camcorder
is white balanced for that particular shooting session
