Video University: Video University Forums: Canon All Camcorders: Fuzzy Footage...

VideoUniversity.com
Home	Free Library	Store
Free Catalog Please support VU by making your B&H purchases and links through this B&H ad. Doesn't cost a penny more.

See The New VU Postcard Catalog

To post in the forums see the Forum Guidelines.

Join or Renew Today.
New Benefits for all VU Members

Forum Guidelines and FAQ
Main Index	Search Posts
Who's Online	Log In

Home: Video University Forums: Canon All Camcorders:
Fuzzy Footage...

Kenzilla
Novice

Sep 27, 2005, 11:04 PM

Post #1 of 14 (2662 views)
Shortcut

Fuzzy Footage...	Can't Post

Hey guys,

His is one representative clip of a night of testing I shot recently.

It appears to me that it could be much sharper. I don't know if there is something up with the focus/autofocus or if it was humidity on my front filter.

What do you think?

This file is 5 megs and change.

www.digihub.com/05-09-21_BD.wmv (I'm having trouble getting an "active" link using the link Icon thingy up there)

Any comment or input will be appreciated.

Ken

(This post was edited by Kenzilla on Oct 6, 2005, 7:34 AM)

Kenzilla
Novice

Oct 4, 2005, 2:37 PM

Post #2 of 14 (2553 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Guys,

I'm starting to wonder if there isn't a venue on the web more suited to a newbie like myself. 102 views on this thread and no replies.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I've gotten some good info here and I appreciate it very much.

I just have the feeling that by the time one gets to the level of owning an XL1s a certain scope of knowledge is assumed which at this point, I don't have.

And I can't expect working pros to waste their time educating a novice about all these little details.

So thanks very much for all your help thus far, but is there a place that you know of that is better suited to my level of knowledge?

I don't want to continue to waste anyone's time.

Thanks again for all your help and consideration,

Ken

ps Again, please don't take this as criticism, it's not, just a realization of the facts and a desire to find a place to better fit in.

RatVega
Enthusiast

Oct 4, 2005, 4:11 PM

Post #3 of 14 (2543 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Guilty...

I was one of those, Ken, but I didn't respond for two reasons:

1. I don't have an XL1, so anything I have comes from a GL2 via interpolation. On this topic, I didn't feel I could comment effectively.

2. The footage was in .wmv, so i'm not sure how much was the camera and how much was WMV...
The footage did look a little out of focus.

dvinfo.net has a good section called "XL1 WatchDog" which would probably be more specific to some of your issues, but don't quit VU! Youre too nice a guy to lose, and there's more to this thing than just the camera.

______________________________________________________________
Currently on a loaded 2.5GHz G5 dualie/5GB/1TB internal RAID/dual 19" monitors. Final Cut Studio, Adobe Suite, Boris RED. Shooting with Canon.

VU California Crew, Inland Empire Sub-Chapter (paragraph?)

Kenzilla
Novice

Oct 4, 2005, 4:26 PM

Post #4 of 14 (2538 views)
Shortcut

Re: [RatVega] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

RV, the word "guilt" isn't in my mind in the least.

Like I said, I mean to cast absolutely no aspersions in this, I just thought that there may be a place better suited to my level of knowledge. I have installed many web boards and I currently admin three so I know a little about the dynamics involved. I know that each takes on it's own "personality" via the membership and it's just a fact that boards end up being better suited to one level of participation or another. I wouldn't give up on VU because I didn't get responses in one thread. That would definately be throwing the baby out with the bath water. I just know that some boards are geared more to "newbies" and as such are watched over extremely patient people (who usually have more than I do) who get a kick out of answering these type questions. But all boards can't be this way. Experienced users also need a place where they can interact without constantly sifting through often asked questions.

So again, I will stress to the point of overdoing it, my comments were in no way about this board or it's members.

Funny you mentioned dvnfo.net, I joined there recently, introduced myself and posted some of these same questions but to date, no responses.

But again, no problem.

I'm relentless about educating myself in this art and I will do it as I have with other areas of interest, by being persistant until I find the information I'm looking for.

Thanks for your input so far, it's been invaluable to me.

Ken

RatVega
Enthusiast

Oct 4, 2005, 10:01 PM

Post #5 of 14 (2528 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Guilty is what I felt... because I viewed in a hurry shortly after you posted and figured I'd come back to it later.

Absolutely no offense was taken, but since I'm here largely to help and swap ideas, I felt I wasn't doing my part.

Be relentless. I'll do my best.

Better yet, I'll be Frank if you'll be Earnest... Wink

______________________________________________________________
Currently on a loaded 2.5GHz G5 dualie/5GB/1TB internal RAID/dual 19" monitors. Final Cut Studio, Adobe Suite, Boris RED. Shooting with Canon.

VU California Crew, Inland Empire Sub-Chapter (paragraph?)

smitty
User

Oct 4, 2005, 11:20 PM

Post #6 of 14 (2524 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Ken ,I read your post but because my connection is very slow (about 28k) I'm not able to view the footage.I would suggest retesting the camera under controlled situation( lighting),see if you get good results.
You said a "night of testing" so I dont know if you had lots of light.
Are you using an XL1 or an XL1S?
These do like lots of light ,excellent image with gobs of light.
Do you use manual exposure and manual focus.If you are new to this I know the tendency is to use auto, but really manual everthing is the way to go.Once you become comfortable with it you will likely not use auto.
My normal process for focusing the XL1S is manual focus, zoom in tight, find critical focal point then pull out and check that the focus holds(backfocus check) I would try to focus on a sharp edge, could be edge of doorway or collar of a suit or an earring.Using a monitor to view this on will be a lot easier than the stock colour viewfinder(I assume thats what your using),Doing this you should know instantly if your getting good focus.
Of course many things affect the "apparent" sharpness of the image.
Lighting quality and contrast, subject and/or camera movement, also camera setup(the sharpness can be cranked up or down)
Actually, I'm just trying to help but without seeing the footage I'm not sure whats happening.

vidguyz
User

Oct 5, 2005, 8:53 PM

Post #7 of 14 (2505 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Heh - you're getting more replies to your second plea than your first Shocked

. Hey, the ole 'squeaky wheel gets thre grease' works - at least from me .

Re the link ... I think you have to put the whole HTTP thing in there: http://www.secondstreetvideo.com (works every time without any additional linking, just type the entire URL).

OK - to be very honest - I can't see how ANYONE could tell if it's fuzzy or not since it's been rendered to a WMV. If you think it's fuzzy, or your subject is out of focus, then it probably is.

I've heard the CANON's aren't good low-light cameras, but I've shot my GL2 alongside a Sony DVX-150P (something like that, it's a 3 CCD digicam) and It beat the SONY hands down, in my opinion.

For shots like yours try going manual, keep a low end F-stop and wide open shutter. Use your ZEBRA settings as a guide for hot spots and work around those as best as possible, manually adjusting the two. Since you're going to use a low F-stop, have someone else MANUALLY focus stop the camera for you as you pan from stop to the 1/4 mile finish (or as far as you can see), if needed. I would question if auto focus is a good idea for tracking something as fast as your subject.

Now, to really pizazz this shot, run down to the other end of the track and have them do it again, so you can switch back and forth for the dramatic effect - then the fuzziness gets lost in the excitement of the shot. !!!

(This post was edited by vidguyz on Oct 5, 2005, 8:56 PM)

Beverly
User

Oct 6, 2005, 1:41 AM

Post #8 of 14 (2496 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Try this when shooting next time. Put your camera in Manual mode, zoom as tight as you can into your subject, do not use autofocus,. Then manually white balance your camera. To white balance zoom into a white object under the same light that you are going to be shooting. If that car had a white spot on it zoom into it and press the white balance button down for 2 seconds. Manually focus your camera while you are zoomed in tight. You might have to back out a bit to get the camera to focus depending on how close your are on the subject. After you have done this you should be able to zoom in and out from the subject on not loose focus.

It is difficult to get a true focus when you are zoomed out from a subject. You can see fine lines better the closer you are zoomed in.

Just keep practicing with your camera in Manual mode and manual settings. You will get it in no time. Don't let the automatic features be a crutch for you, it only hurts you in the long run.

Kenzilla
Novice

Oct 6, 2005, 8:07 AM

Post #9 of 14 (2482 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks for the guidance one and all. vidguyz, duh on the link, I'm so used to copying the full url and then deleting "http://" when the prompt comes up I did it this time and only copied "www.~" Oh, and btw, which plea was first? I want to copy and save it for further study.... Wink

I saved other "captures" from the particular tape to .wmv that looks much sharper than the file at the end of this link does. And there was other footage shot the same night that looked much sharper. Sorry about the file size for you dial-up people, I need to study the details of conversion and do better in the future. The manual for this camera is so sparse, I've checked to see if there is any "aftermarket" book about it, but so far I haven't found one.

Again, I'm going to try all the things suggested and I appreciate the input very much.

And since my original question was sincere about a better newbies venue, I assume since one was not mentioned other than the one I've joined already, in which my post in the "neighborhood" forum has gotten 11 views and not one simple "welcome" (sorry, I find this rather strange, when someone comes to other boards I'm a member of, introduces themselves and gives some info about who they are and what they are looking to do, I always make it a point to say something, even if it's just "Welcome to the board".), I assume such a place doesn't exist or is so obscure as to be of little help.

As I said, I will learn one way, or another.

But if it works out that I never get another response to another post, I will consider that my time here was well spent asI have benefitted greatly from the input I have gotten so far and it will always be appreciated.

I'll be showing you some killer clips soon, and dagnabbit, I'll remember to turn on the mic this time...... Sly

Ken

Kenzilla
Novice

Oct 6, 2005, 3:34 PM

Post #10 of 14 (2469 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

Btw, it doesn't show the problem but here is another smaller clip, same camera, same camera man (if you can call him that)...

http://www.digihub.com/J_run.wmv

I've gotta get this stuff right guys, as we used to say in still work, "if it's not in the negative, it won't be there in the final print", which, in the digital world is not always true as you can actually create pixels as opposed to creating exposed silver halide.

On the off chance someone may have some input, (and since through my extensive whining, I've weaseled my way into your hearts) here are two of the unanswered questions from "the other" forum;

Quote

When I started capturing from miniDV tape I realized how little hard drive space I actually have. I happen to have a couple of 120GB IDE hard drives around so I thought about getting an external 1394 enclosure and installing my editing program on it, and basically keeping this drive for DV only. Do you have any recommendations about which ext enclosure works best and any other considerations?

Also, I have found myself in need of being able to produce slow motion for technical analysis and while I can slow things down in editing, if the "detail" isn't there on tape, it won't be in the final. Having worked as a still photographer I'm aware of the relationship between shutter speed and f-stop with regard to exposure, and when I worked with 16mm in the military, I knew that to produce slow motion, a higher frame rate was needed. I'm not seeing that the XL1s has this capability with regard to FPS so I'm a little confused. Will adjusting shutter speed give me what I want in this situation?

Addendum to original post: I'm also thinking about just building a new dedicated machine for nothing but vid editing, graphics and my extensive poodle photo collection. I happen to have 3 120GB WD hard drives, 1 Seagate 80GB, and 1 WD 80GB drives, ATX cases, power supplies and the like. I also have 1GB (4x256GB) Musking PC2100 DDR. I don't want to be held back in this by the fact the DDR is slower 266 type so I guess I'll need to get a CPU, mobo, and some new DDR.

I normally favor AMD so I'm thinking one of the A64 chips, maybe 400FSB or higher.

Any recommendations on a CPU/Mobo config for this machina? I don't want to have to put large $$$ in this as I am still getting accessories for my XL1s, and that other little thing about having a drag car in the works. Oh, and btw, here is the car if you haven't seen it;

http://www.digihub.com/badbird/

Lemme have it folks, I'm clay in your hands to be molded into a crackerjack vid shooter. What might "go without mentioning" to you, will be gold to me.

"Shamelessly Begging" Ken

(This post was edited by Kenzilla on Oct 6, 2005, 5:11 PM)

RatVega
Enthusiast

Oct 7, 2005, 2:22 PM

Post #11 of 14 (2446 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

As you know, I don't do PCs (or as my wife says "Sorry, we don't do Windows...") but it's my considered opinion that investing in anything but a 64-bit CPU is very shortsighted. AMD has been getting the short end from MS ('cus Intel didn't have a usable 64) but this should be changing. If I had to change today, I'd be looking for a dual 64-bit.

Just verify that your editing software is compatible...

______________________________________________________________
Currently on a loaded 2.5GHz G5 dualie/5GB/1TB internal RAID/dual 19" monitors. Final Cut Studio, Adobe Suite, Boris RED. Shooting with Canon.

VU California Crew, Inland Empire Sub-Chapter (paragraph?)

Kenzilla
Novice

Oct 7, 2005, 5:54 PM

Post #12 of 14 (2440 views)
Shortcut

Re: [RatVega] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

RV, thanks for the response.

On another board, (VideoHelp.com) I've gotten recommendations to go with an Intel chip because it has advantages with regard to vid, and to look at the AMD 754 Sempron 754 pin chip by AMD. As dual core AMD chips start at around $350 (the absolute bottom end pricewise) I think I'll opt for a lesser chip. The fact is that even if I built a machine exactly like the one I have, (1.4MHZ cpu, 1GB PC2100 DDR) with 4 IDE drives I'd be way ahead of the game as I could eliminate many of the bandwidth suckers this machine has, disable unnecessary processes and in general "lighten" and streamline the OS and add substantially more hard drive space.

Again, as you've noted, starting my racing team owner/driver career and video production career simultaneously is a tall order capital-wise. Not to mention the "day job" and my somewhat sparse social life. (tha wimmens are starting to complain that I'm not returning calls soon enough).

I've obtained Vegas Studio Platinum with the idea that the interface is identical to Vegas 6 and I can lessen the learning curve while maintaining upgrade capability for the future. I just hate to install it on a machine that while it performs well, doesn't need the bandwidth/space hog this will no doubt turn out to be.

Thanks again,

Ken (sulking cause I have a weekend off and it's too wet to go to the track)

Beverly
User

Oct 7, 2005, 11:12 PM

Post #13 of 14 (2432 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Kenzilla] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

"I thought about getting an external 1394 enclosure and installing my editing program on it, and basically keeping this drive for DV only."

something to think about. You need to put your software on a completely different drive than your footage. You might be suprised at the increase in productivity. If a drive is having to run the software, store the footage, hold the temporary memory and everything else it is going to start bottlenecking. I keep ALL of my software on my C drive and then everything else on other drives.

As far as what MOBO, CPU and what not to get can't help you with that. My hubby handles the building and configurations of the computers and he is in bed.

I know we have had really good luck with Asus and Corsair Ram. But I couldn't tell you much else about which models.

Kenzilla
Novice

Oct 8, 2005, 12:09 AM

Post #14 of 14 (2430 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Beverly] Fuzzy Footage... [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Points well taken Beverly. Most of the time on the machines I build I try to keep "system" files, programs on the C: drive and other apps on other drives by category, I have Music, Graphics, etc., all on their own drives or should I better say, "partitions". I know there is a difference between the two but if I have more than one physical drive, I try to keep the C: drive with one partion and all the system stuff on it....if any of that makes any sense....

Thanks for your input.

Ken