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Hello group,

I need a light for my Canon Elura 80 digital camcorder. I am taking videos
with a blue-green screen back. In addition, I plan on taking a lot of
outdoor videos. Can anyone suggest a decent light?

To get good indoor light will I have to invest in those large stand up
lights, or is the mini lights that snap on the top of the camcorder good
enough?

This is my first digital camera. After I learn the more about digital
video, I plan on getting a 3CCD camera in the future.

How about snap shots for my Canon Rebel XT? Is the flash on that good
enough for professional shots? I suppose I can always correct the lighting
in Adobe Photoshop.


Thanks for all of your help.
Cheers.

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"song writer" wrote ...
> I need a light for my Canon Elura 80 digital camcorder.
> I am taking videos with a blue-green screen back. In
> addition, I plan on taking a lot of outdoor videos.
> Can anyone suggest a decent light?

Nowhere near enough information. Exactly what are
you shooting? How? Where? What is your budget?
And likely 6-8 other key questions.

> To get good indoor light will I have to invest in those
> large stand up lights, or is the mini lights that snap on
> the top of the camcorder good enough?

The only people that use those on-camera lights are news
guys that don't have time to set up proper lighting, and
cluless amateurs. Same with microphones. Unless you
like that "deer in the headlights" look for some reason?

I have never heard of anyone sucessfully shooting green
(or blue) screen with a single light. Proper lighting of
chroma-key shots is rather tricky to get right and usually
involves several lights. Note that they don't have to be
expensive. Cheap $10 shop flourescents which aren't
good for anything else have a big green spike which is
usefull for lighting the greenscreen backdrop, etc.

> This is my first digital camera. After I learn the more
> about digital video, I plan on getting a 3CCD camera
> in the future.

Photography and lighting have almost nothing to do with
whether it is film or electonic, still, or moving pictures,
analog or digital, 1-chip or 3-chip, etc. etc. etc.

> How about snap shots for my Canon Rebel XT? Is the
> flash on that good enough for professional shots?

Perhaps it is a clue that professionals don't use them.

> I suppose I can always correct the lighting in Adobe
> Photoshop.

Don't count on it.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Richard Crowley wrote:
> "song writer" wrote ...
>> I need a light for my Canon Elura 80 digital camcorder.
>> I am taking videos with a blue-green screen back. In
>> addition, I plan on taking a lot of outdoor videos.
>> Can anyone suggest a decent light?
>
> Nowhere near enough information. Exactly what are
> you shooting? How? Where? What is your budget?
> And likely 6-8 other key questions.
>
>> To get good indoor light will I have to invest in those
>> large stand up lights, or is the mini lights that snap on
>> the top of the camcorder good enough?
>
> The only people that use those on-camera lights are news
> guys that don't have time to set up proper lighting, and
> cluless amateurs. Same with microphones. Unless you
> like that "deer in the headlights" look for some reason?
>
> I have never heard of anyone sucessfully shooting green
> (or blue) screen with a single light. Proper lighting of
> chroma-key shots is rather tricky to get right and usually
> involves several lights. Note that they don't have to be
> expensive. Cheap $10 shop flourescents which aren't
> good for anything else have a big green spike which is
> usefull for lighting the greenscreen backdrop, etc.
>
>> This is my first digital camera. After I learn the more
>> about digital video, I plan on getting a 3CCD camera
>> in the future.
>
> Photography and lighting have almost nothing to do with
> whether it is film or electonic, still, or moving pictures,
> analog or digital, 1-chip or 3-chip, etc. etc. etc.
>
>> How about snap shots for my Canon Rebel XT? Is the
>> flash on that good enough for professional shots?
>
> Perhaps it is a clue that professionals don't use them.
>
>> I suppose I can always correct the lighting in Adobe
>> Photoshop.
>
> Don't count on it.

Count on it. Plenty of pros use cheap stuff. When do you become a pro
anyway? When you make your first buck or you buy your pro camera? Which
came first the Professional Photographer or the Professional Grade Camera?
Especially these days. I guess all those highschool sporting events in this
hick town don't know they have been paying an amateur all these years.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"Jimmy" <JimmyCliff@Spamex.com> wrote in message
news:2sudndE-Rq-JuL_eRVn-oA@comcast.com...
> Richard Crowley wrote:
>> "song writer" wrote ...
>>> I need a light for my Canon Elura 80 digital camcorder.
>>> I am taking videos with a blue-green screen back. In
>>> addition, I plan on taking a lot of outdoor videos.
>>> Can anyone suggest a decent light?
>>
>> Nowhere near enough information. Exactly what are
>> you shooting? How? Where? What is your budget?
>> And likely 6-8 other key questions.
>>
>>> To get good indoor light will I have to invest in those
>>> large stand up lights, or is the mini lights that snap on
>>> the top of the camcorder good enough?
>>
>> The only people that use those on-camera lights are news
>> guys that don't have time to set up proper lighting, and
>> cluless amateurs. Same with microphones. Unless you
>> like that "deer in the headlights" look for some reason?
>>
>> I have never heard of anyone sucessfully shooting green
>> (or blue) screen with a single light. Proper lighting of
>> chroma-key shots is rather tricky to get right and usually
>> involves several lights. Note that they don't have to be
>> expensive. Cheap $10 shop flourescents which aren't
>> good for anything else have a big green spike which is
>> usefull for lighting the greenscreen backdrop, etc.
>>
>>> This is my first digital camera. After I learn the more
>>> about digital video, I plan on getting a 3CCD camera
>>> in the future.
>>
>> Photography and lighting have almost nothing to do with
>> whether it is film or electonic, still, or moving pictures,
>> analog or digital, 1-chip or 3-chip, etc. etc. etc.
>>
>>> How about snap shots for my Canon Rebel XT? Is the
>>> flash on that good enough for professional shots?
>>
>> Perhaps it is a clue that professionals don't use them.
>>
>>> I suppose I can always correct the lighting in Adobe
>>> Photoshop.
>>
>> Don't count on it.
>
> Count on it. Plenty of pros use cheap stuff. When do you become a pro
> anyway? When you make your first buck or you buy your pro camera?
> Which came first the Professional Photographer or the Professional
> Grade Camera? Especially these days. I guess all those highschool
> sporting events in this hick town don't know they have been paying an
> amateur all these years.

You use Photoshop to correct improper lighting for your
highschool sporting events? Tell us more!
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"Jimmy" wrote ...
> Richard Crowley wrote:
>> "song writer" wrote ...

>>> I suppose I can always correct the lighting in Adobe
>>> Photoshop.
>>
>> Don't count on it.
>
> Count on it. Plenty of pros use cheap stuff. When do you become a pro
> anyway? When you make your first buck or you buy your pro camera?
> Which came first the Professional Photographer or the Professional
> Grade Camera? Especially these days. I guess all those highschool
> sporting events in this hick town don't know they have been paying an
> amateur all these years.

You use Photoshop to correct improper lighting for your
highschool sporting events? Tell us more!
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Richard Crowley wrote:
> "Jimmy" <JimmyCliff@Spamex.com> wrote in message
> news:2sudndE-Rq-JuL_eRVn-oA@comcast.com...
>> Richard Crowley wrote:
>>> "song writer" wrote ...
>>>> I need a light for my Canon Elura 80 digital camcorder.
>>>> I am taking videos with a blue-green screen back. In
>>>> addition, I plan on taking a lot of outdoor videos.
>>>> Can anyone suggest a decent light?
>>>
>>> Nowhere near enough information. Exactly what are
>>> you shooting? How? Where? What is your budget?
>>> And likely 6-8 other key questions.
>>>
>>>> To get good indoor light will I have to invest in those
>>>> large stand up lights, or is the mini lights that snap on
>>>> the top of the camcorder good enough?
>>>
>>> The only people that use those on-camera lights are news
>>> guys that don't have time to set up proper lighting, and
>>> cluless amateurs. Same with microphones. Unless you
>>> like that "deer in the headlights" look for some reason?
>>>
>>> I have never heard of anyone sucessfully shooting green
>>> (or blue) screen with a single light. Proper lighting of
>>> chroma-key shots is rather tricky to get right and usually
>>> involves several lights. Note that they don't have to be
>>> expensive. Cheap $10 shop flourescents which aren't
>>> good for anything else have a big green spike which is
>>> usefull for lighting the greenscreen backdrop, etc.
>>>
>>>> This is my first digital camera. After I learn the more
>>>> about digital video, I plan on getting a 3CCD camera
>>>> in the future.
>>>
>>> Photography and lighting have almost nothing to do with
>>> whether it is film or electonic, still, or moving pictures,
>>> analog or digital, 1-chip or 3-chip, etc. etc. etc.
>>>
>>>> How about snap shots for my Canon Rebel XT? Is the
>>>> flash on that good enough for professional shots?
>>>
>>> Perhaps it is a clue that professionals don't use them.
>>>
>>>> I suppose I can always correct the lighting in Adobe
>>>> Photoshop.
>>>
>>> Don't count on it.
>>
>> Count on it. Plenty of pros use cheap stuff. When do you become a pro
>> anyway? When you make your first buck or you buy your pro camera?
>> Which came first the Professional Photographer or the Professional
>> Grade Camera? Especially these days. I guess all those highschool
>> sporting events in this hick town don't know they have been paying an
>> amateur all these years.
>
> You use Photoshop to correct improper lighting for your
> highschool sporting events? Tell us more!

Hey, your the pro.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Richard Crowley wrote:
> "Jimmy" wrote ...
>> Richard Crowley wrote:
>>> "song writer" wrote ...
>
>>>> I suppose I can always correct the lighting in Adobe
>>>> Photoshop.
>>>
>>> Don't count on it.
>>
>> Count on it. Plenty of pros use cheap stuff. When do you become a pro
>> anyway? When you make your first buck or you buy your pro camera?
>> Which came first the Professional Photographer or the Professional
>> Grade Camera? Especially these days. I guess all those highschool
>> sporting events in this hick town don't know they have been paying an
>> amateur all these years.
>
> You use Photoshop to correct improper lighting for your
> highschool sporting events? Tell us more!

I thought you pros knew everything.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

"Jimmy" wrote ...
> I thought you pros knew everything.

You appear the one claiming to be a pro.
I've never made that claim since I am not one.

You seem to have generalized your response to say that sure,
you can use cheap stuff and be a pro, and I completely agree
with you.

Most of my video equipment was bought on eBay and I bought
service manuals and refurbished them myself. Note that when I
suggested it takes more than one light to do greenscreen shots,
I offered the option of using cheap fluourescent shop-lights to
illuminate the backdrop. In fact, I will claim that I am one of
the cheapest people here. I'm never content to buy the obvious
commercial product and/or pay full price for it.

However telling someone that they can make professional-
looking studio shots with a single on-camera light (whether
continuous or flash) is just silly. You used the example of
(presumably) fast-moving sports events and indeed I
mentioned that the one exception to the on-camera rule is
fast-moving news-style shooting. But I didn't get the
impression that is wha the OP was asking about. Perhaps
you read the question differently than I did.

Speaking of professionals, lighting, and low-budgets, one
of my favorite articles is this one by Walter Graff. Highly
recommended....
http://www.dv.com/features/feature [...] d=18901484
(Requires free registration but well worth it. They don't
spam and it is a gold-mine of good resources.)

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

On Sat, 10 Sep 2005 07:11:50 -0700, "Richard Crowley" <rcrowley@xpr7t.net>
wrote:

>Speaking of professionals, lighting, and low-budgets, one
>of my favorite articles is this one by Walter Graff. Highly

Ah, good old Walter

A professional is not one who carries around a Sony HDCAM and a set of
HMI's. It is someone who earns their living, solely on making movies images
(in whatever form).

cheers

-martin-
--

"Beer is life!"

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Richard Crowley wrote:
> snip <
>
> Speaking of professionals, lighting, and low-budgets, one
> of my favorite articles is this one by Walter Graff. Highly
> recommended....
>
http://www.dv.com/features/feature [...] d=18901484
> (Requires free registration but well worth it. They don't
> spam and it is a gold-mine of good resources.)


And be sure to check out Walter's excellent articles at
http://www.bluesky-web.com/new-page6.html

Mike