Button and Wheels and Knobs, Oh My!

More and more churches are videotaping their services, either for distribution to shut-ins, broadcast on local cable, or webcast. While larger churches may be able to afford a fullblown setup with a switcher and three or four professional cameras, small and mediumsized congregations will start smaller, typically using a mid-range camcorder known in the video business as a “prosumer” camcorder. The most popular current examples in this niche would be the Canon GL2, the Canon XL2, Panasonic AG DVC30, or the Sony DSRPD170.

These units can range from just under $2,000 to over $4,000 in cost. These camcorders are a real step up from the typical home camcorder in features and picture quality, and they can be a challenge to a camera operator who has only used consumer camcorders. So let’s introduce you to the features and benefits of a prosumer-level camcorder, and walk through how using one of these units is different from using your consumer camcorder during the family vacation.

One of the major differences between consumer and prosumer level camcorders is the use of three imaging chips instead of one. Each chip, known as a “CCD” (for Charge Coupled Device), handles a single color element (red, green, or blue) which are then combined in sophisticated circuitry to create the digital video image. The use of three discrete imaging chips results in cleaner, more accurate color rendering than is possible with a single-chip camera. While this feature doesn’t really affect your handling or operation of the camera at all, it’s a major factor in the price jump from the typical home camcorder to the prosumer range. But what is different in operating one of these camcorders? When compared with typical consumer camcorders, these units offer more manual control of focus, exposure, and white balance. We’ll look at each of these in turn.

Manual controls for camcorders enable the videographer to obtain professional and consistent shots throughout a video shoot.

Photo courtesy of Sony Electronics.

While many home camcorders provide only automatic focus and exposure, a prosumer camcorder will have automatic and manual settings for both. While at first it may seem best to leave exposure and focus on auto, you’ll soon find why pros only use manual settings here. The camera is really pretty dumb; it has no real way of reading your mind to figure out what part of the picture is most important to you. When you zoom in on a choir member singing a solo, the camera may decide that the wall behind her is the most important element (it does take up most of the frame, after all!) and focus on that – leaving your soloist blurry. By the same token, if you are running Auto Exposure (or Auto Iris) when you pan across a light fixture or window, the camera will suddenly close down the iris to compensate, with the result that your entire shot darkens substantially until that light source is out of frame.

Camera exposure is controlled by an iris located behind the lens that opens and closes just like the iris in your eye. When wide open, it admits more light; when closed down to a smaller opening, it al- lows less light to enter the camera. When set in Auto Exposure or (Auto Iris) mode, the camcorder circuitry opens or closes the iris depending on the overall level of light entering the lens. Most prosumer cameras also have a “gain” function that can amplify the signal in low light, when the iris is full open and the image is still not bright enough. However, this is not desirable for normal operation since gain also increases the noise, or graininess, of the picture. On highest gain, you picture may look like that of a surveillance camera.

To avoid these problems, you will need to learn to use the manual focus and exposure options on your camera. Manual focusing is controlled by a large ring on the lens of the camcorder (see photo). The switch for manual focus or auto focus (often labeled “AF”) will be either on the lens itself or on the body of the camera near the lens. Some camcorders offer a momentary auto focus switch that allows you to zoom in and set your shot, press the autofocus for just a moment, and then revert to manual control. This is a great feature and one you should use when setting up shots. Even if the focus isn’t perfectly right for the subject you want to focus on, it will usually be pretty close and just require a little manual tweak to be perfect. If your camcorder doesn’t have one of these momentary switches, you can just switch to auto for a moment then switch back to manual. On camcorders with auto focus, the focus ring isn’t physically attached to the lens elements; it sends a signal to the camera’s microprocessor to tell it “change the focus this much in that direction.” On some camcorders, moving the ring quickly a certain amount will make a more radical change in focus than moving it the same amount slowly. You’ll have to try this on your camcorder to see if it does this, or if the results are the same no matter what speed you turn the ring.

Near the Manual/AF switch you will find a switch for Exposure (or “Iris”), and a rotary control that allows you to vary the iris setting. Just as with focus, you may find it a good practice to set up your shot and then switch to Auto Exposure for a moment, then switch back to manual. This will get you close to the right exposure, even if it still requires a manual tweak. Often in churches, you may find it necessary to open the iris a bit more than the auto setting to achieve a good exposure. This is especially true when you have a subject in front of a dark background. Conversely, if the subject is wearing dark robes and standing in front of a white wall, you will find it necessary to open up the iris a bit to get a good exposure of the subject while letting the white wall go a little “hot” or overexposed.

Another feature available on prosumer cameras that is missing from lowerend camcorders is the “ND Filter,” or Neutral Density Filter. This is simply a piece of gray glass that can be placed in the optical path to reduce the amount of light entering the camcorder. Some cameras will have one ND Filter, some will have two. These are typically used when shooting outdoors in lots of light.

An important feature of prosumer camcorders is the availability of a manual White Balance (or “WB”) control. While many consumer camcorders actually do have a manual WB control, it is rarely used by home users. Use of this control is important to maintain the same white balance throughout your shoot.

So what is “white balance” and why is it important? It surprises most folks to find out the there really isn’t any such thing as “white” light. All light has a particular tint, known as a “color temperature”. Interior light is usually yellowish while sunlight is blue. Fluorescent lights are often green, which is why they can make people look somewhat sickly on video. Unlike your eyes, the camera has to pick one color temperature to represent as “white.” If you select the wrong one, you picture will have a color tint; for instance, if you set the camera WB on “Indoors” and then shoot outside under the sun, the picture will be tinted blue. Conversely, if you set the camcorder for “Sunlight” and then shoot under incandescent lights, you picture will be very yellowish.

Most camcorders will have four settings for WB: Auto, Interior (3,200 K), Sunlight (5,600 K) and Manual. Most home camcorders are left on Auto WB all the time. However, remember that the camera is dumb. It doesn’t really know what you intend as the main source of light. There are many situations where the Auto WB function will become confused and “hunt.” If you pan past a window, for instance, or if there is a projection screen in the picture (digital projectors use bluish light) the camera may try to lock onto that color and everything else will turn yellow. To avoid this, select the correct WB either through selecting the Interior preset (often represented by a light bulb icon) or by doing a manual white balance. This is done by pointing the camera at a white wall or white card (a piece white poster board is fine) that is illuminated by the light source you want to balance to. Zoom in until the entire picture is filled with the white card, and press the proper switch to set manual white balance. The camera will lock onto the correct white balance and then hold the setting until you change it yourself. Since cameras vary on the placement of switches for this function and the precise procedure for setting manual WB, check your camera’s manual for specific instructions.

Before shooting a live service or event with one of these camcorders, it’s best to spend an hour or two familiarizing yourself with how these controls operate. Being able to set up the right white balance, correct exposure and sharp focus quickly will make an enormous difference in the end result.

By: By John Jackman
The Rev. John Jackman has been involved in video production for nearly thirty years. He is the author of Lighting for Digital Video and Television (CMP Books), and runs an independent production company, Inspirata Films. He pastors a congregation in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area.

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