Alright, pardon my being a novice and all, but I just finished watching one of MDFilms' clips that he used with his GL2, and I'm scratching my head. I just purchased my GL2 a few days ago, and have been testing it out with some footage around the house. There seems to be a fair amount of graininess in certain things, such as my 2 dogs (Siberian Husky & Chocolate Lab). Indoor pictures with decent light seem OK. Outdoor video has looked the best so far in natural sunlight.

I have the camera set up to Auto (P inside the square), 16:9, digital zoom off, and set the white balance to indoors when inside and outdoor when outside (+ ND on). Inside is when I filmed the dogs and the graininess was so bad...like it's snowing within my lab's coat! I also have it set to Frame mode. First, I hooked it up to my 42" plasma via S-video and there was a lot of pixellation from what I shot last night, which wasn't there last night when I first watched it. So, I hooked it up via S-video (this time a higher end cable) to my 51" rear-projection in the basement, and the pixellation went away, but the grainiess seemed worse. Is it because I'm shooting in 16:9 mode? Do I have something set wrong on the camera? I'm pretty let down right about now...

With the GL2 you are losing resolution by shooting in frame mode, and then again with 16:9, but that would just make your footage look soft. The chroma noise, or luma noise on the dogs coat I'm not so sure about.

It is possible that the cam is either...
A)...trying to expose for some lighter object in the frame, and the dark coats of the dogs are underexposed and grainy and washed out, or that...
B)...the cam is over-compensating for the darkness of the dogs' and is upping the gain too much, which would add visible graininess (like snow) in dark spots.

Learn the ins and the outs of the cam and shoot in full manual mode ,and see if that helps. Experiment with the manual settings in the same environment, and see if you can't get a better picture, and then post back.

PS - make sure the ND filter is off indoors, set your white balance manually, and open up the iris a little on the dogs.

Like what he said

I would try and force yourself to learn the cameras manual controls. In indoor situations I have had the best success shooting at F1.6 and shutter set to 1/60 and the gain at about 6-12 at the most.

One other thing I do when indoors (low light) is use the Custom preset feature and turn the sharpness down a couple of notches, this seems to make the grain less apparent.

Also maybe try shooting in normal 4:3 mode just to compare results.

PS try using a camera like a Sony TRV38 in the same situations, the footage looks like Desert Storm the grain is SO bad

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Digital ISO Productions
Sony DSR-PD170, Sony DCR-VX2000 & Sony DCR-TRV900
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Thanks for the feedback. I tried the manual settings that were suggested, and they did seem to make an improvement. I think what helped the most was turning off Frame mode. From what I saw on my RPTV, I didn't notice that much of a difference when shooting betwee 16:9 and 4:3. However, I still had some grain (snow) show up on my lab and other dark colors, such as my speakers and audio equiprment in the basement. Also, even in the area rug in the basement which has some black running through it showed grain. I mean everything else in the rug looked great except for the blacks. Now that I think about it, even the walls had some graininess to them which are painted a burnt orange color.

I'm almost half tempted to buy the Canon Optura Xi or one of higher-end Sony models to compare. Could there be anything defective with the camera that is causing this? Or, is it still just fooling with the manual controls to find that right balance? This weekend, I shoudl be able to do a lot more test footage outside, but like I said, outdoor stuff looked pretty sharp so far. Also, let me throw this out, does it matter that much what kind of MiniDV tape I am using? Right now I'm using some standard Sony "Premium" tapes to use while experimenting. I also bought some higher end Panny tapes. Or, maybe I'll just take a tape up to the store and shoot some video on some of the other camcorders and compare.

Thanks for the feedback. I tried the manual settings that were suggested, and they did seem to make an improvement. I think what helped the most was turning off Frame mode. From what I saw on my RPTV, I didn't notice that much of a difference when shooting betwee 16:9 and 4:3. However, I still had some grain (snow) show up on my lab and other dark colors, such as my speakers and audio equiprment in the basement. Also, even in the area rug in the basement which has some black running through it showed grain. I mean everything else in the rug looked great except for the blacks. Now that I think about it, even the walls had some graininess to them which are painted a burnt orange color.

I'm almost half tempted to buy the Canon Optura Xi or one of higher-end Sony models to compare. Could there be anything defective with the camera that is causing this? Or, is it still just fooling with the manual controls to find that right balance? This weekend, I should be able to do a lot more test footage outside, but like I said, outdoor stuff looked pretty sharp so far. Also, let me throw this out, does it matter that much what kind of MiniDV tape I am using? Right now I'm using some standard Sony "Premium" tapes to use while experimenting. I also bought some higher end Panny tapes. Or, maybe I'll just take a tape up to the store and shoot some video on some of the other camcorders and compare.

<<Right now I'm using some standard Sony "Premium" tapes to use while experimenting. I also bought some higher end Panny tapes.>>

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT mix tapes (brand and type).
It was discussed here a few times, very bad idea.

__________________
Canon GL-2 and Sony DCR-TRV350

<<Also, let me throw this out, does it matter that much what kind of MiniDV tape I am using? Right now I'm using some standard Sony "Premium" tapes to use while experimenting. I also bought some higher end Panny tapes. Or, maybe I'll just take a tape up to the store and shoot some video on some of the other camcorders and compare.
>>

Do you really think that going to a different DV tape will give you better video quality? This would be true if the tape was storing analog audio/video like testing different grades of VHS or SVHS tapes. But your not, DV tapes store digital data if you run it to problems with your DV tape you will know by seeing “digital” artifacts.

As Eugene says, don’t mix tape brands. If you do, always use a tape cleaner for 5 SECONDS MAX before using a different tape brand. I learned my lesson once; I was out of town and ran out of Fuji DV Tapes (the brand I use) and the only place I could find DV Tapes only had Sony brand, which at the time I didn’t clean the heads and ended up with video footage with drop out on the SONY DV Tapes. The moral of the story always clean the heads if you are forced to use a different DV Tape brand.

…Angelo

A) All MiniDV tape is recorded digitally so no one tape will record a better picture than another. The quality difference in tape is in refference to the kind of lubricant used, tensile strength of the tape, etc... These differences give pros (or consumers) peace of mind that the possiblity of tape breakage, or dropouts are less likely. The difference in tape quality will not affect how well a certain color is recorded, brightness, or other image qualities.

B) Not to completely contradict Angelo, but...While tape swapping has been bad for some, it's not bad for everybody. I swap all the time (Fuji, Sony, & TDK) and haven't had a problem yet (fingers crossed). Some people have told me this may be due to the fact that I swap all time, and so no one lubricant has a haevy build up on my heads (different brands use different lubricants, and mixing of these lubes has been attributed to head gunking). If you can stay with a tape, do it; there's no reason not to.

You shouldn't, however, run a head cleaner just because you are about to switch tape brands. It may not be necessary. Head cleaners actually wear down on the heads if over-used, and so too much use, could eventually send you in for a repair. Don't run a head cleaner until you actually experience artifacting, or complete signal dropouts. In that case, use of the cleaner is warranted, and then don't go over a few seconds. Artifacting is big blockiness to your video during normal recording or playback (note:you may see some artifacts inbetween scenes during playback or during rewinding or fast-forwarding; this is normal).

C) Does your camera have a black balance feature? This tells the camera what true black should be, and therefore allows the camera to more accurately represent darker colors. If not, does your camera have a Gain feature? This allows the camera to electronically increase brightness, which when over used, will make blacks and darks colors look very grainy, and when set to its highest setting will make everything look that grainy. Gain control will ba labeled in Db markings ranging from 0Db to 18Db or multiples of 3 in between. Read about gain in your manual and shut it off if its on auto. When shut off your blacks will be black (and non-grainy), but everything else will look much darker.

Alright, Eugene and Angelo, I won't switch tape brands. Heck, i didn't know. BTW, I have not yet switched tape brands. Also, no reason to make me feel all stupid about asking the tape question and if switching has any impact on video quality. I said I was having some issues with my picture quality, and I'm trying to eliminate variables that could cause this outside of the settings within the camera, like switching S-video cables also.

Anyway, not to make too much fuss, no harm, no foul. I did have a chance to do some more testing today, inside and out. I hooked it up at my friend's home theater store on a 52" LCD, and things looked much better. Also, had a chance to try out my Sony telephoto lens, and from first sight, I saw no video degradation at all. I'll have to report back more later. Pregnant wife is waiting to go to dinner...

I don't think anybody was trying to make you feel stupid; I know I certainly wasn't. We were just sharing info, and I was trying to be thorough.

I really wasn't referring to you, Splendic. I actually re-read your post regarding the tape subject, and your reply was well laid out and informative. I'd just assume to make no more of an issue out of it really. Don't want anybody to think I'm fragile...

On to the fun stuff! Like I started to say in my last post, picture quality is looking much, much better. I think it might just be something about my basement that the GL2 doesn't like. I tried it out in my friend's main home theater demo room with similar lighting as my basement, and didn't see any graininess at all on the dark components and speakers. I tried it in everything from full auto mode to full manual mode, and there were no issues. I'm ecstatic about this.

I also had a chance to do some more outdoor testing, and I think the GL2 really shines here. It produced nice, vibrant colors. Also, I attached my Sony telephoto lens (VCL-HGD1758) to it, and was really the quality of video produced through this. I couldn't notice any distortion at all. I was able to zoom in on a gnat's rear with it. Very nice!

Well, it looks like this baby is a keeper, so I'm dropping my rebate form in the mail tomorrow, and am going full steam ahead in the accessories department. First thing's first, a B+W or Heliopan MC filter, video light and camcorder bag. Also, huge thanks to all of you guys for your help over the past week. I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more questions from me in the future, and hopefully I'll be able to start answering others' questions some day.

I'm glad you've resolved your issues and can start shooting, worry free. The GL-2 has proven itself a winner in the world of camcorders and should serve you well.

Just coming from a shoot at an Orioles/Yankees game, I can say that the shutter speeds go a long way in lightening/darkening a scene. That said, the faster the shutter speed the jumpier the picture so have a tripod handy. The aperature can also help. I have really come to notice that if you dont need the gain, don't use it. It causes alot of noise in any scene. Proper lighting is always the key. Even in scenes with alot of light, with a good filter or adjustment of the aperature/shutter speed settings you can make a scene look moody. I will post some examples, where at the game, I changed some shutter speeds on the fly and you can see the difference it makes in color saturation and warmth when shooting in broad daylight. It can make a sunny scene look almost artificially lit. Examples coming soon:

16:9 Frame Mode -Shutter Speed 60- Aperature Normal (Adjusted Shutter Speed to 400 then back to 360 to show the difference)
300 to 360 Shutter Speed - Aperature 8 - Warmer Colors, Better Contrast
State Police Helicopter Flying Over - Auto Exposure
Ground Crew Watering Field - 360 Shutter Speed - Aperature 8 - Note: Very Warm Colors Without Any Color Gain
Oriole Bird On Dugout - Once Again 360, 8 With Very Warm Colors, Very Sharp Look
Jeter At Bat - 300, 8 - (Sky was a little darker due to clouds hence the shutter speed change)
Hideki At Bat - 300, 8 - (Nice cuts that were accidental but streamed together well)

Enjoy. I will post more if I find some more of the changes I made. here are 250 some odd clips to go through though. 360 seemed to work great in such a bright lighting condition. No filters were used in filming. The lens used was a .5 Wide Angle.

I was not using a tripod. And it was 1:30ish in the afternoon last Sunday.
These vids are uploading now, they should be up in a little bit.