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Author Topic: Camcorder top lights - Recommendations? Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-17-2003 06:42 PM                     Since several forum members here actively shoot video I figured it might be okay to post this here. I'm thinking about getting a top light for my palmcorder, but need some recommendations. Apparently Panasonic doesn't make top lights to fit its cameras. It is either that or their website has such bad navigation that you cannot find them. Anyway, it would be kind of nice to have a top light to stick on the hot-shoe for some party videography and other fun nonsense like that. The hot shoe on my camera appears to be a standard type. I have one of those little Panasonic PV-GS70 3CCD models (a decent under $1000 tide-me-over camera to have while I wait for something that shoots native 16:9 and 24p).  |  IP: Logged Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 10-17-2003 06:49 PM                     I forget the brand name, I think it's SIMA, that makes a 20watt light, that you can buy at Frys for $40. It's nice and bright, but I'd suggest using a scrim with it possibly. It's pretty heavy with the given battery, but I'm sure there's replaceable batteries that are less heavier.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 10-17-2003 06:58 PM                        Bobby you will be near a Fry's at the end of the month. We'll go and get you one and then we'll all go out to eat (you pay). Actually I think I may have a hot-shoe light that came with an old Canon a long time ago. I don't know if I know exactly where it is. If I can find it, you can have it. I'll need a picture of your hot shoe, though. Does it take a two-pronged thingy? EDIT: I found the light. Does your camera accept something that looks like this?  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 10-17-2003 07:10 PM                        I'll come to... I'm hungry and Bobby's paying.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-17-2003 09:05 PM                     Is the net result of using a light on top of todays camcorders give you the same effect that the old super 8 movie lights did? Such as everyone covering up their face as the blinding light went by them.....? I ahve old home movies in which I swear everyone had a sun tan!! With the higher sensitivity of todays cameras I would assume it to be less intrusive...? Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-17-2003 09:33 PM                    That reminds me that I have here the wreckage of a MARC 350 lamp that suffered a physical calamity that destroyed the reflector but not the quartz tube. (I wasn't party to the disaster; just picked up the pieces as a souvenir.) The bulbous part of the tube is smaller than the end of my little finger. That would make a heck of a camera light! Just need an ignitor...  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-18-2003 01:10 AM                     Here's a picture of the palmcorder in question (no, the palmcorder does not read palms so the hairy kind would be irrelevant). I don't know about all this "Bob's buying dinner" shite! I still need money for studio lights and the Panasonic AG-DVX-1,000,000 DigiCam! (with SteadicamEFP to boot! --do I hear getting a Wescam Helicopter Giro Rig?)  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 10-18-2003 01:35 AM                        You sure that's a hotshoe, Bobby? It doesn't look like it supplies any kind of power. Looks like a normal shoe. By the way, how do you do the image fading in Photoshop so smoothly (where the upper layer fades in opacity around the edges)? Doing it the hard way with the eraser tool sucks ass.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-18-2003 02:02 AM                     Well, crap, I don't know. The manual points out on the diagram "accesory shoe" but doesn't list jack about what can be attached to it. Perhaps a cupholder for my soda? The nice Photoshoppy fade effect is achieved by using a layer mask. It also helps to have a Wacom tablet. Add one to a layer by clicking one of those little icons on the bottom of the layers pallette. A layer mask is really only an alpha channel linked to a particular layer. You paint values of black into it to hide things and white to reveal things. You can do nice fading effects on a layer without destroying the content on that layer. When you are happy with what you have, you can select "apply layer mask" to permanently apply the fades and delete away those masked out parts of the layer (and do so only to save file size space). Once you master layer masks then you can play around with linking layers together for different blending effects. Meanwhile, I'm going to see if I can find any socks that will fit my palmcorder's "accessory shoe."  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 10-18-2003 11:30 AM                       quote: Is the net result of using a light on top of todays camcorders give you the same effect that the old super 8 movie lights did? Top light = Obie (for my money). I would use it strictly as a fill to get rid of things like nose shadows. To use it as a key would be very harsh.  |  IP: Logged Travis Hubrig Expert Film Handler Posts: 175 From: Minot ND, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 10-18-2003 03:12 PM                     Bobby, Don't you think a light would be a dead give-away when you try to camcorder a movie?  |  IP: Logged Gerard S. Cohen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 975 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 10-18-2003 03:26 PM                     Yo, Tim! I'm listening to Johnny Cash and June Carter singing "Greystone Chapel" at Folsom Prison, and your animated picking on your signature photo goes perfectly with it! Uncanny, I'd say. Gerard  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 10-18-2003 05:18 PM                  Sorry Gerard, I think his pic goes better with the "Dueling Banjos" tune from that thar "river" film! >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 10-18-2003 07:05 PM                       Hey, Gerard... you can thank Adam for that. It's a snappy little jig. Phil, squeal lak uh pig!  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 10-18-2003 07:17 PM                  Tim... That's funny! >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged

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