SM camera

[photographic08]

Hello,

I'm desperate to replace the stage management camera at my venue, dark scenes are always too dark and bright scenes too bright. The question is though how do you pick which one? Does anyone have any advice on what is working well for them etc etc.

[jonathanhill]

Does the camera have user changeable settings, such as shutter speed and AGC?

 

If it does, then modifying these settings may make a significant difference to the picture.

 

If not, then purchasing a CCTV camera, such as the Genie range from CPC will give you that option.

 

Set it up in the space, using stage lighting, to get the best picture.

[J Pearce]

Some clever cameras can change their exposure across the frame, avoiding/minimising the burnt out lead DS in a followspot and the chorus in dark US when the stage has a high contrast ratio. It is a nice feature if you can get in spec/budget.

[alistermorton]

One thing we tried with our latest camera was connecting a DMX relay to the camera's external control to switch it between daytime and nighttime settings. So the camera is set up so that when the stage is lit the and camera is in day time mode then it copes ok with most lighting, but won't cope well with low light and when the stage is dark and the camera is in night (IR) mode it will cope well from blackout through workers up to fairly dimly lit acting levels. The camera is flipped between the modes by changing a single channel on the lighting desk. It means the programmer has to plot extra levels, but the camera changes mode much more quickly than its auto mode, and doesn't hunt so much. For a lot of shows we can leave it in auto mode and it's fine, but for shows where there are highly contrasting brightly lit scenes and dimly lit scenes and of course blackouts, having the option to force the mode quickly is quite useful.