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I’ve been reading through the BBC’s training guide on using the Sony PD150 and thought the following extracts were worth noting. :-

Autolock Switch

Moving the silver three-position switch to ‘autolock’ position means that Exposure, White Balance and Shutter Speed are set to automatic.

Timecode

In DV mode the camera timecode starts at 00 00 00 00 and counts up.

In DVCAM mode set the timecode to ‘rec run’ with the preset set to 01 00 00 00

You could then set the timecode for a new tape to start 02 00 00 00 and so on, which might or might not be useful.

Focus

In manual focus you can still use the Auto Focus button by pressing it and holding it to let the camera set the focus on a subject.

If the main area you want to be in focus is moving you can keep your finger on the auto focus button for the duration of the shot to hopefully keep things in focus.

Infinity you can set the focus to infinity by sliding the switch down to Infinity, this only applies to distances of over 30 metres.

Manual Exposure

It’s far better to slightly underexpose than over …

ND Filters

ND filters are like the camera’s sunglasses and should be used when it’s very light and sunny.

Sound on the PD150

The camera has a very limited range of auto level adjustment. BUT manual control increases hiss whatever the level is set to. I’m not sure if this would encourage me to select automatic as it strikes me it is more useful to have control over the sound level.

The BBC guide does not recommend using manual mode unless the audio cannot be adjusted in post production. However it does state that manual mode may be required is you are recording at a rock concert or another noisy environment, it suggests using the ‘mic atten’ switch on these occassions.

The line setting is for mixers or other external equipment with a line (or very high level) output. Tone should be at -20db

Sound recorded by the camera should be bouncing around the -12dB region.

 Conclusion

I’d thought the notes I’d made would be more useful than they read, but the holding the focus button might be a useful one.