Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Canon XHA1: Turn the AGC Off!



I don't know how many times I've seen the same issue pop up in forums, time and time again...

AGAIN...

AND AGAIN...

AND AGAIN IN DANISH...

The Canon XHA1 comes with a button called the Auto Gain Corrector (AGC). Generally, this is switched on and what happens? The camera interprets the environment and determines how much gain it will add to the footage for its idea of a better image. The result: Grain, grain and more grain.

If you are working with this camera, just start by switching the AGC off (located on the left side of the camera, just in front of the power / filming mode dial).

Then try getting the image you want in other ways, like aperture control. You can always switch the AGC back on if you're overwhelmed by the manual controls. But at least you'll have the option of not getting swamped with unwanted digital grain.

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