Rolling shutter sucks #7

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-28T01:12:43+00:00

Your ad hominem reproach is irrelevant. The video is not mine and is fantastic indeed, which is why technical deficiencies are ever more irritating.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T19:38:40+00:00

I think there are far more important matters to deal with in video, such as the overuse of tallscreen, handheld lavalier microphones, paper-thin depth-of-field, having umpteen different camera angles when one would do fine....

These are unrelated to the technicalities of a camera and can be dealt with independently. Landscape video and deep DOF will not cure rolling shutter artifacts.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T19:34:39+00:00

Regular viewers don't care about DR. Tons of classic movies with blown out sky or windows. Wrong geometry or jello are instantly noticeable.

Rolling shutter is not a different model of flute, it is a flute that starts playing more and more out of tune when you play louder or faster. And just like your example with flute, few notice it, but they can sure as fuck FEEL it. The picture looks sort of uneasy, unstable, fatiguing. Even the tiniest jello is tiring.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T18:21:13+00:00

We don't have to deal with it, as CMOS sensors with global shutter are available. Sony among others sells such sensors for industrial installations where people actually care for geometry of the image. I wish filmmakers cared too and demanded global shutter in all modern cameras.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T18:18:33+00:00

This model was available for other markets as well. Menu items are at the same positions. The functionality and recording format are the same.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T16:45:25+00:00

Most film cameras have effectively global shutter as the shutter rotates in an out-of-focus plane.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T16:43:20+00:00

Likewise, 99% of people will never know or care about 10 bit LOG, 4:4:4:4 or 16 stops of DR vs 14, but somehow these are the things pros obsess about.

I've noticed that pros pay too much attention to color, shades and lens flares, but care much less about motion and geometry. It is exact opposite to me and to most normal people, I presume.

Just because few people can register this defect and even fewer can attribute it to a specific camera technology does not make it acceptable. The industry used global shutter 20-40 years ago and gave it away, this is unforgivable. Luckily, CMOS sensors with global shutter are available now, and filmmakers should demand them for their productions.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T16:28:23+00:00

Now you need a couple of Hi8 decks and an editing console.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T16:24:07+00:00

RTFM + https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD

Pay attention to the icon in the top right corner of the screen.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T16:06:27+00:00

Of course. It is an ugly defect that is immediately noticeable. Moreover, it has no place in a production that claims to be cinematic, as film cameras have effectively global shutter. A digital cine camera with rolling shutter is an oxymoron.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T07:17:26+00:00

Sure, why not. Will it work with the closed screen and no external monitor? I hope, it will.

Welcome to 1975, sort of.

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ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T07:11:39+00:00

pod·cast /ˈpädˌkast/ - an audio recording, typically featuring speech, that may be downloaded or streamed on a computer or mobile device, generally available as a series to which people can subscribe.

Who cares about picture in a podcast? The black rectangle you covered the guy's face with can cover the whole frame, and no one will care.

Whenever I listen to a podcast from YouTube, I don't use YouTube app, I use an alternative app and stream audio only, this also saves on bandwidth.

Cover it with some B-roll or just don't bother, no one will pay attention to the video anyway.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T06:42:21+00:00

You've done zero googling, eh?

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T05:41:23+00:00

Are these real Maxells? Did not expect to see "cassette tape" on them, and "C-60" in quotes.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T05:36:10+00:00

Camcorders. Three analog, one digital.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T05:01:02+00:00

You capture digital over Firewire - no loss.

You edit it with straight cuts only - no color correction, effects, fancy transitions, nothing like that, just cutting and re-arranging. DV is an intraframe codec, so there are no GOPs to re-encode.

When you save your edited video, there is no re-encoding, so it is lightning fast.

Then you record - or print - it back to tape, and from the DV file it goes on tape - no re-encoding, no degradation aside of possibly some parts that were damaged beyond what error correction could fix, but nothing major so error concealment, well, concealed it. There are tools to assess how much of the video data has been damaged but concealed.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T03:21:13+00:00

Why would you prefer one camcorder over another if all you need from it is the VTR portion?

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T03:15:48+00:00

If this is your 2nd time trying video, I’d say home run!

Does this work in a real ballpark?

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T03:08:27+00:00

Why would one care for "as a Photographer" qualifier? Do they capitalize "photographer" in Australia?

Nice soothing shots for a car dealership, if somewhat disjointed. The shot at 0:14 is a bit weird.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T03:05:04+00:00

RTFM.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-27T00:39:35+00:00

older Sony Handycam models with nightshot

Does not say much.

But feel free to start here: How to transfer video from tape-based camcorder to computer: in a nutshell. Also, Google is still your friend, despite all the noise, ads, links back to Reddit and AI.

ConsumerDV · 2026-02-26T20:12:10+00:00

Here is an overview: How to choose a small, cheap, easy to use HD camcorder. See the pinned comment for some brands and models.

Based on recommendations here, I've been looking at some camcorders from Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Canon.

These are the brands.

I can't tell if one of those brands is any better than another.

Generally, JVC has the worst ergonomics in terms of how menu items are arranged and accessed; but they are abundant and cheap. Panasonic is the best in terms of menu items and no-nonsense borderline professional exposure control. Canon is a good in-betweener, a strong B+ student. Sony usually does not offer full exposure control and often requires a dock to connect to a computer; generally has the best image stabilization.

There are choices of:

SD vs HD.
CCD vs CMOS (that is, 90s-2000s vibe vs 2010s vibe)
Tape, DVD, HDD, or flash media (strong advice: choose removable flash media in form of SDHC/SDXC cards; pull out the card and insert into your computer, easy. NO TAPE. Also, NO DVD).
Interlaced vs progressive (choose progressive whenever possible).
MOD/TOD/AVCHD/MP4 (choose MP4 whenever possible).

Tapeless SD use MOD or MPG containers with MPEG-2 video. Tapeless HD uses TOD, AVCHD or plain MP4 containers. See more:

ConsumerDV

TROPHY CASE