Getting Perfect Exposure
In this week's episode, I look at some cool things you can do with a gray card and/or the palm of your hand. Not only that, but I learned about an undocumented feature on Canon HD camcorders. When you don't have enough light, the camera will warn you accordingly. Since some of these cameras allow you to turn off Auto Gain Control, this feature is invaluable to getting the best picture possible.
Comments
Exposure deals with how much light is getting to the sensor, whether via lighting you provide or pushed levels using gain. It seems to be a camcorder thing as higher end cameras only use the iris (or aperture) and shutter speed to control light. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure "exposure" is just the camera using both of these simultaneously to add light to the image.
You know, I never understood why DPs walk around gauging light sources using a balled up fist. I understand it's to assess shadows and fall-off, but a face has different ridges and depth than a fist. Can you comment on that at all?