How to Shoot Low Light Settings with a Canon XH A1

This article will show you how to program the settings for low-light shooting with a Canon XH-A1. When shooting in low light with a Canon XHA1, you can choose to either allow the camera to adjust the settings for you or, for more control, make gain adjustments yourself.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Canon XH A1 video camera

Low-Light Programming

1. To allow the camera to choose the light settings for you, set the AGC (Automatic Gain Control) switch to the “on” position. The AGC switch is located on the control surface on the left side of the camera. It is near the bottom, below and to the right of the power dial, just above the gain switch.

2. To have more control in a low light situation with the Canon XH-A1, you need to determine the effect you’re looking for before programming the settings into the camera. The lower the number you use, the darker the image will be. The higher the number, the brighter the image, but you’ll sacrifice image quality. The possible settings are -3dB, 0dB, 3dB, 6dB, 12dB and 18dB. -3dB gives the darkest image, 18dB gives the brightest.

3. Although the XH-A1 has six different gain levels for adjusting light, there are only three settings on the manual gain switch, L, M and H. You have to program the three numbers you want into those three slots. To program the L, M and H gain settings, press the menu button located on the right side of the camera’s control surface. From the menu select Camera Setup>Gain setting. Set the low gain (L) to the decibel level (dB) you want and press the Select/Set dial.

4. Proceed to the medium gain (M) and high gain (H) settings and follow the same steps again.

Tips & Warnings

• Test all six of the setting levels in low-light situations and learn how each one affects the image before programming the camera.