Why Is My Video Quality Bad?

[Rylie59]

When I was looking for cameras to buy for photo and mostly video, I check online to see what the quality looks like. I watch sample video from Youtube. It's usually clear with little noise. When I get my camera and record video there's a lot of noise in it. I try to light the room up as much as I can with some effect, but nothing like in the videos. This has happened with two of my cameras and camcorders which are the Sony CX-240 and a Nikon L840. Do I have bad luck with cameras or is that quality all thanks to post production?

[Mew]

When I was looking for cameras to buy for photo and mostly video, I check online to see what the quality looks like. I watch sample video from Youtube. It's usually clear with little noise. When I get my camera and record video there's a lot of noise in it. I try to light the room up as much as I can with some effect, but nothing like in the videos. This has happened with two of my cameras and camcorders which are the Sony CX-240 and a Nikon L840. Do I have bad luck with cameras or is that quality all thanks to post production?

 

Try shooting outdoors in broad daylight. 

[Rylie59]

Try shooting outdoors in broad daylight. 

I have. It's better, but still not great. 

[bob345]

I have. It's better, but still not great. 

make sure your cameras iso is set manualy to the lowest number.

[ALwin]

When I was looking for cameras to buy for photo and mostly video, I check online to see what the quality looks like. I watch sample video from Youtube. It's usually clear with little noise. When I get my camera and record video there's a lot of noise in it. I try to light the room up as much as I can with some effect, but nothing like in the videos. This has happened with two of my cameras and camcorders which are the Sony CX-240 and a Nikon L840. Do I have bad luck with cameras or is that quality all thanks to post production?

 

If the camera has AUTO ISO enabled, disable it and use the lowest setting.  Of course this will make the, especially in low light conditions, video darker.  So obviously you need to add more light.  Our eyes are able to adjust to various lighting conditions easily, and what appears bright to our eyes may not be bright enough for a camera.

 

There's a whole world of difference between someone who has experience working with video and someone who doesn't.

[Rylie59]

make sure your cameras iso is set manualy to the lowest number.

 

If the camera has AUTO ISO enabled, disable it and use the lowest setting.  Of course this will make the, especially in low light conditions, video darker.  So obviously you need to add more light.  Our eyes are able to adjust to various lighting conditions easily, and what appears bright to our eyes may not be bright enough for a camera.

 

There's a whole world of difference between someone who has experience working with video and someone who doesn't.

Thanks for the ISO suggestion. It seems to be helping a lot

[ShadowCaptain]

Thanks for the ISO suggestion. It seems to be helping a lot

 

Uploading some samples might help as well as any settings you are using

[ALwin]

There's a whole world of difference between someone who has experience working with video and someone who doesn't.

 

 

Thanks for the ISO suggestion. It seems to be helping a lot

 

Just to extend my previous comment: those who have been working with video, either recording or editing, usually have learned various techniques and tricks for mitigating problems and issues they may face.  So yes while using manual ISO and keeping it low will help clean up your video, that doesn't mean you must always use the lowest setting. 

 

Use the lowest ISO when you can (which should be as often as possible), if there isn't enough light then the best solution is to add more lights to the scene of course.  However in the case where you cannot add more external lights, then here are the things you can change with the camera settings (in the following order):

1. Boost the ISO, keep in mind that doubling the ISO value is doubling the sensitivity (100, 200, 400, 800, 1600).  But with higher ISO means more noise.
2. Change Aperture.  Open up the iris opening, as much as you can or use a faster lens.  Keep in mind changing the Aperture means that the depth of field also changes.
3. Finally, the last thing you should resort to doing is changing the Shutter speed, if your cameras let you change them at all.

Changing the ISO doesn't change the look and feel of your video as much as changing the Aperture and Shutter speed, unless you get into the very high ISO where the noise becomes horrible.

 

And then: Editing.

 

Applications like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut X come with tools within them to clean up some unwanted noise, change brightness and contrast of videos, change colors, color grading, etc. but always to a limit.  If the master video contains too much noise or is severely under/over exposed, there is very little that those applications can do to change the quality of the video.