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General discussion

Lux light ?? What is it. Best camcorder for under 1000?

Nov 23, 2005 12:17AM PST

What does the lux rating mean. If the number is lower like 1 lux is it better in low light or worse. Higher number less or more sensitive to light.
Any ideas on best camcorders for under 1000.

Discussion is locked

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lux
Nov 26, 2005 4:12AM PST

Lux is the rating they use to tell you how much light you need to get a picture with your camcorder. The lower the rating, the lower amount of light you need to get a picture. 0 lux is total darkness. 100 lux is probably a room with a 100 watt bulb on. Be careful of the lux rating that says "1 lux with night alive feature" or something like that. That is not a true lux rating. Most camcorders have some sort of feature that slows down the shutter speed, etc. which brightens the image. It also makes the footage jumpy and worthless. If low light performance is what you want, try the Sony HC90. I own it and it is awesome in low light. I have read that the new Canon Optura 600 is very good in low light.

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lux don't mean much now-a-days
Dec 24, 2005 6:08AM PST

the camera companies throw around lux and dont really mean it. They'll tell you it will shoot in 0 lux or .9 lux.. but they mean it will shoot in that glowing eyed bright circle brown infragrainy or in a very slow shutter mode unsuitable for shooting anything moving at all.
What you really need to know is when a camera is REALLY bad at shooting low light. which generally means the smaller cameras, as they have smaller openings shining at roughly the same size ccd. If your still camera would flash when on automatic your video camera will be grainy at least. Sony offers a night shot, but its not really a thing. Can catch that night fishing experience but it isnt pretty.