Thread: External mic hum ...could phantom power solve ..or am I stuck using batteries ?

I think he means if you have to shoot through a window not the UV filter.

Thanks for clearing that up Midnight

Midnight is on the button.
A circular polarizer allows you to dial in the amount of polarising you want. It's great for cutting down/out the glare/reflections when shooting through a window (my Merry Xmas video has a shot of one of my sisters looking wistfully at the sky for snow - without the CP filter you couldn't see her!) andthey'r also great fo reducing glare and hence deepening the colours and contrast in shots of water (especially deep blue sea).

As for getting a UV filter - the simple answer is Yes ***. Either that or a plain glass filter (If you're shooting inside, you don't need UV). These are really comparitively cheap pieces of kit so don't scrimp. The biggest problem is you can get reflections (you know how somethimes in YouTube films you can see a reflection of the lens of the camera? This is the frelection of the lens in the filter. So get a multi-coated filters. Both mine are from the Hoya Pro 1 HD range. These are not the very top of the range but are over specced for my camera.

*** Of course there are some people who will argue that lens manufacturers have invested heavily in perfecting their lens - so sticking another piece of glass in front of it rather destroys that work, and it seems like a good argument. There have been discussions/arguments on this very forum. Given the cost, try it and tell me if you can see any difference in the results and even if you can, balance that with the risk of a scratch onthe lens.

Thanks Tim

I know the bit you mean in your Merry Xmas video.

Yes I will shot outside in the future so best to invest in a UV one ... I won't always be a cellar dweller !

So Hoya Pro 1 HD range.

Do you buy and fit yourself or is it best to get a professional to fit ???

Understand the argument thing (for & against) but the cost of a ruined lens / camera is not an option for me...so I will be looking into this.

Thanks as always Tim for helping me on my journey!!!

They just screw on the front. If you can open a lemonade bottle you can do it your self.

That I can do Midnight !!!

Especially R Whites !

What am I doing still up ..............off to bed for me .

Thanks Midnight you are a pal

Stumbled upon this thread because I have the EXACT same problem with my Sony HDR-SR11. It happens everywhere, so not an issue with the power in my location (BTW, I'm in the U.S.). It's extremely frustrating and I have yet to find a solution. Do these cameras get their power supplies/circuit boards from the same suppliers? Hopefully, someone will post one here and we can all share in the joy!

So I am not alone !!!!!

Sorry to hear you are experiencing the same problem Dogster .

The more experienced guys here helped me out. It seems that using mains can cause problems and you are better to use batteries and stay away from mains if you can.

At least you know batteries = no problems.

So I suggest you use batteries whilst you look into how to solve your mains hum problem.

As “Midnight Blue” said it is not worth rewiring your house when a cheaper quicker solution is available (i.e.) batteries.

If you find out how to stop the mains hum please post back and tell us.

I imagine you could take the hum out using video editing software (I am still learning).

As Tim said even using a “Juiced Link” product (pre amp/phantom power) unit/device might not remove mains hum issues.

God damn the mains!!

Cheers Dogster

That's what we do, use batteries. But we often do shoots that take a few hours and the battery doesn't last. Very frustrating. The hum is bad enough that it can't be removed with video editing (believe me, we've tried!). Don't blae the power grid, though. I believe this is a flaw in the camera design or manufacture.

Cheers!