Using a camera to film a screen/monitor

Hi Folks.

I was just wondering if anyone has experience using a camera on a tripod to film their screen, and if there is anything special you need to do, for example to avoid the scanlines typically found when filming a television.


Thanks!

Yes. Make sure the camera and monitor are running at the same Hertz. If they are running at different hertz, you'll get that major flicker effect.

You have to make sure that the monitor and the camera are plugged into the same outlet as they get their timing (sometimes) from the power cycle time. You might also have to play with the shutter time on the camera, which if it exists may be burried in the "nothing to see here" menu.

However, don't. Unless you want poor results.

Many video adapters for computers have SVHS outputs (the circular socket on the card). Plug that into a SVHS capable VCR and do it that way. There are also programs that capture motion graphics from your display itself with no wires or cameras; I know nothing about these.

Good luck.

Flatscreen LCD monitors don't scan...and thus don't have the strobing scanline problems seen when filming a CRT.

I beg to differ... LCD monitors are more current hungry than their TFT cousins, simply because they have to continously refresh the Liquid Crystals.. whereas TFT (Thin Film Transistors) have a memory and can be held in an On or Off state, requiring only those of a changed state to be turnned into the opposite state. LCD and TFT monitors 'scan/refresh' at a rate of 60htz.

If you are using a digital camera, have have your monitor connected through a DVI port, then use the SVHS outlet to connect them. Idealy, use a dual port GC so both output ports are in sync.

The method which you are contemplating (taking a movie of your screen) has to be the worst possible way of recording. Have you tried Fraps or HyperCam.. both will capture a window, fullscreen and or zones area of the screen, allow sound capture and even cursor.. redirect the output from the HD (default) to a network device such as your digital camera, or even firewire, assuming your camera has the ability.