gadgets and tech Thanks again! A PAL region...however leaning towards NTSC format in some circumstances due to a higher frame rate availability on my a6400 🤓
@@HustlewithVideos That's like me. I wanted to shoot NTSC too because of the higher frame rate. But now I'm using PAL more and more. 25 fps is actually quite nice. Maybe I will explore the possibilities with 24 fps too. But I believe it's very similar to 25 fps, regarding the possibility to have longer shutter times. I also on a Sony a6400. It's a bit annoying that you can't easily switch between PAL and NTSC without reformatting the memory card first. I don't really get why, too me it seems that there must be a better technical solution.
That explains why I have got so much flickering in my videos. I have been shooting 60fps in PAL regions because I thought the higher frame rate was better. Thanks!
Yes, you can easily believe that NTSC is better than PAL because of the higher frame rate, but the amount of information, the actual data readout bitrate, is normally the same for both NTSC and PAL. So there is normally very little difference in quality and PAL also lets you use slower shutter time. Good luck with your videos!
@@gadgetsandtech I did wonder if the actual data readout bitrate is the same, then what is it being used up on PAL if you have fewer fps i.e. 25fps PAL instead of (approx) 30fps NTSC? Is a single frame in PAL holding more detail than a frame in NTSC?
@@skippyshake Yes, that's how I understand my cameras, such as Sony a6400 and Sony rx100 vii. I have 100 fps 100M or 120 fps 100M. So no difference in the amount of data. But that might differ from camera to camera.
@fuck u yes, that’s true for broadcasting. I use PAL vs NTSC in a sloppier more liberal meaning, so this is only regarding the frame rate. That’s because many camera manufacturers just call it PAL even if it’s 1080 or 4K. But the real definition also defines resolution. Good point!
2:45 it does matter because if you have a camera that only shoots 4K 30fps you can still get 80% slow motion if you shoot 24fps. And of course you'll get 5x rather than 4x between 120fps and 100fps in 24fps and 25fps. Im seeing a lot of UK video people now shooting 24fps. I don't know if they are cranking the shutter to get around the flicker. Ive had to crank here in the UK when shooting 25fps when Ive had flickering stage lights. It's all a bit confusing really.
True! Good point! You can get a better slow motion effect, the higher frame rate you shoot. If I shoot outdoors, I often shoot 120fps slow motion, just to edit it down to 25 fps. Given there are mostly natural lights. I guess they are shooting 24 fps but 1/50 shutter speed. That will give less flickering. And it's only a minor offset from the 180 degree rule. Cheers!
I rarely see it. Also alot of display equipment now works @ 60Hz so you can end up in environments such as train stations with monitors running at 60Hz and lights @ 60Hz. This also means that though TVs run at multples of 50Hz, phones, tablets and monitors display again at multiples of 60Hz. It is a complicated situation, and you are right - it depends on your usage. I live in Belgium, and stick with NTSC to get 4K @ 30 fps. Even if I did get flickering, the advantages would outweigh the disadvantages of dropping to 25 fps.
What kind of videos do you shoot? I also want to stick to NTSC and recently I found out there are some plugins for Premiere to fix light flicker. Do you use any of those?
@@gadgetsandtech yeah, I use NTSC. I was only had the flickering problem when using the camera as a webcam. I didn't need it to have a specific shutter speed, even though 60 would be considered proper. My A/C powered LED lights must be blinking at 60Hz. I can't see it flickering with my own eyes. I just messed with the shutter speed a bit and the flickering went away.
You can shoot 30fps in Europe without seeing any flickering from electric light sources if you use a shutter speed of 1/50s rather than 1/60s. If you are shooting in 1080 or 4k, then the PAL/NTSC option with some cameras (Sony) makes no difference other than allowing different frame rates. I don't really know why Sony persist with requiring this choice. Nikon, for example, do not; the menus simply allow one to choose any of the usual frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50, 60 etc. and there is no need to reformat the memory card when switching between them.
True! Good point! I know a lot of people who shoot 24 fps often have 1/50s shutter speed and gets away with it. I agree, I don't get it either why Sony persist on their poor solution. Really annoying!
Oh wow I had no idea! I was mad that I couldn't shoot 30fps in Europe with my Sony a7iii. So I just need to switch to NTSC and set my shutter speed to 1/50?
@@unaimateo The shutter speed have to be bigger than the FPS. So, if you want to shoot in 30fps, the shooter speed have to be 1/100, almost the 90 degrees shutter angle. The problem is for slow motion. In slow motion doesn’t matter the shutter speed, you will obtain that flickering.
I own a point-and-shoot HD camcorder that is apparently locked to 25 fps. (Maybe a firmware flash could open up more frame rates, but I've never gone down that avenue.) I've been to the USA on holiday with it and shot footage under artificial lighting conditions, and it looks fine on playback.
Happy to hear that. There can be fortunate circumstances like certain shutter speeds that was minimizing the flickering. So it’s not always problematic. Also if you have mixed natural light and artificial light the effect is reduced because the natural light is not flickering. But I’m happy that your footage looked good!
I'm happy I could help! For a long time I didn't know either why it was so important to not shoot NTSC in PAL regions, but since I live in a PAL region myself, I found out the hard way :-D Good luck with your video recordings!
I live in NZ a pal Zone, never knew about this until recently and have been filming in 30 and 60FPS......and havent noticed a thing. Mostly cause i been filming outdoors. Question is i suppose unless you are filming indoors around Artificial lighting does it really matter?
If you film only out doors there is no problem filming NTSC in a PAL country. The flickering problem only occurs if you film in standard electric light indoors. If you use professional video lighting setups it's normally flicker free too. So it's mostly normal light bulbs and eg computer screens etc that causes problems.
I just reproduced your test with three artificial light sources here in Switzerland. There was no flickering at all when recorded with NTSC- 30fps! And Switzerland is part of the PAL- region for sure - how do you explain that?
I’m not sure. I guess you have good quality lights sources, that gives little flicking. Maybe if you record at a higher frame rate, 60 or 120 and play back at 30 you can provoke flickering. But it’s good for you that your light sources don’t cause flickering! :-) cheers!
@@gadgetsandtech There is no reason to avoid 30 FPS in our PAL- region! If there is any flickering: Shoot at 30 FPS at 1/50 sec. instead of 1/60 sec. and see what happens ...
@@markusbolliger1527 yes that’s the best you can do to avoid flicker if you shoot at 30 fps. You will be a bit offset from the 180 degree shutter speed, but that’s more like a rule of thumbs than a law of nature any way.
I made some new tests in a catholic church where I found a Madonna inlighted by a heavy flickering light source when filmed at 30 FPS and 1/60 second. And I read some theoretical papers dealing with the complicated matter around framerate - shutter speed and flickering. To make a long story short, here are my conclusions: 1) Not all artificial light sources flicker - modern LED- lights mostly don't 2) You can avoid flickering when filming in the "wrong" region by adjusting the shutter speed: Shoot at 1/50 sec. when filming with 30 FPS, and 1/100 sec. when filming with 60 FPS. 3) There is no way to avoid flickering by shooting 120 FPS in PAL- countries. There ist flickering at any shutter speed! 4) If you want high slow motion with the highest NTSC- framerates in a PAL- region you have to install a non-flickering light source (LED, light from a battery). 5) You don't have this problem with any PAL- framerate: Every framerate works with flickering lights, not only 25 and 50 FPS, but also 100 and 150 FPS. Fo me this is not enough reason to shoot in PAL mode, because most devices have a frequenzy of 60 and not of 50 Hz, and the higher NTSC- framerates offer more flexibility than the PAL- ones. So my basic-framerate for every video will be 30 FPS, as it has always been, it's the best compromise in my view.
The flickering is not caused by the framerate, but by the shutterspeed. Try shooting this lamp at 30 FPS with a 1/50 shutter and you will see no flickering.
Yes that’s true. Good point! But since you want a 180 degree shutter in most situations, there is often a correlation between shutter speed and frame rate. So if you know you will shoot a lot indoors in a PAL region, I would recommend a “PAL” frame rate.
In Japan we have both 50hz/60hz, a lot of the time smartphone cam are smart enough to deal with 50hz lights when recording at 30fps, I live at 60hz part of Japan, but if you go to Tokyo it's all 50hz so most of the time cheap dashcams sometimes struggles on capturing the trafic lights because it's 50hz in Tokyo , it's kinda stupid to see why this country have both of it haha Tho to be honest, I'm one of those people who actually see some 50hz light flicker sometimes so looking at 50hz is kinda annoying to me.
Great video. Living in Sweden (PAL). Im somewhat of a noob but do video on TH-cam. I sometimes think my videos (shot in 4K 25 fps) is a bit studdery and than I thought I should up my framerates to 30 and this would get better results (probably wrong here). I use several cameras to film my videos, DJI Mini 3 Pro (drone), Sony ZV-1, DJI Action 2 and DJI Pocket. All exept Sony can choose 30 fps standard, but to get it on the Sony I need to switch region from PAL to NTSC. But after viewing my video I should definitely NOT start shooting in 30 fps then? Because it will introduce light flickering? Could shoot in 50 fps instead but then I will have massive files and Im not sure it will improve my video quality. Thoughts? Tips?
One thing you can try is to use an nd filter to be able to have your shutter speed double your frame rate. Eg 1/50 s at 25 fps (look up the 180 degree rule) That will give you a very natural motion blur that will blend each frame nicely to the next frame in your videos and give a smooth fluent feeling. If you instead shot at let’s say 1/1000s at 25fps you will get a sequence of “freeze frames” with no motion blur at all. I believe that can cause the stuttering jerky effect. Cheers!
Im in Germany and NTSC 60 fps at 1/100 is usually no problem. Modern cameras should finally drop this stupid PAL/NTSC setting because shutterspeed fixes flickering most of the time. 100% of consumer cameras are used for social media displayed on 60Hz screeny anyway so 24, 25 and 50 fps dont make any sense.
That helps reducing the flicker too. But the 25 fps is very similar to 24 fps in the overall look and feel, so I personally prefer 25 fps over 24 fps. But let’s say your in a situation where your camera is set to NTSC and can’t change without formatting the card and you get 50hz flickering problems. 24 fps 1/50 shutter is a reasonable option. Or if you are working in a 24 fps project, and just need on scene in electrical light, I’d keep shooting 24 fps. Just in case, make a test shot first on the actual location and see if the result is acceptable. Good luck with your videos! Cheers!
Ich bin kein Professioneller Filmer. Ich Mag Camcorder mit SD Card als Speichermedium. Diesen Camcorder, Panasonic ag-dvc7p camera, habe ich in den USA gesehen. Es handelt sich um einen NTSC Camcorder. Er ist neu. Er kostet nur 150€. Lohnt es sich ihn zu kaufen und nach Deutschland mitzubringen? Die Bilder auf SD Card würde ich auf Dvd brennen.
What frame rate did you use and what shutter speed? Some auto modes can use slow shutter which might be a source to flickering. My best bet would be 25 fps and shutter speed 1/50s. Let me know if it it works to reduce flickering. Cheers!
@@gadgetsandtech frame rate 50i and shutter speed i guess i leave it at AUTO. Im a total amateur , just got a camera so i dont know much unfortunately, but will change the settings as you said and will try it. Thank you !
@@ninodani6 try to set the camera on 25p or 50p. You don’t really need the interlaced (i) format unless you intend to watch your videos on an old CRT TV 📺 . It can be worth a try. Let me know if it works! Cheers!
Test if it helps to have your shutter speed 1/50. Or shoot as much as possible in natural light. You can also test to convert from 25 to 30 fps. No matter which path you choose, make sure you do some thorough testing befor shooting your actual project.
Sir how do you mix ntsc and pal video together in same time line? I have a used camcorder I buy from ntsc region and I live in PAL land. I wanted to add the NTSC footage in my pal time line or vice versa. What would be the best solution for this? Is better to work with pal timeline and convert NTSC to match or is better to work in NTSC timeline and convert pal to match it? What software for converting frame rate and I don't mean like slow motion it or other setting , just want to have audio match in end of rendering for both clips and playback in real time.
Sorry for the late reply. You can do that in final cut pro. There might be som quality loss and blurriness because the frame rates don't evens up, but good enough for most applications.
Im working in kuwait.i used PAL and 30 frames.so how much should i Choose the shutter speed for the vedios? And In other frames also hoe much the shutter speed should i use? Please help
Most editors only have one frame rate for the actual project. You can still add footage of other frame rates, but it will be converted to the new frame rate in you final render. You can also record at eg 120 frames per second (outdoors to avoid flickering) and play it back at 25 fps to get a more prominent slow motion effect than played back at 30 fps.
Yes, the whole power grid in PAL regions is 50 hz. Then it depends on the specific model, but cheaper "regular" lights tend to flicker. Do you live in a PAL or NTSC region?
@@gadgetsandtech I'm from Spain, so PAL. However, I thought it had to do only with TV broadcasting and I tend to do 30fps (since there is no such limitation with the internet) even indoors with regular lights. Something more to have in mind thanks to this information. Thanks!
24fps and 25fps are very similar in look and feel so if possible try to shoot 25 fps. If you need it in 24fps you can also test shooting 24fps but shutter speed 1/50s. That works well in many cases. If you playback 25fps footage at 24fps it will just be slightly slower, but it can look strange for some type of footage and doesn’t work well with dialogues etc.
I see a lot of videos that call 24fps the cinematic standard, but that is not possible in PAL. Will 25fps give me the same result when I'm shooting a video in a PAL region? Thanks so much!!
I haven't shot much 24 fps, but I belive it is not so sensitive. You can use 1/50 as shutterspeed which I believe helps against the flickering. I general slower shutterspeed flickers less than fast shutterspeed.
Clear and informative video. Seems like its important to make PAL/NTSC decision at the outset. Changing between NTSC and PAL rates is not always straightforward - it requires the memory card to be reformatted on the camcorder I am thinking of buying (Panasonic VXF1).
Yes, that is strange. I don’t know about the technical limitations and file formats that causes that poor usability . It’s the same on my Sony a6400 when I change from NTSC to PAL and need to format the memory card. Very annoying if everything is not transferred to my computer!
@@gadgetsandtech Also, it seems 30fps will use more compression than 25fps to stay within, say, the same 100Mbps bitrate, but this doesnt necessarily mean a worse video, in fact, depending on what you are recording it may well look better. I found the concept discussed here forum.dji.com/thread-184403-1-1.html
@@skippyshake yes both are generally very high quality and you can make really good looking videos with both. So “out in the wild” (no electrical light$ it’s just to use what’s best for what you want to achieve. A higher frame allows more slow motion effects, while a lower frame rate allows slower shutter speed and let in more light in low light situations.
Disagree. Outdors only 30p because it looks smoother then 25 ore 24, and indors 25 if its flickering, and use this 25 on 30p timeline... Ok it makes extra every 5th frame copy but its better than flickering lights... 25 p indors also gives longer shutter and lower ISO = less grain on video quality. Thats how I think.
Eg if you want maximum slow motion effect. Then you will often have 60/120/240 fps instead of 50/100/200 fps. If you then play it back at 24 fps, you will see it slower and see more details because you simply have more frames. I often use slow motion in my b rolls and more. And action shoots in slow motion with my GoPro.
But it can actually be the other way around too. I think my rx100 vii could shoot NTSC in 960 fps and PAL in 1000 fps. So there where higher fps in PAL.
to use 30/60 fps for 60Hz screens. 24, 25 and 50 doesnt play well on 60fps screens and every third frame will be displayed double resulting in a very unpleseant playback. look up 3:2 pulldown
@@gadgetsandtech I live in PAL region (Czech republic). I was just wondering about the second option and about differences :-) Your video was rly usefull for me.
yes buuuuuuuuut.............for example if you own a panasonic gh5s or many other cameras the choice of setting you rcinema camera between NTSC (59.94hz)....Pal (50.00hz).....or the cinema setting (24.00hz) means you will have more record format choices.....on a gh5s for example you have 22 choices in ntsc......13 in pal and 9 in cinema frequency setting.......It is important to note if you are recording in outdoor conditions with no electronic lighting and delivering videos to the internet you can use ntsc in the uk for example.....it is only when you are shooting with electric lighting that the camera can get screwed up as the electric charges are different.....so dont shoot ntsc frequency settings under ambient lighting in the uk for example as flicker/pan blur can occur.......yet if you simply want to deliver your post work to the internet say youtube with no ambient lighting as the camera records and you have recorded with natural outdoor light the end result is still potentially professional and ntsc offers more rec choices generally within cinema cameras for recording options......but yes i know its not the easiest choice in the world.....you must really know about your frame rates according to each frequency setting and f stop and lighting also ........
Well said! There are many parameters to consider and also many possible settings to minimize flicker. But it’s good to be aware of the phenomenon for new videographers. And understand the difference between NTSC and PAL frequencies and how to avoid flicker. Do you live in a PAL region or NTSC region?
@@gadgetsandtech I live in a PAL region, but I still use NTSC to film because my studio lights are all high quality LED's that work perfectly with all frame rates. I prefer the 30fps instead of 25 in my timeline :)
PAL? NTSC? HD TV standards do not use Analog standards. You are talking about line field rates. In the olden days UK films for the cinema used to have problems with HMI lights as films for the cinema film at 24 fps or multiples. THe basic idea about flicker in Europe is correct. I find undiffused FLoursecents in Europe give me a migraine attack due to the flicker and old CRT TV's I could only watch in strong light. So if you are an amateur shooting in Europe using domestic electric lighting you probably want to shoot in 25fps but your phone and computers may well produce odd stuttering when you replay as most phones and computers output 60 fps or multiples unless connected to a 50hz computer when the skips may start. Equally if you go to a 60hz country like North America, most of South and central America, Japan one hald (the Electric supply for half of Japan was installed by the Birts and half by the USA so Japan is both) then you want to shoot in 60 hz or mulitples NTSC and PAL are now dead formats as analog has finished but real boradcast NTCS is 29.97 fps not 30 but the synch hold on the tv can cope with this. If you are a commercial or professional cinematographer then you will tek lights with you that are not ac cycle dependent, often battery lights are used for News and Features, and you will shoot for your end market. If it is for theatrical distribution then 4k or 8k 2160 or 4320 and the modern trend is 48 fps or even 96 fps (this is to provide highest quality and greatest flexibility on cgi and effects. You always aim to master 1 level higher than you distribute, If you are shootong to Streaming or Disk then probably 2160p60 or for the new devices 2160p120 . Remember domestic lighting is only one fector. You need to ensure your video plays well on your intended distribution and so I would take a couple fo battery lights and shoot 24 for tehatrical or multiples and 60 for streaming, disk or tv. If you are in a 50hz area and your ditribution is TV only then I would go for 50 and multiples. Before you ask, yes you can get Cameras that switch between the line field rates but they a re professional models and substantially more expensive than using an amateur camcorder or your phone. Also Professional cameras require a higher level of technical understanding to operate correctly as much more flexibilty is offered to create correct image quality. .
I know, in a strict sentence it’s not PAL and NTSC when you shot HD and 4K. This is more of a region context, what happens if your (consumer) camera is set to NTSC region but you are shooting indoors, or at least with electrical light in a PAL region. Lots of people get problems with the flickering videos and don’t know why. So I made this video to explain it and also show what happens. Do you live in a PAL region or NTSC region?
@@gadgetsandtech Yes, I think you are doing a good job explaining to folks who do not understand but if they are told something incorrect then they may get more confused. I commute between USA, Kenya, Japan and UK with the ccasional trip to Brazil (which used to be PAL M). THe fault is Sony's for using the wrong terms yet DVD manufacturers have done it for years. You could say ask then if their ac electric is 50 or 60 cycles but that does not help in Japan which has both. THe reason why it is important is twofold. 1) Get rid of flicker on shooting. You can get round this by using battery light or lighting that does nto flicker (pro lights) but people forget they are going to show it on computers or tv at home or to friends and family. Most UK or European TV's will show 1080p60 as that is the default for Blu Ray but many many US sets will stutter and look terrible trying to display 1080p50 or 1080i50. I advise folks to use 24p as that is failry universal worldwide as that is what the commercial motion picture standardized on about 100 years ago. ANyway it was just a desire to give the correct info. You are doing an excellent service to people who are confused and having to cope with manufacturers like Sony using terms incorrectly. Thanks.
Smartphone video cameras are becoming very good for shooting video, but it's s really frustrating me that they do not support 25p, only 30p, what are your views on this? It seems that no one cares, but 50hz flickering lights look terrible if shot on a 30p smartphone. Will smartphone manufacturers ever realise that 3/4 of the world need 25p smartphone cameras?
@@gadgetsandtech cheap LED spotlights at some music venues tho can always have flickr because the arent perfectly either consistent or in time with powergrid. Idk if because of rectifiers or some lag, or inconsistent production. Sucks for filming gigs tho haha
@@lostspace5811 yeah, that can be an unpleasant surprise when you start filming the scene if you haven’t tested actually filming with them. :-) It can be difficult to see with the eye on forehand but the camera will pick up the flickering.
Do you live in a PAL region or NTSC region? Leave a comment!
Im from America, South America exactly. Now in living in Europe and this just blew my mind!
Pal
SECAM FTW! :)
Thankyou this is very helpfull,I was confused as why I couldn't use 60 fps in Europe...makes sense now.
@@trancebynature4 thank you! I’m happy that I could help! Cheers!
Great video :) Love this straightforward explanation regarding lights (studio vs home light bulbs)!
Thanks! I’m happy I could help! Do you live in a PAL region or NTSC region?
gadgets and tech Thanks again! A PAL region...however leaning towards NTSC format in some circumstances due to a higher frame rate availability on my a6400 🤓
@@HustlewithVideos That's like me. I wanted to shoot NTSC too because of the higher frame rate. But now I'm using PAL more and more. 25 fps is actually quite nice. Maybe I will explore the possibilities with 24 fps too. But I believe it's very similar to 25 fps, regarding the possibility to have longer shutter times.
I also on a Sony a6400. It's a bit annoying that you can't easily switch between PAL and NTSC without reformatting the memory card first. I don't really get why, too me it seems that there must be a better technical solution.
Very useful - I was searching for EXACTLY this information!
Thanks! I'm happy that I could help! Good luck with your videos! Cheers!
Opss I using NTCS in PAL country that's why my video looks Flickring.this is so helpful thanks.
I’m happy I could help! Let me know if you experience less flickering when you switch from NTSC to PAL. Good luck with your videos!
Well I’ve heard that u can change the shutter rate and it’s ok !! if u have that option of course.
It isn't,if you are in PAL country,shoot at NTSC 60P 1/100,it can avoid filcker.
That explains why I have got so much flickering in my videos. I have been shooting 60fps in PAL regions because I thought the higher frame rate was better. Thanks!
Yes, you can easily believe that NTSC is better than PAL because of the higher frame rate, but the amount of information, the actual data readout bitrate, is normally the same for both NTSC and PAL. So there is normally very little difference in quality and PAL also lets you use slower shutter time. Good luck with your videos!
@@gadgetsandtech I did wonder if the actual data readout bitrate is the same, then what is it being used up on PAL if you have fewer fps i.e. 25fps PAL instead of (approx) 30fps NTSC? Is a single frame in PAL holding more detail than a frame in NTSC?
@@skippyshake Yes, that's how I understand my cameras, such as Sony a6400 and Sony rx100 vii. I have 100 fps 100M or 120 fps 100M. So no difference in the amount of data. But that might differ from camera to camera.
@fuck u yes, that’s true for broadcasting. I use PAL vs NTSC in a sloppier more liberal meaning, so this is only regarding the frame rate. That’s because many camera manufacturers just call it PAL even if it’s 1080 or 4K. But the real definition also defines resolution. Good point!
Set your shutter to 100th/sec
What would you in a country like Chile, which has NTSC televisions but the electricity runs at 50Hz?
2:45 it does matter because if you have a camera that only shoots 4K 30fps you can still get 80% slow motion if you shoot 24fps. And of course you'll get 5x rather than 4x between 120fps and 100fps in 24fps and 25fps.
Im seeing a lot of UK video people now shooting 24fps. I don't know if they are cranking the shutter to get around the flicker. Ive had to crank here in the UK when shooting 25fps when Ive had flickering stage lights. It's all a bit confusing really.
True! Good point! You can get a better slow motion effect, the higher frame rate you shoot. If I shoot outdoors, I often shoot 120fps slow motion, just to edit it down to 25 fps. Given there are mostly natural lights.
I guess they are shooting 24 fps but 1/50 shutter speed. That will give less flickering. And it's only a minor offset from the 180 degree rule.
Cheers!
I rarely see it. Also alot of display equipment now works @ 60Hz so you can end up in environments such as train stations with monitors running at 60Hz and lights @ 60Hz. This also means that though TVs run at multples of 50Hz, phones, tablets and monitors display again at multiples of 60Hz. It is a complicated situation, and you are right - it depends on your usage. I live in Belgium, and stick with NTSC to get 4K @ 30 fps. Even if I did get flickering, the advantages would outweigh the disadvantages of dropping to 25 fps.
What kind of videos do you shoot?
I also want to stick to NTSC and recently I found out there are some plugins for Premiere to fix light flicker. Do you use any of those?
If you get the flicker here in the US I change the shutter to 1/80th and it goes away.
Thanks for the advice! But you still have your camera set to NTSC, right? What frame rate do you shoot?
@@gadgetsandtech yeah, I use NTSC. I was only had the flickering problem when using the camera as a webcam. I didn't need it to have a specific shutter speed, even though 60 would be considered proper. My A/C powered LED lights must be blinking at 60Hz. I can't see it flickering with my own eyes. I just messed with the shutter speed a bit and the flickering went away.
@@RichardsWorld Great that you solved it! Thanks for sharing! Keep it up!
@@gadgetsandtech Vey welcome, I'm glad it worked.
You can shoot 30fps in Europe without seeing any flickering from electric light sources if you use a shutter speed of 1/50s rather than 1/60s. If you are shooting in 1080 or 4k, then the PAL/NTSC option with some cameras (Sony) makes no difference other than allowing different frame rates. I don't really know why Sony persist with requiring this choice. Nikon, for example, do not; the menus simply allow one to choose any of the usual frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50, 60 etc. and there is no need to reformat the memory card when switching between them.
True! Good point! I know a lot of people who shoot 24 fps often have 1/50s shutter speed and gets away with it. I agree, I don't get it either why Sony persist on their poor solution. Really annoying!
Oh wow I had no idea! I was mad that I couldn't shoot 30fps in Europe with my Sony a7iii. So I just need to switch to NTSC and set my shutter speed to 1/50?
@@unaimateo The shutter speed have to be bigger than the FPS. So, if you want to shoot in 30fps, the shooter speed have to be 1/100, almost the 90 degrees shutter angle. The problem is for slow motion. In slow motion doesn’t matter the shutter speed, you will obtain that flickering.
@@AurelianIrimia Ah thank you!
@@AurelianIrimia It isn't,if you are in PAL country,shoot at NTSC 60P 1/100,it can avoid filcker.
I own a point-and-shoot HD camcorder that is apparently locked to 25 fps. (Maybe a firmware flash could open up more frame rates, but I've never gone down that avenue.) I've been to the USA on holiday with it and shot footage under artificial lighting conditions, and it looks fine on playback.
Happy to hear that. There can be fortunate circumstances like certain shutter speeds that was minimizing the flickering. So it’s not always problematic. Also if you have mixed natural light and artificial light the effect is reduced because the natural light is not flickering. But I’m happy that your footage looked good!
Det är intressant detta
Tack! Kul att du tycker det är intressant! Vågar jag gissa att du bor i en PAL region? :-)
Looked alot. Found this video really useful. Thank you 🙂👍🏼
I'm happy I could help! For a long time I didn't know either why it was so important to not shoot NTSC in PAL regions, but since I live in a PAL region myself, I found out the hard way :-D Good luck with your video recordings!
@@gadgetsandtech Thanks!
I live in NZ a pal Zone, never knew about this until recently and have been filming in 30 and 60FPS......and havent noticed a thing. Mostly cause i been filming outdoors. Question is i suppose unless you are filming indoors around Artificial lighting does it really matter?
If you film only out doors there is no problem filming NTSC in a PAL country. The flickering problem only occurs if you film in standard electric light indoors. If you use professional video lighting setups it's normally flicker free too. So it's mostly normal light bulbs and eg computer screens etc that causes problems.
@@gadgetsandtech Thanks for that....Im an amature still learning and it made me wonder if i had to change.
I just reproduced your test with three artificial light sources here in Switzerland. There was no flickering at all when recorded with NTSC- 30fps! And Switzerland is part of the PAL- region for sure - how do you explain that?
I’m not sure. I guess you have good quality lights sources, that gives little flicking. Maybe if you record at a higher frame rate, 60 or 120 and play back at 30 you can provoke flickering. But it’s good for you that your light sources don’t cause flickering! :-) cheers!
@@gadgetsandtech There is no reason to avoid 30 FPS in our PAL- region! If there is any flickering: Shoot at 30 FPS at 1/50 sec. instead of 1/60 sec. and see what happens ...
@@markusbolliger1527 yes that’s the best you can do to avoid flicker if you shoot at 30 fps. You will be a bit offset from the 180 degree shutter speed, but that’s more like a rule of thumbs than a law of nature any way.
@@gadgetsandtech Correct - and you will not the see the difference between shots taken at 1/60 and 1/50 sec.
I made some new tests in a catholic church where I found a Madonna inlighted by a heavy flickering light source when filmed at 30 FPS and 1/60 second. And I read some theoretical papers dealing with the complicated matter around framerate - shutter speed and flickering.
To make a long story short, here are my conclusions:
1) Not all artificial light sources flicker - modern LED- lights mostly don't
2) You can avoid flickering when filming in the "wrong" region by adjusting the shutter speed: Shoot at 1/50 sec. when filming with 30 FPS, and 1/100 sec. when filming with 60 FPS.
3) There is no way to avoid flickering by shooting 120 FPS in PAL- countries. There ist flickering at any shutter speed!
4) If you want high slow motion with the highest NTSC- framerates in a PAL- region you have to install a non-flickering light source (LED, light from a battery).
5) You don't have this problem with any PAL- framerate: Every framerate works with flickering lights, not only 25 and 50 FPS, but also 100 and 150 FPS.
Fo me this is not enough reason to shoot in PAL mode, because most devices have a frequenzy of 60 and not of 50 Hz, and the higher NTSC- framerates offer more flexibility than the PAL- ones. So my basic-framerate for every video will be 30 FPS, as it has always been, it's the best compromise in my view.
The flickering is not caused by the framerate, but by the shutterspeed. Try shooting this lamp at 30 FPS with a 1/50 shutter and you will see no flickering.
Yes that’s true. Good point! But since you want a 180 degree shutter in most situations, there is often a correlation between shutter speed and frame rate. So if you know you will shoot a lot indoors in a PAL region, I would recommend a “PAL” frame rate.
In Japan we have both 50hz/60hz, a lot of the time smartphone cam are smart enough to deal with 50hz lights when recording at 30fps, I live at 60hz part of Japan, but if you go to Tokyo it's all 50hz so most of the time cheap dashcams sometimes struggles on capturing the trafic lights because it's 50hz in Tokyo , it's kinda stupid to see why this country have both of it haha
Tho to be honest, I'm one of those people who actually see some 50hz light flicker sometimes so looking at 50hz is kinda annoying to me.
Very Informative :) Thanks
Glad it was helpful! Good luck with your videos!
Excellent explaination, thanks!
I’m happy that I could help! :-) Do you live in a PAL or NTSC region?
@@gadgetsandtech PAL, so I was a bit like why would I film at a lower frame-rate. But now it makes good sense i.e. in indoor situations.
Great video. Living in Sweden (PAL). Im somewhat of a noob but do video on TH-cam. I sometimes think my videos (shot in 4K 25 fps) is a bit studdery and than I thought I should up my framerates to 30 and this would get better results (probably wrong here). I use several cameras to film my videos, DJI Mini 3 Pro (drone), Sony ZV-1, DJI Action 2 and DJI Pocket. All exept Sony can choose 30 fps standard, but to get it on the Sony I need to switch region from PAL to NTSC.
But after viewing my video I should definitely NOT start shooting in 30 fps then? Because it will introduce light flickering? Could shoot in 50 fps instead but then I will have massive files and Im not sure it will improve my video quality. Thoughts? Tips?
One thing you can try is to use an nd filter to be able to have your shutter speed double your frame rate. Eg 1/50 s at 25 fps (look up the 180 degree rule) That will give you a very natural motion blur that will blend each frame nicely to the next frame in your videos and give a smooth fluent feeling. If you instead shot at let’s say 1/1000s at 25fps you will get a sequence of “freeze frames” with no motion blur at all. I believe that can cause the stuttering jerky effect. Cheers!
My camera can't shoot at 30fps in PAL settings. Is only available in NTSC. Now what :/
Do you want to shot 30 or 25 fps? If you want to record in 30 fps, use NTSC. If you want to record in 25 fps use PAL.
@@gadgetsandtech PAL country this one. I guess shooting outdoors is my only option at present. I wish we had 30 fps.
@@shivii3850 Yes if 30fps is important for your projects, I would go for only shooting outdoors. Otherwise I would suggest shooting 25 or 50 fps.
@@gadgetsandtech yea! Thanku for the video!
Great explanation.. Subscribed.
Im in Germany and NTSC 60 fps at 1/100 is usually no problem. Modern cameras should finally drop this stupid PAL/NTSC setting because shutterspeed fixes flickering most of the time. 100% of consumer cameras are used for social media displayed on 60Hz screeny anyway so 24, 25 and 50 fps dont make any sense.
PAL is the main system in south america too.....brasil pal m argentina uruguay y paraguay pal n
Thank you! Good to know! Do you live in South America?
@@gadgetsandtech canada
@@luiscardozo0000 ok, I see. But Canada i NTSC right?
I set mine to ntsc when i press record it is saying recording is unavailable please help
Very helpful, thanks.
I’m happy that I could help! Do you live in a PAL region or NTSC region?
Good video. Will surely use in my upcoming vlog.
Thanks! I’m happy that I could help! Do you live in a pal region or NTSC region?
@@gadgetsandtech pal
What Happens when i shoot NTSC in a PAL Country with 24fps and 1/50 shutter no Flicker?
That helps reducing the flicker too. But the 25 fps is very similar to 24 fps in the overall look and feel, so I personally prefer 25 fps over 24 fps. But let’s say your in a situation where your camera is set to NTSC and can’t change without formatting the card and you get 50hz flickering problems. 24 fps 1/50 shutter is a reasonable option. Or if you are working in a 24 fps project, and just need on scene in electrical light, I’d keep shooting 24 fps. Just in case, make a test shot first on the actual location and see if the result is acceptable. Good luck with your videos! Cheers!
So freaking useful! Thanks!!!!
Thank you! I’m happy that I could help. Good luck with your videos! Cheer!
Ich bin kein Professioneller Filmer. Ich Mag Camcorder mit SD Card als Speichermedium.
Diesen Camcorder, Panasonic ag-dvc7p camera, habe ich in den USA gesehen. Es handelt sich um einen NTSC Camcorder. Er ist neu. Er kostet nur 150€. Lohnt es sich ihn zu kaufen und nach Deutschland mitzubringen? Die Bilder auf SD Card würde ich auf Dvd brennen.
I live in Europe and when i record a video the lights are flickering, maybe i should use NTSC?
What frame rate did you use and what shutter speed? Some auto modes can use slow shutter which might be a source to flickering. My best bet would be 25 fps and shutter speed 1/50s. Let me know if it it works to reduce flickering. Cheers!
@@gadgetsandtech frame rate 50i and shutter speed i guess i leave it at AUTO. Im a total amateur , just got a camera so i dont know much unfortunately, but will change the settings as you said and will try it. Thank you !
@@ninodani6 try to set the camera on 25p or 50p. You don’t really need the interlaced (i) format unless you intend to watch your videos on an old CRT TV 📺 . It can be worth a try. Let me know if it works! Cheers!
@@gadgetsandtech it worked! Thanks a lot!
@@ninodani6 I'm happy to hear that it worked! Good luck with your videos! Cheers!
Am in pal region but want to shoot a documentary which will be shown in NTSC region..any help?
Test if it helps to have your shutter speed 1/50. Or shoot as much as possible in natural light. You can also test to convert from 25 to 30 fps. No matter which path you choose, make sure you do some thorough testing befor shooting your actual project.
Sir how do you mix ntsc and pal video together in same time line? I have a used camcorder I buy from ntsc region and I live in PAL land. I wanted to add the NTSC footage in my pal time line or vice versa. What would be the best solution for this? Is better to work with pal timeline and convert NTSC to match or is better to work in NTSC timeline and convert pal to match it? What software for converting frame rate and I don't mean like slow motion it or other setting , just want to have audio match in end of rendering for both clips and playback in real time.
Sorry for the late reply. You can do that in final cut pro. There might be som quality loss and blurriness because the frame rates don't evens up, but good enough for most applications.
@@gadgetsandtech thanks for the response :)
Im working in kuwait.i used PAL and 30 frames.so how much should i Choose the shutter speed for the vedios? And In other frames also hoe much the shutter speed should i use? Please help
@@___kt____4966 if you have 50hz electric grid I would go for 25fps or 50fps. Personally I prefer 25 fps and the shutter 1/50s. Cheers!
Can we mix 25 or 50 with 24 or 60 in the same timeline?can we export in 24 on a pal region?
Most editors only have one frame rate for the actual project. You can still add footage of other frame rates, but it will be converted to the new frame rate in you final render. You can also record at eg 120 frames per second (outdoors to avoid flickering) and play it back at 25 fps to get a more prominent slow motion effect than played back at 30 fps.
Question: do regular ceiling LED lights flicker too?
Yes, the whole power grid in PAL regions is 50 hz. Then it depends on the specific model, but cheaper "regular" lights tend to flicker. Do you live in a PAL or NTSC region?
@@gadgetsandtech I'm from Spain, so PAL. However, I thought it had to do only with TV broadcasting and I tend to do 30fps (since there is no such limitation with the internet) even indoors with regular lights. Something more to have in mind thanks to this information. Thanks!
If I record the video in 25fps in a Pal country, and export it to 23fps (Cinema) will that affect the final export of the video?
24fps and 25fps are very similar in look and feel so if possible try to shoot 25 fps. If you need it in 24fps you can also test shooting 24fps but shutter speed 1/50s. That works well in many cases. If you playback 25fps footage at 24fps it will just be slightly slower, but it can look strange for some type of footage and doesn’t work well with dialogues etc.
I see a lot of videos that call 24fps the cinematic standard, but that is not possible in PAL. Will 25fps give me the same result when I'm shooting a video in a PAL region? Thanks so much!!
I haven't shot much 24 fps, but I belive it is not so sensitive. You can use 1/50 as shutterspeed which I believe helps against the flickering. I general slower shutterspeed flickers less than fast shutterspeed.
If I'm filming outside can i use NTC? , I live in Europe.
Yes, this problem occurs when you have electric lights. So it’s mainly an indoor problem. But you can still see som flicking from street lights.
very useful video! Thnks!!!!
Glad it was helpful! Do you live in a PAL or NTSC region?
@@gadgetsandtech NTSC but doing a investigation about work record in other regions.
Clear and informative video. Seems like its important to make PAL/NTSC decision at the outset. Changing between NTSC and PAL rates is not always straightforward - it requires the memory card to be reformatted on the camcorder I am thinking of buying (Panasonic VXF1).
Yes, that is strange. I don’t know about the technical limitations and file formats that causes that poor usability . It’s the same on my Sony a6400 when I change from NTSC to PAL and need to format the memory card. Very annoying if everything is not transferred to my computer!
@@gadgetsandtech Also, it seems 30fps will use more compression than 25fps to stay within, say, the same 100Mbps bitrate, but this doesnt necessarily mean a worse video, in fact, depending on what you are recording it may well look better. I found the concept discussed here forum.dji.com/thread-184403-1-1.html
@@skippyshake yes both are generally very high quality and you can make really good looking videos with both. So “out in the wild” (no electrical light$ it’s just to use what’s best for what you want to achieve. A higher frame allows more slow motion effects, while a lower frame rate allows slower shutter speed and let in more light in low light situations.
new subscriber,
Great video
Thank you! I’m happy that you like it!
My samsung s9 only supports up to 25fps in PAL
I live in germany....
Rip
You should shoot PAL in Germany since Europe is a PAL region. So 25fps is perfect for Germany!
Disagree.
Outdors only 30p because it looks smoother then 25 ore 24, and indors 25 if its flickering,
and use this 25 on 30p timeline...
Ok it makes extra every 5th frame copy but its better than flickering lights...
25 p indors also gives longer shutter and lower ISO = less grain on video quality.
Thats how I think.
Can I ask why might you want to shoot in NTSC in Europe? Like what circumstances would you prefer to do that? Why not just stick to 25fps? Thanks
Eg if you want maximum slow motion effect. Then you will often have 60/120/240 fps instead of 50/100/200 fps. If you then play it back at 24 fps, you will see it slower and see more details because you simply have more frames. I often use slow motion in my b rolls and more. And action shoots in slow motion with my GoPro.
But it can actually be the other way around too. I think my rx100 vii could shoot NTSC in 960 fps and PAL in 1000 fps. So there where higher fps in PAL.
to use 30/60 fps for 60Hz screens. 24, 25 and 50 doesnt play well on 60fps screens and every third frame will be displayed double resulting in a very unpleseant playback. look up 3:2 pulldown
Well done...
But man your eyes doesn't blinks at all 😮🤔🤔
Haha, that must be because of the jump cuts and that I’m still not comfortable talking to the camera. Not because of NTSC or PAL frame rates:-D
Informative!
Thanks! I’m happy that I could help! Do you live in a pal region or NTSC region?
@@gadgetsandtech I live in a NTSC region but I edit PAL footage from my client.
nice video, thanks
Thanks! Do you live in a PAL region or NTSC region? Have you had problems with shooting NTSC in a PAL region?
@@gadgetsandtech I live in PAL region (Czech republic). I was just wondering about the second option and about differences :-) Your video was rly usefull for me.
@@2dmusic73 Thanks! I'm happy I could help! Good luck with your videos!
@@gadgetsandtech thanks m8 :-)
NTSC = Never Twice the Same Colour.
yes buuuuuuuuut.............for example if you own a panasonic gh5s or many other cameras the choice of setting you rcinema camera between NTSC (59.94hz)....Pal (50.00hz).....or the cinema setting (24.00hz) means you will have more record format choices.....on a gh5s for example you have 22 choices in ntsc......13 in pal and 9 in cinema frequency setting.......It is important to note if you are recording in outdoor conditions with no electronic lighting and delivering videos to the internet you can use ntsc in the uk for example.....it is only when you are shooting with electric lighting that the camera can get screwed up as the electric charges are different.....so dont shoot ntsc frequency settings under ambient lighting in the uk for example as flicker/pan blur can occur.......yet if you simply want to deliver your post work to the internet say youtube with no ambient lighting as the camera records and you have recorded with natural outdoor light the end result is still potentially professional and ntsc offers more rec choices generally within cinema cameras for recording options......but yes i know its not the easiest choice in the world.....you must really know about your frame rates according to each frequency setting and f stop and lighting also ........
Well said! There are many parameters to consider and also many possible settings to minimize flicker. But it’s good to be aware of the phenomenon for new videographers. And understand the difference between NTSC and PAL frequencies and how to avoid flicker. Do you live in a PAL region or NTSC region?
thank you for sharing very informative godbless
You are so welcome, I'm happy I could help! Do you live in a PAL or NTSC region?
Thank you 🙂
It isn't,if you are in PAL country,shoot at NTSC 60P 1/100,it can avoid filcker.
That can reduce the problem significantly, but not solve it fully. But good point! Thanks!
Good, thankyou.
Thank you! I'm happy I could help! Do you live in a PAL region?
Thanks a lot, now I get it!
Glad I could help! Do you live in a NTCS region or PAL region?
@@gadgetsandtech I live in a PAL region, but I still use NTSC to film because my studio lights are all high quality LED's that work perfectly with all frame rates. I prefer the 30fps instead of 25 in my timeline :)
@@fullselfcontrol Great! Yes, with quality LED's and other proffesional light sources there are no problems. Cheers!
PAL? NTSC? HD TV standards do not use Analog standards. You are talking about line field rates. In the olden days UK films for the cinema used to have problems with HMI lights as films for the cinema film at 24 fps or multiples. THe basic idea about flicker in Europe is correct. I find undiffused FLoursecents in Europe give me a migraine attack due to the flicker and old CRT TV's I could only watch in strong light. So if you are an amateur shooting in Europe using domestic electric lighting you probably want to shoot in 25fps but your phone and computers may well produce odd stuttering when you replay as most phones and computers output 60 fps or multiples unless connected to a 50hz computer when the skips may start. Equally if you go to a 60hz country like North America, most of South and central America, Japan one hald (the Electric supply for half of Japan was installed by the Birts and half by the USA so Japan is both) then you want to shoot in 60 hz or mulitples NTSC and PAL are now dead formats as analog has finished but real boradcast NTCS is 29.97 fps not 30 but the synch hold on the tv can cope with this. If you are a commercial or professional cinematographer then you will tek lights with you that are not ac cycle dependent, often battery lights are used for News and Features, and you will shoot for your end market. If it is for theatrical distribution then 4k or 8k 2160 or 4320 and the modern trend is 48 fps or even 96 fps (this is to provide highest quality and greatest flexibility on cgi and effects. You always aim to master 1 level higher than you distribute, If you are shootong to Streaming or Disk then probably 2160p60 or for the new devices 2160p120 . Remember domestic lighting is only one fector. You need to ensure your video plays well on your intended distribution and so I would take a couple fo battery lights and shoot 24 for tehatrical or multiples and 60 for streaming, disk or tv. If you are in a 50hz area and your ditribution is TV only then I would go for 50 and multiples. Before you ask, yes you can get Cameras that switch between the line field rates but they a re professional models and substantially more expensive than using an amateur camcorder or your phone. Also Professional cameras require a higher level of technical understanding to operate correctly as much more flexibilty is offered to create correct image quality. .
I know, in a strict sentence it’s not PAL and NTSC when you shot HD and 4K. This is more of a region context, what happens if your (consumer) camera is set to NTSC region but you are shooting indoors, or at least with electrical light in a PAL region. Lots of people get problems with the flickering videos and don’t know why. So I made this video to explain it and also show what happens. Do you live in a PAL region or NTSC region?
@@gadgetsandtech Yes, I think you are doing a good job explaining to folks who do not understand but if they are told something incorrect then they may get more confused. I commute between USA, Kenya, Japan and UK with the ccasional trip to Brazil (which used to be PAL M). THe fault is Sony's for using the wrong terms yet DVD manufacturers have done it for years. You could say ask then if their ac electric is 50 or 60 cycles but that does not help in Japan which has both. THe reason why it is important is twofold. 1) Get rid of flicker on shooting. You can get round this by using battery light or lighting that does nto flicker (pro lights) but people forget they are going to show it on computers or tv at home or to friends and family. Most UK or European TV's will show 1080p60 as that is the default for Blu Ray but many many US sets will stutter and look terrible trying to display 1080p50 or 1080i50. I advise folks to use 24p as that is failry universal worldwide as that is what the commercial motion picture standardized on about 100 years ago. ANyway it was just a desire to give the correct info. You are doing an excellent service to people who are confused and having to cope with manufacturers like Sony using terms incorrectly. Thanks.
Thank you! All additional information that can enlighten (pun intended:-)) the community is great! Cheers!
Many cartoon network's cartoon in Europe was dubbed in PAL and I really hate this fact!
Yes, thats annoying.
👍🏻👍🏻
Smartphone video cameras are becoming very good for shooting video, but it's s really frustrating me that they do not support 25p, only 30p, what are your views on this? It seems that no one cares, but 50hz flickering lights look terrible if shot on a 30p smartphone. Will smartphone manufacturers ever realise that 3/4 of the world need 25p smartphone cameras?
It’s different on different phones. On iPhone, iOS 14.3 there is a toggle button that says “show PAL format”. Let me know if it works?
It can also depend on the hardware not just the iOS version. I believe all iPhone are not able to shoot PAL, some can probably only shoot NTSC.
abi seni seviyorum
I love you too! :-) Let me know if you have any questions regarding this! Cheers!
Why does it matter? We all use iphone and android. Pal ntsc doesn’t matter anymore
Because on your iPhone you must select frame rate (PAL or NTSC ) in your camera settings, or you will get those flickering problems. Cheers!
150fps is the best option 🗿
Just set your shutter to 100th second
Good advice! 100th shutter speed is good too since it’s a multiple of 50.
@@gadgetsandtech cheap LED spotlights at some music venues tho can always have flickr because the arent perfectly either consistent or in time with powergrid. Idk if because of rectifiers or some lag, or inconsistent production. Sucks for filming gigs tho haha
@@lostspace5811 yeah, that can be an unpleasant surprise when you start filming the scene if you haven’t tested actually filming with them. :-) It can be difficult to see with the eye on forehand but the camera will pick up the flickering.