Because lightning is such an unusual event to capture on tape, good advice is super hard or impossible to come by from manufacturers or video "experts" on what one sees on video.
As lightning gets closer to the camcorder there is a tendency for the strike to look fatter and fatter (becoming overexposed). Eventually it looks more V shaped, almost like a tornado funnel (becoming even more overexposed).
Finally, if it is too close, it is usually a white blur on the whole frame (fully overexposed). The cause is simply
that camcorders can't deal with the sudden burst of light effectively without overexposing. In the case of still cameras, the image burns onto the film more slowly, and with the right f-stop one can get a more distinct close lightning
channel without overexposing.
{KNIP}
This is the frame that often gets misinterpreted by some into believing lightning
struck right in front of them with false claims. This frame shows a clear part of the lightning channel in the lower half of the picture before the big flash in the next frame.
What is this and why is it only on half of the frame? After so many attempts to get the answer, I finally got it from a sharp man at a video electronics store here about 4 years ago.
DE MEEST WAARSCHIJNLIJKE VERKLARING
The lightning streak is simple enough, it is the very early part of the lightning channel becoming visible before the full bright flash on the next frame. Why it is only on half
of the frame is the tricky part. As was explained to me, the lightning streak on the bottom of the frame is actually an overlapping from the next frame. As the tape moves
through the record heads of the camcorder, occasionally information intended for one frame appears on part of a preceding frame. And it appears on the bottom half of the frame instead of at the top of the next frame where it
belongs. The bonus in this case is that {persoon} got part of the lightning channel before it because fully exposed on the
next frame. Lightning is an unusual subject to record because it suddenly appears from nowhere. A tape moving over the record heads is going from no lightning directly to all of it. Sometimes this information can get confused and
can appear partially on the wrong frame.
OUDERE SUGGESTIES
Last year I called SONY about this occurrence to see if they could explain what is going on. They offered 3 possibilities, all of which
may occur in different situations:
1. During the recording process in any format, frames are created of
what we are taping. There is a process of attempting to make successive
frames consistent. This process is more effective in the digital
format. Because lightning "suddenly" appears during the recording
process, it can appear on part of a frame that is already being
recorded. I called this a "broken frame" example. This would explain
one type of "ghost" that I have gotten on both VHS and digital. See
below for my example.
2. Possible reflection. On the one hand I can understand this, but on
another hand I cannot. If there is this reflection occurring, why
doesn't it occur on other frames of a close strike. Also, why don't we
also see both the actual lightning and the reflected image? If we aim
at a bright light, the sun, or the moon, for example, we see the light
source and the reflected image both.
3. Natural mechanical flaw inherent in the recording process that will
cause this to happen from time to time. Sounds like a catch-all excuse
in a way.
ANTWOORD OP OUDERE VERKLARING
I think #2 explanation might be the best, particularly if you're
using UV filters or the like. I stick to shooting stills but discovered years
ago that when shooting at night, especially if stopped down for extra depth,
I would occasionally get a reflection of city lights or other bright
highlights. Solution... I don't use filters at night. On a couple of
occasions with close lightning strikes I wound up with some fogging
(overexposure) that appeared to be a sort of lens flare (refraction), both
times I was shooting wide open at either f1.4 or f2.8 with my 50mm or my
70-210mm respectively. No reasonable solution in this case, try not to shoot
something so bright so close I guess, although stopping down a bit would
reduce the fogging effect a little. It would also reduce the brilliance of
the more distant strikes.
Perhaps the video cameras are able to hold the reflected or refracted image
in sharp focus creating the ghost effect. I've seen video of water drops in
sharp focus on the front lens element while speed boats or whatever race
through the background, also in sharp focus. That kind of depth is virtually
impossible with an SLR. Not sure why it would only show up on a small portion
of the video. Maybe that was where the lightning was the most intense
(brightest)?
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