I discovered something, in P mode, the picture on the LCD goes darker (which is why I was having to use all those bulbs). P mode says "the camcorder automatically adjusts the aperture and shutter speed to obtain the optimal exposure for the subject" If I switch it to M mode, the picture gets much brighter (M is full manual control) When I change to M mode, on the screen it says F2.4. There's a 2.0 but it's greyed out, not selectable. Below that there's a 1/30, and below that there's a 5dB. So perhaps I will set the white balance and just try recording in this mode with two bulbs in each softbox. As much as I've read on this stuff, I don't think I'll ever understand it, and I've been messing with it since 2004. I guess that's what I get for never taking a class.
