[Sony HDR-PJ30VE] Recording bright/dark scene?

[yetanotherlogin]

Hello,

Using a Sony HDR-PJ30VE camcorder and the default parameters, I recorded this conference where the speaker is not well lit (face mostly in the dark, hands lit by desk lamp).

Do you think I could have done it better by shooting in manual mode? If yes, which parameters could I try the next time I have to shoot in the same context?

Thank you.