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Newb settings question
Hello All!
So I have a quick few questions. I obviously film everything with manual settings and I was always told that you are supposed to double the shutter speed for whatever frame rate you are using. My question is I’d like to begin filming myself vlog style and was wondering if someone could explain auto exposure to me. Why is it that it adjusts the shutter speed along with the iso no matter what frame rate I’m using? And say if I’m shooting in 30fps and it automatically jumps up to 1/125 how does that effect the quality of my video? Should i just set up auto ISO? One other quick question is that I see people often when vlogging just move the wheel for changing the shutter speed and not pressing down the aperture and shutter wheel to adjust the aperture – why is that? Is it not mandatory to have the shutter speed be exactly double the frame rate? or do they have custom settings?
Sorry if that is too confusing!
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5 Replies
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Mate, we don’t even know what camera you’re using. But let me say this: there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of tutorials, articles, and sites that can teach you how to use your camera, or at least how to understand exposure and auto-exposure. You should try a quick Google search.
If you want to film in a semi-automated exposure mode but keep your shutter consistent, use Shutter Priority mode.
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Sorry, I can tell you didn’t like my post. I still can’t find the right answer. I’m guessing in auto movie mode it adjusts the aperture, iso, and the shutter speed obviously. But the difference in the shutter speed isn’t that great so it’s hard to see a difference?
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I still don’t know what camera you’re shooting–you haven’t told me! It’s important to give all the information available when asking for help, otherwise every piece of information we give you is a complete guess. I’m going to assume that you’re shooting a DSLR, possibly a Canon Rebel? The following information is based on that guess. If it’s wrong…sorry. Tell me what camera you’re using, and I’ll be more specific, more helpful, and less grouchy 🙂
The reason the auto-exposure adjusts all those settings is because that’s what auto-exposure does! If you’re wondering why its changing the shutter, it’s because DSLRs’ auto-exposure programs are designed for still shots, so a fast shutter speed is desirable. It’s not in video.
You don’t want to change your shutter speed from 1/(2 * framerate) unless you want a certain look. If your shutter speed goes too high, the video will look choppy due to reduced motion blur, while if it’s too slow, the motion blur gets out of control.
Frankly, you’re NEVER going to get a good result using an auto-exposure mode on a DSLR. Never. If you let the camera control the shutter speed, you get weird motion blur artifacts as described above. If you let it control the aperture, you get weird flickering exposure changes because DSLR apertures snap to certain set apertures, rather than smoothly transitioning. If you let it control ISO, you get some the same exposure changes, coupled with changes in the amount of grain in the image as the ISO goes higher.
TLDR: Don’t use auto-exposure on a DSLR for video. It sucks. It’s better to find some manual settings that generally work for your scene, and just deal with a few small changes in the exposure. If you’re shooting a vlog that requires you to go from inside to outside, shoot two takes, one for inside, one for outside, and cross cut when you go out the door. It’s better than the horrible problems that cameras create because they’re not as smart, or as capable, as human operators.
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You were correct in assuming I had a rebel haha that obvious huh? THANK YOU!!! That is the exact response I have been looking for. I really appreciate you taking the time out and responding that in-depthly. That’s what makes this community so great.
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Glad I could help. The most helpful thing to do when you’re asking any tech question is make sure to lay out your gear and setup in your very first post, in as much detail as possible; without knowing that, the person on the other end is likely to give you only very generalized info.
I just guessed you had a Rebel knowing that it’s a really popular choice for shooters just starting out…an educated, but lucky, guess 🙂
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