Micah Mcdowell
Forum Replies Created
-
You might want to include what model/format each camera is, what software you’re running, and the specs of your editing computer.
Assuming you’re using some flavor of Premiere Pro: in your timeline, you’d likely need to scale down the HD footage using Motion under the Effects Controls tab when the clip is selected.
Did you render the footage? If you see a red bar above a clip in the timeline, it needs to be rendered to play back a preview smoothly. You can do this by hitting enter or going to Sequence>Render Work Area.
I apologize if I’m being too basic/not basic enough.
-
EF lenses are designed to cover the entire sensor of all Canon full-frame DSLRs and 35mm film cameras. EF-S is specifically engineered for APS-C (smaller) sensor cameras, like the T2i.
To put it simply, both EF-S and EF work on your T2i just fine, but if you were to upgrade to a 5DmkII in the future, your EF-S lenses would not fit.
As for the zoom lenses you mention, it’s hard to say. What are your needs? Do you need long zooms?
As a basic kit, I’d get:
- good super-wide (Sigma 10-22mm perhaps?)
- a 50mm prime (the Canon 50mm 1.8 is a perfectly good lens if you’re on a budget, but the 1.4 is slightly better and a bit more light/narrower depth of field wide open)
- a good telephoto
- hang on to the kit lens just in case
Remember, you don’t have to cover every focal length. And personally, I hate zooms.
One last note, you don’t have to have an external light meter. I use my T2i with manual lenses and work just fine, but you can certainly grab one if it’s in the budget.
-
I’ve got black and a couple gray/silver cases, though it seems that bags are often blue for whatever reason (Porta-Brace, Petrol, etc.).
I know a church that has a pile of ancient JVC studio cameras languishing in a closet… all hideously bright orange. Maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time?
-
It looks like the FX used Canon FL mount lenses, which are more or less mechanically similar to Canon’s old FD lenses. That’s some classic equipment, for sure.
Those older lenses will NOT directly fit onto the 7D. The 7D, like all modern Canon cameras, uses the EOS mount which is totally different than the FL/FD mount. There are adapters to fit FD to the 7D, but there’s two types; simple metal ring adapters which won’t allow the lens to focus to infinity, or optical adapters which are expensive and degrade the image quality of the lens.
So, unless you have some very special high-end lenses from your FX kit, I would relegate them to antique collectible status and buy some new glass for the 7D. The 7D is a great camera, so it’s worth it.
Also, stay away from the kit lens and get some good glass for it.
-
Looks like the ONLY cameras with 60x zoom under $500 are a few models of Sony Handycam, available at your local Wal-Mart or other electronics retailer. Are you sure you need all that zoom?
-
What’s your budget?
Are you thinking $75,000 for a good HD 2/3″ ENG cam with a long lens like what Ryan suggested, or more like $500 for a Sony Handycam with a 60x optical zoom? That’s a wide price range to say the least, and they both fit your description.
To answer your second question, you will ALWAYS get poor audio using the built-in mic on any camera for interviews, especially outdoors.
You should get a good wireless lavalier mic that you can plug to your camera. These range in price from $150 (Audio-Technica Pro 88W is a decent low-budget choice) to many thousands for high end mics.
Most modern professional cameras have excellent audio quality when connected to good microphones. Recording separately (“dual system”) and syncing together in post is usually used in film production or with many of the new DSLR cameras that don’t have good manual control of audio levels. If the camera has XLR mic inputs and allows you to set your own levels, you’re probably good to go.
-
No, the T2i definitely has manual control of the exposure during video (aperture, shutter, and ISO).
What “variable f-stop” refers to is that the f-stop isn’t constant over the entire zoom range. On the kit lens with the T2i, it varies from f/3.5 on the wide end to f/5.6 at full zoom telephoto. Therefore, you can’t zoom with it while recording.
Personally, I rarely zoom during a shot anyway, so it’s not an issue. Admittedly, the kit lens is pretty lousy. I use a 50mm f/1.8 prime most of the time, and only use the kit lens for occasional wide angles until I get a better dedicated wide angle lens.
-
The AJ-D230H is definitely standard-def DVCPro25 only; no DVCPRO50 or HD support if that’s the issue.
If the tapes do indeed contain plain ol’ DVCPro25 footage, your deck have dirty heads or need repair.
-
I haven’t heard very much buzz about the K7’s video mode, though it certainly appears to be a nice camera. As for the Nikons, they’re great for stills but the video isn’t quite as impressive.
Canon seems to be where the action is with dual use video/still cams. You can use Pentax lenses on Canon EOS cameras with a cheap adapter, though they’ll be manual focus/aperture only. If you have some really great Pentax glass, you could use it that way without sticking to Pentax bodies. I’m doing that with some Olympus lenses on my new Canon T2i. The video is quite impressive, and manual focus is preferred for motion use anyway.
Your TASCAM may come in handy; audio recording is currently lousy on most DSLRs so you may want to use it for audio and sync it up to your video in post, just like the film guys have always done.
-
Honestly, to get any kind of quality results recording a concert, you need multiple cameras. I’d save up and get at least one camera similar to what you have. Set one up at the back of the venue as a wide master shot and use another with a monopod or handheld as a roving B-roll cam for closeups. If you’re stuck with a single cam, do as the others have suggested and hope for the best.
There will be audio issues as already mentioned. If you wanted true pro results, you’d have to have a multitrack recorder recording everything that’s coming to the board on separate tracks, plus several room mics in the venue. Then you’d do your own mix later. Anything less won’t ever truly sound very good. Multitrack recorders are the cheapest they’ve ever been right now, with a suitable TASCAM 2488 under $700 new, and much cheaper used.
However, if you’re really working with no budget, the best you can do is try to get a feed from the board to the wide shot camera and record camera mic audio with the other camera as some have suggested. Or, you could just record with a stereo pair of room mics, which may turn out great or horrible depending on the room’s acoustics and other factors. Remember, you’re shooting a concert. The whole point is the music; poor video will be much more forgivable and less distracting than poor audio quality in this situation.