Steve Crow
Forum Replies Created
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Look for an option to film in 1920×1080 24p mode instead – thats 24 frames per second progressive. I think you will like the results much better
Steve
Steve Crow
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No worries Sam, best of luck in all your future filmmaking
Steve
Steve Crow
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The two biggest brands of loupes on the market for DLSR video that I know of seem to be Zacutto (expensive) and Hoodman or Hoodmen? on the lower end.
There was a third brand I recently came across but can’t remember the name of that looked good but you can find it my Flipboard Magazine “HD DSLR Filmmaking” at https://flipboard.com/section/hd-dslr-filmmaking-byqgog or on your mobile device,
In terms of affordable digital recorders I would suggest you look for a USED Zoom H4N which is sort of the industry standard. You will get tons of use out of it and it can grow with you.
To mic someone speaking Rode microphones has a special lavalier designed to work with your iphone or Android too I believe. It’s good quality and relatively cheap and, of course, moves with the talent.
Steve Crow
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The difference between the 1.4 and the 1.8 isn’t just the little difference in aperture but rather the huge difference in build quality. For me trying to focus the lens with that itty bitty focus ring was a major pain and the lens overall feels very plasticy. Still for what it is and the price the 1.8 is a great lens to have.
The sound gear isn’t just for capturing dialogue but all the “natural” sound of the environment you are filming in. The cameras built in mic has no wind protection so outdoor shots often sound terrible
Also look into a magnification loop for your lcd screen, in the bright outdoors the screen can be so washed out that it is very very difficult to use so even a cheaper model is way better than nothing particularly if you are going for those cinematic shots you mentioned.
The list of gear sometimes seems never ending but with a few good pieces of kit you can do really remarkable things with even a very very basic HD DSLR camera body. Mine is like 6 years old now but when shooting full manual I have all the artistic control and choice I could wish for.
Steve Crow
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Dump the zoom lens and use some of the money for a Canon 50mm 1.4 which is much better than invest all the rest into sound gear – sound is huge
Also make sure to get a good quality ND Filter (variable stops is best) or else you won’t be able to get a film look in the bright outdoors.
Steve Crow
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Uhhh, it occurred to me last night that I think I made a math related error in my post….the larger point I am making I think is still technically correct however
According to https://web.forret.com/tools/megapixel.asp?width=6000&height=3376 a camera with a 20.3 megapixel sensor would produce an image 6000 x 3376 or 6K
so 6K for a still image is still much much more data than a 1920×1080 HD video which is considered 2K but not the 5 times difference that I put forward originally.
Math is hard
Steve Crow
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Well, sharpness can be very important for still images that can be printed to very large sizes, say for posters, billboards, bus signage etc. But it occurs to me that many pro STILL photographers shoot images that are 20, 30 megapixels or even higher will video tops out at 4 or 5 megapixels in all but a few cases – in other words our video images are smaller and shot at much lower resolutions.
Also, super sharpness is a quality that tends to turn a cinematic image into an old school video image like from back in the Mini DV days. It’s a totally different aesthetic. That’s not to say our video images are blurry or out of focus – but maybe not super super sharp ether. Take a look at TV shows from the 50’s through the 90’s or so when standard definition was all there was – no sharpness there.
Most pros shoot video with the in camera sharpness turned all the way down or close to it because our editing systems are much better at adding sharpness back in that the camera’s built-in sharpening algorithms.
Something to think about anyways
Steve Crow
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In my opinion, the forehead of the smiling guy in your second picture is simply blurred because you are shooting at 1.4.
With a 50mm lens with your camera shooting at 1.4 and if you are standing 6 feet away from the point you are focusing on, only things 2 inches in front and 2 inches behind that focus point will be sharp.
The pony tail might be the same reason – if you are focused on the back of the head of the girl it is possible that the back of the pony tail is more than 2 inches away and is therefore blurred.
Because of the exposure level of the images I can’t make out the “color smudges” you refer to.
Steve Crow
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Brian,
I can’t tell you absolutely for sure but here’s what I strongly suspect – since this lens isn’t even a fixed aperture and is not one of the super high end models I very much doubt it is safe to use the zoom in, focus and zoom out method.
Steve Crow
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Unless I misunderstand you, your plan is to use the Zoom as the Mic and plug it directly into your camera. Most people using the Zoom H4N don’t use its built in mics but instead attach other types of mics to it and then feed maybe feed the output to a camera but essentially the Zoom is being used as a recording device primarily and not for its mic.
Now some people DO exactly what I understand is your goal but that would not be my first choice.
The Zoom really doesn’t have any impact at all on your camera or lens choices.
Steve Crow