Steve Crow
Forum Replies Created
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Nope – I don’t find it to be a practical solution when dealing with the large file sizes associated with video production , plus my DSL connection was rated an “F” by Speedtest.com
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Sometimes you can have sync issues when previewing video in the timeline of your NLE but once you export it then things are fine, so do that check first. I assume that Premiere does the same thing as Final Cut Pro in that once you bring the audio into your timeline it is transcoded to match whatever your sequence settings are (that’s a FC term, may be different in Premiere, probably is in fact) so I don’t know why you are experiencing audio drift.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
I’ve been using the Philip Bloom custom picture profile settings however I have seen a tutorial video from Still Motion on creatively dialing in specific color temperatures to achieve desired looks – I suggest you look for that.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Have you tried standard / non rechargeable batteries in the H4N?
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
I believe you can use the camera itself as the card reader by hooking the camera up to the computer directly but I am not sure how far that will get you…if mpeg streamclip can’t read the files, then……?
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
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The free Magic Lantern firmware upgrade offers things like zebra stripes to help keep from over exposing images but I just use the exposure compensation meter and typically will try to underexpose a stop or a bit more. Protecting the highlights is important because once the camera records pure white in over exposed areas you are kinda screwed! 🙂
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Yes, what you want is a DEEP depth of field meaning the background is in focus…that is controlled by the lens aperture or the size of the hole letting light into the lens- the higher the aperture number the deeper the depth of field gets (also the picture will get darker but you can compensate for that)
Read the manual to learn how to adjust aperture – there are several modes you can put the camera in to do this.
Consumer camcorders have very small sensor chips in them which has a side effect of giving you that deep depth of field automatically but it is also a very “video-y” like which is why you will hear most HD DSLR shooters talk about SHALLOW depth of field and “the film look” – the opposite of what you are going for, which is okay.
Honestly, learn how to film in manual mode if you really want to understand this stuff – it WILL be worth the hassle.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
You had me a bit confused but if you don’t want to manually focus your camera then you place the lens in auto focus mode. Now this means that the camera will constantly be hunting for focus and as you move the camera to focus on different elements in the scene – you’ll hear the mechanical/motor sounds of the lens moving in and out and the image will be blurry at first and then one or two seconds later it should settle down to an in-focus image. The noise and the out-of-focus-to-in-focus transition is what keeps most of us from using auto focus.
Depth of field is an entirely different issue having to do with your aperture setting – again you could use a more automated video mode to have the camera select an aperture for you but any choice you make involves compromises/adjustments – there are no magic bullets per se. You could shoot fully automatic in video mode but then you are giving up lots of control and you probably will not achieve a very “filmic” look but that may not matter to you – it does to me which is why I film on full manual, not automatic anything but, yes, that is more involved and mistakes and, errrr….”stuff” does happen!
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
You bring up an interesting point regarding shutter speed and focus…a slower shutter speed will introduce more motion blur into the image and I guess you consider motion blur to be a focus issue but I really don’t. What I am saying is that a video image can be acceptably sharp and yet still have shutter blur – my “proof” if you will is pretty much the entire history of modern filmmaking that using a 180 degree shutter with relatively slow shutter speeds like 1/50, 1/60…I am open to being corrected however.
So, short answer, lower your shutter speed and enjoy the more “filmic” smooth and yes blurred image! Any one else care to comment?
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com