[Steve Crow]

The reason for the lag is most probably because the video hadn’t been converted to ProRes yet and the computer was having issues playing back the native H.264 original file smoothly, this is quite common in my experience.

The higher you raise the shutter speed, the more “jumpy” the video will get (watch the D-Day battle scenes on the beach in “Saving Private Ryan”) – the opposite of smooth. The 180 degree rule is related to how motion picture film was exposed by the shutter of traditional movie cameras used on big sets, because it was done this way for years and years, this is the look we are most used to viewing as “the way its supposed to be”

Now if you raise the shutter speed a few notches will you immediately notice a huge difference, probably not but I don’t do it myself although I have seen footage from those who did where it still looked good to me, but maybe I am not the super picky type. 🙂

[Steve Crow]

Hi Peter, that brace you linked to looks interesting but I think what the original poster wanted was something more along the lines of a rail system which could stay mounted on the tripod so that when he’s ready to go handheld he can simply release the unit from the tripod, swing it onto his shoulder and continue shooting.

With a solution like the one you linked to, he would have to drag that around with him everywhere, then release the camera from his tripod and mount it again, that’s going to take more than the couple of seconds he was looking for.

On the other hand he’s going to have a challenge finding any kind of solution in his price range.

[Steve Crow]

If you are willing to spend some time in post color grading then you can try:

* contrast all the way down,
* sharpness all the way down,
* saturation down two ticks

Also research high tone priority – I turn mine off.

When you first look at the clips in your browser they will look ok-ish but rather flat which is the point. A flat image gives you the most flexibility in customizing your colors and look when editing….otherwise try downloading some of the available picture styles for 7D and seeing which ones you like best…less work but you are “baking in” certain color values that will be harder to adjust in editing, but if you like the look as is, no problem!

[Steve Crow]

Wow, thanks Michael!

[Steve Crow]

“Did you set the “level” in the menu?”

The only level adjustment I could find via the menu was auto level which I have set to “off” however I did just now adjust up the recording level on the side up to 51 which I am hoping will solve my issue.

I will report back with results!

Thanks everyone for the input!

[Steve Crow]

Well, yes I have the headphones attached to the Zoom so I would say that yes I am monitoring the recording levels on the Zoom itself (not the output of the Wireless receivers)

However, the input levels were set to 37 which might be too low, so I just changed them to 51 which I read somewhere today is a good setting….let’s see how this impacts the issue….see your suggestion wasn’t too obvious at all.

[Steve Crow]

Hi Michael,

Are these the same on the 60D as on the T2i or have they been improved?

* Chip size
* ISO range
* Shutter speeds
* Frame Rates

I am not in a position to buy a new camera right now but I wasn’t actually considering the 60D thinking instead of the 7D – the 60D vs 7D would actually be an interesting comparison to make if someone has that experience to comment.

Thanks Michael for your post!

[Steve Crow]

Trying to maintain focus manually on moving subjects is not easy…you are going to need a follow focus unit (with rails) and something like the Z-Finder to really have a chance.

I don’t shoot with automatic focus but I’m lead to believe that it’s not great for video anyway but it’s something you can try to see if it works for you.

[Steve Crow]

Besides the HDMI issue, the first problem you are going to have is overheating – I don’t think there is any way you could record even 35 or 40 minutes at one stretch on a T2i…

Also you are going to have swap out SDHC cards every 40 minutes or so.

You could get 2 or even more T2i’s and stagger the recording start times but even then I think you won’t have success. Try seeing if you can film a static scene for 90 minutes with 2 or 3 T2i’s…I have a feeling it can’t be done in a practical sense.

If you don’t mind me asking, what’s the point of this exercise, because I don’t get it? Bottom line, the audience can’t tell if it’s one continuous 90 minute shot or not. If it’s just for bragging rights, it wouldn’t be worth it for me but maybe it is for you.

To me the quality of the production is far more important than if the entire movie is one long shot or not.

[Steve Crow]

I certainly wouldn’t jump over quite yet…Sony has a great reputation in the broadcast camera area and the really good EX1 and EX3 line but in the DSLR video area I would say that Canon has the most experience.

Still, Sony could have produced an outstanding camera, one well worth considering.

I just don’t want to be the first in line to try it but will watch with interest what other users think about the camera when used for real productions.

Using adapters isn’t ideal for cost reasons if nothing else. As pointed out in the last response, Data rate, frame rate and compression are other factors that will be interesting to compare. Of course user interface and overall build quality is another huge area.