The Official HDSLR Thread

Polymathic

Polymathic

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I'm a total noob when it comes to filming with my SLR and I'm pretty sure there more people just than me interested in HDSLR Filming. This thread is for all the budding HDSLR filmmakers and videographers out there.

[video=youtube;NRM9a2fdeu8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRM9a2fdeu8[/video]
 
Should be interesting, I know a couple of my bodies have HD capabilities but I've never actually made much of an effort to use them. I've also got a lens with a dedicated AF mode for video. :o
 
I tried installing Magic Lantern last week, but I think you need a card reader for that.
 
I need to invest in a good tripod and a shotgun mic
 
I only really made an effort for the first time to take short (30 seconds) video clips of things I found interesting or amusing, while travelling S.E.Asia in December.

On thing I've learned: Forget about doing it handheld. Unless you're one seriously stable guy. And turn off the IS. Most of the videos I took give me motion sickness (except the one I took while standing on a boat - go figure).

That said, the 7D's video is pretty awesome. It makes me want to do video :o
 
We shoot a lot of our low budget productions on a 5D MkII.

Some tips to DSLR video shooters... Try avoid handheld unless you are shooting extremely wide (18-35mm). Locked off shots look the best. Trust me on this!

Good audio will NEVER be achieved in camera, even with an external mic. The best thing to do is use an external audio recorder like the Zoom H4n audio recorder if sound is important.
Also, some IS lenses make a lot of noise, so if your mic is internal, or attached to the camera, it'll definitely be picked up.
 
genetic said:
We shoot a lot of our low budget productions on a 5D MkII.

Some tips to DSLR video shooters... Try avoid handheld unless you are shooting extremely wide (18-35mm). Locked off shots look the best. Trust me on this!

Good audio will NEVER be achieved in camera, even with an external mic. The best thing to do is use an external audio recorder like the Zoom H4n audio recorder if sound is important.
Also, some IS lenses make a lot of noise, so if your mic is internal, or attached to the camera, it'll definitely be picked up.
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What ISO do you shoot at? Somebody wanted me to record their party, my thought is that under normal indoor lights shooting is near impossible.
 
You can get away with much more ISO in video than in still images. I have clips taken at 4000 ISO that I can barely tell are at high ISO at all.
 
mmmig said:
What ISO do you shoot at? Somebody wanted me to record their party, my thought is that under normal indoor lights shooting is near impossible.
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For well lit scenes, I usually shoot at 320 - but I've pushed up to 1600 - 2000 when lighting has been really bad.

Noise in the video clips is noticeable from around 1600 onwards, but becomes nasty at 3200.
 
genetic said:
For well lit scenes, I usually shoot at 320 - but I've pushed up to 1600 - 2000 when lighting has been really bad.

Noise in the video clips is noticeable from around 1600 onwards, but becomes nasty at 3200.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised the high ISO is so bad.

EDIT - ok just noticed you're using the MkII.
 
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I'm slightly confused:

(7D)
koffiejunkie said:
You can get away with much more ISO in video than in still images. I have clips taken at 4000 ISO that I can barely tell are at high ISO at all.
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(5DmkII)
genetic said:
Noise in the video clips is noticeable from around 1600 onwards, but becomes nasty at 3200.
Click to expand...

These are, of course, subjective statements, but I wouldn't expect the 5DmkII to be described as "nasty" at 3200 if the 7D seems pretty good above that.

bwana said:
I'm surprised the high ISO is so bad.
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How do you find the 7D in this regard?


To my earlier comments, I was looking at a video clip that I uploaded to vimeo, which does smooth things over a little bit. Looking at the original video again, I can certainly see noise, but I wouldn't describe it as even distracting, much less "nasty" - I had to look for it. It's no worse than the kind of graininess you see on your average episode of CSI.
 
koffiejunkie said:
To my earlier comments, I was looking at a video clip that I uploaded to vimeo, which does smooth things over a little bit. Looking at the original video again, I can certainly see noise, but I wouldn't describe it as even distracting, much less "nasty" - I had to look for it. It's no worse than the kind of graininess you see on your average episode of CSI.
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Link please
 
bwana said:
I wouldn't know where to start. I suppose I could test it, and the newer body, but it sounds like a lot of work… :p
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If you haven't bothered with video on it yet, then don't. I was just curious, but since it's highly subjective, it doesn't really matter. Each to his own.
 
koffiejunkie said:
If you haven't bothered with video on it yet, then don't. I was just curious, but since it's highly subjective, it doesn't really matter. Each to his own.
Click to expand...

Phew - I was envisioning rigs so I could shoot the two side-by-side with equivalent focal lengths, blah, blah, blah.

At the end of the day though we all know video is for guys who can't shoot stills. :p
 
bwana said:
Phew - I was envisioning rigs so I could shoot the two side-by-side with equivalent focal lengths, blah, blah, blah.

At the end of the day though we all know video is for guys who can't shoot stills. :p
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Or for those of us who dream of movie making :(
 
koffiejunkie said:
These are, of course, subjective statements, but I wouldn't expect the 5DmkII to be described as "nasty" at 3200 if the 7D seems pretty good above that
Click to expand...

Yes, my statements are subjective, but I do find the noise to become very noticeable at 3200 on the 5D (MKII). It's not pleasing like grain - it just looks like pumped up gain.

I haven't shot as extensively on the 7D as I have with the 5D in recent times, so I can't really compare the two.

I'm quite fussy over sensor noise - probably more than most, because noisy images in the video production industry is generally regarded as shoddy production work.
I must add, however, that the 5D is a lot more light sensitive than our standard production video camera's - which allows us to get away with unfavorable lighting conditions on smaller productions.

So we tend to push the boundaries wrt how much lighting we need. :o
 
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