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The Video Temptation

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The Video Temptation I’ve been tempted to buy one of the new DSLR’s that shoots HD video for most of the year. A couple of weeks ago, I finally succumbed and bought a Canon 5D Mark II. I’ve shot a few clips with it since then and it’s obvious I have some learning to do and additional gear to buy. If you are thinking of getting into video and producing professional looking content, your investment in a camera is only the beginning. For those of you feeling the same temptation, I’ve outlined some of my thoughts below on the realities of shooting video with a still camera. I’ve also mentioned gear and software that I think can improve the whole experience. Before you read on, check out my video sample on YouTube, as it will help make sense of my comments. Here’s the link: youtube.com

Shooting moving images is a completely new experience for me so some of my comments might sound pretty basic for those of you who have shot video for a while, but I’m guessing a lot of you are as green as I am. If, like me, you are a still photographer hoping to augment your story-telling skills with video, this post will serve as a sort of reality check for what you are getting into.

1) 1/30th of a second is the slowest shutter speed you can use while shooting moving images. This takes a while to get used to if you are a nature photographer accustomed to shooting long exposures at F16. My video sequence opens with a still image of a waterfall shot at F16 for 4 seconds at ISO 100. It segues into a video clip of the same scene which I had to shoot at F4, 1/30th of a second at ISO 1250. There’s nothing you can do about that other than adding artificial light which isn’t a realistic possibility for landscape scenes. The good news (with the 5D anyway) is that the camera performs well at high ISO’s without a lot of noticeable noise.

2) Recording sound takes some extra thought. All the clips in my sample were shot with the built-in mic of the camera. On some clips, it sounds decent. On others, the sound is barely audible. To rectify this, two steps are needed. One is to buy an external mic, assuming your camera has an input jack for one (the 5D does.) I just purchased a Rode Stereo VideoMic rodemic.com, which mounts right on the flash hot shoe for around $250.00. It works great for ambient sound as well as people talking within 6 or 7 feet of the camera. The second step is to learn how to properly master your audio so that clips in your video have similar audio levels (I did not do this in my sample clip.) You can do a reasonable job of this using most video editing software (I’ll talk about those options later on.)

3) A ball head isn’t going to cut it. I love my Kirk ball head for shooting stills, but it is impossible to smoothly pan or tilt the camera with a ball head. You’ll notice in my sample that in all except the last clip the camera is static, which is fine for a lot of nature scenes, but I want to have the option to pan the camera to follow movement or to shoot classic establishing shots that move across the landscape. To do this well, a fluid video head is necessary. Fluid heads are relatively heavy and use counterweights to make it easier to pan or tilt the camera smoothly. Relatively affordable fluid heads are made by Manfrotto – check out these models: 501HDV, 503HDV, and 701HDV. I just purchased the 503HDV ($350.00), which should be able to handle the 5D Mark II and my 500 F4. If you don’t plan to shoot with a big lens, the 501 HDV ($190.00) should be sufficient. Buying a fluid head isn’t enough though – you need to learn good technique as well. I’ve tried a few panning shots and have yet to come up with one I like enough to post on-line. It is going to take some practice to learn how to do a steady pan at the right speed. I’m still making pans that are sometimes a little herky-jerky and often too fast or too slow.

4) Hand-holding the camera makes video that is too Blair Witch Project-ish for my liking. Since I like to photograph outdoor sports like hiking, mountain biking, and paddling, I’m hoping to make videos of these activities as well. With the camera on a tripod, I’ll be able to make some decent video of people moving into and out of the scene, but if I want to follow movement, I’ll need to move the camera in a freer way than is possible on a tripod. Without the camera on a tripod, it can be a challenge to follow action without a lot of camera shake, so my Christmas wish list includes a steady-cam (hear that mom?) A steady cam lets you move with camera and reduce camera shake by using counterweights and/or braces that attach to your body. One steady cam that works great with DSLR’s is the Steadicam Merlin ($850.00 : steadicam.com)

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