Travel Videography (Nikon)

[Amp34]

I just got back from a couple of weeks in South America where I spent a lot of time using the video function on my D7000. I think I got a few ok videos of the wildlife (now need to make a film...) but it did give me food for thought. What sort of kit/addons are good for travel videography?


I had the camera on a tripod when videoing a large proportion of the time which certainly helped for static scenes but obviously some scenes need to be more dynamic. I got round the camera shake issue a little by using the camera attached to the tripod and holding the lens and tripod (rather than camera body) which stabilised the image slightly. I also had problems with the lenses I was using, for example a stiff zoom (obviously trying not to zoom is the best bet) and obviously the AF checking focus every few seconds if I forgot to put it on manual.

I've seen things like the stedicam and glide cam accessories which would definitely help stability but have also seen shoulder mounted solutions (Butts), how good are they at something like 300mm? What about things like zooming in, adaptors for that? And finally what are the best videography lenses you use?

I'm probably not going to buy much of it at all but really enjoyed shooting video and with the number of togs on here there must be loads of people shooting video now. Any tips would be excellent!

 

[specialman]

A large proportion of my work now is video, hence why I swapped a D2x for a D7000.

As a camera the D7000 is great, a bit small maybe for my hands, but great AF and IQ. As a video camera it's very good, despite its limitations.

I'm just using a tripod for most things, although like you, I'm keen to see how a steadicam or shoulder rig could benefit me. have seen a few videos on a Manfrotto monopod (with the three legs on the bottom).

I know for focussing many people are using those rubber jar openers fitted round the zoom and focus rings to give a more tactile feel.

lens-wise I use every that's in my bag; 14mm for close-up 'documentary style' shooting... the perceived large DoF from such a wide lens helps.

I use my 70-200mm a lot but on the tripod. I have used it now and then with VR turned on when I know I'll be putting music over the top (the VR is loud on the audio track). Great lens for shallow DoF stuff.

I don't really use my 85mm f/1.8 much, although my 35mm f/1.8 is probably the lens I use most because I can get shallow DoF interviews yet still get good audio from the hotshot mic (Rode Video mic). Very easy lens to MF too.

I use a 60mm macro for close-ups of (fishing) flies and other small stuff but it's super hard to handhold and keep focus when you're that close.... focus is easy to drop with the tiniest of body movements.

I've not had my 17-55mm for a month (it's in the repair shop) but that too is a nice lens, probably the smoothest zoom I've owned or manually zooming.

Mic-wise I have Rode Video mic, which is good, but the sound quality doesn't blow me away. It's a bit flat IMO. For single person interviews I usually use a 4m lapel mic I got from maplin. It does clip easily if placed too quickly and I had to make an additional wind muffler for it, but it has a better sound than the Rode, albeit in mono. I just convert audio in FCPX to dual mono to compensate.

General tips? I rarely shoot in manual these days because of the fact you're locked out of changing apertures while in LiveView. I do have to think hard as I'm shooting that in AV, my shutter speeds aren't going sky high but it's a small compromise to get the ability to change aperture while filming.

The AF in live view is okay but I don't rely on it. I'd rather MF with it. I'll probably think of other things to write at some point

 

[Phil Young]

Just quickly:

DSLR’s are a bit pants for the dynamic stuff...you're much better off getting a dedicated video camera for the shots where more movement occurs, eslecially where wildlife is concerned and you can't do 20 takes.

 

[Amp34]

Thanks Specialman, some excellent pointers there.

I like the top of using a jam jar opener, something like this I assume http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eddingtons-EasiTwist-Jar-Bottle-Opener/dp/B000H7AFZ6/ref=pd_sim_kh_2 ? I may have a play with one of those, see what it is like. My 17-55 is pretty stiff zooming which was one of the problems I was facing, hopefully something like the above will sort that easily. (You mentioned manual zooming..? You don't mean focussing do you?)

I'm not as in to the sounds as much as the video, too many people talking behind me to really get anything good , that said I am suprised at how good the built in mic is on the D7000. I found shooting mostly in AV was the best as well, but then I normally shoot most of my shots in AV anyway so it was an automatic reaction to use that for all but shots I had lots of time on.

With AF I found that with both lens the camera would hunt for focus (just for a second, nothing major), I assume to check it was correctly focussed every 5 seconds or so making AF useless to me. Is that something that can be sorted with a change of setting somewhere or is that just something it always does?

You mentioned shutter speeds going sky high, do you mean to the point of the camera having to over expose or to the detriment of the video experience. For example I assume going below 1/focal length is as usual not a good idea but being at 1/3000 shouldn't be a problem while 1/30 would be the minimum as you're shooting at 24fps?

Phil, the problem with a dedicated video camera is you'd have to buy and carry that around with you as well, alongside having to pay close to five figures to get something as good IQ wise. I'm just having a play, certainly not wanting to spend that sort of money, let alone lug another set of equipment around on my holidays!

 

[Phil Young]

Thanks Specialman, some excellent pointers there.

I like the top of using a jam jar opener, something like this I assume http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eddingtons-EasiTwist-Jar-Bottle-Opener/dp/B000H7AFZ6/ref=pd_sim_kh_2 ? I may have a play with one of those, see what it is like. My 17-55 is pretty stiff zooming which was one of the problems I was facing, hopefully something like the above will sort that easily. (You mentioned manual zooming..? You don't mean focussing do you?)

I'm not as in to the sounds as much as the video, too many people talking behind me to really get anything good , that said I am suprised at how good the built in mic is on the D7000. I found shooting mostly in AV was the best as well, but then I normally shoot most of my shots in AV anyway so it was an automatic reaction to use that for all but shots I had lots of time on.

With AF I found that with both lens the camera would hunt for focus (just for a second, nothing major), I assume to check it was correctly focussed every 5 seconds or so making AF useless to me. Is that something that can be sorted with a change of setting somewhere or is that just something it always does?

You mentioned shutter speeds going sky high, do you mean to the point of the camera having to over expose or to the detriment of the video experience. For example I assume going below 1/focal length is as usual not a good idea but being at 1/3000 shouldn't be a problem while 1/30 would be the minimum as you're shooting at 24fps?

Phil, the problem with a dedicated video camera is you'd have to buy and carry that around with you as well, alongside having to pay close to five figures to get something as good IQ wise. I'm just having a play, certainly not wanting to spend that sort of money, let alone lug another set of equipment around on my holidays!

You don't need to go down that anvenue depending on what and when you're shooting.

If it's good light and you don't need a huge dynamic range, most video cameras these days will give you very good IQ for around £3-500 but of course, the compromise is bad low light and low dynamic range.

 

[specialman]

Thanks Specialman, some excellent pointers there.

I like the top of using a jam jar opener, something like this I assume http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eddingtons-EasiTwist-Jar-Bottle-Opener/dp/B000H7AFZ6/ref=pd_sim_kh_2 ? I may have a play with one of those, see what it is like. My 17-55 is pretty stiff zooming which was one of the problems I was facing, hopefully something like the above will sort that easily. (You mentioned manual zooming..? You don't mean focussing do you?)

More like this - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trudeau-Twi...29US/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1346573513&sr=8-8 - because they lock onto the lens and the flexibility in the stem means a softer rotation of the zoom or focus ring with no jerkiness. The same way you use a rubber band on a tripod head when panning if the head is a teeny bit stiff.

I manually focus and manually zoom generally - AF in live view is okay but if I'm recording audio at the same time I don't want the sound of the AF motor as it refocuses.

I'm not as in to the sounds as much as the video, too many people talking behind me to really get anything good , that said I am suprised at how good the built in mic is on the D7000. I found shooting mostly in AV was the best as well, but then I normally shoot most of my shots in AV anyway so it was an automatic reaction to use that for all but shots I had lots of time on.

With AF I found that with both lens the camera would hunt for focus (just for a second, nothing major), I assume to check it was correctly focussed every 5 seconds or so making AF useless to me. Is that something that can be sorted with a change of setting somewhere or is that just something it always does?

The refocussing issue is why I shoot MF. It's all to do with the way AF works in LiveView (think it's called contrast detection AF) so it's looking for areas of contrast to latch onto; when the contrast changes in the shot, it refocusses. It's hit and miss.... some times it'll four and won't try to refocus, other times it's constantly hunting. I've just got into the habit of flicking the LiveView switch to go into movie mode and at the same time, disengaging the AF switch near the lens mount. You can do it on the lens but I find it quicker and when you go back into stills mode, you don't get a 'beep' when you try to AF for a still image, so you know to flick it back to AF.

You mentioned shutter speeds going sky high, do you mean to the point of the camera having to over expose or to the detriment of the video experience. For example I assume going below 1/focal length is as usual not a good idea but being at 1/3000 shouldn't be a problem while 1/30 would be the minimum as you're shooting at 24fps?

There's a 180-degree shutter rule, which stems back to physical shutters that existed on 35mm film camera. I won't go into the technicalities but it's accepted that your shutter speed should be double your FPS. So shooting at standard 24fps (23.something fps in reality) these closes shutter speed is 1/50th. If shooting at 30fps then you go to 1/60th sec. The problem with that is you're then controlling the exposure through the aperture, which isn't always ideal. The benefit of this 180-degree rule is that you get that 'filmic' blur that mimics real life. Once your shutter speeds go up then you start losing that blur in movement and movement then starts to look jerky with that high-speed look. Personally, I don't mind faster shutter speeds but I aim to top out at say 1/500th sec. It's a compromise and could be controlled by using ND filters, but I mainly shoot for the web (instructional angling films) and it's not nesseccary for such small productions.

Phil, the problem with a dedicated video camera is you'd have to buy and carry that around with you as well, alongside having to pay close to five figures to get something as good IQ wise. I'm just having a play, certainly not wanting to spend that sort of money, let alone lug another set of equipment around on my holidays!

The other point is creativity; sensor size dictates DoF and DSLRs, even crop sensor ones, have a much larger sensor so allowing you get a bit more creative with shots. The other thing, like you say, is that it's another thing to carry around and if you're travelling then you need to minimise kit. I struggled carrying a video camera around with me and I was doing short walks from the car, it just became a PITA.

I don't profess to being a great film maker - I've been doing it properly since the start of June and teaching myself along the way - but although DSLRs aren't yet total solutions for filming, they're certainly getting better and the D7000 is one of the best according to what I've seen and read. I expect the next generation will be awesome, with exposure histograms while you're filming and built-in audio monitoring.

This is the kind of thing I'm producing - really basic stuff that has a minimal edit for me (I don't have the time to spend hours editing) but gets across a point.

[YOUTUBE]qt34tdd5wAM[/YOUTUBE]

If you're not into match fishing then it's boring as hell but it serves a purpose. All done on a D7000 with a 70-200mm f/2.8 and a 17-55mm. All the stuff with a mic was done with the cheap Maplin lapel mic.