Summer Fun Weekend

[Gerlinde]

Thanks for the tip Cheryl. My brotherinlaw has one of those (of course the male version ) and he loves it. It looks for sure like it helps to comfortably carry the camera, but does it help holding the camera steady during shooting?
I like to take pictures of humming birds in my backyard. I tried a tripod, but then I end up with sharp scenery but no bird in the picture.

[_Paz_]

just checked out your 'pancake' lens. I'd not heard of it before. The clarity is astounding.

When shooting video does you camera offer a viewfinder view or is it LCD only? Can you use auto focus?

[sidd finch]

Can we expect a Flip Macro slug timelapse in the future???

We are going on vacation at some point and I am getting inspired by your work so I will have to prepare something different.

Sidd

[momoffduty]

Gerlinde, the strap is in a S shape and distributes the weight and keeps it on the shoulder instead of rubbing into the neck. I saw a tut for steady shots by holding the cam straight out with tension on the strap, but they used the camera strap that came with it and had it around the neck. I couldn't get the hang of it. One of my monopods has 3 small feet with a ball joint in the base and holds fairly steady. Of course it isn't as compact as a travel monopod stick. I think if you use your zoom lens you would need something stable.

This is the one I have and the 3 small feet add stabilization. I like this one to get a sweeping pan around the room shot. It may be good for you to pick up and move quickly to get the bird shots.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Nt ... Search=yes

Paz, I love the 40mm. It is a f2.8 and normally I shoot at f3.5 or f4 with it. Crisper than wide open. Very light weight and inconspicuous in crowds.

For the focus I've seen many tuts that say to use the screen and zoom in to set focus. But, what I do that is faster is in Photo Dial Mode to use the AF on the lens and set my exposure. The next step is to switch to MF on the lens before moving the dial to Movie Mode. The screen is virtually useless in bright sun so many times I am shooting blindly. In Movie Mode you can't use the view finder. Some use a hooded loupe.

Sidd, look forward to what you come up with.

[_Paz_]

For the focus I've seen many tuts that say to use the screen and zoom in to set focus. But, what I do that is faster is in Photo Dial Mode to use the AF on the lens and set my exposure. The next step is to switch to MF on the lens before moving the dial to Movie Mode. The screen is virtually useless in bright sun so many times I am shooting blindly. In Movie Mode you can't use the view finder. Some use a hooded loupe.

Thanks.

Playing around with the video capability on my Canon DSLR prompted me to become interested in making videos, however an early experience put me off using the DSLR to do it.

I had set up focus, as you described, with a zoom lens showing my two squirrels on the roof of the house Mr. B made for them. Started off great. Then they moved to the other side of the roof and came down to a lower shelf, moving out of the field of view, so I had to move the camera and change the zoom amount to continue filming them. Once I moved the camera they were no longer in focus. A video camera would have re-focused on them, but I couldn't see flip in the LCD screen because it was so bright outside.

I can see the advantages of a fixed lens!

It has since occurred to me that I may have been able to set up some kind of focus tracking. Guess I ought to dig out the manual.

[momoffduty]

Paz, what f stop were you shooting? At f/ 2.8 you will have a more shallow field of view than at f/8 in front of and behind your focal point. This explains it better:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutori ... -field.htm

Here is a calculator:
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

As for the motion tracking, I do not like the continual hunt & focus during the shot. It is better for a slow moving object or a static person. It doesn't work too good on my 3yo grand daughter.

[videovillageidiot]

NICE! Looks like a lot of fun. The timelapse sequences were good and it's cute how you use feet. Didn't you do that in your first T4i video?

BTW, with this great video you are unwittingly setting yourself up for a project i have in mind.

[momoffduty]

NICE! Looks like a lot of fun. The timelapse sequences were good and it's cute how you use feet. Didn't you do that in your first T4i video?

BTW, with this great video you are unwittingly setting yourself up for a project i have in mind.

Post it up Sherrin, would love to see your video! And yes I did use feet in my first T4i video.

[_Paz_]

Paz, what f stop were you shooting

I don't remember. I'm sure it was shallow. No chance to ever do it again though. The boys got in a snit over a grape. "It's MINE!", they both said!

The less friendly squirrel moved on within a couple of weeks of their moving back outdoors. My sweet baby stayed around a few months until we had to go out of town and he freaked when he realized it was my sister feeding him, not me. I've never seen him again, which makes me wish all the more that this footage was better.

It was a long lens, probably 300 and the two squirrels filled the viewfinder. Just wish I'd had a video camera at the time. That said, it does make sense to delve a little further into the right way to use my DSLR for video, especially when quality such as you've achieved here is possible.

You have a segment with water that is out of focus. Did you shoot it that way or do that in software?

[momoffduty]

You have a segment with water that is out of focus. Did you shoot it that way or do that in software?

It was shot that way. I was pulling focus and liked the static portion of that shot. In full sun I couldn't see the screen and took a stab at it.

[_Paz_]

I think it is perfect. It makes a soft and pretty contrast to the sharp brilliance of the rest of the footage.

[videovillageidiot]

Post it up Sherrin, would love to see your video!

Actually, it’s a project that's still in the planning stages…and it would involve any interested muvipixers! I haven’t had the guts to actually post the idea yet (though I've been mulling it for over a year!) – it might be kinda' "out there" as far as getting it to happen.

[momoffduty]

Post it up Sherrin, would love to see your video!

Actually, it’s a project that's still in the planning stages…and it would involve any interested muvipixers! I haven’t had the guts to actually post the idea yet (though I've been mulling it for over a year!) – it might be kinda' "out there" as far as getting it to happen.

Post up the idea! Muvipix is a friendly forum. I can't guarantee any takers on your project, but this forum has been good for brainstorming ideas for projects.

[Ron Hunter]

Cheryl's video has really got me thinking about how I do video. I need to change things up a bit. Actually, a LOT.

In my videos to date I have been a "record-keeper", recording every possible shot that "may" have relevance. And during editing I have been hesitant to cut clips, opting instead to include everything to avoid "missing something". I still keep my videos to 5min or under, but now I realize I have been including too much stuff. And I have placed too much emphasis on proper chronological order in my videos. I guess the fact that I'm an engineer is holding me back creatively...

I really like the approach Cheryl took in this video. She didn't include everything her husband and daughter did during that trip, but she included enough shots to stimulate their memories whenever they watch it. I like the lack of human speech in the movie; it focuses your attention on the video and causes the viewer to wonder about what is being said. The mixture of people shots with non-people shots, such as the water wheel and time-lapse sequences, adds to the overall visual interest of the video. Cheryl's use of depth of field is amazing as it really draws your attention to her subjects. I had never really considered DOF in my previous videos, but I will definitely use it moving forward.

Thanks so much for sharing that great video Cheryl. I look forward to plagiarizing your style in my next video!

[momoffduty]

Thanks so much for sharing that great video Cheryl. I look forward to plagiarizing your style in my next video!

Thanks Ron! Plagiarize away, I got some of my ideas from many videos on Vimeo.

On our drive down to the area, I wrote up a shot list. These were mostly ideas and I didn't get 1/2 of them, but refreshed my mind. Too bad I didn't look at that list once we got there. The audio wasn't that important for the trip.

The way we record has changed or maybe it is the way family wants to view these days. I transferred 6 VHS tapes recently for someone and asked her if she wanted any copies. She said no and that her grown sons (30-40 yo) were not that interested. Most of the tapes were of them! Video is so easy now with phones and point & shoots that the specialness has been diluted.