Shooting Video on DSLRs is quite a bit different from typical camcorders and the like. You have to work much more with the depth of field, as most camcorders have very narrow apertures allowing for much easier focus. What I would personally do is setup the camera previous, have someone stand in your place and have the lighting exactly as you would have it during the presentation(you might need To move lamps around and such depending on what the lighting is like in the room). Set your camera to a 30 FPS with 1/60(for what you're shooting), and only adjust exposure using the ISO and aperture. You're going to want a bit deeper depth of field than typical, as you want yourself as well as the PowerPoint in focus. Manually focus it(use the zoom button on the camera to tune your focus even better, and find it where you are happy. Ensure you use a fresh battery, and you should be good for 60 minutes of record time. Normally I would recommend a slew of other things, but for what you're doing, it would be pointless to do so. Most DSLR shooters will pretty much crank down all the settings to get a very flat image, and do all the color coding and such in post processing to add much more depth to the scene. I would seriously stress the importance of audio, though. Video is a 50/50 medium, and audio can totally change the feel of the video. If you have an iPhone, you can use the audio recording as well as the headphones with microphone as a lapel mic. If android, I'm sure there is something similar you can do. You can wire the headphones up, with the microphone optimally 5-6 inches from your mouth(clip the microphone part), the headphones can just dangle inside your shirt(button ups are easiest to wire up). You the voice memo apps to record the audio(out your phone on do not disturb as well). When the camera is running, start the voice memo apps, and clap(this will give you a sound spike you can line up the two later. Then just import the audio on the computer, open your video editor of choice, import the video and sound into it, line them up, then delete the original sound(this is what people call reference audio). It will only take a few minutes at most and will severely improve the quality.

 

awesome thanks for the tips Narph. This whole thing is a dry run anyway. No audience.
Never thought about the audio app, but that's a good idea.

 

Cool.

You'd be surprised the audio improvement just by setting your phone close to you and speaking into it. The microphones in the cameras are garbage, and for dialogue you could have the most expensive mic in the world but the best audio quality is going to be close to the person speaking.

 

From today's session

Untitled by benbrengman, on Flickr


Untitled by benbrengman, on Flickr


Untitled by benbrengman, on Flickr


AJ by benbrengman, on Flickr

 

Her eyes naturally that color, or is it a contact lens/photo effect?

 

It isn't an effect that I did, she does have green eyes.

 

Beautiful shots guys... I seriously looked at doing this and y'all are making me want to run down to best buy right now!

What are your thoughts on the Nikon 5000/7000 series? What are the main differences between Canon and Nikon?

 

When it comes to cameras, it is best to put them in your hands first to see which ones feel good to you. When it comes to Canon or Nikon, both systems will produce excellent images but they can only do so much. The photographer makes the difference so learn about photography along with your camera. A book I recommend is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.

Then when you visit a place like Arches National Park you can come away with a photo like this which you can proudly show in your home.

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah.

 

From the other night


IMG_0086-3 by benbrengman, on Flickr

 

Another day on the Job

 

coolest job on the planet ^

 

Not a bad one but there are better one

From the the weekend


Ashley by benbrengman, on Flickr

 

Camera gurus, I ran across a Canon 60d crop sensor on BHphoto for 479. Looks to be new, not refurbished, and not gray market either. Does anyone have any experience with this camera or have you used it? I was thinking about a 70d since it is the newer model, but they list for 999. The 60d seems like a very good deal, at less than half the price.

I have an older Rebel from 2007, and I would like to replace it. The 60d would definitely be an upgrade from it, but would I be wanting to upgrade in another year because I should have saved more for the 70d?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Did you still need help on this?

 

Yes Please. I havent made up my mind yet.

 

I personally have a 7D and like the weather sealed aspect since it's a pretty wet climate here. The 70D boasts the same thing. when i compare the 60 and 70 d side by side the 70 is better but are those differences important to your style of photography? are they worth the 400-500 in difference? If you are coming from a rebel then maybe a 60d is a logical next step.

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-EO...-Canon_EOS_60D

 

Rog - Both cameras are fine, If I was in your position I would go with the 60d unless you are planning on being in extreme weather.

Take the money saved and get yourself some good glass. I would recommend looking at the Canon 24-105L you can get it for around $500-$650 used. If you are going to shoot in lower light Look at the Sigma 17-50 2.8.

 

Agreed. That is one of my favorite lenses.

 

Thanks Gents. I'm going to pull the trigger on it. Couple other questions for you.

Darren: I wasnt sure which lens you were referring that you liked? The Canon or Sigma?

I rented the Canon a couple years ago, and really liked it for a walk around lens.

SD Cards what speed would you recommend for transfer rates? I was looking at the Sandisk Extreme and Extreme Pro they are 80 and 95mb/s.

 

Rog - I have both lenses. They are great. The Canon 24-105L is a great crisp lens. The only drawback is that it is F4 wide open which can cause light issues indoors. It does provide wonderful bokeh when your subject is well lit. The Sigma lens is the next tier down when it comes to lenses. Where you gain is the F2.8. Better shooting in lower light. I have used both lenses shooting sports for a publication. The Canon for Hockey and the Sigma for basketball.