GH2 Best GH2 settings for filming myself, all by myself?

D

DavidPaul Doyle

New member
I just got the GH2 a few weeks ago. I want to hike into the woods and do some video shoots of myself delivering content. I'm trying to figure out the best settings with my 20mm 1.7 lens. I'd like the lens fairly wide open, i.e. 1.8-2.0, so I get some good bocah. I also want the camera's AF to lock onto my face and not have to hunt to refocus while I'm talking. When using the Focus Mode Dial, Face Detection Mode seems to struggle a bit with keeping focus on my face. AF Tracking using Portrait Mode seems to work fairly well, but not perfect. It also seems like the focus mode set to AFS might be best. I haven't done enough testing to really know what the best settings are, and I'm still struggling with the manual trying to figure the camera out. I have some experience shooting video since I already have a Canon 7D, but I'm still a novice in the big scheme of things, especially trying to shoot myself without any help with the GH2.

Can anyone suggest what they think the best settings would be to shoot myself with the highest quality, clearest most consistent focus, yet with a DOF thrown in there?

Thank you very much!!
 
I don't use the autofocus much so I can't help you there, but if you weren't moving around much in the shot you could focus on something as far away from the lens as your face will be and set it, then just keep yourself in that spot while you do your content.
 
I do not have a GH2 nor much experience. My experience are with GH13.

You definitely need to get a Vari-ND filter or equivalent to allow you to use large apertures in day light and may be a Follow-Focus system (not sure of any that would reliably work with the pancake lens because of the small size and focus-by-wire mechanism, you need to make sure before you get a Follow-Focus) and shooting in manual mode all the way would be the most reliable measure. Or if you do not move much, why not simply use manual focus without a Follow-focus? I am no big fan of the AF with 20mm pancake even with improvements that came with newer firmware and GH2's faster auto focus mechanism.

Do GH2 AFS work on video mode? Not sure...May be others can help you better.
 
Black_Ste said:
You definitely need to get a Vari-ND filter or equivalent to allow you to use large apertures in day light and may be a Follow-Focus system (not sure of any that would reliably work with the pancake lens because of the small size and focus-by-wire mechanism, you need to make sure before you get a Follow-Focus) and shooting in manual mode all the way would be the most reliable measure. Or if you do not move much, why not simply use manual focus without a Follow-focus? I am no big fan of the AF with 20mm pancake even with improvements that came with newer firmware and GH2's faster auto focus mechanism.
Click to expand...

For filming oneself, a follow focus is about the most useless piece of equipment you could add to the camera.
 
deltoidjohn said:
For filming oneself, a follow focus is about the most useless piece of equipment you could add to the camera.
Click to expand...

True, if it is self-shooting. I assumed someone might be shooting videos of OP and that he could be moving around....May be I didn't read the post carefully enough... :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top