Best settings for Snowboarding

E

Esco1782

Member
Hi All-

First time poster here. I'm getting my GH1 at the end of the week, can't wait!
Anyways, I have a couple questions I hope you guys can help me out with. I'll be using this camera on snowboarding trips and was wondering if anyone had any general ideas as far as settings. I'll be filming scenic stuff here and there but mostly it will be of riding and hitting jumps / doing tricks.

Without knowing what the sun/lighting will be like, I'm assuming I would still need to shoot at a high shutter speed to catch the action with an ND filter correct? What shutter is typical for sports action? Any ideas as far as aperture settings? I need things to be in focus. Don't really need the shallow DOF.

I'm a pseudo-noob in the SLR field so any tips or suggestions is greatly appreciated!
 
Are you talking about taking pictures or recording video? 720p at 120shutter for video plus ND filters and you get the option of slow-mo later on. Pictures...probably something around 300 to 600iso and 1/100 shutter. But it's all about practice and finding what looks best for you. You might just want to put the camera on shutter priority for taking pictures. There's probably a little action icon on there that'll do everything for you.
 
Not to be anal, but there is no 120 shutter - it's 125 so don't be confused if you go looking for 120.

It's common here to refer to 125 as 120. Everybody understands that 120 means 125, but it can be confusing to people new to this stuff.
 
Thanks for the tips. Sorry I didn't clarify. I'll be using it mostly for video. I had a Canon HF100 last year and on an overcast day the picture looked really dark. When I increased exposure, the snow was completely overexposed and blown out. I'm trying not to make the same mistake this year..

I'm thinking I'll shoot mainly in 720-60p for smooth motion. I know it's good practice to have your shutter be at least 2x your frame rate for slow-mo.. if I increased shutter to say 1/500 or something really fast, will that help in capturing the motion?
 
I had a Canon HF100 last year and on an overcast day the picture looked really dark. When I increased exposure, the snow was completely overexposed and blown out. I'm trying not to make the same mistake this year..
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The dynamic range on the GH1 is great, but it won't work miracles. Shooting in flat light on snow is always a bit tricky.
I haven't tried mine out on the snow yet, but 720 60p should be fine. You might want to test first what shutter speed gives you the look you want. If you're stopping the lens down, you still might need some ND to reduce the shutter to your liking. Also a Circular Polariser can help out for some shots, especially on sunny days.
I'm interested to see how the camera holds up to follow cam shots.
 
Thanks all.
I should try and shoot with the lowest aperture setting so that things don't go out of focus, correct?
 
well, it's not like it'll go out of focus, but things will be more in focus. if you use the gh1's auto focus, you should be pretty good. but the gh1's lens is f4 so there won't be a lot of dof to begin with. i say that lens will be a pretty good sport lens for what you're doing.
 
i was thinking about getting the Hague MMC steadicam to film while I snowboard down the mountain. do you think the wind will make it totally unusable? anyone have any experience for stabilizing shots while skiing/snowboarding?
 
hmmm, depends on how experienced you are on the snowboard. i skateboard and depending on the video being shot, i'd do it. but thing thing is, i have tried snowboarding and when you use a hague, you'll have to use 2 hands to keep it steady and that might throw off your balance a bit. with skateboarding you don't need the same type of balance. so it's like 50/50. the wind shouldn't affect it to much unless you're going like mach 10 down the slope.
 
Is the GH1 "weather sealed" enough for rough 'n tumble (snowboarding) use in snow? Would it be advisable to keep a GH1 in a plastic bag or splashbag to protect it, or is this only necessary if the snow is melting (due to sun, body heat, etc.)?
 
nyone have any experience for stabilizing shots while skiing/snowboarding?
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I would suggest some kind of top handle. This will allow your other hand ( freehand ) to help stabilise you whilst riding/skiing. Really adding a bit of weight to the camera along with an ergonomic way of holding it will probably be your best friend, along with ALOT of practice. Sorry for the caps, I'm not suggesting you're an idiot, just that you need to practice to get anything like good results.

I wouldn't rely on autofocus either. Try presetting focus manually to where looks right and keeping the lens fairly stopped down for greater dof.
Good luck and don't break you're cam!
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I've read so many mixed reviews about the Hague MMC and that is from just people walking around and testing it. I can only image what would happen going down a mountain with wind, bumps and everything else. I think I'm leaning toward the top handle or even a monopod...
 
Is the GH1 "weather sealed" enough for rough 'n tumble (snowboarding) use in snow?
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I look forward to put this to the test! The kit lens fits quite poorly and the Panny 4/3 adapter is as slack as a wh***s draws, so plenty of opportunity for water to get in. So I'm guessing a fair amount of vigilance is going to be needed. The 7d looks on paper to be quite promising in this respect.
 
Look at the fig rig for followcam work, we use it a lot and it works very well considering what it is. Same applies to the home built equivalents.
 
honestly, adrien e's got the right idea. forget stabilizing it and get like a good dslr rig. redrock seems to be pretty popular or modify something you may already have. unless you're going for dolly like shots, your stabilizer rig won't be necessary to get some steady video on the slopes.
 
About the shutter times, go as short as you can, no matter what all the others say. I've been shooting many skate videos in the past and I can assure you that everyone in the industry shoots as high as possible if there is enough light available. Get rid of that motion blur, it looks awful.

Here some stuff I shot a few weeks ago:
http://www.vimeo.com/6447666
 
pailes said:
About the shutter times, go as short as you can, no matter what all the others say. I've been shooting many skate videos in the past and I can assure you that everyone in the industry shoots as high as possible if there is enough light available. Get rid of that motion blur, it looks awful.

Here some stuff I shot a few weeks ago:
http://www.vimeo.com/6447666
Click to expand...

thanks for sharing! your footage looks awesome. I guess the motion blur thing is more about your own taste. I agree with you in that shooting with a high shutter looks great, especially on slow mo playback.
 
Whoa whoa whoa... you are considering mounting the GH1 to a snowboard and going down the hill? Personally I think this is the wrong camera for the job. First of all it isn't exactly light to have mounted on your board and God help us on your helmet. I made a helmet came rig for it to get some interesting shots but there is no way I would take it down a wet snowy slope like that.

Why not consider something like this - http://www.filmtools.com/flip-video-cycle-kit.html
Along with a cam like this - http://www.filmtools.com/pure-digital-flip-video-ultrahd-camcorder-black.html

You could probably get three rigs and three cameras for the price of a GH1 and get much more interesting content to edit with. If you had a multiple camera setup on your person going down the hill then that would look cooler than a single camera IMO. Plus if you crash the cams are much cheaper than a GH1. Just something to think about. I know I would go this route myself, if I actually liked snowboarding that is.
 
skateboarders and snowboarders have been holding cameras on their boards since 3ccd cameras have been available. even the expensive pd150 and sony vx1000. they know what they're doing. sure there can be an occasional slip up and yeah, you might damage your camera, but it's just part of the sport. sometimes you could be sitting still and the rider will come by and their board will bust the camera. so it's a chance most of us are willing to take.
 
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