experiences shooting video hand held.

T

tony404

Well-known member
I do alot of hand held shooting so before pulling the trigger. Want to see what people who got the camera what their thoughts and experiences have been. thanks
 
You need a viewfinder like a Zacuto or something similar, it will improve your handheld 100%, and also IS lens.
 
It is not as bad as I thought it would be actually, it is fairly heavy so I can get a decent result handheld without any stabilizer, but I also have a weird way of holding the camera.
 
I don't know about the 7D, but from using the D90, I know I had trouble with long lenses. I have a 50mm which was nice and stable, but my 105mm has micro movements galore and you can't really get a 'stable' shot with it handheld.

I'm getting the 7D soon and am going to invest in a Z-Finder at least for increased handheld stabilisation.
 
At minimum I think a full collapsed mono pod + neck strap "stabilizer" is needed for relatively smooth handheld shooting.
 
Definitely need a Monopod for stability especially on longer focal lengths.

Using an IS lens handheld without any support is night and day though, it is incredibly steady even without a monopod, but if you throw an old manual prime on there you need a monopod.
 
I'm a chronic handheld shooter. I'll use a cinesaddle before a high hat any day of the week, the preference is nuance in loose compositions. There is nothing to be afraid
of shooting handheld with the 7D so long as one or more these conditions apply:

1) 11-20mm focal length
2) weight distributed over shoulder or arms instead of wrists.
3) brace for stabilization that still qualifies as handheld. Monopod for example.
4) tension between camera and user. Neckstrap as an example.

I personally vote for a 10lb (at the least) rig balanced well and accesorized properly ( zacuto z-arms and Redrock salt quick release for very detrimental starters) over being confined to anything less than a 50mm. I haven't shot much with the 7D below 180mm so far an the brunt it is shoulder mounted.

In reality, I think you should get comfortable up to at least 100mm so prepare for a rig that'll support that sort of operation. At this stage I'm
prepared to shoot everything on at least a 135mm. Lol. Wides as well.
 
I still have no idea how people are using hoodloupes or z-finders independent of an articulating and posable video image source.

It means the camera body always has to be in your face and ergonomically that doesn't make sense. Perhaps different in practice? I'm gonna have to try one out finally.
 
With my GH1 and shooting using the EVF just like a still camera works very well for me handheld and is quite ergonomic, just pushing my elbows in and camera steadied against my eyebrow. But then I did still photography with SLRs for years and I've always hated the ergonomics of film/video cameras and became a director / editor and let somebody else hold the hardware until now. I've added this Manfrotto shoulder brace lately but I press it against my chest - works quite well with the GH1 but the 7D might be a tad to heavy for it.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...Bogen_Imaging_361_361_Shoulder_Brace_for.html

Only reason shoulder mount became a 'standard' is that the early video cameras were so friggin' heavy that one had to carry them on the shoulder. I know several older camera guys with a destroyed right shoulder thanks to the bad ergonomics of the classic should mounted set up.
 
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