first attempts

D

dvxusr

Active member
Just some feedback on my first experience shooting with this cam in video mode.
Handheld- Wow i dont know how some of you guys manage it I tried in a subway being as still as possible and still got jello the whole time. Said screw the zooms and went to a 24mm to minimize it but it was still there, the focal length does have an affect on it right?
Which brings me to stabilizing, anyone have ideas for candid yet level stabilization when you dont want the cam to move at all? Tripods make me really un-candid.
Color range- this time a good "wow" its comparable to stills I took the same day, things like colorful neon signs on a dark street really stand out and so does the clean darkness with no low light noise.
Manual focusing- pain in handheld much easier on tripod I think ill try a follow focus but there goes my stealth camera.
Waiting for right exposure + locking it with AE-L button- all I can say is thank god they put in that press to lock, press again to unlock feature cant imagine holding it the whole time.
Stair-stepping- only watched it on camera's lcd and 17" monitor and didnt see any.
Manual lenses- really your best bet with aperture ring control, feels like a dvx/hvx
Stabilization- does anyone know if any lens with VR or OS would help for video?

About to get a mini hdmi cable to see it on a larger screen...
 
I forgot, 2 more things, the picture controls really make a difference, those for landscape, black and white etc, shot the same subject in the 6 or so different settings.
When i was shooting at night with lots of neons I kept getting ghosting, some from bright objects in front of me ex. double lights, but also strange small neons popping out of who knows where, is it possible the regular viewfinder needs to be covered?
 
the focal length doesn't increase the jello but longer lenses are harder to keep steady, that's why. with a 24mm you should be able to hold it steady enough as long as you don't move, but once you start moving you'll need a steadicam.

the double image and dots are flares. a better lens is the only solution if the light source is in the frame, although i think it looks cool, but if it's from a light outside the frame all you need is a lens shade.

/matt
 
i just bought a shoulder support and it's really keeps it steady. i'll post some footage when i get a chance...but i'd go with that.
 
yeah ill try a shoulder support got a weighted one for video cameras thats really going to look original :)
anyone use a monopod? i wonder if thats enough to get rid of movement related "jello shots"
 
I have a shoulder mount rig with an added 10 pounds for support and stabilazation. i use a 50mm nikon lens....almost no jello effect at all....smooth as any of my other broadcast cameras
 
a follow focus wouldn't necessarily make it noticeable or less stealth. it's just a follow focus, even small rails would still give off the appeal of a point and shoot camera. a giant matte box/monitor/glide cam/shoulder cam is probably gonna set up a red flag.

you say "un-candid"...why? are you a run-n-gun kind of shooter? most all shots should be stabilized anyway, but it's up to you. i have this:

http://thecinecity.com/tcc/product.php?productid=42&cat=3&page=1

and it minimizes "jello" when walking around slowly or having the nice gentle movement in the shots replacing that simple static shot you would normally go for on a tripod.

to me, just from having a zoom lens, when i zoom out further, the jello seems to have a bigger impact than when i have at it's widest. matt says differently, but from my experience the jello effect is way less when going wider...and that's with a zoom, so trying to keep it steady is all the same.
 
I'll concur, the D90 works pretty damn well even handheld if you're using some kind of shoulder support rig. I put mine on my Spiderbrace w/ rails and it's quite solid. You still have to be aware of the camera's limitations when moving, but it's quite possible to get solid handheld footage this way. The biggest problem winds up being small bumps causing the dreaded jello effect when adjusting the focus. I've got a follow focus unit so I'll try that next and see what the results are.
 
Didnt mean to get a war going :)
Ill definitely try the shoulder supports and my homemade steadycam (monopod with two 5lb barbells around its leg) but if i dont have to move im definitely sticking to a tripod just because the nature of this beast...and for anyone about to buy one make sure its stable doing stills with an SLR is one thing, hitting a button on the body and recording HD is another, no $40 point and shoot tripods.
Love the workflow though, drop the nice size clips right into AFX with a free codec (havent tried premiere yet) and youre all done, no errors outputting at all, lot easier for an amateur filmmaker than HD from the pro cameras.
 
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