hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

My handhelds look like I am going thru a horrible chemical withdrawal. I got some shots of hurricane damage downstate a while back, and you'd think I was standing outside in the middle of it all if it wasnt for the fact the sun was shining and birds were twittering.

Is getting decent handhelds something that the old adage "practice makes perfect" applies to? Or "either ya got it, or ya dont"?

Terri
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

"Perfect practice makes perfect" So says my football coach.

But pretty much you just have to practice, I think someone mentioned filling up a glass of water and walking with that with out dropping water.

The best way I can think of is trying to keep it as far away from your body, lcd open and I use my arm as a support having my elbow tucked into my chest. Its not perfectly smooth, but it doesn't give me headaches either.
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

Have you ever taken a martial art? Fenced? Yoga? Any form of swordsmanship? All are excellent for improving your steadiness.
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

Here's a quick simple cheap solution.

In essence, when shooting on the Mini DV format, the footage tends to be extremely shaky. This is because its light weight and small size actually hinder stability rather than making it ideal for hand held use. One can get a lot more usuable footage that is steadier when the camera man has a big beta cam rig on his shoulder. The weight of the camera keeps it steady and the camerman now is using his entire body as a stabilizer/ steadicam.

Now the shocks that go throughout our entire body are a lot more dampened and it has a longer room to straighten out. When we hand hold our dvxs, our wrists are what's moving. VERY BAD.

So, to remedy this, a quick cheap solution. Buy a provideo head tripod that's actually meant to be used for 5-8lb cameras... somethinge even smaller... basacially any tripod that will allow the dvx to moun onto the head...I use the velbon victory 480. These you can find cheap.

With the dvx mount atop it, via its little shoe, base plate, extend the legs and bring them together so they are closed. Then slide your right hand up and down the pole until you find the spot where you barely have to hold on for the camera to be level. This is the new center of gravity far away from the camera where the footage will be shaky. It's a good foot foot and a half if you do it right. And you can walk with it out like a makeshift steadycam.

The reason why it works is because you are placing the center of gravity and the point where your wrists are taking most of the jolt away from the camera and lower on the tripod/pole.

Try this and tell me if you are happy. This tripod costs about 40 bucks maybe? This is just something to do if you can't go the steadicam way.
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

i used this tripod in particular to do this because its the one i found in my parent's basement.
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

Relatively steady shots are certainly possible with much practice. Take a look at this shot:

http://www.pinelakefilms.com/butterfly.html

This was shot handheld, at full zoom, using the optical stabilizer (OIS). There's definitely movement but I don't think it screams video shake and being at full zoom is where you notice shaking the most....

So practice and you can do it.
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

And don't forget when you zoom, your pan have to be very slow (In 24P), sometime you don't see it in the camera LCD, but when you look at it on a monitor, you will see it if it was to fast.

Here is a good start chart :

"Time for 90° PAN in 24 fps

FOCAL LENGTH / 24P PAN SPEED / 30P PAN SPEED
4.5mm / 15 seconds / 11 seconds
6mm / 18 seconds / 14 seconds
7mm / 21 seconds / 16 seconds
8mm / 23 seconds / 20 seconds
12mm / 36 seconds / 27 seconds
14mm / 50 seconds / 38 seconds
16.5mm / 60 seconds / 45 seconds
25mm / 80 seconds / 60 seconds
30mm / 90 seconds / 75 seconds
45mm / 120 seconds / 120 seconds

for absolutely-zero-jitter pans

Now, to read that chart properly, what it's saying is, if you are on 4.5mm, and you want to pan 90 degrees, with no juddering or stutter, and you're shooting 24P, you have to take 15 seconds to execute the pan. If you take 15 seconds, the pan will be glass smooth. Any faster than that, and smoothness will suffer. That's for 24P. You can go faster if you're shooting 30P -- at 4.5mm, you can pan the 90 degrees in 11 seconds and it'll still be smooth.

If you're on maximum telephoto, things change: you have to go much slower.
If you want a glass-smooth 90-degree pan, it will take two minutes to execute that pan."
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

Hey shadow, where did ou get this chart? As you now the equivalences between 35mm lenses focal lens and video focal lenses are not the same. I prefer the filmic equivalens and when I rent a video camera and some lenses I always ask for 35mm focal.

I think widest focal in filmic equivalent for the DVX100 is 28mm. and the tele is 280mm.

120seconds for a 280mm tele has more sense, don't you think?

Videopurist people, don't blame on me!
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

You can make one of this:

shoulder.jpg


This one I made it myself and I'm proud of it.
It has some space even to put a field audio mixer, wireless receptor and hard drive to tapeless work. And counterweight to deal with all this!!
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

That looks neat but what does it do?
Does it help you time a slow 90° PAN
Sorry for my confusion.
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

Hi Carlos,

This chart was from an equivalent from 35 mm movie lense Pan.

Here is a chart for relatives focals between formats:

Angle 35 mm phot 35 mm ciné 16mm ciné video 2/3
Frontal 36x24mm 24x18.6 mm 10.16x7.62mm 8.8x6.6 mm

77.0° 18.0 mm 15.0 mm 5.9 mm 5.9 mm
61.0° 24.0 19.0 7.6 6.6
54.0° 30.0 25.0 10.0 8.7
44.0° 40.0 30.0 12.5 10.8
35.0° 50.0 40.0 16.0 14.0
23.0° 80.0 60.0 25.0 22.0
12.0° 160.0 125.0 50.0 43.0
07.8° 235.0 190.0 75.0 65.0
05.8° 320.0 250.0 100.0 87.0
03.8° 470.0 380.0 150.0 130.0
02.8° 640.0 500.0 200.0 175.0
01.9° 950.0 750.0 300.0 280.0
01.2° 1575.0 1250.0 500.0 430.0
00.7° 2500.0 2000.0 800.0 700.0
00.6° 3150.0 2500.0 1000.0 865.0

Sorry if the chart is not well align. Hope it help you.
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?


There is a plugin for premiere called steadymove from 2D3 www.2D3.com I guess. Works amazing for those shots that you get moved, on wedding or news where you can't shoot again.

You will loose a little amount of resolution but helps on those Alzheimer style shooting :P
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

Carlos Perez, how much did that whole setup cost without the DVX?

Don't drink and film.
 
Re: hard to get steady handheld with DVX?

Humm. I don't know. As I say is homemade. Maybe 35$ in materials and two weekends. The monitor is a Varizoom nice one. I'll try to post some footage with and without. It works really excellent giving tho the shots that HEAVY WEIGHTED cam look. I like to shoot handheld with 35mm, and when I try to do the same with a DVX.... the results are awful.

This one is made for any cam, with adjustable position, and variable weights.

Time ago I made another one device that was SHOULDER PAD and STEADYCAM convertible. I try to get the patent but I ran out of money.
But someone is interested I'll try to make another one for the DVX and post the pics, grabs and plans.
 
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