Nikon D3100 BTS photoshoot test

C

Charles Lowthian

Well-known member
The D7000 was out of stock (bh), so ordered the D3100 to test out Nikon's dSLR video mode. It arrived in time to test it out when doing a photo shoot involving a fashion model and some floor sanding machines.

All hand held with Zacuto z-finder 2.5x on. Rolling shutter is minimized when going 'with the plane' in your movements. Kept in a high shutter shot, slowed down in post - at the start exploiting the ambient lights flicker.

Locked off 'fly on wall' shots were taken with the Contour HD helmet camera at 1080p @ 135°. The rest is all D3100.

On vimeo with original soundtrack:
http://vimeo.com/17461563

On youtube after audio swap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m_2v-zSAbY

Updated (screen grabs):

C_Lowthian_101109_D3100-BTS-G01.jpgC_Lowthian_101109_D3100-BTS-G03.jpg
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Long time lurker... Love the video!

Good to see something where rolling shutter has been minimized, rather than ignored or complained about!
 
kisses on filters

kisses on filters

a behind the scenes photo from the behind the scenes video :love4:

C_Lowthian_101109_ND3100_4809_kiss600.jpg

Zacuto Gorilla Plate attached.
 
Wow love that look ...was that colorgraded or did you do it incamera. Not the BW stuff btw.
I know nothing about Nikons.
 
Everts said:
Wow love that look ...was that colorgraded or did you do it incamera. Not the BW stuff btw.
I know nothing about Nikons.
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Thank you Everts! Color corrected in FCP. Upped the mid tones, whites, and saturation.
It's never too late to start learning then :)
 
Hey I was going to rule the 3100 out no one had said any thing about its movie mode was not up to par! this is very good!

What lens did you use? did you use any other equipment?
 
Marc Holmes said:
Hey I was going to rule the 3100 out no one had said any thing about its movie mode was not up to par! this is very good!

What lens did you use? did you use any other equipment?
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Hi Marc. The D3100 censor can produce great 1080p video!
Limitations are of course there in that models price range - ie: no external mic input - resolved by syncing audio in post from separate recorder (eg: a zoom H1). Some tweaks are required in order to shoot at desired settings (ie: using nd filters to dial in an aperture/shutter combo; exposure reference points to lock off on before recording, etc...).

For that video just the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. A zacuto z-finder 2.5x on the D3100 as a viewfinder. 2.5x on the D3100's LCD is a bit too much as the pixels are too distorted at that zoom range to get pinpoint focus, but still works very well for most situations. The other camera was the Contour HD 1080p helmet camera. Placed on a light stand for the wide shots.

Everts said:
Saucey ...thanks

Everts
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No problem Everts :)
 
Charles Lowthian said:
Hi Marc. The D3100 censor can produce great 1080p video!
Limitations are of course there in that models price range - ie: no external mic input - resolved by syncing audio in post from separate recorder (eg: a zoom H1). Some tweaks are required in order to shoot at desired settings (ie: using nd filters to dial in an aperture/shutter combo; exposure reference points to lock off on before recording, etc...).

For that video just the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. A zacuto z-finder 2.5x on the D3100 as a viewfinder. 2.5x on the D3100's LCD is a bit too much as the pixels are too distorted at that zoom range to get pinpoint focus, but still works very well for most situations. The other camera was the Contour HD 1080p helmet camera. Placed on a light stand for the
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Hi Charles Thanks for replying.

The audio sync dosnt both me as I find all the of the comsumer video cameras builtin recording incredibly limiting so i've been using the h4n or iPhone for audio for a while.

I like the 50mm f1.8 it gives such a beautifull image and is so cheap! its shame the low end nikons cant focus with it . Could you change the apperture during shooting or did that cause a crash?

I've never used one of these maginfiers and Its almost as much as the camera. I know it can be used in many cameras, but I find it easier to justify saving up for a small hd monitor with focus filters rather than a view finder. Does it help alot or would I be better off saving for a monitor considering the pixels?

The contour looks great combined in. I have a go pro hero my self but i haven't thought about using it like this.

Thanks for sharing. It's a very cool video
 
Marc Holmes said:
Hi Charles Thanks for replying.

The audio sync dosnt both me as I find all the of the comsumer video cameras builtin recording incredibly limiting so i've been using the h4n or iPhone for audio for a while.

I like the 50mm f1.8 it gives such a beautifull image and is so cheap! its shame the low end nikons cant focus with it . Could you change the apperture during shooting or did that cause a crash?

I've never used one of these maginfiers and Its almost as much as the camera. I know it can be used in many cameras, but I find it easier to justify saving up for a small hd monitor with focus filters rather than a view finder. Does it help alot or would I be better off saving for a monitor considering the pixels?

The contour looks great combined in. I have a go pro hero my self but i haven't thought about using it like this.

Thanks for sharing. It's a very cool video
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Hey Marc. No problem!

Although the auto focus on the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D does not work with the Nikon D3100, I still can use the lens with the camera. As my primary purpose of purchasing this camera was to try out the dSLR video recording of the D3100, which I'd only use manual focus for anyway. You can still control the aperture using a dial on the camera. And often with stills @ F1.8 I'd be using manual focus anyway. All my other lenses (ie: AFS Nikkor 70-200 F2.8 VR), auto focuses works with the D3100 having internal focus motors. For film/video work I often use fully manual primes anyway, so I love the D3100 in spite of some minor auto focus limitations.

I purchased the Zacuto z-finder for a few reasons. I prefer a viewfinder over an LCD monitor, as it fully blocks out everything outside the gates composition for full concentration on the scene. Also blocking out external light from the LCD (ie: sunlight glare), so you can always see what you are recording or have shot. But the main reason being it makes the video recording more stable as your eye acts as another point of stabilization for distributing the cameras censor movement, which in turn also helps limit rolling shutter on CMOS censors. I do a lot of hand held filming, so the z-finder works very well with my style.

An external monitor is great for clients/directors to view whilst the recording is taking place. And also if the camera movement does not allow the operator to use a viewfinder, ie: crane/dolly etc... If picking one over the other just for the operator, I'd pick the viewfinder first, but that's because of my personal preference and camera usage.

Yeah the helmet cameras are a great thing to have on sets. I've been using the Contour HD 1080p a lot on photo shoots this year! Just put them on a light stand, stick them in a position for each setup, and let it record without having to spend much time operating it. A valuable thing when crews hands are limited. And also always interesting to review the footage at the end, as a fly on the wall perspective.

No problem! Thank you, glad you like it :)
 
Amazing footage, I just got the D3100 with a 35mm/1.8 - I'm looking forward to playing with it further, trying to get results like yours! I don't suppose you know of a free and Windows-based method for similar color correction? The difference is dramatic!

Did you use any extra lighting or was there enough in the studio?
 
exhilaration said:
Amazing footage, I just got the D3100 with a 35mm/1.8 - I'm looking forward to playing with it further, trying to get results like yours! I don't suppose you know of a free and Windows-based method for similar color correction? The difference is dramatic!

Did you use any extra lighting or was there enough in the studio?
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Thank you!

I haven't used windows in a very long time for video editing, so do not know what's available. If you can adjust the mid tones, whites, and blacks; then there is a lot that can be done to the color.

The hair and make up room has a mixture of tungsten and daylight balanced light globes around the mirror. Apart from that, just some windows providing the ambient light. The dSLR is quite sensitive to light.
 
Charles your camera skill makes the Nikon look awesome. There is so little video Nikon users at the moment it is refreshing to see this caliber of work produced with the Nikon. I just got the d7000 and after reading your post I will be looking into the Zacuto z finder. Thank you for sharing.
 
newtodvx100a said:
Charles your camera skill makes the Nikon look awesome. There is so little video Nikon users at the moment it is refreshing to see this caliber of work produced with the Nikon. I just got the d7000 and after reading your post I will be looking into the Zacuto z finder. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you very much! =)

After using a 35mm adapter for a while, the clarity of the dSLR video was very refreshing! Bokeh maintenance with such a clean image!

How's the D7000? Must be great having that mic input! Oh the days of syncing 16mm film and DAT are now relived with my D3100 and Zoom H1. Joy! :2vrolijk_08:
 
I am loving the camera. Have to work on using the form factor. Can't hold it steady. :( I havn't used an external mic yet. Just went for a hike Saturday and took some shots. It is a huge improvement over my d90. I filmed a mountain biker coming down a hill past us and I panned very fast. I didn't see any jello. The expeed 2 processor is very fast.
 
newtodvx100a said:
I am loving the camera. Have to work on using the form factor. Can't hold it steady. :( I havn't used an external mic yet. Just went for a hike Saturday and took some shots. It is a huge improvement over my d90. I filmed a mountain biker coming down a hill past us and I panned very fast. I didn't see any jello. The expeed 2 processor is very fast.
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Great to hear! I really wanted to get the D7000 but it's been so long since it's been out of stock after it's release date; so I might wait for the next model to come. That said, am still waiting on the Scarlet! :angry: Was hoping to use it for a few projects this year.

The dSLR form factor is one area where I find the z-finder to be great as it helps to stabilize the hand held movements. Can pull off filming hand held with a 200mm lens on the D3100's dx censor (crop factor), magnifying it to 300mm, and the footage is often usable!

Have you uploaded the footage of your fast pan on the mountain biker anywhere?
 
newtodvx100a said:
I was waiting for the D7000 to get in stock, kept checking and checking, finally I just ordered it and was surprised it came in only two weeks. I uploaded the clip. Here it is.

http://vimeo.com/19753072
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Hey thanks for posting your shot. When the suns in your eyes, camera sees lens flares :D

Might order a T2i for the 60p. The D7000 manual video controls is a step up and would be better convenience but since I got the D3100 already, I'd prefer the 60p/high speed option.

Fingers crossed for a new Nikon model with 60p ASAP!
 
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