Proud Dad Syndrome

L

lhryshko

Well-known member
I hope I don't get banished for not being an aspiring filmmaker.....but....my name is Larry and I'm fatally afflicted with Proud Dad Syndrome.

Tomorrow is day one with a new HPX170.

I bought it to start creating some good footage of my kids in gymnastics. Since they're at the gym 37 hours a week, I will have plenty of time to practise.

My immediate goals are:

1) to convince my wife that this isn't the stupidest thing I've ever done (the list is large), and
2) to generate some great video of my kids (selfish) and other kids (altruistic) while they do things that are freakishly amazing.

I've watched the Bootcamp DVDs, trolled this forum, and will avidly study the manual and HPX book once it arrives, but I would love to get some hot tips so that Day One is a stunning success rather than a catastrophic meltdown. Actually, moderate success would be fine and more realistic.

Any hot clues on where and how to start would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

P.S. Think Karma. One day, you'll need your Forum buds to justify insanity to your spouse, and I, for one, will be there.
 
sound like a job for the flip cam. kidding (sorta)
make sure you have a big p2 card.
extra battery
and play with your camera settings and don worry about your wife
ull fall in love with your camera
 
Check, check, check.
Have cards, batteries, tripod, etc. so I need to worry about the wife even more.

OK, I realize I need to be more specific. I'll be back in a month or two with some kick-ass footage to put up for ridicule.

Until then, I'll try feeding her bacon and telling her it's only a flip cam.
 
use the waveform monitor or zebras to make sure you don't over expose.
remember that when you zoom in it will get darker and when you zoom out it will get brighter.

Bring a white piece of paper with you to white balance with and when you do it, make sure the paper is facing the dominant light source(not pointed at the ground or otherwise not in the light's throw)

Experiment with the shutter speed so you get a nice crisp image of movement.

Don't rely on autofocus, it is slow with HD cameras, or atleast this camera.

If you're looking to impress the wife with the footage. Practice with the camera in secret ahead of time.

:-)
 
Everything everyone else said.
...but if your kids are anything like mine, I'm sure they'd much rather have a car than the footage! :shocked:
 
wgzn and monday1313

Checks are in the mail (well at least somewhere). Thank you very much.

This is exactly what I was hoping for.

wgzn, I've previously honed my mad skillz on a POS Canon ZR400, so yes and no.

Some quickie questions for anyone else who wants to be lavishly rewarded with the false promise of checks.

1. Do scene files overwrite or F-up a manual white balance or is this independent?

2. How the H can you chase fast moving objects while manually focusing and panning (never mind zoom and iris). Is DOF so large that I won't care? I've taken BGs many statements regarding the difficulty of obtaining good focus in HD to heart and it leaves me weak-kneed.

Thanks all. If anyone has any experience or tips in shooting gymnastics, I have way more imaginary checks to share.
 
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ZazaCast,

Daddy drives a $700 (recently upgraded) car so that he can pay for his "needs".

Besides, don't these cameras go up in value?
 
1. independent, and you have an A and B, both are saved at last setting when camera is turned off, so you get the same back again, unless you re-WB.

2. lots of fun, but there is a healthy DOF with the stock lens, especially at distance, you'll just need to experiment.
 
1. no, the scene file will not alter your white balance. Select your scene and record format first (at least I do) then WB the camera in the fashion indicated by monday1313.
2. if you zoom in tight and obtain critical manual focus, when you zoom out it should retain focus for the most part. Avoid fast panning whenever possible.
 
Thanks Dick and DGW!

I should be off to a great start.

DGW said:
Avoid fast panning whenever possible.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the little buggers are moving at considerable speed, so fast pans are a must. Oh well, this ain't Hollywood.
 
I'll offer the opposite of some previously offered advice. As far as I'm concerned, the first thing to lock down and forget is the shutter speed. 1/60 for 60i, 60p or 30p - 1/48 for 24p. Using other shutter speeds will, more often than not, either give you more blur than is usually desirable or too little (a strobe effect), where there is notable motion. If you shoot 60i or 60p you might want to experiment with faster shutter speeds if lighting permits, but do that after you have had some time to get to know the camera. Shooting 30p or 24p, you really should pretty much just stick with 1/60 (30p) and 1/48 (24p), unless there's a real reason to do otherwise.

White balance manually (best), or at least use a close preset. Auto white is very undesirable, because it will shift and that makes it incredibly difficult to correct color later. Similarly, ideally you do want to lock exposure down, but use aperature and gain (as little gain as possible) to control exposure, not shutter speed (unless you simply cannot get a bright enough image with the aperture wide open and employing gain within reason - then consider a slower shutter speed). Don't use the LCD or viewfinder to judge exposure. Learn to use zebras, then learn to use the waveform monitor too. It's better to underexpose than overexpose. Underexposure can be compensated for in post (within reason), but blown out highlights are gone forever.

Perhaps most important is to do your best to learn to move the camera s-l-o-w-l-y. Most beginners move cameras to much and just way, way to fast, both panning and zooming - sometimes enough to make you ill with motion sickness from just watching the footage.
 
Thank you, my Southern Neighbor, for the excellent advice.

OK, now everybody stop helping. My brain is too full for today.
 
One last thing. PLEASE leave the zoom control alone. Set your shot and leave it there for that shot. The zoom has not been cool since, well a few days after it was invented. You are getting good advice. Hold your shots, review your footage shortly after you shoot it so it is fresh in your mind. And do not be afraid to move the camera in the craziest of places.

You are doing this to have moments of your children s lives, so for your own enjoyment get lots of closeups of their faces while they are figuring out these challenges, and going through life. I think that is what you would cherish most in the long run.

If Minnesota is your neighbour to the south, where are you? I grew in in Winnipeg, and now live in the Twin Cities.
 
Prairieboy said:
If Minnesota is your neighbour to the south, where are you? I grew in in Winnipeg, and now live in the Twin Cities.
Click to expand...


I'm still trying to grow up in Winnipeg, but not very hard.

Thanks for the advice. All of these tips have been tremendously helpful and are much appreciated.

The last bit of confusion for me deals with the neccesity for fast panning if I hope to fill the frame even partially with a kid vs. zooming out so much that I'd have to point out which pixel my kid was.

Practise will tell, I guess. I just didn't anticipate needing a pilot's licence to operate the thing.
 
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