AC90: Shutter speed of 1/120 or 1/60?

J

JBCoons

Member
Based on recomendations from Barry and others , I purchased an AC90 to replace my Canon XH-A1 to use for videoing horse shows. Barry's book is excellent and a must read for AC90 owners. Even though most of my video will be delivered to clients on standard definition DVDs, I plan on following his advice to shoot in 60p and let my NLE convert to SD. I would also like the ability to extract frames from my video to make 5x7 prints. I assume that 60p is the best format for this? Can I set my shutter to 1/120 rather than 1/60? The faster speed should "freeze" the horses better as they go over the jumps (when I photograph with a DSLR I use 1/1000) but are there any problems using 1/120 rather than 1/60? Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
60p is definitely the best format to shoot in, for extracting stills from. But remember, you can also shoot stills during the video recording, and those stills will be higher res and better quality than an extracted frame grab.

Shorter shutter speeds do indeed freeze the action more than longer shutters. That is great for stills, but not always preferable for video. I recommend running some tests so you can determine whether you like the 1/120 look, but frankly it sounds like a reasonable and workable compromise for what you're planning.

Good luck, and show us some footage when you're done!
 
Thanks for you comments, Barry. I do realize the AC90 can take stills while videoing but the "perfect" shot (the horse "just right" over the jump) is maybe only one frame in 8 or 10 minutes of video. I would be so busy pushing the photo button I would really compromise my panning and zooming! I will try some tests at 1/120, but unfortunately I need a horse show to really compare 1/120 to 1/60. You call it "the 1/120 look" - just what are you meaning? (I have always shot in 60i at 1/60).
 
I've been shooting some women's basketball with the AC90 60p at 1/120. It definitely gives a more "stuttery" look compared to 1/60.
 
Do a test on cars driving on the road, and change your settings you will see the difference. Its all personal taste. I like 1/60, but try it on almost any moving object.
 
I attended a conference on HDSLR video. We were advised to double the shutter setting to correspond with the progressive setting. 24p= 48 shutter. 30p= 60 shutter. 60p= 120 shutter. Truthfully I have always used 1/60 in the past.
 
Lou Bruno said:
I attended a conference on HDSLR video. We were advised to double the shutter setting to correspond with the progressive setting. 24p= 48 shutter. 30p= 60 shutter. 60p= 120 shutter. Truthfully I have always used 1/60 in the past.
Click to expand...
That advice is only partially applicable; it's only applicable if you're shooting for "the film look". And if you are, you're not shooting 60p for live event playback, you're shooting it for slow-motion purposes, and for slow-mo, 1/120 would be appropriate.

However, that advice is glaringly wrong if you're talking about shooting live events, sports, news, anything where the footage is meant to be played back at 60fps. In that scenario, you want 1/60th; if you used 1/120 you'd find that the motion was choppy and stuttery (at least, as compared to 1/60, which is the standard for "live" 60fps).
 
what type of horse show? 1/120 should be fine. 1/240 range would work too. My videos looked fine in either shutter speeds.
 
I video only Hunter/Jumper horse shows... no Western shows. Someone once asked me why I did not video Western - rodeos, etc - and I told him, "Western riding is to Hunter/Jumper riding as Saturday night stock car racing is to European Formula I Grand Prix." Many of the Hunter/Jumper horses cost 6-figures. Don't get me wrong - my next door neighbor rides Western and loves barrel racing, but there is not much demand for professional video at Western shows. We have a really nice horse show grounds here in Germantown, Tennessee with about 15 H/J shows scheduled for 2013... 200-300 horses at each show... I also video H/J shows in Franklin, Tennessee. Been doing this for 7 years. A very specialized niche - I am the "official videographer" for several of the show series - to be successful you must be willing to learn the sport and the riders and the horses. When I have a mother (who maybe ordered video months before) ask me to video her daughter again in the Medal and the Maclay I have to translate that to the "official class names" - the USEF and ASPCA - and try to remember her daughter's name so I can look her up on the entry list and get her back number - and determine which of the 3 rings she will be riding in and when ("when" is constantly changing) so I can move my camera and not miss videoing other riders who have ordered video in the other 2 rings. Shooting the video is the easy part of my business!
 
I use to shoot hunters and jumpers. I would be in Wellington, FL, Tampa, FL, Lexington, KY, Cincinnati, OH (near airport in KY). We would have up to 6-8 rings going at one time. We would have a camera at each ring and tape each person and log the time and back number. Then people would either pay to watch their run. If they turned out to want it on tape/DVD the view cost would be credited to the purchase price. Some people would just order their run.
 
When I started, the business model you used (video every round) was how all the shows were being videoed, but I decided to offer "video on request" since I wanted to run a 1-person operation. I priced my rounds at 1/2 what the other videographers were charging and got the word out via flyers and ads in the show programs. When the economy cratered in 2008 most of the other videographers went bankrupt. My business dropped, but I did not have their overhead (and loans to cover equipment). The spread of smartphone video capabilities hurt also, but I had my reputation and following. For the big classes (Grand Prix's, Welcome Stakes, and Hunter Derby's) I video every horse - if someone wants their rounds, I charge 50% more than if they had "ordered in advance." But you videoed at Wellington - wow - that is the Superbowl of Hunter/Jumper shows and also at Lexington - that is some major equestrian videography on your resume!
 
Yup I followed the big dogs. Firestone, Johnson, Busch, Melloncamp's daughter, Kevin Costner was there, Leah Dewars, and the list went on and on of huge multimillionaires.
I shot so many hunter/jumpers I can shoot it blindfolded.
Wellington was 100,000k in sales for those 8-10 weeks
 
I shoot hand held 1080 60 & 180 shutter to blur the background when panning. 120 works better but if I'm not right on I noticed I can blur the subject. Also when moving the camera slowly I want the background to stay sharp.
My shooting is similar I think to you only I shoot motorcycles that I think are moving quicker than a horse. To be honest I never tried 60 shutter, just figured with all the movement it would be a mess.
 
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