Mike Gunter said:
Hi all,

In the full interest of disclosure - I teach software still Adobe, mostly, but Sony, too, as well as Corel's Videostudio (I was a consultant to Ulead when Ulead existed).

Most software will do small jobs easily - simple trims - taking a few frames of heads (front of the clips) and tails (end of clips) and adding transitions (cross fades, wipes, whatever).

Audio usually gets the same trim as the video and the same treatment in transition as far as mixing the audio to 'fade out/in' with the audio - in general. Some applications are better than others and audio will chip at transitions with the cheaper application > $100. Premiere Elements just got game with some audio tools in v9 that make is nice. Sony Vegas Studio is nice, Videostudio is pretty good. Elements with Photoshop is a bit of bargain as is Videostudio with Paintshop Pro, so weight options, and look at the media organization tools, too.

A few short years ago, I would have thought that Blu-Ray would have conquered the world by now, but I don't have one and I don't see the reason to have one. Nearly everything is on line and fiber is where it seems to be going. Up loading HD to Facebood or online sharing sites is easy and available via most of these tools Some of them even have DVD interfaces so you can upload to a site that looks like you want it to look for your friends and family.

The CODEC in D7K edits in all three of the consumer brands and you can have layers of video like you can have layers of content in Photoshop. That means something when you want to have effects like picture in picture, titles, lower thirds, a slew of other things that can become important. The ease in which these things are done is another matter. In some cases it's like changing a tire while the car is still moving.

With YouTube, you have lot of content to help you out, I'm doing tutorials later this year on my site that is quite at the moment, classes are ubiquitous and cheap, and how much you really want to do and get out of video depends on how much you really want to put into it. If it's for fun and family - that's one thing and you might go all in, if it's for business, you many have to watch what spend. ;-)

I'll be happen to start another thread or the admins can transfer it to another thread to talk about video production with the D7K What's needed or whatever.

My best,

Mike

Mike,

Thanks for the tips! I'm thinking Premeir Elements will be my best bet for now.

I would love to see a thread on video production with the venerable D7K!

Thanks for being awesome,
Cary

Hi all,

In the full interest of disclosure - I teach software still Adobe, mostly, but Sony, too, as well as Corel's Videostudio (I was a consultant to Ulead when Ulead existed).

Most software will do small jobs easily - simple trims - taking a few frames of heads (front of the clips) and tails (end of clips) and adding transitions (cross fades, wipes, whatever).

Audio usually gets the same trim as the video and the same treatment in transition as far as mixing the audio to 'fade out/in' with the audio - in general. Some applications are better than others and audio will chip at transitions with the cheaper application > $100. Premiere Elements just got game with some audio tools in v9 that make is nice. Sony Vegas Studio is nice, Videostudio is pretty good. Elements with Photoshop is a bit of bargain as is Videostudio with Paintshop Pro, so weight options, and look at the media organization tools, too.

A few short years ago, I would have thought that Blu-Ray would have conquered the world by now, but I don't have one and I don't see the reason to have one. Nearly everything is on line and fiber is where it seems to be going. Up loading HD to Facebood or online sharing sites is easy and available via most of these tools Some of them even have DVD interfaces so you can upload to a site that looks like you want it to look for your friends and family.

The CODEC in D7K edits in all three of the consumer brands and you can have layers of video like you can have layers of content in Photoshop. That means something when you want to have effects like picture in picture, titles, lower thirds, a slew of other things that can become important. The ease in which these things are done is another matter. In some cases it's like changing a tire while the car is still moving.

With YouTube, you have lot of content to help you out, I'm doing tutorials later this year on my site that is quite at the moment, classes are ubiquitous and cheap, and how much you really want to do and get out of video depends on how much you really want to put into it. If it's for fun and family - that's one thing and you might go all in, if it's for business, you many have to watch what spend. ;-)

I'll be happen to start another thread or the admins can transfer it to another thread to talk about video production with the D7K What's needed or whatever.

My best,

Mike

CaryTheLabelGuy said:
I have not been on here very long, but it didn't take me long to realize you are a real asset to this forum.

Oh, yes.

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

Hi Cary... Thanks for your most kind words.

I made some very quick and dirty tests of the AVCHD CODEC and you can use Picture Controls with the D7K to over saturate the colors or do whatever the Picture Controls allow. I'm not sure I would tinker with it too much since there's a lot you can do in post that could be messed up if you loose detail in the video in the capture.

@Jarski Mela - Exactly. Video doesn't like too much contrast.

My best,

Mike

For best highlight and shadow performance I use Neutral Picture Control: Sharpening: 2-3, saturation -1, contrast: -1 or -2. Older models D90 D5000 D300s sharpening 0.

Edit. This is just my opinion!

Mike,

I have not been on here very long, but it didn't take me long to realize you are a real asset to this forum. Good work mate. Thanks for the tips.

I have played around in D-Movie mode a few times and instanlty realized that autofocus, while useful for home videos, is no good for pro looking footage. The footage I did get looked pretty cool, especially compared to the footage from our D5000.

I need to figure out what editing software I'm going to use now! Thanks again for your help!

Hi,

What I _think_ works best, and I haven't tried it yet, is to set a prime on, and dis-engage the auto-focus.

After WB and setting the focus and f-stop, begin filming. After that take, reset for the next scene.

All of it should be done on a tripod or sturdy support. If you're going rouge... Well, cinéma vérité would get you razzed in my class, but I've retired from teaching university. ;-)

Auto-focusing works great in the D7K, but it isn't for good filmmaking, it looks amateurish - it's terrific for birthday parties (which is what I will use it to record for my grandchildren), but I have other projects that I don't want the lens to be 'seeking'.

I haven't had the camera long enough to check and see if picture control will influence the footage, but getting good footage should be enough. Good editors like Adobe Premiere (either Elements - Cheap, Pro - Complete and expensive), Vegas - Studio - Cheap - Pro - Expensive and full, Videostudio - Cheap, but very useful, can fix a lot of things in post.

Premiere Elements has new audio tools that do a great job in cleaning up bad audio.

While posting specific links and specific recommendations for microphones is not cool, Adorama can fix you up with a Rode shock mount and not heinous AT short shotgun microphone and line matching transformer to the D7K. The audio kit isn't "Cheap", but it will give you great sound.

If you're really serious, you might add a DR-7 Tascam or DR-100 Tascam digital recorders. They're terrific and record audio discretely from the camera you can synchronize in post.

For wedding and event folks, say you want to leave a still camera doing other things and have a 'DVD reel', you could use the AT short Shotgun D7K camera and record 'best wishes clips', 'first kiss', 'toasts', 'garter toss' - you get the idea - something short, less than 15-20 minutes total, and perhaps a really short special effects thing that isn't difficult to do. That goes with the photos.

Value added.

My best,

Mike

Great topic! I'm typically a still photographer, but since I have the D7K, I've been interested in shooting a very small short film. I'm sure I'm in a little over my head in that dept. We'll see if it works. I'll run out of talent before i run out of camera.

Gareth said:
my d300s has no ability to adjust shutter speed during video. just found out the other day. i have to say that it is annoying.

mike, wait for the new full frame and get full frame AND full frame video, then you'll be able to retire (a figure of speech).

Hey Gareth,

As much as I _want(ed)_ a full frame, I got the D7K. I really can't tote the extra weight of the FX (body and lens(es)), and my market will never ever notice any difference in DX to FX, and the cost difference in the two isn't trivial.

Sigh...

The D7K is a step up in features, some seem really wow-ish. Just the small increase in resolution is _interesting_.

I've used the movie settings in the D7K a few times yesterday and it was perfect. I'm going to try to make a very small movie over the next few days if I can find the time. The camera is a very good tool.

My best,

Mike

my d300s has no ability to adjust shutter speed during video. just found out the other day. i have to say that it is annoying.

mike, wait for the new full frame and get full frame AND full frame video, then you'll be able to retire (a figure of speech).

Thanks everyone. I had seen some video at 1/50 and couldn't understand why it was all shot that way. This makes sense now.

Paperman said:
Thanks Mike & Wow ! ! Moveable shutter angles like chopper blades/propellers ! ! One wonders why they still mimick the 180degree shutter system ( and the angles you mentioned ) and not use a system they can change the shutter speed directly.

Hi Paperman,

They sort of do, but then when projected back, the speed needs to be consistent to the viewer. IOW, if it is at 24fps and shot at 48fps, then it would be in slow motion playback (which is exactly how that works).

Shooting at 12fps and played back at 24fps is fast motion playback. Some cameras - my HVX200 for example - have multiple frame rates and multiple angle shutters.

Some cameras _allow_, for example, a shutter of 1/1000th in the space of 24 times in 1 second.

It's complicated. ;-)

My best,

Mike

Thanks Mike & Wow ! ! Moveable shutter angles like chopper blades/propellers ! ! One wonders why they still mimick the 180degree shutter system ( and the angles you mentioned ) and not use a system they can change the shutter speed directly.

Hi,

The 'shutter' speed in video and film is consistently 1/48th of a second, but the angle of the shutter isn't (although the reading may say differently). Shutter angle rotates to mimic faster shutter speeds such as 1/1000th of a second to give those crisp frames such as what Speilberg used on the landing at D-Day in _Saving Private Ryan_.

My best,

Mike

I have nothing to do with DSLR video but a question out of curiosity . Let's say you're shooting video of 300km/hr F1 cars - not from far .

Watching the video , will I be able to see any difference between choice of shutter speed of 1/50 and 1/1000 ?? Naturally , if I look at it shot by shot , I will - but what about watching it as video ??

What shutter speed would those TV cameras shooting race cars/tennis will be using ?

Welcome to the forum, Dave. The standard for cinema is 1/48, so if that's the look you're going for you'd set 1/50. Sometimes there's too much light for that and you need to cut out light with a neutral density filter or live with a faster shutter speed.

When in manual movie mode why would you set the shutter speed to anything quicker than 1/30? Playback is at 24P so aren't you just making the picture darker? 1/30 allows you to use the best ISO possible with the aperture you want.