Choose the Right DSLR Accessories: Video 101
The following lesson was created by Vimeo for its Vimeo Video School. It's used here with permission. Look for a new lesson each week.
When you purchase your camera, you don't get a whole lot of accessories. It can be helpful to get some extra stuff to help you be prepared and shoot better footage. Here's a list of common accessories for DSLR cameras.
Batteries: Get extra batteries! A full day's shoot will use about four batteries. This goes without saying, but be sure to charge them all up the night before you shoot. It's a big thing that is easy to forget. Establishing a workflow for getting prepared to shoot is essential.
Cards: Get some spare memory cards. It's a good idea to use around 16 gigabyte cards so that if you accidentally format your footage, you haven't lost everything. A 16GB memory card shooting at 1080p will give you approximately 30 minutes of recording time. Be safe with smaller cards!
Viewfinders: Use these to help steady the camera and get great focus.
Here's an awesome tutorial that shows you how to turn your old camcorder's viewfinder into one you can use on your fancy new DSLR camera!
Rigs: For additional stability, you can use camera rigs that allow you to shoot handheld for much longer. There are tons of companies that manufacture great shoulder rigs for shooting with your DSLR.
Microphones: DSLRs typically don't have great on board microphones so you can buy external microphones to get better sound. Now things start to get totes crazy when you start mixing and matching things. For example, this tutorial shows you a handy way to put an external microphone on a shoulder rig on a budget!
ND Filters: Put this on your camera so you can maintain the shutter speed and aperture when you're shooting outside.
Light panels: Use a light panel to add some extra light to what you're shooting. If you're indoors and grandma's house has some dark nooks and crannies, throw up one of these handy light panels to shed some light on that situation. Sometimes the light in your videos makes all the difference, so don't underestimate this accessory.
Dolly: Dollies give you smooth motions so you get really professional looking video!
Here's a test clip using Philip Bloom's pocket dolly by Cliff Watson.
Ready for more? Learn about shooting video with a DSLR or view more lessons at the Vimeo Video School.
Guest Post's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net