Shooting Video with a DSLR Camera: 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.
You get the most control over your video when you shoot in Manual mode, usually indicated by the letter M on your top settings dial. The Manual setting gives you control over the aperture and shutter speed. Shooting this way takes a little bit of work, but it's worth it, and after you experiment a bit, you'll start to get a good feel for the settings!
Here are some important things to keep in mind.
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is how long the sensor in your camera is exposed to light. To maintain the film look of shooting videos with your DSLR, you want to make sure your shutter speed in synchronous to your framerate. If you are shooting in 24p or 25p you will want to set your shutter speed to 50 (1/50th of a second). Shooting in 30p, set your shutter speed to 60 or 1/60th. 50p or 60p, shoot at 100 and 120 respectively. These setting will give you the best looking video.
ISO is a camera setting that changes how sensitive the camera's sensor is to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor will be, which allows you to shoot better images in low light conditions. It's a good idea to keep your ISO as low as possible for the best looking image. Sometimes, you'll need to bump it up a bit if there isn't a lot of light.
Good ISOs: 160, 320, 640, 1250, and 2500
Avoid using: 125, 250, 500, and 1000. These ISO settings create noise and make your footage look grainy.
Using slow, and controlled movements while your camera is attached to a tripod will give you the best shots. A good technique to try when you pan from side to side is to hold your shot for about ten seconds, then start your slow pan, and then hold your shot another ten seconds before cutting. This gives you three different shots to work with when it comes time to edit!
Check back next week to learn about recording sound for DSLRs or view more lessons at the Vimeo Video School.
Guest Post's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net