Best DSLR advice: Doing some research and I need your input. PLEASE!!!

Please tell me, in your own opinion, what are the 5 things people must know about shooting with a DSLR for the first time?

I'm interested in hear many peoples take on this question. What was some of the best advise that you got that made your shooting with a DSLR better?

Maybe if enough people reply and play along, this could be a sticky thread. A quick reference for those first timers to the DSLR movement. And maybe we can all learn something new as well.

So please help me, because I am very interested to hear what others here think is important to pass along. And if you have more thoughts or bits of sage advise that just 5, please type it up! Even if you only have one bit of wisdom to share, please, share it!

Thanks! After a while I'll tell you all what I'm doing with this.

For general shots use a reasonably wide angle lens and f11 it makes critical focus less of an issue, super thin DOF are best kept for static shots.

1. Stability
2. Stability
3. Stability
4. Stability
5. Stability



Bouncy shots may look very dramatic and arty but don't cut it if they make the viewer feel sick. Use a tripod when ever possible otherwise a rig or a monopod at the least.

Take plenty of cut always and always let them run longer than you think necessary. If you want 4 seconds take 10.

Try to shoot to an idea of the finished article rather than arbitrarily shoot stuff and then see what you have when you come to edit.

If using music in the edit choose it early and edit with it. Music can have significant impact on the feel of the project and will help set a tempo for the editing.

Know how your camera works and have plenty of batteries and cards on you. It's no good setting up for a killer interview only to say "Sorry mate, give me a minute. I've got to go back to the car to get another card." I now carry an emergency card hanging on my strap with a lens cleaner - tip 8b have a lens cleaner and use it.

Look for the unusual and try to include some movement (not shake) even in still shots. Leaves blowing in a static shot look much better than including a photograph.

1. Invest in stabilizers (monopod, tripod, steadicam, dollys)
2. Donate to Magic Lantern and install it (even when it becomes free, because they did an amazing job)
3. Invest in a good recorder (whether its on cam or off, you want QUALITY sound ; it will make or break your videos)
4. Remember your shutter is supposed to be double your FPS (ie 30fps is 1/60 or 60fps is 1/120) [I suppose this isn't hard and fast depending on your style]
5. Digital ISO is better than "true" ISO.

Bonus: Learn Three-way color correction or RGB curves.

In no particular order, except for No.1

1. My No. 1 bit of advice: Learn your camera and practice practice practice until you can operate it without thinking or looking at the controls. Practice in all possible shooting conditions (bright sunlight, shade, indoors, close-up, panning, changing focus) until it's absolutely second nature. Did I mention practice? And BTW, I'm assuming you already know the basics, such as the relationship between aperture, shutter, and ISO, how to determine depth of field, etc.

2. Keep it steady. I've spent at least as much money on stabilization as I have on my cameras.

3. Buy a variable neutral density filter or matte box with filter slot and assortment of ND filters. Control of exposure via filters is absolutely essential for outdoor shooting, not so much for indoors.

4. Focus is critical. Either set it deep or double/triple check your focus via high magnification, focus peaking, etc. Buy a loupe or an HDMI monitor with shade if you plan to do any outdoor shooting. I'm lousy at follow focus, so perhaps others can provide advice on that art.

5. I'm a real hack at audio, but it's obviously terribly important. Get a hot shoe mount mic at the very least, and turn off AGC if possible. Better yet, get the mic off camera and record into a proper external preamp and recorder. Do this even if you don't intend to use the audio from your shoot - you never know where your creative mind will take you once you start putting it all together in post.

6. Plan what you want to achieve before you begin - preferably long before. Develop a shot list, storyboard, or whatever scheme works for you to make sure you capture everything you need. There's nothing more annoying, if not terrifying, than realizing that you overlooked a critical shot and can't reshoot. And don't make the mistake of thinking that you don't need a shot list or that your shoot can't benefit from one. Even a vacation video can be planned (WA establishing shot of resort, close-up of birds on beach, sunset with silhouette of wifey, etc.)

7. Remember that you always have a higher opinion of your work than others do. Get over it, swallow your pride, and try to learn to critique your work with a dispassionate eye. You'll catch more glitches that way.

8. Know the limitations of the medium and work around them. For DSLR, it's crappy dynamic range, moire/alias, and rolling shutter (I'm not counting all-manual operation; in my opinion that's a benefit, not a limitation!). Avoid setups where these issues are problematic. Yes, it can be frustrating, but it can be done.

9. Get help. I primarily shoot solo, but the few times I've had assistance have been so much more enjoyable!

10. If you take advice No. 1, then Nos. 2 through 9 are unnecessary because you'll run into all the nasties on your own and work out your own solutions.

Sorry it's a few more than 5. And my list is really only for those just starting out; I'm definitely not qualified to advise on doing narrative filming with a full crew, talent, etc.

Snafoo, 4 and 6 are actually great ones that didn't immediately come to mind. GREAT GREAT GREAT advice.

cool thread by the way. would make a nice infographic or something at the end.

I started not to post since the advice you already received was excellent, but decided that some repetition on these things is good because it reinforces that the most tried and true facts are going to come from many sources. i will chime in with mine:

1) A DSLR is not a video camera. It is device designed for still photography that has been "hacked" by the manufacturer (for lack of a better word at the moment) to record video. It has some shortcomings ergonomically and functionality wise. Many standard features for video cameras like zebra and neutral density filters are non-existent. The payoff is worth it especially if you take the time to address some of the shortcomings with third party solutions.

2) Better ability to control Depth of Field in comparison to video cameras means more attention must be paid to focus. That f1.2 L lens will give you lovely footage wide open, but if you are shooting a moving object, an inch or two of movement will result in soft shots. Block shots carefully with that in mind or stop down. lenses with DOF guides on the lens are helpful in this regard. This site has charts that can help you determine useful things to know like the hyperfocus distance for your lenses. http://www.dofmaster.c​om/hyperfocal.html I concur that using third party solutions to increase focusing ability is a big help. A true HD monitor attached to the camera is an option but not always practical. low-cost solutions are a magnifying loupe or using magic lantern software .

3) Pre-planning is even more critical with DSLRs. You can only shoot in 12 minute max increments, so keep that in mind when covering events. Zooming while shooting is usually not desirable or practical since still lenses were not designed to zoom the same way video lenses are. In addition movement in general can cause issues. Common issues that can ruin a shoot are rolling shutter (jello effect) , moire and aliasing. Most can be reduced or prevented with planning, but are bound to occur if you run into every shoot without considering them.

4)Forget using the on camera microphone for anything except reference audio. Either run a high quality mic into the camera using devices like beachtek adapters or use a separate device to record audio. This part is seriously not optional.

5) Don't get so caught up on the disadvantages of DSLRS that you forget to just have fun taking advantage of the upside of DSLR video. find myself doing things that were simply impractical with video cameras. i shot an ad in a restaurant kitchen that was too small to set up lighting without being a hazard. Being able to shoot at f1.8 and maneuver the camera into positions not practical with most video cameras saved the day.

^ Great points. It didn't occur to me to mention the 12 minute record limit (30 minutes now on the 5DIII, I think?).

just what i need...more reasons to have gear envy lol. magic lantern kind of overcomes this limitation by giving the option to auto restart video recording when it reaches that limit. you lose about 3 seconds, but for situations where you are using multiple cameras it is not a bad workaround

All of John Sims' points are excellent, especially regarding leaving enough lead time in your shots to trim when you're editing. I can't tell you how many times I've been bitten by that little failure, and it's so easy to avoid if you just pay attention while you're filming.

ChasWG wrote in post #14776022
Please tell me, in your own opinion, what are the 5 things people must know about shooting with a DSLR for the first time?

Assuming you mean shooting video with an HDSLR I have a few.

Learn the safe pan rates for your setup, there are numerous sources out there for this information.

Manual focus all the time.

Avoid zooming, zoom lenses are fine but use them as variable primes.

Wayne

Snafoo wrote in post #14778927
All of John Sims' points are excellent...

If it's DSLR, make sure sharpening is off, contrast is nearly off, and saturation is reduced. Take care of it in post.

Thanks so much everyone! Excellent points so far. Please don't let this be the end. Every one's points (whether they are repeated or not) are valid. No one here works or lives in a vacuum and everyone has a different take of similar points so please tell me what it is that is first time HD DSLR shooters must know.

And yes, I'm talking about shooting with HD DSLRs. I know there are several users here that don't use the Canon still cameras that also shoot video, but this is a specific question to the use of these cameras because they have some very specific idiosyncrasies that "real" camcorders or pro level video cameras don't have.

Again, this is all really great info so far, but please add anything that some one else might find useful or helpful. Thanks!

I recall reading somewhere that dedicated video cams have VND filters built in, so that tells you something about their usefulness in this application.

they are great but are limiting at times if you are doing 'run and gun' style video work.

1) stability and having a good rig whether for shoulder mount, glide cam, and tripod
2) follow focus will make your life easier
3) follow focus will make your life easier unless you want to attempt to zoom with one hand and focus with the other haha and
3.1) primes are easier than zooms for video for most shooting unless you have the luxury of taking your time
4) invest in better sound gear and record externally. odds are you are using the 7D in your sig which means AGC is going to ruin your audio. so avoid pluggin mics into your camera to avoid the AGC. also recording externally gives you more control over audio such as levels and bit rate and format
5) an external monitor or EVF will help because using the LCD on the back of your DSLR makes it hard to know if you are in focus while recording.

bonus tip: download mpegstreamclip and convert your footage to pro res. if you do not know what that means refer to a stickied thread on how to edit DSLR footage.

if you are shooting ENG and most EFP, or live events of any kind i STRONGLY suggest a dedicated video camera that will not limit maximum record duration, suffer from heating up, and will take less time setting up all the extra equipment needed to make DSLR video shooting easier. it is possible with the right rigs to run an gun with a DSLR but its still a pain at times because you cant record forever because of the record time limitation and the camera heating up as mentioned.

just be weary of how you intend the final product to be displayed as that decides how you need to work with your footage. for instance you probably cant use the same export settings for youtube as you would to broadcast on television.