Website/tutorial about using video on DSLR?

[Peter Mlyn]

Hi. I am complete moron as far as recording video on dslr. As I am about to get 550D (maybe it will be new forum soon), I was wondering if there is any website or tutorial online on how do use shutter/aperture for shooting video. Also something about PP (I was thinking about Adobe Premiere Elements 8), what is best s/w and what can I do with it. I just want to do some basic stuff (delete some frames, add some sound or text, convert for format necessary for vimeo or youtube). Is probably trivial question for most of you, but as I said, I never use any video recording devices (except my phone). Thank you for any help.

[Richard Gooderick]

The big difference between shooting stills and shooting video is shutter speed.

When shooting stills you can combine very fast shutter speeds with small apertures to reduce the amount of light coming into the camera.

When shooting video you generally want a shutter speed of twice your framerate ie in an NTSC country like Korea, 1/60th of a second. Using faster shutter speeds can create unwanted effects eg jerkiness.

You therefore need something like a Fader ND to allow you to get the correct exposure when shooting in bright light without stopping the aperture right down. The camera is operating outside it's optimum at minimum aperture. You may not be able to stop it down enough to get correct exposure. Those are the reasons why you want to use ND filter. Having a variable filter makes life easier than screwing and unscrewing ND filters of differing density.

Apart from that. Read the manual and play around with the camera.

When issues arise that bother you do a search on DV Info to see if the question has already been asked.

That should get you started I hope. Good luck and have fun.

ps Sorry, I don't know what pp and s/w stand for!

[Colin Rowe]

s/w software

[Chris Hurd]

PP = Picture Profiles? or Post Production.

[Jason McDonald]

I think Peter is confusing PP (Photoshop and post-processing) with and NLE.

[Peter Mlyn]

Whow! You sure are quick people, thank you. Yes s/w is software to edit/convert the files, as I mentioned I was considering Adobe Premiere Elements, any opinions? Also I guess what is PP on photography (post processing) is called NLE? What does that stands for? Thanks for such a quick and informative reply.

[Richard Gooderick]

Non Linear Editor
The one I use is obsolete so I won't recommend it.
It's probably one of these: Final Cut Pro, Premiere, Vegas, Edius, that you will end up using. There are no absolutes. You need to find one that suits you. Which isn't brilliant advice as you really need to learn how to use one before you know what it can do. And they take forever to learn.
For what you want to do you could take a look at Pinnacle Studio if you are working on a PC.

[Chris Hurd]

There are some less expensive versions of these as well, such as Final Cut Express, Edius Neo, etc.

[Andy Wilkinson]

and don't forget that some of the NLEs allow you to download a trial version and use that for 30 days to see how you get on with it - a very good way of deciding if it's the one for you. So far I've used FCP and Vegas extensively in the last few years (and lesser packages such as Ulead's earlier offerings - before they were swallowed up by Corell/I got "serious" about this stuff and started my corporate video business).

Each has it's quirks but the editing skills you learn can be applied across NLEs and platforms. Testing a trial version is a great way to start and have fun!

[J. Chris Moore]

I would recommend Final Cut Express 3.5HD, its not the latest version but it was the last version of express to come with sound track. I'm guessing you can edit the files from the 550d with this version of express. You can find them on ebay for around $100. I actually have a copy for sale, but not sure about shipping to Korea. Also you would have to have a Mac computer, you haven't mentioned which whether you are a PC or Mac.

[Peter Mlyn]

Thank you for help. I am on PC, using Adobe Photoshop Elements for pictures, is Adobe Premiere Elements sufficient for simple conversion/editing? Also, since shutter speed has to be below 1/60, does it mean I have to use the tripod all the time? Thanks again

[Richard Gooderick]

Since you have Premiere Elements I suggest you have a go. You may want to search DV Info first (Premiere forum) to see if the files out of the camera need to be converted to a format that Premiere can import (the answer is probably yes).
You can use a faster shutter speed or a slower shutter speed if you need to. But if you go down to 1/30th (eg if you are filming in very low light) you won't want to be shooting scenes with a lot of movement. The ideal is to keep it at 1/60th unless you are shooting something like sport, when you may prefer a crisper look and may want to increase the shutter speed. I'm not an expert. I stick to around 1/50th or 1/60th.
There's another factor to consider if you are shooting in artificial light eg street lighting. If the shutter speed resonates with the frequency of the light (I am sure that is not the correct technical term but hopefully you get the idea) you will need to change the shutter speed.
For example, shooting in the UK on a 5D at 30fps I will use a 1/60th shutter speed except in some artificial light conditions. If I see flicker I change to 1/50th and the picture becomes steady again. You can see any interference in the viewfinder.
No, you don't need to use a tripod except that you will get better pictures if you can keep the camera stable. Because they will look less shaky and because the camera is not having to work so hard to compress the image (it's easier for it to compress a steady image than a shaking one).
A bit of blur creates better-looking video in most conditions so what is a slow shutter speed for stills is normal for video.