7D For Video Nature Photography

Tony Reidsma · April 5th, 2010, 12:06 AM

Hook the camera right to the computer and you'll be fine.

Doug Bailey · June 13th, 2010, 01:52 PM

Hi everyone,
Been shooting solidly for about 2 months and getting used to some of the quirks of the 7D.

Shooting 1080 30P:
My standard settings are shutter speed of 1/125 (1/250 creates a background shudder when panning, I think it's called rolling).

ISO of 800 -1250 even in good light. Noise doesn't seem to be a problem and I've shot at ISO 2500 with a small amount of noise. Above 2500 definitely is a problem.

The reason for the high ISO is that I want a reasonable depth of field. I was shooting a Racoon recently at around F8 which is my standard still setting. A larger Racoon appeared in the background and was just an out of focus blur, ruining what should have been an excellent clip. From then on I started using F16 and smaller apertures, sometimes down to F32.

I compose and focus through the viewfinder, adjusting the exposure by turning the wagon wheel on the back of the camera. Of course the camera mode is manual. I've found that the correct exposure for a still shot is correct for video. Then I flip the video switch and press the remote.

Starting and stopping the video created a shudder at the start and stop. Went online and found that the Canon RC1 will operate the 7D video. I have one from my 10D and it works great. The 5D remote does not work for 7D video, at least mine doesn't. Now no shudders so no need to fix that later. There are some camera settings to set to get this working, such as live mode enabled and 2 sec timer on. Remote RC1 needs to be on setting # 2. Big improvement and this is a must have for me.

I've tried 3 kinds of tripod and head combo:
The first was a Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod with low end ball head. Sort of OK for panning but not great.
The second was my Wimberly head on the Manfrotto. Not great, but I'll try it again with the up/down locked and see how it pans. This would be for the 500 lens maybe with 1X4. Maybe I won't be able to pan with this magnification.
The third is a not very high end video head on a fairly solid but cheap aluminum tripod. Seems best for panning. Of course it's best for panning, that's what it's designed for. Duh!

Just found out how to switch from video to still and back instantly. I lost some Swallow Tail Kite shots this morning because I was shooting video and it took 2 sec to trip the shutter when I switched back to still. By that time the action was long past. Use the C1 and C2 setting on the Mode dial and set presets.

I never zoom, the 100-400 is hopeless for this. The other lens I use is an EF28-135mm F3.5/5,0 IS which is great for more general shots of sunrise with birds twittering etc.

IS is always on, even on the tripod.

Have a Rode Videomic which seems to work OK. Turned micro switch down 10db. The high pass filter doesn't seem to make any difference for traffic noise. Picks up any nearby talking, even from the side or back, so I just stop videoing and shoot stills when people gather.

Get some funny questions such as "what's kind of mic is that?" "Lady, you are being recorded" "I don't care if I'm being recorded" and she walks away, offended that I won't stop my shoot to talk. "What's that furry thing on the end of your mic?" "Ma'am, I'm busy recording, your voice is on the video" "No it's not, the camera's pointing the other way". Yeah right! I do try hard to me nice though, it's an honor to be using this amazing technology and I want to share nature's beauty, I'm hooked.

Learned how to make turkeys gobble, which is fun and adds a lot to the clip. Yesterday I was shooting a lone turkey and suddenly heard a bunch of gobbles to my side and behind me. I turned around and there were about 6 of them watching me. When I turned the camera on them they hustled way...spoilsports.

Switching to USB2 made a major difference to download time. 10 Gigs seems about 10 minutes which is wonderful, thanks again for the previous help.

The PC side of this is another saga, Win 7 64 bit computer, CS5 on the way etc. Don't forget to factor that cost into the camera purchase. I gave up on Premiere Elements and my older XP photographic computer with CS2 couldn't handle it.

Trying to add video clips to our web site now, this is hard work for this non geek couple.

Hope these notes help someone out there, I'm loving it.

Happy shooting and thanks to all the posters whose discussions have helped so much,
Doug.

Home

Norman Pogson · June 14th, 2010, 06:39 AM

Hi Doug,

Using a high shutter speed with 30p gives the stuttering (strobe) effect, some refer to it as the "Saving Private Ryan" effect, as that film went for that effect. Ideally your shutter speed should be twice the frame rate, so 30 fps is 1/60th shutter, 60fps you go for 1/125 shutter.

The jello effect is when you pan, verticals in the frame lean over, so if you imagine a classic jello from an old time jello mold, when you shake it the jello flops side to side, that's what we see with the cmos sensor cameras when fast moving objects rush through the frame or we pan quickly.

Doug Bailey · June 14th, 2010, 10:47 AM

Hi Norman,
Thanks for the clear explanations. We read these terms, but often have no idea what it really looks like. Also sincerely appreciate your excellent blog, I've been reading it since day one of the 7D and it really helped get me going.

Regards,
Doug.

Norman Pogson · June 14th, 2010, 06:14 PM

Thanks Doug

June 13th, 2010, 01:52 PM	#17
Doug Bailey Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 164	Hi everyone, Been shooting solidly for about 2 months and getting used to some of the quirks of the 7D. Shooting 1080 30P: My standard settings are shutter speed of 1/125 (1/250 creates a background shudder when panning, I think it's called rolling). ISO of 800 -1250 even in good light. Noise doesn't seem to be a problem and I've shot at ISO 2500 with a small amount of noise. Above 2500 definitely is a problem. The reason for the high ISO is that I want a reasonable depth of field. I was shooting a Racoon recently at around F8 which is my standard still setting. A larger Racoon appeared in the background and was just an out of focus blur, ruining what should have been an excellent clip. From then on I started using F16 and smaller apertures, sometimes down to F32. I compose and focus through the viewfinder, adjusting the exposure by turning the wagon wheel on the back of the camera. Of course the camera mode is manual. I've found that the correct exposure for a still shot is correct for video. Then I flip the video switch and press the remote. Starting and stopping the video created a shudder at the start and stop. Went online and found that the Canon RC1 will operate the 7D video. I have one from my 10D and it works great. The 5D remote does not work for 7D video, at least mine doesn't. Now no shudders so no need to fix that later. There are some camera settings to set to get this working, such as live mode enabled and 2 sec timer on. Remote RC1 needs to be on setting # 2. Big improvement and this is a must have for me. I've tried 3 kinds of tripod and head combo: The first was a Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod with low end ball head. Sort of OK for panning but not great. The second was my Wimberly head on the Manfrotto. Not great, but I'll try it again with the up/down locked and see how it pans. This would be for the 500 lens maybe with 1X4. Maybe I won't be able to pan with this magnification. The third is a not very high end video head on a fairly solid but cheap aluminum tripod. Seems best for panning. Of course it's best for panning, that's what it's designed for. Duh! Just found out how to switch from video to still and back instantly. I lost some Swallow Tail Kite shots this morning because I was shooting video and it took 2 sec to trip the shutter when I switched back to still. By that time the action was long past. Use the C1 and C2 setting on the Mode dial and set presets. I never zoom, the 100-400 is hopeless for this. The other lens I use is an EF28-135mm F3.5/5,0 IS which is great for more general shots of sunrise with birds twittering etc. IS is always on, even on the tripod. Have a Rode Videomic which seems to work OK. Turned micro switch down 10db. The high pass filter doesn't seem to make any difference for traffic noise. Picks up any nearby talking, even from the side or back, so I just stop videoing and shoot stills when people gather. Get some funny questions such as "what's kind of mic is that?" "Lady, you are being recorded" "I don't care if I'm being recorded" and she walks away, offended that I won't stop my shoot to talk. "What's that furry thing on the end of your mic?" "Ma'am, I'm busy recording, your voice is on the video" "No it's not, the camera's pointing the other way". Yeah right! I do try hard to me nice though, it's an honor to be using this amazing technology and I want to share nature's beauty, I'm hooked. Learned how to make turkeys gobble, which is fun and adds a lot to the clip. Yesterday I was shooting a lone turkey and suddenly heard a bunch of gobbles to my side and behind me. I turned around and there were about 6 of them watching me. When I turned the camera on them they hustled way...spoilsports. Switching to USB2 made a major difference to download time. 10 Gigs seems about 10 minutes which is wonderful, thanks again for the previous help. The PC side of this is another saga, Win 7 64 bit computer, CS5 on the way etc. Don't forget to factor that cost into the camera purchase. I gave up on Premiere Elements and my older XP photographic computer with CS2 couldn't handle it. Trying to add video clips to our web site now, this is hard work for this non geek couple. Hope these notes help someone out there, I'm loving it. Happy shooting and thanks to all the posters whose discussions have helped so much, Doug. Home Last edited by Doug Bailey; June 13th, 2010 at 05:06 PM. Reason: spelling corrections

June 14th, 2010, 06:39 AM	#18
Norman Pogson Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 140	Hi Doug, Using a high shutter speed with 30p gives the stuttering (strobe) effect, some refer to it as the "Saving Private Ryan" effect, as that film went for that effect. Ideally your shutter speed should be twice the frame rate, so 30 fps is 1/60th shutter, 60fps you go for 1/125 shutter. The jello effect is when you pan, verticals in the frame lean over, so if you imagine a classic jello from an old time jello mold, when you shake it the jello flops side to side, that's what we see with the cmos sensor cameras when fast moving objects rush through the frame or we pan quickly. __________________ My Stock Video Blog Linkedin

June 14th, 2010, 06:14 PM	#20
Norman Pogson Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 140	Thanks Doug __________________ My Stock Video Blog Linkedin

April 5th, 2010, 12:06 AM	#16
Tony Reidsma Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Michigan Posts: 69	Hook the camera right to the computer and you'll be fine.

June 14th, 2010, 10:47 AM	#19
Doug Bailey Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 164	Hi Norman, Thanks for the clear explanations. We read these terms, but often have no idea what it really looks like. Also sincerely appreciate your excellent blog, I've been reading it since day one of the 7D and it really helped get me going. Regards, Doug.