HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please.

Jeff Hinson · December 18th, 2011, 05:08 PM

Im doing better one day, then confused the next.

I seem to understand as Jeff suggested the Pmode set up and can make movies.
The relationship between the q.set menue and the main menu-set button is confusing.
Im using the new HBR 30P setting...which appears in the "main" menu, but not in the q.set menu. So I find myself going back and checking to make sure Im recording video at 30P HBR.

Also using the Pmode w/HBR clicked I cant snap "photos" while filming, since the shutter button controls the video start/stop. If I want to take photos, I have to go to M/A/S and set up everything. It would be nice to snap pictures with the same color/iso etc as used in the movie mode.

Moving on...

Jeff

Jeff Harper · December 18th, 2011, 06:27 PM

It would be nice to be able to do that, but forget it, that's pushing it. To snap a photo switch to p mode on the dial up top, leaving movie mode completely, snap what you need and go back to movie mode on the dial.

If you're using p mode on the camera dial for photos, it will come out nearly the same anyway.

Jeff Hinson · December 18th, 2011, 07:03 PM

Hey...I must be learning something...thats how Ive done it. With dial, from movie mode to Pmode on dial.
Works fine.

Thanks,
Jeff

Jeff Hinson · December 19th, 2011, 06:36 AM

A few questions to those shooting weddings with the GH2.
__________________________________________________

What size capture card are you using? 32gig or 16gig.

Has the stock battery lasted through most of the ceremonies you've shot.

How many batteries do you normally take per camera to a wedding shoot.

Is there a larger battery available for the GH2. I purchased an extra "off brand" battery. It does not show the battery life bar on the LCD or VF...bummer.

Thanks,
Jeff H.

Jeff Hinson · December 19th, 2011, 06:51 AM

Setting the LCD/VF for WYSIWYG.....

The reason Im asking this question is that last evening I shot some pics inside, composing with both the LCD and VF to what looked like a good setting. But upon viewing, the pic was way too dark. My battery was low, and worked better after replacing the battery.

Is there a correct calibration procedure you've found for the LCD/VF for WYSIWYG?

Thanks,
Mr. Questions

Jeff Harper · December 19th, 2011, 10:20 AM

32GB cards, only Panasonic batteries. I must know how much life is left, the generics are unreliable. For professional work they are not suitable, for me anyway. I have two generics and they are only for emergencies. I take about 10 batteries, and I have a power strip with chargers on it to ensure I always have enough at the reception.

Never had the screen go darker for low battery, so can't help you there.

Jeff Hinson · December 19th, 2011, 12:04 PM

Thanks Jeff Harper...

Valuable information as usual.

SOLD THE 5N. Will order another GH2. BHphoto out of stock, but Im in no hurry.
Undecided if I should Iget another kit zoom or the kit wide angle.
Opinions ?

Jeff

Jeff Harper · December 19th, 2011, 12:09 PM

People differ on card size. Many say smaller is better because you can't lose as much if one goes bad or if you lose the card. I feel larger is better because I don't have to change cards at all, thereby eliminating the prospect of losing a card, as it's stays in my camera till I get back to the studio and remove it.

It's all a matter of opinion.

Jeff Harper · December 19th, 2011, 04:05 PM

Kit zoom? If you shoot weddings, you wont use the kit lens you have, except for outdoors. Get the 25mm F/1.4 and you'll freak out when you see what it can do. Or get the 12mm F/2.0.

Jeff Hinson · December 20th, 2011, 04:41 AM

Yeah Jeff....regarding the 25 and 12mm lenses. Should be great in low light.

It amazes me how you can do a "solo" wedding shoot, working 3 or 4 cams. When you have time let me know your typical positioning of the cams. I assume you have one on the bride side of the alter, another on the groom side, one set back somewhere for the wide shot. Are you carrying another for the run and gun clips?
I assume each has a 32gig card in them, and the standard GH2 battery.

Do you have assistants or really running solo.

Im nosy, I know. But would like to start shooting weddings and need more confidence.

Thanks Jeff

Jeff Harper · December 20th, 2011, 05:12 AM

I run completely solo. I used an assistant three times this year. I have other shooters that do some shoots for me. Where you put the cameras varies with the location. Back and front of course. Normally I run 4 cams every wedding. I use a magic arm type thing in the rear when I can, or even in the front. It's complicated choosing camera position, and I only know when I arrive where I'm going to put the two "extra" cams. I use a real video camera as the main camera and since then my life has become much easier.

The kit lenses are for the most part useless to me for weddings, completely useless. They look very nice in well lit conditions, they beat out a videocamera everytime, but only with lots of light, and weddings are rarely well lit. Your first lens should ideally be a standard lens, it just makes sense, and the 25mm is 50mm effective which is the most basic of all the focal lengths for shooting. Or you could get a zoom like the Olympus 14-50mm F/2.8-3.5, but you end up with the same problem, it's an amazing lens, but for indoor it's limited. Or you could get an faster zoom that's f/2.8 or faster all the way through, but those tend to be expensive, and even f/2.8 is still not enough for most receptions, though you can make it work pretty well, just not ideal.

The 25mm is enough that if you had no other lens you could shoot an entire wedding with it if you had to in any ligthting situation. You'd have no closeups, etc but you'd have crisp clean images with great color rendition and instant auto focus and you'd rarely miss a shot.

Jeff Hinson · December 20th, 2011, 06:05 AM

Thanks for the info Jeff...

I think I will go ahead and order a 25mm. I have a 50mm Pentax f1.2 (100mm on the GH2 I assume)..could use that too.
I assume Panasonic has a 25mm for the GH2....will check it out.

I have to make things work right now with two GH2s (25mm,50mm,and kit zoom) plus my XHA1 Canon camcorder. Maybe after a few weddings under my belt, I can afford a better set up.

Which camera are you hand-held with during the ceremony; the camcorder or the GH2?

Thanks,
Jeff

Jeff Harper · December 20th, 2011, 06:43 AM

Actually Jeff I'm never handheld during the ceremony. I can't abide shaky footage during the vows. I use the XA10 down front for everything, including closeups of the bride's face during the vows, but that's just me. I use the 45mm F/1.8 for the groom shot on the other side.

I'm truly not a particularly killed shooter, which is why use some of the methods I do. But nevertheless my methods are probably a decent starting point for someone new, and from there as you grow you will learn where to tweak things and change methods to fit your own style.

I'm hoping to post a cool video soon that will show the 12mm in use for you along with the XA10. It is from my last wedding of the season, and it was the wedding where everything came together for me for the first time all season. It is frustrating I had to use an entire wedding season to settle on lenses, I went through about 12 of them. It also took me almost the whole season to realize I couldn't survive another season without a videocamera, and late in the game I got the XA10.

Jeff Hinson · December 22nd, 2011, 03:33 AM

Jeff Harper...
Have you posted this yet? Would love to see it.

Thanks,
Jeff
+++++++++++++
"I'm hoping to post a cool video soon that will show the 12mm in use for you along with the XA10. It is from my last wedding of the season, and it was the wedding where everything came together for me for the first time all season. It is frustrating I had to use an entire wedding season to settle on lenses, I went through about 12 of them. It also took me almost the whole season to realize I couldn't survive another season without a videocamera, and late in the game I got the XA10. "

Jeff Harper · December 22nd, 2011, 03:54 PM

No, but I will. The 12mm looks awesome, I'm sure you'll it when you see the footage.

December 18th, 2011, 05:08 PM	#16
Jeff Hinson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Down South, IN Posts: 422	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. Im doing better one day, then confused the next. I seem to understand as Jeff suggested the Pmode set up and can make movies. The relationship between the q.set menue and the main menu-set button is confusing. Im using the new HBR 30P setting...which appears in the "main" menu, but not in the q.set menu. So I find myself going back and checking to make sure Im recording video at 30P HBR. Also using the Pmode w/HBR clicked I cant snap "photos" while filming, since the shutter button controls the video start/stop. If I want to take photos, I have to go to M/A/S and set up everything. It would be nice to snap pictures with the same color/iso etc as used in the movie mode. Moving on... Jeff

December 18th, 2011, 06:27 PM	#17
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. It would be nice to be able to do that, but forget it, that's pushing it. To snap a photo switch to p mode on the dial up top, leaving movie mode completely, snap what you need and go back to movie mode on the dial. If you're using p mode on the camera dial for photos, it will come out nearly the same anyway.

December 18th, 2011, 07:03 PM	#18
Jeff Hinson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Down South, IN Posts: 422	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. Hey...I must be learning something...thats how Ive done it. With dial, from movie mode to Pmode on dial. Works fine. Thanks, Jeff GH2 test on Vimeo

December 19th, 2011, 06:36 AM	#19
Jeff Hinson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Down South, IN Posts: 422	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. A few questions to those shooting weddings with the GH2. __________________________________________________ What size capture card are you using? 32gig or 16gig. Has the stock battery lasted through most of the ceremonies you've shot. How many batteries do you normally take per camera to a wedding shoot. Is there a larger battery available for the GH2. I purchased an extra "off brand" battery. It does not show the battery life bar on the LCD or VF...bummer. Thanks, Jeff H.

December 19th, 2011, 06:51 AM	#20
Jeff Hinson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Down South, IN Posts: 422	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. Setting the LCD/VF for WYSIWYG..... The reason Im asking this question is that last evening I shot some pics inside, composing with both the LCD and VF to what looked like a good setting. But upon viewing, the pic was way too dark. My battery was low, and worked better after replacing the battery. Is there a correct calibration procedure you've found for the LCD/VF for WYSIWYG? Thanks, Mr. Questions

December 19th, 2011, 10:20 AM	#21
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. 32GB cards, only Panasonic batteries. I must know how much life is left, the generics are unreliable. For professional work they are not suitable, for me anyway. I have two generics and they are only for emergencies. I take about 10 batteries, and I have a power strip with chargers on it to ensure I always have enough at the reception. Never had the screen go darker for low battery, so can't help you there.

December 19th, 2011, 12:04 PM	#22
Jeff Hinson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Down South, IN Posts: 422	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. Thanks Jeff Harper... Valuable information as usual. SOLD THE 5N. Will order another GH2. BHphoto out of stock, but Im in no hurry. Undecided if I should Iget another kit zoom or the kit wide angle. Opinions ? Jeff Last edited by Jeff Hinson; December 19th, 2011 at 03:09 PM.

December 19th, 2011, 12:09 PM	#23
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. People differ on card size. Many say smaller is better because you can't lose as much if one goes bad or if you lose the card. I feel larger is better because I don't have to change cards at all, thereby eliminating the prospect of losing a card, as it's stays in my camera till I get back to the studio and remove it. It's all a matter of opinion.

December 19th, 2011, 04:05 PM	#24
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. Kit zoom? If you shoot weddings, you wont use the kit lens you have, except for outdoors. Get the 25mm F/1.4 and you'll freak out when you see what it can do. Or get the 12mm F/2.0.

December 20th, 2011, 04:41 AM	#25
Jeff Hinson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Down South, IN Posts: 422	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. Yeah Jeff....regarding the 25 and 12mm lenses. Should be great in low light. It amazes me how you can do a "solo" wedding shoot, working 3 or 4 cams. When you have time let me know your typical positioning of the cams. I assume you have one on the bride side of the alter, another on the groom side, one set back somewhere for the wide shot. Are you carrying another for the run and gun clips? I assume each has a 32gig card in them, and the standard GH2 battery. Do you have assistants or really running solo. Im nosy, I know. But would like to start shooting weddings and need more confidence. Thanks Jeff

December 20th, 2011, 05:12 AM	#26
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. I run completely solo. I used an assistant three times this year. I have other shooters that do some shoots for me. Where you put the cameras varies with the location. Back and front of course. Normally I run 4 cams every wedding. I use a magic arm type thing in the rear when I can, or even in the front. It's complicated choosing camera position, and I only know when I arrive where I'm going to put the two "extra" cams. I use a real video camera as the main camera and since then my life has become much easier. The kit lenses are for the most part useless to me for weddings, completely useless. They look very nice in well lit conditions, they beat out a videocamera everytime, but only with lots of light, and weddings are rarely well lit. Your first lens should ideally be a standard lens, it just makes sense, and the 25mm is 50mm effective which is the most basic of all the focal lengths for shooting. Or you could get a zoom like the Olympus 14-50mm F/2.8-3.5, but you end up with the same problem, it's an amazing lens, but for indoor it's limited. Or you could get an faster zoom that's f/2.8 or faster all the way through, but those tend to be expensive, and even f/2.8 is still not enough for most receptions, though you can make it work pretty well, just not ideal. The 25mm is enough that if you had no other lens you could shoot an entire wedding with it if you had to in any ligthting situation. You'd have no closeups, etc but you'd have crisp clean images with great color rendition and instant auto focus and you'd rarely miss a shot. Last edited by Jeff Harper; December 20th, 2011 at 05:46 AM.

December 20th, 2011, 06:05 AM	#27
Jeff Hinson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Down South, IN Posts: 422	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. Thanks for the info Jeff... I think I will go ahead and order a 25mm. I have a 50mm Pentax f1.2 (100mm on the GH2 I assume)..could use that too. I assume Panasonic has a 25mm for the GH2....will check it out. I have to make things work right now with two GH2s (25mm,50mm,and kit zoom) plus my XHA1 Canon camcorder. Maybe after a few weddings under my belt, I can afford a better set up. Which camera are you hand-held with during the ceremony; the camcorder or the GH2? Thanks, Jeff

December 20th, 2011, 06:43 AM	#28
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. Actually Jeff I'm never handheld during the ceremony. I can't abide shaky footage during the vows. I use the XA10 down front for everything, including closeups of the bride's face during the vows, but that's just me. I use the 45mm F/1.8 for the groom shot on the other side. I'm truly not a particularly killed shooter, which is why use some of the methods I do. But nevertheless my methods are probably a decent starting point for someone new, and from there as you grow you will learn where to tweak things and change methods to fit your own style. I'm hoping to post a cool video soon that will show the 12mm in use for you along with the XA10. It is from my last wedding of the season, and it was the wedding where everything came together for me for the first time all season. It is frustrating I had to use an entire wedding season to settle on lenses, I went through about 12 of them. It also took me almost the whole season to realize I couldn't survive another season without a videocamera, and late in the game I got the XA10.

December 22nd, 2011, 03:33 AM	#29
Jeff Hinson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Down South, IN Posts: 422	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. Jeff Harper... Have you posted this yet? Would love to see it. Thanks, Jeff +++++++++++++ "I'm hoping to post a cool video soon that will show the 12mm in use for you along with the XA10. It is from my last wedding of the season, and it was the wedding where everything came together for me for the first time all season. It is frustrating I had to use an entire wedding season to settle on lenses, I went through about 12 of them. It also took me almost the whole season to realize I couldn't survive another season without a videocamera, and late in the game I got the XA10. "

December 22nd, 2011, 03:54 PM	#30
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: HELP THE NEWBIES THREAD.....please. No, but I will. The 12mm looks awesome, I'm sure you'll it when you see the footage.