I am excited to have Caleb Pike on my very first podcast. Give it a listen, I’m sure you learn a few things.
I’m excited to introduce my first audio podcast. The community over at Vimeo.com is amazing and that’s where I met my first guest for this podcast. Caleb Pike has some great video tutorials on some tips and tricks with his DSLRVideoShooter.com site that everyone needs to check out. Caleb is passionate about teaching, and his site has helped inspire me to start this site to also share what I’ve learned.
Listen to the podcast here:
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In the podcast I asked Caleb the following questions:
What is your background and how did you get started with DSLR video?
What DSLR camera do you use and why did you pick it?
For those just getting their first DSLR that can do video, what can they expect when trying to shoot video for the first time?
Q. For someone just starting out with their first T2i or 7D what lens do you suggest starting with for video?
A. Keep in mind that on the 7d and the T2i there is a crop factor of 1.6 so whatever focal lens you get if you multiply that by 1.6 that is the equivalent focal length unless you are getting a lens for the APS I believe, slightly smaller than full frame so that 50mm is more like an 80mm, that’s why you feel like it is zoomed in a little much, on the Canon 5D the 50 is beautiful. I see a lot of people getting the Sigma 30mm which is a prime lens and it pretty fast and that gives you a 50mm focal length once you multiply it by the crop factor. For video the Sigma 24mm to 70mm is huge about $600.
What accessories do you recommend for the DSLR video beginner. (ND filter etc.)
I hear that you want to use the lowest ISO because of noise, but what is the best way to figure out what ISO to use? Which is the highest ISO you want to use for video?
What methods do you use to focus your camera for video?
Do you like to white balance in post or get it right in the camera first?
What podcast or blogs do you follow for learning more about DSLR video?
When setting up your 7D for video what are some of the menu items that you change? What picture style do you use and what do you have the Highlight Tone Priority set on?
What NLE do you use? Are you a PC or a Mac guy? When you publish for the web like on Vimeo can you share some of the rendering settings you use like bitrate?
I would like to try some slow motion. I understand if I shoot at 60fps 720p that I can get a nice slow motion effect using my NLE, but I have no idea where to start. How can I do that with my NLE?
Any other tips or trick that can help people like me to get the best quality out of their cameras?
Show Notes:
Here are some of the links we talked about:
Canon 50mm 1.4
Sigma 24-17mm
What accessories do you recommend for the DSLR video beginner.
A Good Card
Tripod (Velbon DV-7000)
H4nRode Vid Mic
Fader ND
What are some good ways to focus your camera for video?
Follow FocusCinevate Focus lever
RedRock Micro Follow Focus
List of DSLR Blogs and podcasts
Super Flat Picture Style
Shane Hurlbut’s Picture Style Post
Highlight Tone Priority noise test
I have a few more people I would like to interview so hopefully I can do more of these and perhaps put them on ITunes as well.
Starting from scratch – exactly what I did with ReelSEO…. Good stuff Dave.
Love love love it! I’ve got two pages of notes and am feeling very excited for the next time I shoot. Keep up the great work Dave.
That was a great interview with Caleb. Definitely going to listen to the whole thing again. A lot of the filming equipments for dslr’s are very very expensive just because it’s so new and companies that produce them can demand such premiums. I wish there are companies that make cheaper alternatives.
I learned more about my new T2i in this podcast then I have in the entire time I have had it (bought the day it came out in the U.S.) Thanks Caleb & Dave!
Oh I just luv podcasts like these.. filled with tons of info!
Thanx Dave & Caleb.
I have 1 tiny comment tho about the memory cards.
The link seems to be to a CompactFlash card with UDMA.
(While Canon uses SD cards, right?)
I dont see SD cards with UDMA tho.. I’m a little confused.
btw, I followed u both on Twitter now, I’m @AngDavKev
Great stuff! I’m tempted to experiment with those picture style downloads, but will they work for the T2i? (I believe its for the 7D?)
Thanks!
Mike:o)
Sounds like they will but I have not tried it yet. It does take long to do it by hand btw.
@AngeloDavidKevin I am not sure for the 7D but the t2i uses SD cards.
@Angelo You are correct. The T2i does not take CF cards. It takes SD card which are much more affordable. Here is a link to a good SD card for the T2i (550D)
Transcend 16 GB
@Michael Yes the custom picture styles will work for the T2i. The video we talked about (and is linked to above) show how to install them onto you camera.
@Caleb, @Dave: Awesome interview! I would maybe throw in an intervalometer to the kit since it’s not too expensive and makes it so much easier to make a timelapse without dragging your laptop around. Thanks guys!
Great podcast, very informative!
I have a suggestion for a CF card for the 7D/5D mk2. It is the Kingston Elite 32GB 133x CF card. It is about $80 on Amazon and I’ve used it since October with my 7D and no problems with video or stills (no buffering issues in video, but not truly fast enough for the 8fps stills. I use a Sandisk Extreme III for high-speed photo capture). I also have the 16GB version of the Kingston Elite 133x and it DOES have buffering issues with the 7D’s video, so I recommend going with the 32GB version.
Also, Dave, I use Vegas Pro 9 as well. To get slow-mo using 720/60p, capture in this mode with your T2i, put the video into your Vegas timeline. Right-click the video and choose “Properties”. Set the playback rate to 0.4.(You may need to extend the video in the timeline to get the entire clip) This will give you very smooth slow motion playback. Just make sure your captured video was at 1/125 shutter for 720/60p.
Here is a real quick sample video of my slow-motion test using the 7D and Vegas Pro:
http://www.vimeo.com/7757175
@Dereck, that is funny I am reading your email about slow motion using Sony Vegas as I am rendering a tutorial on that. Check it out in about an hour to see if I did it right.
You are a great help for me in this Dave , as I got this camera the same time as you did,with the thought of doing as much video with it as I shoot fashion and lifestyle models with it too and there is very limited T2i specific information out there,oh and shout out to Caleb from Chicago’s South Shore!
@Dereck Yeah you can skimp on some cheaper cards. I have a Sandisk Extreme III 30mb/s and it does fine. Some cards I have tested work well until they are 75% full then they begin buffering.
@Dona’l Hey! Always good to hear from a fellow windy city resident!
Thanx for the response guys!
This seriously answered my predicament, thank you!