boukman Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 i was out shooting a bit of video with a canon t3i tonight (the demo in montreal if anyone is interested...) and, looking at my footage afterwards, i was unhappy with my handheld shots. normally, shooting with a regular video camera, i am quite steady, even walking. but with the dslr, i find things are much more shakey.one reason would be that the camera is a bit lighter of course. but i have a feeling that the way the stabilization works is different. perhaps with a regular video camera there is more latitude for movement? or is it more a software issue? is the dslr stabilizer optimized for taking stills and is perhaps reacting too quickly to movement? i was using the stock kit lens at 18 mm, so about 29 mm equivalent, which is noticeably wider than a typical video camera, and so it should be easier to get steady shots. i have never seen any discussion of this. is it just me or have other people noticed this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garypayton Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 where did you take this nickname???? LOL I use it in a lot of forums, even had a facebook account with it, inspired by the hatian rebel i suppose? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted May 26, 2012 Administrators Share Posted May 26, 2012 The stabiliser on camcorders is always better as it is integrated into both the lens and camera's design and is optimised for video. The best DSLR type camera for handheld stabilised shots is the Olympus OM-D E-M5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurtinMinorKey Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Longer bodies on Vcams are much more vertically stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boukman Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 that is very interesting about the olympus. it certainly seems to have an advantage for video shooting. would the sony with its internal stabilizer be better as well? olympus seems to have an 'extra dimension' for stability, but would the sony be better than an in-lens only stabilizer? and what would happen if you put a lens with a built in stabilizer on a body with an internal stabilizer? total chaos?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
npa201 Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 This is something I've had to really try to get used to and manage. The Olympus stabilization looks quite interesting but I'm put off on the lack of 1080P @ 24fps (I think the new OMD is 1080i @ 24fps). In particularly, I love using some of my prime lenses that have much larger apertures but no image stabilization. On handheld shots, I've read a lot about either using over the shoulder rigs or things like the Merlin Steadycam. Unfortunately, these are quite expensive and somewhat impractical for amateurs just shooting home video. Cheesycam.com have come up with much cheaper alternatives for steadicams (<$200) but again these steadicam's require a lot of skill and initial setup in terms of balancing weights on it. And it's one more thing to carry around. I think the most practical option for amateurs may be Manfrotto Fluid Video Monopod W/Head. I have not used one but have seen wedding videographers and it seems to be a great mix of stability and portability. Having already spent money on a manfrotto carbon fiber tripod and video head, I've opted to get my investment out of this. For speed, I won't always spread the legs and will use it as a monopod. In addition, I've seen some videos on youtube that suggest holding the camera with the tripod in the air as the tripod creates the weight balance that helps stabilize video. I've actually found this does help somewhat as well. See the video below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW6AWmqa8ZM&feature=related Now if I don't use a tripod, my best bet is to just find something to lean onto or rest my elbows on. Finally, just make sure you shoot with your arms tightly pressed against your body and your camera up against your nose to add yet another point of stabilization. Hope that helps from someone that is very much a noob at this stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurtinMinorKey Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Glidecam, with wrist support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirrorkisser Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 I switched from camcorders to the GH2 and i aswell really noticed that all videos shot out of the hand are more shaky. The kit lens with internal stabilizer was ok, but with old lenses it really looks messy sometimes. What really helps me a bit is using the shoulder straps (well the thing your put your camera around the neck with) you just stretch it to the max and it helps a bit too. But i think its almost impossible to shoot steady out of the hands if you want to change focus and aperture aswell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirrorkisser Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 @ Andrew: As an experienced filmmaker you certainly have 1-2 tricks for filming out of the hands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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