The similarities from last years cameras to this years cameras are that the DSLR cameras have 24 frames per second, like last years cameras.The video is not too jerky and not too smooth either which wasn't possible with last years cameras we used.
The shutter speed is the amount of time that the camera shutter is open, i.e. how long the cameras sensor is exposed to light through the lens.
A shorter shutter speed will reduce the amount of time that the shutter is open, and allows you to freeze motion, due to the image being exposed for a much shorter amount of time. A longer shutter speed allows you to capture motion, because the image is being exposed for a longer period of time. So any moving objects will have moved during the time the shutter was open. Using longer shutter speeds can be a problem if you are hand-holding the camera, as you cannot hold the camera still during the duration of the exposure and this will cause the image to blur due to the movement of the camera. Here is an example of different shutter speeds;
Below is an image with a low shutter speed of 1/200 seconds. This captures the rotation of the propeller, providing a sense of movement.
The image below has a much higher shutter speed of 1/2000 seconds. This freezes the movement of the propeller.
The new cameras also have shallow depth of field, which allows the audience to draw their attention to a particular object, to signify its importance. For example, the actor could be in focus and the background could be blurry and out of focus. The new cameras allow us to create a high contrast and a more flat look without losing too much detail.
It is also much easier to turn night into day, due to the wide range of lenses, I can catch more light when shooting with a wide open aperture. This isn't possible with the regular cameras we used last year.
The aperture is also different in the new DSLR camera. The aperture is the size of the iris in the camera lens and controls the amount of external light that enters the lens. The smaller the aperture, the less light that can get in and the bigger the aperture the more light that can get in.
An aperture of F/1.4 gives a shallow depth of field and a aperture of F/16 gives an image where more objects are in focus. Here is an example of these 2 images below;
The ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light. The higher the number the more sensitive your camera is to light. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds. The ISO starts at 100 and then ends at 1600 depending on the camera you are using, some cameras have an ISO of up to 3200.
Below is an image with a high ISO and a low ISO;
The image on the left has a ISO of 100 which means the camera is less sensitive to light and therefore creates a more defined image because the image gets the signal it needs and shows little to no noise. The image on the right has an ISO of 3200 which means the camera is more sensitive to light and therefore creates a less defined image because the background noise in the image is intensified.
The three things that I have talked about above; shutter speed, aperture and ISO, all contribute to maintaining exposure when taking an image.
Exposure is the amount of light per unit area reaching a photographic film or electronic image sensor as determined by the shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO sensor sensitivity.
I am now going to be talking about how to set up a canon 600D in preparation for filming.
Here is a video of how to set up a canon 600D camera using the settings;
Here is a video of how you focus using a canon 600D camera;
Here I am going to be telling you how to control selective focus (depth of field) on a canon 600D. The camera bases focus on the center focus point, the cameras auto-focusing system looks at all 9 auto focus points when trying to establish focus. Typically the camera sets focus on the point that falls over the object closest to the lens.
There are two modes that you can set your camera to in order to carry out selective focus. The first one is M (manual) and the second one is AF (auto-focus). Manual focus is where you zoom in on the object you want to focus on, click the button half way down as if you are going to take a photo and then when it has focused zoom back out. Auto-focus is when the camera focuses on the on the image automatically without having to zoom in, focus and then zoom out again.
Here is a video that I have embedded about controlling selective focus (depth of field) on the DSLR cameras;
There are many different lenses that are used for a DSLR camera. The first lens I am going to be talking about is the standard lens. This lens is in the 50mm range. There is also the telephoto lens. This lens has a longer focal length than standard, giving a narrow field of view and a magnified image. For more information on the different types of lenses that can be used with the DSLR cameras I have embedded a video below that explains them.
I am now going to be talking about the cokin filter system. This filter is placed in front of the camera lens to control the quantity of light that reaches the sensor in order to modify colours, contrast, saturation, shutter-speed, depth of field etc. Filters are used during filming for instant results instead of doing it in post-production. The cokin filter system contains three main components; a filter holder, adapter ring and a filter.
Here is how the cokin filter system works;
- Screw the adapter ring onto the lens.
- Slide the filter holder on the adapter ring until it snaps in place.
- Slide the filter into one of the filter holder slots.
Here is a video of how to use the cokin filter system;
I can use all of this knowledge to film a piece of footage successfully. We practiced using the DSLR cameras in our Media lessons. We practiced taking photos, changing the shutter speed, changing the aperture and changing the IOS. We took some good photos which I am going to embed below;
This practice with the DSLR cameras will hopefully help me in creating my very own short film during the A2 Media course in year 13.
My next post will be my documentary and evaluation (training task).
