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First DSLR

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butterstickinc
Posts: 716 - Karma: 386
So i used to use a HMC-150 But i thought i would try out the Dslr's and just see if its for me or not.  This past weekend was my first weekend out filming with it and i didnt like it alot however i was shooting with the stock lens 18-55mm and its super hard to keep riders in focus while doing follow cams.  i know this is probably a noob question but what woudl be a good lens for doing some follow cams?
Jan 23 2012 6:55PM
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JStrathern
Posts: 8747 - Karma: 1,536
Well first off if you raise your aperture up a bit towards f8 or so you'll have a much easier time keeping things in focus. The only other thing that would really help with that is a follow focus but it isn't really necessary and can be a hassle on the mountain.
Jan 23 2012 7:12PM
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SNP_CREW
Posts: 249 - Karma: 495
bump. im pretty much in the same situation and really looking to know
Jan 23 2012 9:41PM
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butterstickinc
Posts: 716 - Karma: 386
alright thanks. So are you saying that a different lens would really help much on the t2i?
Jan 23 2012 9:45PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
keep the aperture up in the f8 to f12 range -ish to keep a larger depth of field which will keep riders in focus better. you don't really want to shoot too much more below that then you start having a much more shallow plane of focus which would be hard to keep focus while following. and that lens is definitely not the greatest but i know there are tons of people on here that recommend the tamron 17-50 i think. i haven't ever used it but some people really like it
Jan 23 2012 9:46PM
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SaltyPickles
Posts: 15 - Karma: 10
Take a goood look at you manual, familiarize yourself with the camera more. You dont need to buy a new lens for this reason, just press Q if im correct and turn the dial to raise and lower the aperture. im speaking from a t3i though it might not be the same for you. Either way get to know your camera more, itl save you time and money.
Jan 24 2012 1:28PM
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JStrathern
Posts: 8747 - Karma: 1,536
Not for this reason, no. A kit lens is somewhat shitty, but your focus issues do not have to do with the lens. Like the guy above said, familiarize yourself with your camera and play around with the aperture to understand different depths of field.
Jan 24 2012 2:17PM
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erikK
Posts: 3245 - Karma: 2,328
it's the same as your hmc-150. the lower the f-stop, the closer you are to subejct, and the higher the focal length you're using all contribute to DOF. If you want the rider to always be in focus then stop down to about f8 and use your lens at the widest focal length possible.
Jan 24 2012 10:21PM
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butterstickinc
Posts: 716 - Karma: 386
any suggestions on lens? pretty much stricly for video.
Feb 15 2012 8:13PM
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SSteezle
Posts: 9297 - Karma: 7,732
go with the tamron 17-50, pretty much your best best for a somewhat cheap all-around lens. 17 is enough to follow-cam. But if you still can't answer your question posted in this thread then you really just need to take a day to learn the basics of your camera. To shoot video with a DSLR you need to understand ISO, Aperature, and shutter and how they affect one another
Feb 15 2012 8:20PM
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oil.
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,254
aperature around f8-f12, and i usually set my focus ring to infinity.
otherwise yeah ive head good things about the 17-50.
Feb 15 2012 8:22PM
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butterstickinc
Posts: 716 - Karma: 386
i have done some more testing and it was just me being a newb to DSLR's and i can now get pretty decent follow cams with the kit lens. So on my list i have that tamron 17-50 and any other good lens that you guys would recommend?
Feb 16 2012 3:02PM
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MLeone
Posts: 725 - Karma: 72
What's your budget? Without knowing your budget these are your best bet. Buy a used Tamron 17-50(275-325 on craigslist used for mint) (make sure to not get the VC version cause its sharper and cheaper) That's a good mid range lens. Then I would highly recommend picking up a Tokina 11-16 , this is the best ultra wide angle lens on the market right now, it's absolutely amazing for follow cams especially. Very wide, very sharp. You should be able to get one for about 600 used mint. Then if you're thinking about a telephoto lens, an extremely nice one you could pick up is the canon 70-200 2.8 IS II , but that costs $2,000 + so if you aren't looking to spend that kind of money, then I'd take a look at other models of the 70-200 (f/4, f/4 IS, f/2.8) Depending on what fits your needs, I've heard amazing things about the f/4 but i've also heard that some people wish they had lower aperture options or the image stabilization. I hope this helped you out man as far as lenses go.
Feb 16 2012 6:22PM
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dispatchQ_main
Posts: 2619 - Karma: 629
Look up hyperfocal distance, theres even an app to calculate it. I don't really understand why people film skiing with dslrs. It's not like your using the DOF the sensor provides, theres no auto focus, no built in ND's etc. Its really just doesn't make sense to me why everyone prefers dslrs for shooting SKIING.
Feb 17 2012 4:17PM
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butterstickinc
Posts: 716 - Karma: 386
after my 2nd week of using it i can get pretty good follow cams with the kit lens and the rider stays in damn near focus the whole time. Plus it looks extra good just cause its filmed on a dslr with the blurred backdrop.
Feb 17 2012 6:06PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
Click for larger image
Feb 17 2012 6:46PM
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Moosen
Posts: 4285 - Karma: 2,585
Sorry to be rude. But please go out and fucking take like 1000+ pictures with it to understand how the camera works before trying to shoot video on it.

If you didn't even know how an aperture affects focus then you should take a step back and learn how a camera work first.
Feb 17 2012 7:14PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
you don't need to take a ton of pictures to know how to shoot video. i learned how ISO, aperture, and shutter speed all work through shooting video. to be a photographer you need to learn ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc. to be a videographer you need to learn ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc. You don't have to learn one before the other. Keep in mind, I'm talking specifically about how the camera works, not composition.


but i do agree with the second part of what you said. OP, please do a couple hours of reading and learn how the camera works.
Feb 17 2012 7:25PM
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Moosen
Posts: 4285 - Karma: 2,585
Hmm i partially agree you "can" learn through video. Is it recommended? no way. Like you said photography can help composition and I believe it provides a more basic understanding of how a dslr shoots video and i highly recommend kids learn to shoot pictures full manual before moving to video.
Feb 17 2012 7:54PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
i think its best to try out both and get a feel for stuff. because for video, you will generally want to work with a different combination of shutter speed and frame rate that is video specific which all effect exposure in conjunction with iso and aperture. but i also think that by taking lots of pics, its a much better, more instant way of seeing how all of the variables have an effect on the picture and quality (as in correct exposure, WB, so on and so forth)

so really best to do lots of both and learn inside and out before you get going on something big and mess it up to where you can't fix it in post.
Feb 17 2012 8:13PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
The reason why photography is better for learning basic artistic principles is because it's a still frame, and thus easier to observe and understand things like composition, form, gesture, etc. without temporal distraction. Add in the time dimension and the beginner will put the carriage before the horse and be too preoccupied with movement without getting to the core of those movements (the aforementioned composition, gesture, form).
Feb 17 2012 9:00PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
this is all true.



i just meant that speaking strictly in terms of how the camera works, it doesn't make a big difference. composition is a different discussion entirely.

Feb 17 2012 9:22PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
Haha if you don't know how to use the equipment, there are literally hundreds of websites dedicated to dumbing these things down. At the very least, read the friggin manual.
Feb 17 2012 9:56PM
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colgan1
Posts: 50 - Karma: 11
if it's strictly for video i'd get a nice fisheye, canon 16mm or nikor 10.5
Feb 26 2012 8:29PM
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MACAQUE
Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
Really? I find it super hard to manually focus on kit lenses because they have a really short throw. I only shoot photos so maybe it's different for video.
Feb 26 2012 10:47PM
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