As a photographer how do you take video?

Snake79

So last month I bought a camera stabiliser from Amazon to see if I could get by with the manual type with counter weights. The short answer is no... It was a pain to set up and even then it wasn't perfectly balanced. I found it awkward to use, the handle had a hard grip with a rough texture which became uncomfortable after five minutes of use and the whole thing swayed around too much (not 100% balanced I know). I tried it a couple of times but I soon realised it was not worth the effort and sent it back.

I bit the bullet and bought the DJI Ronin S. I couldn't justify the cost of a new one so I got a used from ebay which should arrive sometime this week. I have a couple trips planned for the summer where I hope to use it but I will need to set it up and test it out first. If all goes well I might have some nice, steady videos out of it.

newbie1

Sounds like a good plan.  I’ve ended up with both gimbal and glidecam.  The glidecam takes a lot of practice and can be a winner vs gimbal if you need a fast movement. For most cases though the gimbal is proving a better bet.

Snake79

I was hoping the glidecam stabiliser would work simply as it was a lot cheaper but I have a feeling it wasn't capable of counter balancing the weight of the 6DII and lenses without further weights being added. If I was more patient I might had got it better balanced but the way I want to use it when out and about will be faster.

I have a couple ideas for video where the Ronin S will be used. I plan to shoot some travel footage and create a video journal of the trip. I'll use a mix of moving and static shots with the gimbal smoothing the movement and possibly add some timelapse footage as well.

I occasionaly shoot models and wanted to create a short video montage of the shoot where the Ronin S will be beneficial. The plan is to follow the model using DPAF face tracking which will require dynamic movement around the model on location so the Ronin S will smooth everything out. It will take some practice but I expect it will look quite good when done.

newbie1

Face tracking works really well as long as you can keep the subject in frame and they don’t turn away.  Depending on what you want this might be ok.  For something like circling around the model for example I would use manual focus, as long you have enough dof and maintain the distance it works well.

Johnmcl7

Deleted - not good enough for this forum it seems

AMc

[Gone]

Snake79

I had been looking at the Osmo mobile as well for the same reasons as you. It relatively compact, inexpensive and does look like the best option for phone users. The reason I didn't go that route is that my phone is not the best out there for video and doesn't support many of the features I would want. For lightweight travel though it's a far better option.

For me the look of full frame video is more appealing from a DSLR with better lenses and a good focus system like dual pixel AF. You do have to make a choice though as to what you want. Lightweight and portable with a smaller sensor or heavy and cumbersome, only you can answer that question.

I already have the 6DII, an external shotgun mic a couple of ND filters so now it's a case of technique and practice. I don't think I will be getting too serious about it with an external monitor and other accessories as I just want stable movement with some extra features like focus control and custom pans. I may even decide that the Ronin S is too much to carry around or is overkill for my needs but I won't know until I try.

Johnmcl7

Deleted

shotokan101

Chill John - I can't ever remember you being as touchy as this - it's only polite comments and opinions after all.....  If any of us on this forum post images or footage then surely we have to expect/allow that?  

Jim

AMc

I got an alert that I'd been quoted but the message is gone?
I thought I was offering constructive help.  There's nothing wrong with your video.
If it came across as anything else and I caused offence I'm genuinely sorry.
Video is very hard.