Mirrorless Video – Episode 1
The goal of this series is to get us all to try shooting video along with our digital still images. I will try to guide you through basic shooting tips, audio, post processing and posting your videos online one step at a time.
On Mirrorless cameras it’s much easier to shoot video since you don’t have to get the mirror out of the way like on an SLR. Every Panasonic camera I own and most other mirrorless cameras have a small red button that you push to shoot video.
Youtube, Vimeo, Facebook, Google+ and other sharing sites make it easy to share videos in HD. I find that people respond more to a video than a still photo so I want to add more video to my work.
The first lesson is to shoot a 10-15 second video. There is no need to try and think up a video project or worry about video formats or camera setting at this stage. Next time you’re out shooing look for something that is moving and press the red button.
I’ve attached an example from a still photo shoot I was doing last week for the local train museum when they unexpectedly brought in a new item for display. A still photo would not have captured the feeling or sound. I pressed the video button, shot about ten seconds of video and went back to shooing still photos.
I don’t like rules but here are a few tips to keep in mind:=
- Try not to pan or move the camera. Let the action happen within the frame
- Don’t zoom while you’re shooting video. If you need to us a different focal length stop the video, zoom the lens and start again.
- Us a monopod or tripod if it’s possible. The attached video was shot using a monopod.
—Mark Toal
