Anyone using their camera for videography?

Are you using your DSLR for videography work as well as photography? What video accessories are you using and what video editing software do you have?

A friend of mine is using quick time I think for his video editing. Or wait I think I might be getting software messed up. Let me check on this. BRB

Sometimes, but mainly I use my quite expensive VIDEO camera

DSLR is good for artistic kinda shots.

Stealthy Ninja wrote: Sometimes, but mainly I use my quite expensive VIDEO camera

DSLR is good for artistic kinda shots.

Artistic or not, it's hot right now. I wish my D300 would take video

I've been using my Canon 5d mk II for video occasionally. It produces really good quality HD video, which I have managed to sell from time to time on stock video sites. I use Premiere when I need to edit video together or just MPEG-Streamclip if I need to clip the video a bit and export it to a new format. This free program is great for doing those simple things.

Steve

Eddy wrote:

Stealthy Ninja wrote: Sometimes, but mainly I use my quite expensive VIDEO camera

DSLR is good for artistic kinda shots.

Artistic or not, it's hot right now. I wish my D300 would take video

It is hot. Frankly I think this response caught the DSLR makers off guard. They didn't expect it to be so huge among the video making community. Video makers buy the 7D (or 5Dii) so much that it's probably the reason why still photographers can't get it... lol).

However, if you frequented video making forums (as I do) you'd know a lot of the guys are calling it a fad (especially the searching focus and razor thin DOF that a lot of people do). I personally see a lot of photographers doing video now. They tend to have an eye for nice looking shots, but mostly they don't know about audio (they just display their artistic montages with a music track... they do look really nice though). AND they don't have a clue about storytelling. It's often the video version of a photo slideshow. Not always of course, but often.

Thing is with DSLR videos that is really good is that it does shallow DOF shots (making it good for indy filmmaking etc.) but it's not a good substitute for a video camera for other things. Real video cameras have a lot of functions (XLR inputs, waveform displays, peaking, proper audio controls etc. etc.)

That said I do like the look of DSLR stuff for certain artistic shots (I don't say that as an insult BTW, sometimes you need it).

steveheap wrote: I've been using my Canon 5d mk II for video occasionally. It produces really good quality HD video, which I have managed to sell from time to time on stock video sites. I use Premiere when I need to edit video together or just MPEG-Streamclip if I need to clip the video a bit and export it to a new format. This free program is great for doing those simple things.

Steve

Yes the 5Dii is quite good. Has some aliasing issues and the rolling shutter isn't ideal on that camera, but it's one of the best DSLR cameras (if not THE best... maybe the Panny GH2 is slightly better in some ways....).

Premiere is also the way to go for the footage, since you can edit the files natively without transcoding. Though other programs are fine for basic stuff like stock footage which doesn't really need much editing at all.


BTW video is a major part of what I do to make money and I have a degree in Film and TV. Just FYI.

BTW video is a major part of what I do to make money and I have a degree in Film and TV. Just FYI.

Do you sell through stock sites, or create video for specific commissions from buyers? I feel I should really spend more time on video as each sale on Pond5 gets me $25 or $30 (for a 15 second video), but I haven't really got my mind round what sells. I should set myself a target of getting one good video a week and see where that goes!

Steve

steveheap wrote:

BTW video is a major part of what I do to make money and I have a degree in Film and TV. Just FYI.

Do you sell through stock sites, or create video for specific commissions from buyers? I feel I should really spend more time on video as each sale on Pond5 gets me $25 or $30 (for a 15 second video), but I haven't really got my mind round what sells. I should set myself a target of getting one good video a week and see where that goes!

Steve

No I don't do stock videography. I could I suppose, but the money you get for it isn't worth the effort IMHO. $30 wouldn't be enough for me to even get my video camera out. I need at least $150USD to warrant that (going by my normal rates).

I mainly do corporate videos. Training DVDs, promotional stuff. It's boring, but it pays ok.

BTW I mean no offense by what I said above... it's just the reality for me.

BTW I mean no offense by what I said above... it's just the reality for me.

No offense taken! I'm always interested in what others do, and have no issue with their approaches.

I see the video, at the minute, as an interesting adjunct to taking photos, and if some of the videos sell (and don't take too long to process), then I may as well take those in addition. You are absolutely right about DSLRs - they are not a good form factor for video, and while the absolute quality of a tripod mounted DSLR is good for video, the very thin DoF and the poor autofocus, and the difficulty of holding them steady does not make for good quality regular video.

BTW - the $30 compares with 38c for a still photo - so a much greater impact per sale. However, the absolute number of sales is much lower, and so taking photos still makes more sense to me.

Steve

That's why they play the game. If everyone produced the same product, their wouldn't be enough customers to go around. Wedding, portrait, stock, video, editorial, etc. Good examples of the ways photography can be profitable to some if you're willing to put in the work (and have the talent). Good discussion, folks.

Yeh there's many ways to make money of photography/video. I mean I'm not making millions making full length feature films either, but we all do what we can.

$30 for 15seconds isn't bad money BTW. I just can't afford the time to go out and do that sort of thing.

Funny how HK is like that. A LOT less free time for some reason. It seems like we're always doing something... maybe it's the atmosphere of the place I dunno.

No mine doesnt have it and even if it did I wouldnt use it. I would buy a videocam for that.

Stealthy Ninja wrote: Yeh there's many ways to make money of photography/video. I mean I'm not making millions making full length feature films either, but we all do what we can.

$30 for 15seconds isn't bad money BTW. I just can't afford the time to go out and do that sort of thing.

Funny how HK is like that. A LOT less free time for some reason. It seems like we're always doing something... maybe it's the atmosphere of the place I dunno.

I sometimes think cities do that. Farther away from the bright lights, there seems to be more "down time".

I think it won't be long before all DSLR's will have video as a main feature of it.

Pettigrew wrote: I think it won't be long before all DSLR's will have video as a main feature of it.

so so true