EOS 550D: Recommended manual settings for video?

[chris_shawn]

<p>Hello,<br>

I am beginning to produce little video clips to showcase my photo work. Therefore I bought the EOS 550D to be able to film video in HD quality.<br>

As I want to have control of the aperture, I am filming in manual mode. But I am not experienced with moving images so I have the following questions:</p>

<p>- What is a reasonable setting for exposure when filming? I don't want things to blur. I am filming a moving woman indoors, no sports action. Is 1/60 enough or should I always be on the safe side and go to 1/250?<br>

- I began to use apertures of 1.2 and 1.8 but it is very difficult to get the focus right when filming. Is an aperture of 8.0 a setting you would recommend also?</p>

<p>I know my questions are hard to answer but I apperciate any recommendation.</p>

<p>Thanks<br>

Chris</p>

[acedigital]

<p>Check out the Canon Digital Learning Center, a really great resource!<br>

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=3409</p>

[chris_shawn]

<p>Thanks for the link. What I get from the movie is that for moving images 1/50s should be enough. Am I wrong?</p>

[railphotog]

<p>Since the camera is digital and costs nothing to shoot with it, have you thought of actually trying it out with various settings to find out for yourself? Seems to me that is one of the great features of digital imaging, no waiting to have film developed to see what works.</p>

<p> </p>

[chris_shawn]

<p>Yes, of course I am trying out. But there must be some rules of the thumb and I hoped someone knew them.</p>

[ilya_e]

<p>The camera settings depend on the shooting mode. If you shoot in 30p set your shutter speed to 1/60, if 24p/25p then set to 1/50. The rest is up to you. I like shooting using large apertures for shallower DOF. For that you will need Vari-ND or FaderND filters. Shooting hand-held is generally not a good idea so you might also need a tripod or a Zacuto (or any other manufacturer) rig.</p>

[chris_shawn]

<p>Thanks Ilya,<br>

I am shooting with 50fps as I use 1280x720 (I don't need Full HD as my clips will only be used online). So what shutter speed do you recommend for 50fps?<br>

What is Vari-ND or FaderND filters? I have never heard of it.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot<br>

Chris</p>

[ilya_e]

<p>1/50th. If you were to shoot 60fps then you would set to 1/60th. I suggest you visit forums like dvinfo.net or cinema5d.com. You should be able to pick up a lot of useful information. There is also a video by Philip Bloom which explains a lot of information but it cost like $130.<br /> Vari-ND or FaderNDs are variable Neutral Density filters. They add from 2 to 8 stops of density so you can use large apertures and slow shutter speeds during daylight.</p>