80D Video Settings

[MikeV2013]

The Lions Club to which I belong would like me to video tape our speakers. I am a long time still photographer, but have zero video knowledge. I am going to use an 80D, 24-70 f2.8, and Road mic. The meeting room holds about 100 people so it is not very large. I suspect the front row of lights will be off for the projector screen.I am thinking manual focus with maybe f8 for DOF.

Question, please give me a starting set of camera video settings with which to practice.

Can you please recommend a book, online tutorial/video that can get me up to spped rather quickly.

Thank you.

Mike

[kvbarkley]

More light. Maybe a spot on the speaker.

[shadowsports]

One other thing to take into consideration. 

Still camera will only record for 29 min and 59 sec.  before it shuts off. Be prepared and time your transitions accordingly.  The guys will think you're a real pro.  

Cheers

[Waddizzle]

Put in some practice recording videos.  Have a couple of spare batteries and memory cards on hand.  You will need a “B” camera for the moments when your “A” camera stops for a memory or battery change, or for whatever reason.

Put in some practice recoding videos.

[MikeV2013]

What camera settings do you recommend I start with?

[Waddizzle]

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@MikeV2013 wrote:

What camera settings do you recommend I start with?

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No one can answer that for you.  This is exactly why I suggested that you get out and gain some practice and experience shooting video.  One thing is certain, though.  It really helps to be a good still photographer, who is familiar with the Exposure Triangle and Depth fo Field.  A strong familiarity with these concepts, most especially being able to calculate equivalent exposure settings, are essential for a videographer.

First and foremost, you will need to make a determination as to what recording frame rate you will want to use.  Shooting at the fastest frame rate will produce the largest files, which will take more time to edit.  Large files will also have their own set of issues on your memory card.  

You would be surprised at how many major films and TV shows are shot at 24 fps: i.e.; Game of Thrones and Star Wars.  Fewer frames per second means less special visual effects frames per second that you would need to create.  Once you have a frame rate, you will want a shutter speed that is a multiple of the frame rate, preferrably twice the frame rate. You may want to look up “shutter angle” on Wikipedia.

Next, you will want to determine which one of the Creative shooting modes you will want to use.  Because you will want to have exact control over the shutter speed, the inclination is to use Tv mode.  Manual is what is best because you will want to have control of the aperture, instead of letting the camera control it in Tv mode.  Apertures can be noisy, so we may want to keep it fixed, at a constant setting.  ISO is a completely new headache, and one which you do want the camera to control.

How much available light you will have, and how it may change during the course of the recording sessions, can and will affect your exposure settings, most especially ISO and aperture.  Try to keep light constant, so that you do not have to worry about adjusting your aperture, or allowing the camera to do it automatically.  Try to keep the camera fixed on a tripod, instead of panning around, which can change the amount of light entering the camera, as well as introducing on th fly refocusing issues.  Set it, and forget it, if you can.

Again, practice makes perfect.  You can practice just by taking stills, but forcing yourself to use specific shutter speeds.  Of course, you will need a tripod for this.  You may even need a an ND filter, several ND filters, or a variable ND filter, because of the relatively slow shutter speeds used for most video.

You could always put mode dial in Greeen [A] mode, and then turn on Movie Mode.  But, if you have ever moved past shooting stills in Creative Modes, then you can imagine how unpredictable the videos could turn out.  

If you think that I did not really answer your immediate question, then you would be correct.  I cannot answer it.  I can only point you in the right directions to figure it out for yourself.

.

[MikeV2013]

Thank for the insights. I normally shoot manual. Just not quite sure how to make the transition to manual in video.

[Waddizzle]

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@MikeV2013 wrote:

Thank for the insights. I normally shoot manual. Just not quite sure how to make the transition to manual in video.

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Put in some practice time.  I cannot stress this enough.  Learning to shoot video is more challenging than learning to shoot stills.  What exposure settings to use only scratches the surface!

How long will the entire video need to be?  Set the camera on a tripod.  Now try to record an entire video at the length that you expect that you will need.  If you can simulate the expected exposure settings, all the better.  But, exposure is not the point of this exercise.   Practice is the point.  

You really need to learn how deep the well is going to be.  You need to get a feel of how many backup batteries and memory cards you might need....and then have double that number on hand at show time.  This is probably going to be the biggest nut that you will have to crack.

[EDIT]

BTW, the 80D is not a video camera.  

While it can record video, it can only do so with a number of limitations.  Capturing long videos is not one of its’ strengths.  DSLRs are good at capturing short video clips.  Videographers combine the short clips into one longer, continuous video.

To capture a single video clip of extended length, you may find that a DSLR will NOT deliver what you need.  I fully expec that you may discover that you will need a camcorder for the task in front of you, not DSLR.  But, you will not know until you try it.

[severin1]

You seem to know your stuff. Maybe you could help me. I am a video prodcuer that is not often behind a camera. I am working on getting up to speed.

I have an 80D and a Ninja V for recording and monitoring. Is there a way to turn of the red record light so it does not appear in the Ninja record.

I am baffled and been looking for days

[Waddizzle]

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@severin1 wrote:

You seem to know your stuff. Maybe you could help me. I am a video prodcuer that is not often behind a camera. I am working on getting up to speed.

I have an 80D and a Ninja V for recording and monitoring. Is there a way to turn of the red record light so it does not appear in the Ninja record.

I am baffled and been looking for days

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Which device is generating the “red record light”, the 80D camera or the Ninja recorder? 

I no longer have an 80D to play with.  I gave them [3] away to friends and family.  It is a great camera.  After I gave one away, i figured that I had better keep giving away the same model.  But, I digress.  

If I could test it, then I would.  But, I do not know if the 80D has a “clean” HDMI output in video mode.  However, if you are using an external recorder, then you really do not need to put the camera into video mode.  Live View may have a clean output, too.