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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> HELP with video/lighting with Canon 5DII - urgent
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 09/17/2013 07:33:24 AM · #1
Hi all - all you wonderful, helpful, generous spirited souls who inhabit DPC on a regular or semi-regular basis - have I mentioned helpful??!!

My dilemma:

I have NEVER shot video on my camera and I have just been asked to shoot video of an operating conveyor belt in a shed with bad bad lighting. The person who was going to do it, can't. There is only one chance to access the shed/conveyor belt and that is in approx 36 hours from this post. So, no pressure... >.<

The set up:

Thankfully it doesn't involve moving around! Just set up the camera on a tripod, point it at the belt and video stuff going past. I was there once, years ago, and from memory it's possible that the platform the tripod will be on may vibrate and shake a bit, especially when people walk on it.
The video has to be high definition and 1920 x 1080. Sound would be good but perfect sound is not critical. And, did I mention, the lighting sucks.

Lighting:

Apparently there is basically one fluorescent light strip above and to the back (ish) of the conveyor belt that pretty much runs the length of the belt. I will need much better light if I am to even approach the quality that is expected.

HELP PLEASE:

Could anyone out there in DPC land help with camera settings, lens to use, and IMPORTANTLY, lighting! I can't access 'proper' video lighting (I'm out in the boonies and can't get delivery of anything in time) so would need to McGyver a solution together from local hardware/electrical shops. I think (?) I would need a reasonably powerful constant light either side of the camera/tripod and some stands to hold them. Whatever is required (that I can get locally) will be covered by the person who asked me to do the job. (By the way, this is pretty much a freebie from me, for a mate.)

On top of that, I have no idea how to process the resulting file :-O

I have a Canon 5DII, decent solid tripod and I'm thinking I should probably be using the 17-40mm lens for the wide angle of the belt but in reality, I have NO CLUE! I'm not quite at panic point, but I'm definitely over the comfort zone line by a mile. Absolutely any help whatsoever would be massively appreciated!!

BTW, the person who asked me to do this "has full confidence" in me (even after I explained I've never done this before) because I "haven't let them down yet". I told them "just wait 48hrs". :(
 09/17/2013 08:47:49 AM · #2
My advice it to get as much of one kind of light as possible and set a custom WB. Mixing different types of light sources will definitely screw the pooch.

As for the vibration, my suggestion is to help them understand what people walking by will do to the video and to try to isolate and damp the vibrations at the tripod. Try setting the legs on something like a sandbag for isolation and weighting the tripod with as much sand as possible for damping. The alternative is to handhold the camera and essentially use your body as one big isolator, possibly holding the camera on a smaller sandbag.

FWIW, you can make temporary sandbags with sand, small gravel (both of which I'd expect to find at a hardware store) placed in a large ziplock freezer bag that you reinforce with duct tape
 09/17/2013 09:00:55 AM · #3
Originally posted by Spork99:
My advice it to get as much of one kind of light as possible and set a custom WB.

Halogen work lights from the hardware or auto parts store might be the best source for a "lot" of light at not too great a cost.
 09/17/2013 11:19:16 AM · #4
Before I had any lighting (actually, I still don't have anything but flashes...)

I just went to the hardware store and bought 150 watt bulbs and put them into my husbands cheapo shop lights that just clamped on to things. It was a constant light source, pretty bright, and I could point them where I wanted them. Bring long extension cords, and something to clamp them on to. I just used my dining room chairs. Clamped them on and rotated them however.

Can you get the tripod off of the platform? Someplace else, but zoomed in so that you don't have the vibrations?
 09/17/2013 01:41:26 PM · #5
First of all, shooting a video is not an easy stuff, and if it has to be a professional work, well, things get worse.

It's my job, so I'll try to help you:

Originally posted by Spork99:
Mixing different types of light sources will definitely screw the pooch.


100% agree, it's the worst thing to do with video shoots. My advice is to turn off fluorescent light at all. If it's a neon source of light it can create flickering on the video (you should use a 30 fps setting in case you use only that light, but you'd better not use it).
Probably the most important thing to know is how big is all the area, otherwise it's almost impossible to give you a real answer.

Originally posted by vawendy:
I just went to the hardware store and bought 150 watt bulbs and put them into my husbands cheapo shop lights that just clamped on to things. It was a constant light source, pretty bright, and I could point them where I wanted them. Bring long extension cords, and something to clamp them on to. I just used my dining room chairs. Clamped them on and rotated them however.


This is a good and cheap advice.

Originally posted by Spork99:
The alternative is to handhold the camera and essentially use your body as one big isolator, possibly holding the camera on a smaller sandbag.


Here I strongly disagree. No human body can be better than a tripod and you would get tired after 3 or 4 minutes, no doubt about it. The hardest moment for a video operator is when he has to stand still with his camera for a long time. I'm very good at doing it but after 5 minutes of being still becomes the nightmare, so don't even think of trying it. What kind of platform is the device placed on? How long is the operation of the device you have to shoot?

Now general tips:

1) Set manual focus (if you have a lens with the focus distances written on it, you can rely on that, otherwise use live view and magnification to be as accurate as possible)

2) Set WB, don't let the camera decide. If it's not as accurate as you would, try with progressive manual WB choosing the right temperature.

3) Avoid everything can bring moiré effect (thin lines or something like that). Very easily removed in photos, almost impossible to remove them in videos.

As for the editing, it's not an easy stuff if you never did it. I use professional softwares like Premiere CS6 or Final Cut, but you can't learn them in 30 minutes. And what kind of editing you should do? Only set the start and the end or something more complicated? In the second case you'd better ask someone who can do it for you.

Last but not least, editing a 1920x1080 video stream needs a very good computer.

I'm here for further help :)
 09/17/2013 03:38:09 PM · #6
Originally posted by Alexkc:


Originally posted by Spork99:
The alternative is to handhold the camera and essentially use your body as one big isolator, possibly holding the camera on a smaller sandbag.


Here I strongly disagree. No human body can be better than a tripod and you would get tired after 3 or 4 minutes, no doubt about it. The hardest moment for a video operator is when he has to stand still with his camera for a long time. I'm very good at doing it but after 5 minutes of being still becomes the nightmare, so don't even think of trying it. What kind of platform is the device placed on? How long is the operation of the device you have to shoot?



I've been in industrial plants and similar shooting locations where the structural vibrations are so intense, any tripod will vibrate unacceptably no matter what. In that case, hand holding is the only choice and works far better if you have a gyro stabilizer or similar rig. I do agree that a tripod, properly damped and isolated is a far better choice, perhaps I should have made that clearer in my post.

09/17/2013 03:41:54 PM · #7
Originally posted by Spork99:
Originally posted by Alexkc:


Originally posted by Spork99:
The alternative is to handhold the camera and essentially use your body as one big isolator, possibly holding the camera on a smaller sandbag.


Here I strongly disagree. No human body can be better than a tripod and you would get tired after 3 or 4 minutes, no doubt about it. The hardest moment for a video operator is when he has to stand still with his camera for a long time. I'm very good at doing it but after 5 minutes of being still becomes the nightmare, so don't even think of trying it. What kind of platform is the device placed on? How long is the operation of the device you have to shoot?



I've been in industrial plants and similar shooting locations where the structural vibrations are so intense, any tripod will vibrate unacceptably no matter what. In that case, hand holding is the only choice and works far better if you have a gyro stabilizer or similar rig. I do agree that a tripod, properly damped and isolated is a far better choice, perhaps I should have made that clearer in my post.


I know what you mean and you are right, but it depends on how long is the video shoot. So we can only wait for the answer :)
 09/17/2013 06:43:48 PM · #8
Oh! You wonderful, wonderful people!

I will shortly contact the person who wants this done and get some responses to the questions asked here and get back to you!

I love DPC!
 09/18/2013 10:30:43 AM · #9
Thank you SO much guys! I did contact the person this morning and asked if I could at least have a quick look and take some test footage - and I could! I learnt a lot, really quickly, and was satisfied that with a few tweaks I could get something they could use, especially if I got the chance to review it before the 'real job'. While driving away from that adventure, we got a phone call that said the footage HAD to be done TODAY, not tomorrow. Eeeek! So back we went, no lights, nothing to hold the tripod steady, and only luck had my battery charged yesterday. The long and the short of it is that I managed to get about 40 minutes of footage on various belts that they can work with!

So, THANK YOU guys! Without the info posted here I would not have been able to complete this job for them. You helped me look like I knew what I was doing - and I was so proud of myself because I started discussing camera technicals with an I.T. guru and he told me he didn't understand a word I was saying!!! Lol!!!
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