How to make videos in the shop. Tutorials and process documentaries.

12345678910 said:
Something I would add to Aaron's info

Support accessories are just as important as the camera


Of course lights, tripod,

Memory cards, as fast and as big as possible.
Some cards are better than others and reading some reviews can be worth it.


Something I like on a camera in the shop is a plug pack power supply

forget trying to charge batteries, having extras, losing live view on the LCD screen for low batteries, low battery power because the batteries are cold. etc.

Have a plug pack in the wall with a long cord on, full time power all the time.
Click to expand...

Good points for sure. Having a nice tripod is very useful!

I'm actually getting annoyed with my tripod though as it takes up too much room. Fitting it in between machines for the right shot is a real pain. I'm seriously considering doing something like taking a monopod and embedding the bottom of it in a bucket of concrete. That way I end up with a stable base that doesn't take up much room... Will post if I end up doing that.

I actually ended up going with multiple batteries instead of the power pack. But I can see where it would be useful! The main problem for me is that I move around so much that I would end up going crazy with the cord I think... Who knows.

I've got the electrician coming tomorrow to install a bunch more overhead lighting at my new shop. Currently I have 2x 8' T8 fixtures. I'm installing another 4 and will end up with 6 fixtures in total for 116 lumens per square foot. Should be much nicer to work in, and much easier to film in!
 
12345678910 said:
Something I would add to Aaron's info

Support accessories are just as important as the camera


Of course lights, tripod,

Memory cards, as fast and as big as possible.
Some cards are better than others and reading some reviews can be worth it.


Something I like on a camera in the shop is a plug pack power supply

forget trying to charge batteries, having extras, losing live view on the LCD screen for low batteries, low battery power because the batteries are cold. etc.

Have a plug pack in the wall with a long cord on, full time power all the time.
Click to expand...

One additional point about memory cards:

For video you need a fast memory card as you're writing a lot of data (video & audio) to the card in a continuous stream. When buying cards you should ask for a "class 10 or better" card as you'll need all the speed you can get. The class number indicates how fast it is. Class 1 being the slowest. Class 10 should be able to write 10 times faster, and will therefore be able to keep up with the video data.
 
Thanks Aaron. I went with the G16 and I took a few example video clips.... I used my iPhone 5s and I honestly can't tell the difference. If my eyes aren't lying I actually think the iPhone is better? Hmm.... Gonna have to do some reading. I went with a high end sandisk ultra 32gb card.
 
Alaska_Guy said:
Thanks Aaron. I went with the G16 and I took a few example video clips.... I used my iPhone 5s and I honestly can't tell the difference. If my eyes aren't lying I actually think the iPhone is better? Hmm.... Gonna have to do some reading. I went with a high end sandisk ultra 32gb card.
Click to expand...

The iphone does have a surprisingly good camera on it. There are a couple of places where you'll probably see a difference:

  • Low light situations: The larger sensor and larger lens of the G16 will gather more light and produce better footage in less than ideal situations
  • Shallow depth of field: If you want to capture an object but have the background out of focus the G16 can do this, whereas the iPhone won't do nearly as well

That being said if you think the iPhone is genuinely just as good then you should return the G16! That would be a great data-point for everyone here (including myself) as well, as lots of people have iPhones.

Make sure to watch the footage full-screen on your computer before deciding.
 
Aaron, thanks again for the insight. I should have initially explained that I am a computer guy by trade... So I am pretty familiar with image quality, editing etc... I took the camera out of the box and took both videos side by side in good light using my iPhone and my canon G16. I am used to Canon's 60'd quality since that's what we use at work, and this is very sub par compared to that. Though, we are comparing apples to oranges. Picture quality is great, peaking mode is good. Manual focus etc. I come from a SLR background, so some things I really like with the camera, and some things I can tell I already hate (manual focus). :)

for $499, its a good buy...

I traded in my Canon 40d and a $400 lense so im not too hurt as I needed a point and shoot and I was wanting to upgrade to a better DSLR anyhow.

So I have a feeling the Canon 70d may be in my future.
 
aarongough said:
Good points for sure. Having a nice tripod is very useful!

I'm actually getting annoyed with my tripod though as it takes up too much room. Fitting it in between machines for the right shot is a real pain. I'm seriously considering doing something like taking a monopod and embedding the bottom of it in a bucket of concrete. That way I end up with a stable base that doesn't take up much room... Will post if I end up doing that.

I actually ended up going with multiple batteries instead of the power pack. But I can see where it would be useful! The main problem for me is that I move around so much that I would end up going crazy with the cord I think... Who knows.

I've got the electrician coming tomorrow to install a bunch more overhead lighting at my new shop. Currently I have 2x 8' T8 fixtures. I'm installing another 4 and will end up with 6 fixtures in total for 116 lumens per square foot. Should be much nicer to work in, and much easier to film in!
Click to expand...

The cord I use is in the twenty feet plus range, not including extension cords, if you count those I can go another hundred yards.

I just like not having to worry about it.

Re the tripods

Of the machinists I tend to watch on youtube, there is lots of steel and cast iron within reach. magnets are pretty handy

they show using this sort of thing, after all the cameras are pretty small now.

kumaun_FLEX---O---POST_MAGNETIC_BASE_INDICATOR_HOLDER.jpg
 
Alaska_Guy said:
Aaron, thanks again for the insight. I should have initially explained that I am a computer guy by trade... So I am pretty familiar with image quality, editing etc... I took the camera out of the box and took both videos side by side in good light using my iPhone and my canon G16. I am used to Canon's 60'd quality since that's what we use at work, and this is very sub par compared to that. Though, we are comparing apples to oranges. Picture quality is great, peaking mode is good. Manual focus etc. I come from a SLR background, so some things I really like with the camera, and some things I can tell I already hate (manual focus). :)

for $499, its a good buy...

I traded in my Canon 40d and a $400 lense so im not too hurt as I needed a point and shoot and I was wanting to upgrade to a better DSLR anyhow.

So I have a feeling the Canon 70d may be in my future.
Click to expand...

I'd be curious to hear what you don't like about the picture quality. As I said I am aware I still have a lot to learn, and I've never been exposed to a prfessional production environment, so I'm sure there's tricks I'm missing!

12345678910 said:
The cord I use is in the twenty feet plus range, not including extension cords, if you count those I can go another hundred yards.

I just like not having to worry about it.

Re the tripods

Of the machinists I tend to watch on youtube, there is lots of steel and cast iron within reach. magnets are pretty handy

they show using this sort of thing, after all the cameras are pretty small now.

kumaun_FLEX---O---POST_MAGNETIC_BASE_INDICATOR_HOLDER.jpg
Click to expand...

Interesting idea! That would certainly be handy for getting shots of processes on the mill and lathe!
 
If I was going to go for all out video quality I would go for cannons t5i or higher end cameras. The t5 has auto focus now and the t2i that the fiancee has shoots amazing footage. Seems like a no brainer if you have the money for it, but I don't and a lot of people trying to just make videos in a shop wouldn't get it. That being said they could take some beautiful pictures of their knives with it when they are not shooting video. There's a lot to think about when investing in a camera.
 
Now that I have had a day to play with the G16, I figured I would explain a couple reasons why you would get this camera over others as I did....

Pros
- Great size for point and shoot
- Has input for remote shutter control (I already own this as I have been using DSLR's for quite some time)
- Very compact for day to day use but has the ability to add lenses much like an SLR! (VERY COOL) Macro, Fish Eye, Wide Angle, Telephoto etc... Which also means you can add filters!
- Has a Hot Shoe for external flash
- Has WiFi
- Lenses are CHEAP $50-$70 per lens vs $100-$500 for other competitors.
- Very easy to learn quickly, great UI. I had the whole thing down in less than 5 minutes.
- Very fast auto focus
- Continuous Shooting is insane! It will actually fill my 32GB card all at once if you let it! Most high end DSLR's don't even have this ability. They usually fill the buffer before you can shoot again.

Cons
- No external mic ports (You will have to narrate afterwards to get any kind of decent audio)
- Manual Focus/Peaking is time consuming and cumbersome (but at least its an option)

This camera was $499 and worth every penny IMO for all the options you get.

This is going to be my first addition to my camera.

http://www.digitaltoyshop.com/Wide_Angle_and_Macro_Lens_Canon_Powershot_G16_t3166_4813_1
 
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Andy Johnston said:
If I was going to go for all out video quality I would go for cannons t5i or higher end cameras. The t5 has auto focus now and the t2i that the fiancee has shoots amazing footage. Seems like a no brainer if you have the money for it, but I don't and a lot of people trying to just make videos in a shop wouldn't get it. That being said they could take some beautiful pictures of their knives with it when they are not shooting video. There's a lot to think about when investing in a camera.
Click to expand...

It's a complex topic for sure! The Canon cameras are definitely a good choice if you're willing to do a bit more work in terms of managing exposure and focus. I haven't had a chance to play with a T5i so I can't comment there unfortunately... I'll go the store at some point and have a play though!

Alaska_Guy said:
Now that I have had a day to play with the G15, I figured I would explain a couple reasons why you would get this camera over others as I did....

Pros
- Great size for point and shoot
- Has input for remote shutter control (I already own this as I have been using DSLR's for quite some time)
- Very compact for day to day use but has the ability to add lenses much like an SLR! (VERY COOL) Macro, Fish Eye, Wide Angle, Telephoto etc... Which also means you can add filters!
- Has a Hot Shoe for external flash
- Has WiFi
- Lenses are CHEAP $50-$70 per lens vs $100-$500 for other competitors.
- Very easy to learn quickly, great UI. I had the whole thing down in less than 5 minutes.
- Very fast auto focus
- Continuous Shooting is insane! It will actually fill my 32GB card all at once if you let it! Most high end DSLR's don't even have this ability. They usually fill the buffer before you can shoot again.

Cons
- No external mic ports (You will have to narrate afterwards to get any kind of decent audio)
- Manual Focus/Peaking is time consuming and cumbersome (but at least its an option)

This camera was $499 and worth every penny IMO for all the options you get.

This is going to be my first addition to my camera.

http://www.digitaltoyshop.com/Wide_Angle_and_Macro_Lens_Canon_Powershot_G16_t3166_4813_1
Click to expand...

One trick I worked out when doing manual focus in the shop with the G15:

I tied a string to the tripod, just underneath the camera, then tied knots in the string at 1,5ft, 3ft, 5ft, etc... That way rather than messing with the focus peaking and such I could just set a focal distance on the camera, then use the string to setup the shot. Worked well even for self-shots because I could setup the shot, then walk in front of the camera and hold the string up to my nose and know I was right on focus.
 
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Andy Johnston said:
If I was going to go for all out video quality I would go for cannons t5i or higher end cameras. The t5 has auto focus now and the t2i that the fiancee has shoots amazing footage. Seems like a no brainer if you have the money for it, but I don't and a lot of people trying to just make videos in a shop wouldn't get it. That being said they could take some beautiful pictures of their knives with it when they are not shooting video. There's a lot to think about when investing in a camera.
Click to expand...

From looking over the spec differences and reviews between the G6 and the T5i there are two main things that pop out at me:

1) The T5i outputs significantly higher bitrate video. At 1080p30 the G6 outputs 20mb/s whereas the T5i outputs 44mb/s. That by itself likely accounts for a significant quality improvement in the video seen from the T5i

2) The reviews say that the T5i's autofocus system is still relatively slow during video, whereas the G6 is pretty fast overall.

I didn't realize the bitrate difference was so high! Interestingly the T3i has same bitrate.
 
Might as well spend a couple hundred more and get a GH3. :) Or for the same price point get the GX7.

So many options....

Here is a non knife related video. Decided to test out my G16 with some video footage.

[video=youtube_share;MagLFUdjozI]http://youtu.be/MagLFUdjozI[/video]
 
aarongough said:
Seems like you made a lot of good points!
Click to expand...

I didn't pull any punches, I was afraid I'd get banned for that right off the bat.



This youtube channel does steam and antiques machinery restoration / machining



He is using a cordless microphone and after he worked out a bug with a bad jack, he has really good audio that picks up his voice and emphasizes it over the machine noise
(camera mics usually pointed at machines, grinders, anvils whatever - catch that noise instead of the voice)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jouv6RFAm8s

that video is anexample of good audio, but has directional overhead lighting and shadows at the beginning, later lighting is better



I think the video editing software has gotten cheaper and better.
Most all of the channels I watch all take good sharp still photos and insert them into the videos now.


The quality of YT videos are pretty good, especially when elementary school kids learn to use cameras and the software now.

I've purchased knifemaking how to videos that aren't half as good as some on YT now.
 
12345678910 said:
The cord I use is in the twenty feet plus range, not including extension cords, if you count those I can go another hundred yards.

I just like not having to worry about it.

Re the tripods

Of the machinists I tend to watch on youtube, there is lots of steel and cast iron within reach. magnets are pretty handy

they show using this sort of thing, after all the cameras are pretty small now.

kumaun_FLEX---O---POST_MAGNETIC_BASE_INDICATOR_HOLDER.jpg
Click to expand...

For those wanting a versatile magnetic base, look at NOGA. They adjust super quick and come in many variants.
 
Some great information in here. The only thing I can add is for you guys to join a local film making group. If you are in a very rural area that may not be possible. Check places like meetup.com You can get a lot of great gear used at a decent price. I know a lot of film makers who spend most of their money on lighting, and sound, rent a decent camera, and after filming sell everything off to pay for the editing and after effects. Some of the used equipment was only used for several months. Also your local tv stations sell their old equipment regularly just like any business for various reasons including tax write offs. When dealing with used equipment though if you don't know what to look for you can get really screwed. Their are a few companies that sell used equipment that comes with a warranty but are only slightly less expensive than a new piece of equipment. I bet some of you could trade a knife with a local film maker or photographer and get an incredible deal on a camera package you couldn't otherwise.
 
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