hey Jhoe, enjoy your site, informative, some good stuff on there. I’m friends with Danny Mahar and he said you do some great film/photography work. How are most things filmed with DSLRs in regards to focal length and such? I have a Canon 60D with a standard lens, but what are the standards for most movie filming with these cameras or is it just doing it and personal pref?
Like, telephoto and zoomed in or wide angle for that feel?
hope you having a great weekend…
–
Justin Kelly McClure
GORGEOUS.HILARIOUS.YOU’RE WELCOME
For exterior shots I tend to use 20-24mm for wide and around 50-85mm close up or over the shoulder framing. For interiors I use 17-20mm for wides and 40-55mm for close up. Sometimes on interiors I need to go wider and I’ll use the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 but I’m wary of introducing perspective distortion. There’s some good info on the Tokina lens in my Gear section.
see Canon 10-22mm vs Tokina 11-16mm perspective distortion test LINK
Its worth mentioning that the above common filmmaking focal lengths (17mm – 85mm) are specific to aps-c size sensors and similar (canon 60d, 7d, t2i, t3i, sony fs100, panasonic af100, gh1, gh2, gf1).
If you are shooting video on a full frame camera such as the Canon 5d Mk2 then you would use a completely different set of focal lengths because the sensor is much larger. If you were on a camera with a 2/3 size sensor or 16mm film then it would be a different set of focal lengths again (7mm – 40mm).
It’s worth mentioning that the s35mm frame size that Hollywood films use is very close to aps-c (your Canon 60d). If you are watching a behind-the-scenes commentary on a DVD and they mention a focal length for a particular shot then the field of view will match the same focal length on your camera.
Film – Still Photography
36mm x 24mm
Film – Movies
Three Perf Academy 35mm is 22mm x 12mm
Four Perf Academy 35mm is 22mm x 16mm
Three Perf Super 35mm is 24.89mm x 14mm
Four Perf Super 35mm is 24.89 x 18.66mm
Digital – Full Frame DSLR (like canon 5D Mk2)
36mm x 24mm
Digital – APS-C (Canon 60d, 7d, t2i, t3i)
22.3mm x 14.9mm
Also in understanding white balance, I know it’s how to let the camera see and perceive white, but I’m trying to understand when to use tungsten, cloud, shade, etc, I know it’s an obvious ‘use shade when you are in the shade and use cloud when it’s cloudy’ but I guess I’m saying technically.
When it’s on shade, daylight , etc what COLORS is it adding to the picture? I assume the lower the kelvin number it’s adding more red, or is it more blue, and then the higher the kelvin it’s adding the other color…
it’s just confusing.
–
Justin Kelly McClure
GORGEOUS.HILARIOUS.YOU’RE WELCOME
Getting your head around white balance is just practice. Use tungsten when you have incandescent or halogen light (hot lights) and use daylight when in daylight, shade in shade etc.
Then start experimenting. Bring in a hot light when you are shooting outside and see what it does. Also the reverse. Shoot with tungsten light inside near a window and you will see all the blue light coming in from the sun.
The more you shoot the sooner things will click and fall into place. I’m now at a point that even when I’m away from cameras – when I look out a window I see blue light. When I look at the light in my kitchen I see orange. The color balancing is in your mind – your brain is color balancing all the time and you adjust automatically. Its this automatic adjustment that you need to unlearn.
Watch out for standard strip lighting (fluorescent) because even though you have a preset for this on your camera the bulb itself does not represent every color in the spectrum. If you can swap the bulbs in the fixture or bring in better lights your image will improve.
Thank you! Makes a lot of sense. I played around yesterday with white balance, did some of the things you mentioned and suggested, and was able to get my head around things a bit better. I guess it is all just practice…as you say you can ‘see color balance’ the more you do it (or you can, I can’t. ha).
so its it safe to say…if I want to add more blue to a photo I could use more kelvin thats suited to that direction and if I want more red I could use more kelvin that would show that type of light? thats my question right now. Cause it seems the more I play around with auto-white balance the more I see we can add/manipulate red/blue to a photo…
yes you can adjust the kelvin to tint the colors but in practice I seldom do this. I tend to set my white balance, adjust lights and reflectors to capture the best and most natural image I can then adjust color during post production
I dont understand exposure vs ISO. I mean I get it technically, ISO is artificial light, the higher the ISO the more noise and distortion you add to the picture, but it seems they both do the same thing. If I add exposure to the photo is enhances the light in the photo, but if I bump up the ISO it also enhances the light in the photo….I kinda dont get it.
Does exposure work with the light that is already there? and ISO just adds light that ISN’T there?
WHen playing around with shooting in a dark situation, I add ISO and there is light but when I bump up the exposure I get added light that way also. WHat is the best understanding of lighted exposure vs ISO?
and to be clearer, when talking about exposure I’m talking about the metering: + 1, +2, or -1, -2…just trying to understand this better when working with ISO
I think I see the issue here. Exposure in the real world is a combination of ISO (sensor sensitivity), aperture and shutter speed. Exposure in the world of canon DSLR’s is a physical setting on the camera. So how do they do this? Well its a trick. A gimmick. Its just terminology.
When you are in M for manual mode there is no control of canon’s exposure parameter.
When you are in AV for Aperture Priority Mode you select the aperture and the camera puts the shutter on auto by using the cameras TTL (through the lens) metering system. Canons Exposure parameter then controls the shutter.
When you are on TV for shutter priority you select the shutter and the camera puts the aperture on auto using TTL metering. Canons Exposure parameter then controls the aperture.
On P mode Canons Exposure parameter controls both shutter and aperture according to its evaluation with TTL.
On any of the above modes you can hand over even more control to the camera by putting ISO on auto.
If you are shooting video on a DSLR then everything is manual and Canon’s exposure control is locked off.
I want to thank you for helping me out the other day. I love your insight and appreciate your patience. I want to say, I’m enjoying your projects. Keep it coming. I feel that you have something great going on there..
hey Jhoe, enjoy your site, informative, some good stuff on there. I’m friends with Danny Mahar and he said you do some great film/photography work. How are most things filmed with DSLRs in regards to focal length and such? I have a Canon 60D with a standard lens, but what are the standards for most movie filming with these cameras or is it just doing it and personal pref?
Like, telephoto and zoomed in or wide angle for that feel?
hope you having a great weekend…
–
Justin Kelly McClure
GORGEOUS.HILARIOUS.YOU’RE WELCOME
justinkellymcclure.com
twitter.com/justinmcclure
facebook.com/justinmcclurecomedy
For exterior shots I tend to use 20-24mm for wide and around 50-85mm close up or over the shoulder framing. For interiors I use 17-20mm for wides and 40-55mm for close up. Sometimes on interiors I need to go wider and I’ll use the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 but I’m wary of introducing perspective distortion. There’s some good info on the Tokina lens in my Gear section.
see Canon 10-22mm vs Tokina 11-16mm perspective distortion test LINK
Its worth mentioning that the above common filmmaking focal lengths (17mm – 85mm) are specific to aps-c size sensors and similar (canon 60d, 7d, t2i, t3i, sony fs100, panasonic af100, gh1, gh2, gf1).
If you are shooting video on a full frame camera such as the Canon 5d Mk2 then you would use a completely different set of focal lengths because the sensor is much larger. If you were on a camera with a 2/3 size sensor or 16mm film then it would be a different set of focal lengths again (7mm – 40mm).
It’s worth mentioning that the s35mm frame size that Hollywood films use is very close to aps-c (your Canon 60d). If you are watching a behind-the-scenes commentary on a DVD and they mention a focal length for a particular shot then the field of view will match the same focal length on your camera.
Film – Still Photography
36mm x 24mm
Film – Movies
Three Perf Academy 35mm is 22mm x 12mm
Four Perf Academy 35mm is 22mm x 16mm
Three Perf Super 35mm is 24.89mm x 14mm
Four Perf Super 35mm is 24.89 x 18.66mm
Digital – Full Frame DSLR (like canon 5D Mk2)
36mm x 24mm
Digital – APS-C (Canon 60d, 7d, t2i, t3i)
22.3mm x 14.9mm
Also in understanding white balance, I know it’s how to let the camera see and perceive white, but I’m trying to understand when to use tungsten, cloud, shade, etc, I know it’s an obvious ‘use shade when you are in the shade and use cloud when it’s cloudy’ but I guess I’m saying technically.
When it’s on shade, daylight , etc what COLORS is it adding to the picture? I assume the lower the kelvin number it’s adding more red, or is it more blue, and then the higher the kelvin it’s adding the other color…
it’s just confusing.
–
Justin Kelly McClure
GORGEOUS.HILARIOUS.YOU’RE WELCOME
justinkellymcclure.com
twitter.com/justinmcclure
facebook.com/justinmcclurecomedy
Getting your head around white balance is just practice. Use tungsten when you have incandescent or halogen light (hot lights) and use daylight when in daylight, shade in shade etc.
Then start experimenting. Bring in a hot light when you are shooting outside and see what it does. Also the reverse. Shoot with tungsten light inside near a window and you will see all the blue light coming in from the sun.
The more you shoot the sooner things will click and fall into place. I’m now at a point that even when I’m away from cameras – when I look out a window I see blue light. When I look at the light in my kitchen I see orange. The color balancing is in your mind – your brain is color balancing all the time and you adjust automatically. Its this automatic adjustment that you need to unlearn.
Watch out for standard strip lighting (fluorescent) because even though you have a preset for this on your camera the bulb itself does not represent every color in the spectrum. If you can swap the bulbs in the fixture or bring in better lights your image will improve.
Thank you! Makes a lot of sense. I played around yesterday with white balance, did some of the things you mentioned and suggested, and was able to get my head around things a bit better. I guess it is all just practice…as you say you can ‘see color balance’ the more you do it (or you can, I can’t. ha).
so its it safe to say…if I want to add more blue to a photo I could use more kelvin thats suited to that direction and if I want more red I could use more kelvin that would show that type of light? thats my question right now. Cause it seems the more I play around with auto-white balance the more I see we can add/manipulate red/blue to a photo…
yes you can adjust the kelvin to tint the colors but in practice I seldom do this. I tend to set my white balance, adjust lights and reflectors to capture the best and most natural image I can then adjust color during post production
I dont understand exposure vs ISO. I mean I get it technically, ISO is artificial light, the higher the ISO the more noise and distortion you add to the picture, but it seems they both do the same thing. If I add exposure to the photo is enhances the light in the photo, but if I bump up the ISO it also enhances the light in the photo….I kinda dont get it.
Does exposure work with the light that is already there? and ISO just adds light that ISN’T there?
WHen playing around with shooting in a dark situation, I add ISO and there is light but when I bump up the exposure I get added light that way also. WHat is the best understanding of lighted exposure vs ISO?
and to be clearer, when talking about exposure I’m talking about the metering: + 1, +2, or -1, -2…just trying to understand this better when working with ISO
I think I see the issue here. Exposure in the real world is a combination of ISO (sensor sensitivity), aperture and shutter speed. Exposure in the world of canon DSLR’s is a physical setting on the camera. So how do they do this? Well its a trick. A gimmick. Its just terminology.
When you are in M for manual mode there is no control of canon’s exposure parameter.
When you are in AV for Aperture Priority Mode you select the aperture and the camera puts the shutter on auto by using the cameras TTL (through the lens) metering system. Canons Exposure parameter then controls the shutter.
When you are on TV for shutter priority you select the shutter and the camera puts the aperture on auto using TTL metering. Canons Exposure parameter then controls the aperture.
On P mode Canons Exposure parameter controls both shutter and aperture according to its evaluation with TTL.
On any of the above modes you can hand over even more control to the camera by putting ISO on auto.
If you are shooting video on a DSLR then everything is manual and Canon’s exposure control is locked off.
Jhoe,
I want to thank you for helping me out the other day. I love your insight and appreciate your patience. I want to say, I’m enjoying your projects. Keep it coming. I feel that you have something great going on there..
Thanks Javier, means a lot to me.