Camera Tips

Turning on a camera, setting it to auto, and hitting record will get you video. It won’t, however, get you good video. To truly record quality video, there is a lot more to know. In this class, you will be expected to operate a camera in manual mode when possible.

Exposure

Exposure Triange

There are three main controls on your camera that work together to provide optimal exposure. Each setting, however, influences more than just exposure. Different aspects, such as depth of field and motion blur, must also be considered. When you adjust one setting, the other two must be modified to accommodate that change. Here are the three main exposure settings and a brief explanation of what they do.

Shutter Speed - How long each frame is exposed to light. Controls Motion Blur.

The numbers in your settings reflect the fraction of a second that a frame of video is receiving light.

A high shutter speed of 500 means that each frame of video is exposed to light for 1/500th of a second. A lower shutter speed of 60 means that each frame is exposed for 1/60th of a second. In this case, a higher number indicates a shorter exposure time. A shorter exposure time (higher number) also results in less motion blur. The longer a frame of video is exposed to light, the more time there is for the subject to move, which causes more motion blur.

Sports photographers and videographers often use expensive lenses that allow for much lower exposure times to ensure their fast-moving subjects remain clear. The downside of a fast shutter speed is that less light is let in, so the other settings must be adjusted to allow for more light. Each step adjusts the exposure by 1/3 of a stop. Shutter speed should not be confused with frames per second, which we will discuss later. The shutter speed is controlled by the main wheel.

An example of how a runner may appear at different shutter speeds.

ISO / Gain - The sensor's sensitivity to light. Controls noise.

A higher ISO means your image is more sensitive to light, resulting in a brighter picture. However, setting the ISO beyond the actual amount of light available can cause noise or grain. You should generally avoid going above 1600, as you will start to see grain in almost any lighting condition. When shooting in darker settings, you might want to use a lower ISO to maintain that darker aspect of the image. When on auto, the ISO will always adjust to ensure each shot has an even brightness level, which may not be what you desire. Each ISO setting changes the exposure by one full stop. The ISO is controlled by holding the ISO button and adjusting the main wheel.

An example of the same scene shot with different ISO settings.

Aperture - The quantity of light being let in. Controls depth of field (the blurriness of the background.)

Aperture refers to how wide the shutter opens, controlling the amount of light that reaches the sensor. A smaller aperture results in a narrower focus point, requiring less light. This is often desirable if you want a blurry background, which can draw more attention to your subject. If you want more of your scene in focus, you will need to increase your aperture and adjust the other settings accordingly. For a single-person interview, an aperture of around f/3.2 to f/5.6 is usually good. For video of an entire team or a classroom, you will want a higher setting. Each adjustment changes the exposure by 1/3 of a stop. Aperture is controlled by holding the AV button and adjusting the main wheel.

An example of the same scene shot with different aperture settings. Note the change in the background.

Histogram

To best judge your exposure, we use what is called a histogram. A histogram shows the levels of highlights, shadows, and midtones. It measures the number of pixels in each range. Your blacks will appear on the far left of the histogram, your midtones in the centre, and your whites on the far right.

You can set your exposure using an 18% grey card. When using one, your histogram should show a spike exactly in the centre. Alternatively, you can use a three-tone card that has black on the left, 18% grey in the middle, and white on the right. This will display all three spikes to ensure they are even. If you can't see the top of a spike or one side, that range is "peaking," meaning it is too high.

You can also get a basic look at your exposure through the F-stop meter. Both the histogram and F-stop meter can be displayed on your screen by cycling through the display modes.

Below is an excellent in-depth tutorial on exposure as it relates directly to the T5i camera. His entire series is great if you want to take the next step in your knowledge.

Focus

Focus determines how clear your subject appears. While all aspects that control exposure can affect focus, the main settings you need to know are auto and manual focus. As with exposure, you should manually set focus whenever possible. We’ll discuss auto focus first, though.

There are three modes of auto focus that you can access through your quick menu: Flexizone Single, Flexizone Multi, and Face Detection.

Flexizone Single is the most common setting. Using the touch screen, you can simply select the area you want in focus. You can also use the screen zoom function with this setting for better precision. Flexizone Multi will highlight which of the 21 possible focus points are in focus by placing a green square around them. Face Detection does exactly what it sounds like—it automatically focuses on the closest face and follows it. If there are multiple faces, you can select which one to track using the touch screen. In all modes, you usually have to press the focus lock button, which is the button with the star icon. This button also serves as the zoom-out button.

For Manual Focus, the best tool to use is the screen zoom tool on your camera. This is the magnify glass icon. This does not actually change the shot as it is not zooming the lens, it just zooms in on the screen so you can see an object closer. When zoomed in you can get a finer look at part of hte subject and can adjust your focus to that.

Below is an excellent in-depth tutorial on focus as it relates directly to the T5i camera. His entire series is great if you want to take the next step in your knowledge.

White Balance

White balance is extremely important in video work. No two rooms have the exact same lighting and to the eye of the camera, that can drastically change the colours it sees. Our cameras have three modes of white balance - auto, preset and manual. Manual always provides the best outcome, but you may not always have time.

To set your manual white balance there are three steps.

1- Take a picture of an 18% grey card or a white card. In a pinch you can use a piece of white paper, but some paper has blue tones in it. The card must fill up the entire shot.

2- Go to custom white balance in the main menu. It will allow you to pick the shot you took and set the white balance based on it.

3- Go to the white balance section in your quick menu. There you can select custom white balance.

Preset White Balance

The T5i has six presets for white balance.

Sunlight - For outside bright shots.
Shade -For outside shots in the shade.
Cloudy - For outside cloudy shots.
Tungsten - Your standard household lightbulbs are usually tungsten. So are many bulb-based pro lights.
Florescent - These are standard overhead office and school lights.
Flash - Strictly while using the flash, which you don't do in video recording.

Below is an excellent in-depth tutorial on white balance as it relates directly to the T5i camera. You will also need the tuorial on the menus. His entire series is great if you want to take the next step in your knowledge.

Framing

There are rules when framing your shot. It is important to take your time and get it right.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds involves mentally creating equally spaced vertical and horizontal lines on a potential shot or image, then placing points of interest on this grid's lines and intersection points. The theory is that the filming style will create more pleasing visuals to the viewer’s eye.