Movie Settings for best results

keensg

President, geoResource Technologies, Inc.
I can't find any specific advice on the best movie settings to get the best results?

25/30 or 50/60 fps?
Interlaced or Progressive?
Shutter Speed?
Manual or Auto Exposure?
Manual or Auto Focus?

I am using a Sony Nex-7.

Thanks for the help.
 

Stratifier

Member
There is no best settings. Try for yourself, get to know your stuff, not only pressing buttons but knowing why you do it. Then your best settings will pop out naturally.
 

One rule you should use: shutter speed should be duble the number of fps.

So if you film in 50 fps, your shutter speed should be around 1/100.

Also: progressive contains more information per frame. In theory it should give you better image.

I film in 60p, 1/125 shutter speed most of the time, and manual exposure, manual focus always.
 
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keensg

President, geoResource Technologies, Inc.
Thanks - very useful. While trial and error is valuable - a helping hand (so as not to re-invent the wheel) helps set you on the right path.
 

stevemaller

Heavy Lifter
I can't find any specific advice on the best movie settings to get the best results?

25/30 or 50/60 fps?
Interlaced or Progressive?
Shutter Speed?
Manual or Auto Exposure?
Manual or Auto Focus?

I am using a Sony Nex-7.

Thanks for the help.

Never, ever, use interlaced in aerial stuff unless you're targeting SD broadcast TV. Which you should not be. :)
Manual exposure and focus are usually best if you can pull it off. Certainly manual focus from a multirotor...doubtful you'll ever need to be so close as to have a DOF problem.
Do yourself a favor and study up on "hyperfocal distance" and use it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocal_distance
 

Stratifier

Member
Never, ever, use interlaced in aerial stuff unless you're targeting SD broadcast TV. Which you should not be. :)
Some majors broadcasters accept only interlaced programs or PSF them prior to broadcast. All news are interlaced, as well as dramas and sitcoms. they are full HD not SD... :) Blu-ray is interlaced as well, not progressive.
Actually this is your final output that decides the settings.
You don't shoot interlaced for Youtube or Vimeo, and you don't shoot progressive for TV news.
Prefer Manual Exposure.
Prefer Manual focus if possible. Know your DOF. (depends on focal lenght, sensor, and aperture...)
Shutter at 180 degrees for normal conditions, which is roughly double of your shooting fps. But you can create effects and change the exposure by playing with it. (film a fan and change the shutter speed to check...)
ISO as low as possible
Target the sweet aperture for your lens (Usually about 3 F stops from the max aperture) so if you have an F/2.0 try to shoot at 8
Do not shoot at F/22 or more, your iris is so closed and so small that you loose the best of your lens capabilities. Instead use a ND filter (0.9) put you back 3 stops Back to F/8 which is much better for your picture quality.
Prefer to be slightly under exposed than overexposed. You can't bring back what was burnt in post.
Film Flat: Not too sharp, not too contrasted, not too saturated. You will have more room to play in post.
It's already a lot to think about... :)
 
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vulcan2go

Member
Some majors broadcasters accept only interlaced programs or PSF them prior to broadcast. All news are interlaced, as well as dramas and sitcoms. they are full HD not SD... :) Blu-ray is interlaced as well, not progressive.
Actually this is your final output that decides the settings.
You don't shoot interlaced for Youtube or Vimeo, and you don't shoot progressive for TV news.
Prefer Manual Exposure.
Prefer Manual focus if possible. Know your DOF. (depends on focal lenght, sensor, and aperture...)
Shutter at 180 degrees for normal conditions, which is roughly double of your shooting fps. But you can create effects and change the exposure by playing with it. (film a fan and change the shutter speed to check...)
ISO as low as possible
Target the sweet aperture for your lens (Usually about 3 F stops from the max aperture) so if you have an F/2.0 try to shoot at 8
Do not shoot at F/22 or more, your iris is so closed and so small that you loose the best of your lens capabilities. Instead use a ND filter (0.9) put you back 3 stops Back to F/8 which is much better for your picture quality.
Prefer to be slightly under exposed than overexposed. You can't bring back what was burnt in post.
Film Flat: Not too sharp, not too contrasted, not too saturated. You will have more room to play in post.
It's already a lot to think about... :)

Useful info - thanks for posting
 

Quinton

Active Member
ISO as low as possible

Well it is pixel peeping but this is probably not the case.
Example, the best ISO to shoot at on Canon cinema camera like the C100 is 850, and they say the base ISO for the 5D is 160, and believe it or not the GH4 at 0db is ISO 800.
At native ISO you should get more dynamic range.
Welcome [MENTION=16400]keensg[/MENTION] to the crazy world of learning even more things and trying to find out exactly what is going on.
 

Stratifier

Member
Well it is pixel peeping but this is probably not the case.
Example, the best ISO to shoot at on Canon cinema camera like the C100 is 850, and they say the base ISO for the 5D is 160, and believe it or not the GH4 at 0db is ISO 800.
At native ISO you should get more dynamic range.
Welcome @keensg to the crazy world of learning even more things and trying to find out exactly what is going on.
I agree with you, but when I say as low as possible, I mean trying not to get a grainy picture (unless this is what you're after) by increasing the sensitivity at all costs.
 

Quinton

Active Member
I agree with you, but when I say as low as possible, I mean trying not to get a grainy picture (unless this is what you're after) by increasing the sensitivity at all costs.

Agree with you 100%
TBH its all a lot of crap.
I was on a timelapse/hyperlapse course a couple of weeks ago in Istanbul, and this one bloke shot everything on his iPhone, and it was some of the best stuff I have ever seen in my life.
Cameras are great, but if you know how to, you know how to shoot, no matter what camera you are using!
 

sk8brd

Member
agreed quinton 100%

there were some recent test done on the gh4 and the native iso while containing more dr had more noise but not a big deal at all. i usually stick to cinema rules so fps/shutter deal...i like to stay around sweet spot of the lens then adjust iso and shutter if i have to..with a nd you can leave shutter where its suppose to be in bright conditions while shooting lower frame rates. i don't go above 30 unless i'm using slow mo....slow mo is difficult in dark conditions because of the higher shutter so better to use when there is a lot of light so you don't need to up the iso too much.. i basically leave my aperture and don't change it ever.. just adjust iso/nd/ or shutter....while going 24fps take care when panning, it has to be slow or there will be a lot of stutter..i like 30 for most stuff unless i'm matching ground work on 24. i do shoot 30 then retime to 24 just to take off the edge sometimes if there is any bad gimbal movement or shakes...its slower but if theres is not people walking around, action or sound of the motors it almost looks looks like it wasn't re timed. seen this used more then a few times when people said there was no slow mo and footage was raw straight of cam..lol

in the end it doesn't make too much of a difference if your shutter is notexactly double the frame rate, or your a little higher on iso..cam movement, subject, composition, balanced props and knowing how to fly and a good workflow can make way more of a difference then a the 180 degree rule. don't loose sleep or go too crazy getting everything "perfect"..having fun flying and being safe is more important and these things will fall into place when the time is ready. i would recommend making sure you got enough depth of field though as others have mentioned wouldn't go too much lower then f-10 ish...especially if your flying anything longer then 24mm on a full frame. that could cause issue with out of focus but everything else has flexibility. you can also break the rules also for certain looks like shutter, a lot of guys filming action sports go with higher then double theframe rate so the image is sharper during motion.
 
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