Video technique
In association with
Microphone matters If your digital camera can capture video, it will have a built-in microphone. That’s the good news, but the less-good news is that, in most cases, it won’t give great audio quality and the internal mic will pick up the sounds of the camera working. What you need is an external mic, and most cameras will have a suitable input socket. When it comes to picking a mic, there is plenty of choice, depending on type, price and, of course, what you want to do. A hotshoe-mounted shotgun microphone would suit most purposes. This type of mic picks up sound from directly in front, so fixed on the hotshoe is ideal in that it records sounds from whatever is in front of the lens. The Rode VideoMic Pro R or Sennheiser MKE 400 costs around £159. Wind noise is a problem outdoor filming, and a microphone wind shield, often called a muff or dead cat, is needed. The Kenro Universal Cardioid mic comes complete with a furry windshield at £39.95. If your interest is vlogging, a better option is a lavalier mic. These tiny mics can be clipped on to a lapel and plugged into the audio-in socket. With more budget, there’s the wireless option. In this case, the receiver is plugged into camera and fixed to the hotshoe and microphone worn by the subject, ie you, if you’re vlogging. Another option to a mic is an audio recorder that you fit on the camera hotshoe or hold close to the subject. The Olympus LS-P4 at £139 is an excellent recorder and its 8GB internal memory is enough for eight hours’ recording time and it supports microSD cards up to 32GB for greater capacity. There’s also the option to plug in an external mic. With zoommode, USB connection and much more, the LS-P4 (or the cheaper LS-P1) is highly recommended. Olympus has recently launched a set of good value LS-P1/LS-P4 audio recorder kits, with the LS-P1 lavalier kit at £129.99 and the LS-P4 podcaster kit at £199.99. olympus.co.uk kenro.co.uk rode.com en-uk.sennheiser.com
Shooting support
Many newer cameras are coming equipped with in-body image stabilisation. They‘re really
effective to help produce smooth- looking footage when you’re
XPRO+ monopods can be used with a Fluidtech base, also with retractable feet. Gimbals for steady shooting are available, but probably too advanced for a video newbie unless you have serious intentions. A Zhiyun Crane Plus is a three-axis gimbal with a MotionMemory feature, which can handle a 2.5kg load and costs £359. Another item for when your video shooting becomes more serious: a camera slider, which sits in a tripod or a flat surface and helps you shoot tracking shots. The Kenro Double Distance Camera Slider 76cm costs £130, and this heavy-duty unit is made from anodised aluminium with a smooth, counter-balanced belt drive mechanism. kenro.co.uk manfrotto.co.uk vanguardworld.co.uk zhiyun-tech.com
shooting handheld. However, there will be times when you need something more stable, and the good news is that you probably own a tripod or monopod. The head might not suit video use though, so you might need an alternative unit with better panning functionality, unless you are just shooting statics. A video head needs to offer a smooth pan and tilt action, and a long handle helps handling, too. A good option is the Vanguard VEO PH-13 two- way head, which costs £69.99. Amonopod is a good option, too, being portable but offering good and versatile support. Monopods, such as the Vanguard VEO 2S AM- 264TR (shown left), have the added benefit of retractable feet. The Manfrotto
External memory and monitor If your video shooting really takes off, you might consider adding an external monitor and recording device, which is connected to the camera via the HDMI port. A large external monitor is more convenient for shooting, while having the option of more capacity simply means more filming time. The Atomos Ninja V HDMI monitor/recorder has a 5-inch high-resolution touchscreen and accepts a dedicated SSD ABOVE The Atomos Ninja VHDMI is a monitor/recorder with a 5-inch high-resolution touchscreen
Improve your hearing Recording good audio is important if you want people to enjoy your videos and vlogs, so checking what you have soon after you’ve made a recording is very much a good thing. Audio recorders such as the Olympus LS-P4 have an audio-out or headphone socket for this very purpose and so do many cameras, but many don’t. Trying to check sound quality through any in-camera loudspeaker is not practical. There may be workarounds for your camera, so it is always worth checking online for solutions. If your camera has a USB-B/C port or HDMI dongles are available to convert ports to a 3.5mm audio-out, for example. As for headphones, there are plenty of solutions around, whether you prefer over-ear, on-ear or ear buds. Whichever method you opt for, it’ll be better than trying to hear through the camera or audio recorder’s small speaker.
drive and costs £510. The Blackmagic Design Video
Assist costs £449 and also has a 5-inch high-resolution screen. It records to high-speed SD cards. There’s also a 4K version with a 7-inch screen at £729 and the 12G version offers upgraded features, including brighter HDR screens, and the 5-inch version is £786. atomos.com blackmagicdesign.com/uk
eu.audio-technica.com kenro.co.uk rode.com en-uk.sennheiser.com
Loupe Experienced video shooters will have a larger, separate monitor that plugs into the camera’s HDMI socket, which makes setting up and checking the picture easier than using the integral monitor, especially on bright days. A cheaper option is a monitor loupe, which lets you check focusing, framing and exposure on your camera monitor. The Hoodman H32MB Hoodloupe costs £128 and, of course, has its uses for stills shooting as well as video. cvp.com
Memory cards Video shooting needs high-performance cards to avoid interrupted recordings or image dropout. If your camera uses SD or CompactFlash, check to make sure your cards are fast enough. For Full HD, cards need to be at least 6MB/s, preferably more. For 4K, you’re talking 30MB/s upwards. The SD card now has a speed class specifically for video – the V number. Class V6 is 6MB/s, with V90 and 90MB/s the fastest quoted speed.
ABOVE The Blackmagic Design Video Assist offers different sizes
NEXT MONTH Create great videos
Go to photographynews.co.uk for more Summer Festival content. Features coming up this month include expert advice on how to get your video exposures spot on, more about using neutral density filters, plus f/stops and T stops explained
Issue 78 | Photography News 15
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