unimog123 Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 Hey everyone! As you may already know, I have made a few MOCs that I have posted on this forum, but without any video. So I was wondering what other people use to shoot videos of moving models. I personally make my models with performance in mind, so some of them are quite fast. I have seen some cameras for just over $100 with 1080p HD video and I was wondering if you guys use something similar. I think this would be a good improvement from my current camera as it only does 680p video or something like that and the video becomes extremely blurry once you enlarge the screen. I have already made two videos with said camera for my Roadster and Trophy Truck and they are too blurry. If I choose not use that camera's videos, then there will not be a video of the Roadster as it has been dismantled, and I'm still hanging onto the Trophy Truck, searching for a well-suited camera before I dismantle it as well. I know this is a bit off topic, but it would greatly help my Lego Technic interest, so any info is appreciated. Thanks Quote
DrJB Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) Check out some of the videos Mahjqa made for his metal grudge. He built a small vehicle, that holds the camera, and moves at the same level as the subject/target vehicle. www.vayamenda.com Edited February 27, 2014 by DrJB Quote
Fissl Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 1080p sounds good. But a nice video needs more than just a good cam. It very depends on camera angles and movements and at least on editing the footage. So maybe you should first read a bit about the basics of shooting and editing. Quote
Sariel Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 I put a lot of work and hardware into my videos, but I still stick to 720p rather than 1080p. 1080 = huge files and much longer rendering times when editing. On my PC it takes some 6 times longer to process a 1080p video than to process 720p one. Quote
piterx Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 that depends more on the compression the file has than the resolution... it's strange though, you're using a gopro wich has the h264 format that's the one of the lightest... Hey everyone! As you may already know, I have made a few MOCs that I have posted on this forum, but without any video. So I was wondering what other people use to shoot videos of moving models. I personally make my models with performance in mind, so some of them are quite fast. I have seen some cameras for just over $100 with 1080p HD video and I was wondering if you guys use something similar. I think this would be a good improvement from my current camera as it only does 680p video or something like that and the video becomes extremely blurry once you enlarge the screen. I have already made two videos with said camera for my Roadster and Trophy Truck and they are too blurry. If I choose not use that camera's videos, then there will not be a video of the Roadster as it has been dismantled, and I'm still hanging onto the Trophy Truck, searching for a well-suited camera before I dismantle it as well. I know this is a bit off topic, but it would greatly help my Lego Technic interest, so any info is appreciated. Thanks i'd suggest you a gopro...it's cheap and light, and if you get the first HD one that came out you can get it for something around 100€... of course, if you can afford it, get the latest one wich has a better sensor...the only "problems" with gopros are that you don't have a screen to frame what you wanna shoot (unless you buy it) and that it has fisheye (wich someone may not like) Quote
Sariel Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 the only "problems" with gopros are that you don't have a screen to frame what you wanna shoot (unless you buy it) and that it has fisheye (wich someone may not like) Any apple or Android phone can serve as a screen and remote at the same time, at least with GoPro 2 & 3. And at least GoPro 3 SE allows to use narrow field of view, too. Quote
DrJB Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 I just got the GoPro Hero 3+ and it has 'too much' fish-eye. From my recollection, the 3 (not +) has a bit of a narrower FOV, and thus less distortion. Looking into add-on lenses to counter the fish-eye but have not found any yet. Quote
Fissl Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 the render time and smoothness of editing is very depending on the video-codec you are using. h.264 for example needs a lot of CPU and GPU power because its highly compressed and your PC has to "generate" every frame. I'm converting all the h.264 clips from my DSLR to AppleProRes 422 using MPEG Streamclip (freeware) so I can edit the video in highest quality and editing is really smooth too, because the PC doesn't have to decompress the files all the time. After editing I create one Masterclip, also in the same codec ("same as source"-> ProRes 422) because then your machine only has to render the graphics you ad to your clip. And then I use MPEG Streamclip again to creat a small h.264 mov for youtube ;) Quote
unimog123 Posted February 28, 2014 Author Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks for all the info! When I edit my videos I just use the iMovie editor on a MacBook Pro, is this software too basic? Quote
Fissl Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 no iMovie is absolutely sufficient! It has all the effects and basic instruments you need for editing. Quote
MrNumbskull13 Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 I use my iPod 4th gen. and iMovie! I can make videos in 720p and I have a few good editing apps for photos. As long as you have good lighting the quality is quite good. :) check my YouTube channel? Quote
Lakop Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 I'm yet to make a video, i'm trying to find a location to run my test car (house is too cramped) but I go along with what the guys are saying. Getting the right angles and showing off any features is important and lighting is the most important. I'm sure we can all do it with enough time. H Quote
unimog123 Posted February 28, 2014 Author Posted February 28, 2014 I use my iPod 4th gen. and iMovie! I can make videos in 720p and I have a few good editing apps for photos. As long as you have good lighting the quality is quite good. :) check my YouTube channel? Thanks everyone. I think you just solved my problem because I have an iPod 4th generation as well. Now that I think about it I've taken video of previous creations and with good lighting the footage is quite crisp and clear. Hopefully this will be sufficient, because I would rather spend my extra money on other things. Quote
Pat-Ard Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 Hi unimog... my videos were all taken with an iPhone. And sorry, I didn't do anything with iMovie... But the whole "appliance" you get with peaches, sorry apple is good and suits perfect... Pat Quote
MrNumbskull13 Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 iMovie is only £2.99 and had lots of great features! My only complaint is that it doesn't have slow motion and that my version is slightly outdated because I can't run ios7 Quote
unimog123 Posted February 28, 2014 Author Posted February 28, 2014 Yeah, I wish it had slow motion too. Quote
dhc6twinotter Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 The iMovie on my iMac has slow-motion, but not sure if the iPad versions do. iMovie is a pretty good video editing software. Much, much better than Windows Movie Maker, and it is much more user friendly than Adobe Premier Elements (glitchy program, imho). I shot my last video with a DSLR, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Only downside to using an older DSLRs, like mine, is the lack of continuous autofocusing, but new DSLRs have continuous autofocusing. I also built a little rolling LEGO camera cradle to use for some of the shots. The video of my Case tractor was the first one I made, and I used a HD Sony Handycam. I drove the tractor around with one hand, and used the other hand to hold the camera. That was tricky, but it turned out ok. Quote
JGW3000 Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 (edited) If you are shooting for the web or this forum, 720p is fine. Look at some of Sariel's videos and some others as well for some tips on how its done, what you like about them, and what didn';t work - set up shots, different camera angles, panning and zooming, etc... Most important, especially with video, is bright full-color balanced lights - you can see some of Sariel's lights in the background. These don't cost much, just a bulb and a cheap clip-on reflector from a hardware store, or you can get a small video light kit off of some auction site. Most important, is practice and self-critic. And you may need a hamster or other small furry animal. Edited March 1, 2014 by JGW3000 Quote
Doc_Brown Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 I too would suggest 720p, as you will probably only be posting the videos on youtube, I for one never view vids in 1080, simply because they take too long to load. I think there is barely any difference in quality. Also unless you invest in a camera with a decent frame rate, your fast mocs with get blurred. Specifically if you make a camera car chasing it down. Quote
Phoxtane Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 Also unless you invest in a camera with a decent frame rate, your fast mocs with get blurred. Specifically if you make a camera car chasing it down. Shouldn't a chase vehicle actually help with the blurriness? By doing so you reduce the relative speed between the vehicle and camera. I'd think the background may get blurred. This should also apply to a panning shot as well, if I'm imagining the scenario correctly. Quote
dr_spock Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 Using 720p instead of 1080p may give you a faster record frame rate (depending on your camera). That can help capturing fast action. Quote
legomuppet9 Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 I use a Panosonic Lumix bridge camera to shoot my videos, and moviemaker to edit.. they often come out good enough imo Quote
unimog123 Posted March 1, 2014 Author Posted March 1, 2014 Also unless you invest in a camera with a decent frame rate, your fast mocs with get blurred. Specifically if you make a camera car chasing it down. I don't think they will be blurred. With my iPod I've driven on bumpy sidewalk and grass and the background never got blurry. I've also taken video of a creation doing a flip and it is still pretty clear, and I don't plan on flipping my cars in the video anyway. Quote
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