On the 18th September, I had my induction into my school's Film Studio with my class. We were briefed on how to use the three main cameras with their tripods and main features.
Cameras
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| Sony FS100 |
 |
| Canon EOS5D |
 |
| Sony NX5 |
Cameras
We began with the Canon EOS5D which is the cheapest of the three but the most versatile. All three had industry standard quality, but this has the highest quality of video for just a DSLR and is most often used by professional "Vlog" or Music Video makers. We attached a prime lens to the 5D which meant it shot incredibly good quality but could not zoom.
Next up was the Sony FS100 which has the most versatile zooming function. It is slightly larger and more expensive than the 5D especially with the lens fully extended.
Finally, the Sony NX5 which is one of the most popular professional video cameras, as its very light versatile, and shoots in very high quality. What was different about this camera was that the lens is fixed and cannot be swapped out which is good for quality, but doesn't allow a change in zoom magnitude. This camera is most often used by news teams in places like war zones as its portable and well built. This is the most expensive of the three at around £5000.
Attaching Lenses
Next, we were tought how to attach the lenses onto each camera body. The process is very similar between the 5D and the FS100, but the NX5 has its lens built in. Firstly, we removed the lens caps on both the camera bodies and lenses. Then just slipped the lenses into position by lining up the coloured dots on both the lens and camera. Twisted the lenses until they clicked into place. The 5D's prime lens had a custom made adapter that we attached to the lens first and then the body.
Tripods
We had three standard tripods to erect and attach cameras to. It was a very simple process of loosening and tightening the extending legs on the tripod in order to erect it. Then we were showed how to safely attach the cameras. Each camera had the same attachment socket that fit into the slots on the top of the tripods. With only pushes of a few buttons, you could easily slip the camera into position and tighten the clamp which held it into place on the tripod.
Zoom/Focus
On each lens, except the prime on the 5D, there is a zoom function. In order to zoom in or out, all you had to do was twist the dial labelled zoom clockwise or anti-clockwise. As well as this, every lens (incl. the prime) had a focus function. To focus on an object for the lenses on the NX5 and the FS100, we were told to zoom in fully to the object, and twist the focus dial until the image was as sharp as we thought possible. Then you could zoom out as far as you wanted, and the image would stay fully focused. However, for the prime lens on the 5D, you had to measure with a measure tape from the focus centre on the 5D body, to the face of the object you were focusing on. You take this measurement and twist the focus dial on the lens so it lines up with the measurement.
Exposure
Each camera has the feature of changing the exposure (brightness) of the shot. On the NX5 and FS100, there is a dial on the lens. On the 5D, you can change the exposure level using the buttons.
White Balance
Before filming a new shot, the cameras have to be white balanced so that every shot has a similar colour scale. Otherwise, when switching from an indoor shot to an outdoors shot, the colour scale will be very blue. To white balance each camera for each shot, you have to point the lens and zoom in on the white balance screen and press the white balance ("WB") button on the side of the cameras. Now you can zoom out and the whole shot will have the correct colour scale.
Next up was the Sony FS100 which has the most versatile zooming function. It is slightly larger and more expensive than the 5D especially with the lens fully extended.
Finally, the Sony NX5 which is one of the most popular professional video cameras, as its very light versatile, and shoots in very high quality. What was different about this camera was that the lens is fixed and cannot be swapped out which is good for quality, but doesn't allow a change in zoom magnitude. This camera is most often used by news teams in places like war zones as its portable and well built. This is the most expensive of the three at around £5000.
Attaching Lenses
Next, we were tought how to attach the lenses onto each camera body. The process is very similar between the 5D and the FS100, but the NX5 has its lens built in. Firstly, we removed the lens caps on both the camera bodies and lenses. Then just slipped the lenses into position by lining up the coloured dots on both the lens and camera. Twisted the lenses until they clicked into place. The 5D's prime lens had a custom made adapter that we attached to the lens first and then the body.
Tripods
We had three standard tripods to erect and attach cameras to. It was a very simple process of loosening and tightening the extending legs on the tripod in order to erect it. Then we were showed how to safely attach the cameras. Each camera had the same attachment socket that fit into the slots on the top of the tripods. With only pushes of a few buttons, you could easily slip the camera into position and tighten the clamp which held it into place on the tripod.
Zoom/Focus
On each lens, except the prime on the 5D, there is a zoom function. In order to zoom in or out, all you had to do was twist the dial labelled zoom clockwise or anti-clockwise. As well as this, every lens (incl. the prime) had a focus function. To focus on an object for the lenses on the NX5 and the FS100, we were told to zoom in fully to the object, and twist the focus dial until the image was as sharp as we thought possible. Then you could zoom out as far as you wanted, and the image would stay fully focused. However, for the prime lens on the 5D, you had to measure with a measure tape from the focus centre on the 5D body, to the face of the object you were focusing on. You take this measurement and twist the focus dial on the lens so it lines up with the measurement.
Exposure
Each camera has the feature of changing the exposure (brightness) of the shot. On the NX5 and FS100, there is a dial on the lens. On the 5D, you can change the exposure level using the buttons.
White Balance
Before filming a new shot, the cameras have to be white balanced so that every shot has a similar colour scale. Otherwise, when switching from an indoor shot to an outdoors shot, the colour scale will be very blue. To white balance each camera for each shot, you have to point the lens and zoom in on the white balance screen and press the white balance ("WB") button on the side of the cameras. Now you can zoom out and the whole shot will have the correct colour scale.
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