Conform and be Dull (or don't…)

Homage to Exciting Digital Stuff

Tripod Panning Head
I have a manfrotto 719B tripod. I need a cheap head for it that would be good for smooth video panning. Thanks

I only has to move up and down and side to side, But it has to be smooth. Will every head fit. Are they all standard? I don't have much money and my camera is light, but I'm trying to use professional equipment. I have to do alot of moving around so light and quick set up would be good. Any make and model #s would be helpful. Also where can I buy it? Thanks!

Finding a cheap fluid head is like trying to find a cheap HD video camera. No such animal.

Save your penies and buy a used Manfrotto 501 head. Try eBay.

Selecting the Right Camera - Some Points To Focus On

In order to make a film, the one basic equipment you require is the camera. There are various types of cameras available in the markets that are all meant for different purposes. When you step in to film making, you shall use all of them on a regular basis and learn the differences as well. In the process you might also develop some personal favorites to work with.

Yet at some point all these become obsolete – one technology came in and swiped away the rest – the Digital Cameras. This technology simplified the art of film making to a great extent. With these, not even sky is the limit.

As a beginner it is a great experience to learn the ways and means of using the film cameras. They teach you several interesting things like:
 Using a lens
 Understanding the depth of the field
 How to push & pull the focus, etc.

While it is an undeniable fact that digital cameras have brought in a revolution in film making and have been accepted with open arms world over, I sometimes think that using an actual film was rather organic. The images then were li'l hazy but they did not have an artificial crispness created with the digital technology.

Initially, the digital cameras did not compete well with the films. Hats off to the technicians who tweaked the digital technology, until and unless they were able to develop the modern age digital cameras. The film has now been relegated to very high art forms, hence now the users have no questions remaining regarding shooting with digital cameras over films.

A major plus point of using digital camera is that it eradicates the enormous processing costs. Developing the film used to be so expensive earlier that many a times it was simply prohibitive. Now the digital cameras have come in with so acceptable cost ranges that they are bound to be a part of the culture.

In such a scenario it becomes a must to invest quality time in the product research and market survey for the best deal available. Now, when you go ahead to purchase your digital video camera to shoot your own film, I suggest you must check out the following basic features in it:

1. Buy a digital video camera with a tripod. The tripod is a three legged stand for your camera.
2. Check that the tripod must have fairly thick legs to allow sturdiness.
3. It must feature very good quality fluid head for effective panning.
4. Make sure that the camera fixes properly and releases easily and quickly from the tripod.
5. The camera must have a good battery system to allow maximum remote shooting.

These days there are n number of digital cameras to opt from. So is their price range. Never the less, a good quality digital video camera for shooting all the action of your film would cost you amidst $500 and $800. In case your budget can stretch up to $1,000, Samsung VP X220L is surely the right choice for you. This camcorder comes along with a wired external lens. Its neat compact body is quite attractive and handy to operate and needless to mention, it is utterly durable. No wonders, the Samsung VP X220L was used in the very known Jack Ass show.

When get hold of new camera, acquaint yourself with its functions and features as much as you can. Never skip directly to shooting the film with your new camera. First you must make yourself perfectly professional with it. Here are some experiments you must try on your new camera:

1. Handle it all by yourself to learn it in entirety.
2. Learn to pan & focus with your camera.
3. Play back your recordings and check for the techniques to embitter the recording.
4. Try working on different lighting levels & shutter speeds.
5. Find out how does your camera focus automatically.
6. Also practice some bits of manual focusing.
7. Make sure to carry your camera with you for some days and prepare an image bank for yourself. This image bank would give you some basic generic images. These would be helpful to you while making cutaways and with several other functions involved in film making.
8. Learn to focus anything and everything through the lens.
9. Try directing and building varied scenes in your frame. Then first shoot those in still photography.
10. To practice shooting with your new camera, try a hand on your crew & the talent.
11. Simply, shoot anything moving, until and unless you get it right.

About the Author

Abhishek is an avid Film Making enthusiast and he has got some great Film Making Secrets up his sleeve! Download his FREE 78 Pages Ebook, "Understanding The Basics Of Film-Making!" from his website http://www.Fun-Galore.com/94/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

Tags: ball, panning-head, photography, timelapse, tripod

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 at 6:59 pm and is filed under Telescopes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.