The following is obviously written specifically for somebody using the T2i, but most of it can be useful for any beginner.
Before we start talking about the specifics of your camera, let's get down to the basics. Good video is rooted in photography. In film, you're shooting 24 frames/second. Jumping right into video/film, with no prior camera experience, is the equivalent of entering a toddler in a 100 meter sprint. Maybe we should just do a little walking, first.
Before we can effectively shoot video, we need to learn how to compose a single shot. Unless you want to be a DP, you might not want to spend as much time as a still photographer would, learning and practicing this craft, but you should at least know the basics.
In the very beginning, I personally don't think you need to worry about f-stops, ISO, or any of that stuff. You can learn that next. With this camera in your hands for the first time, I think it best to put it in auto-mode and just start clicking away (except, without the flash – on the T2i, that camera-setting is the one with the lightning bolt crossed out).
Learn the Rule of Thirds. Like all rules, it's meant to be broken, but you need to know why you want to break this rule, before you break it. Almost every image you see on TV or in cinema follows this simple, basic rule.
An amateur's first instinct is to place their subject right in the center of the image. That's boring. Divide your image into thirds. Any crucial focal-point should lie on the dividing lines. On your T2i, you don't have to imagine the image split in thirds – in your menu, on the second page, the sub-menu labeled “Grid display” will place the lines on the camera for you.
Give your subjects head-room and nose-room. Often times, you might want to frame your subject. Balance your image. Pay attention to lines. And don't let any trees grow out of anyone's head. I'm sorry, I'm not going to explain all of these concepts, as they all exist, quite freely, in the Google-sphere. These are the basics, and researching them is pretty basic. But crucial. Don't feel like you're wasting time in the wading pool. The deep-end can wait.
When you've learned how to compose a shot, you can finally start practicing the technical stuff. Like entrance into heaven, getting the shot you want is dependent upon a holy trinity. ISO, shutter-speed and f-stop.
If you really want to know the nitty-gritty of how this stuff works, go google-crazy. Keep in mind the fact that much of what is practical in old-school camera world is virtual in DSLR world. For example, ISO, in old-school world, is a measurement of the sensitivity of the film. Well, obviously, with DSLR, there is no film. The camera's super-smart computer is doing stuff to replicate the effects of film speed. Anyway, that's but one example of how the terminology of photography is different, when in reference to DSLR.
However, you don't really need to know all of the nitty-gritty. It's good to. But that will come with time. In the beginning, let me just dumb it down for you.
ISO – The higher the number, the brighter the image. However, since we're talking virtual “film-speed”, the difference between DSLR and film is crucial. Really, all your camera is doing, when you up that ISO, is amplify the light coming in. This is fine, and looks great, to a certain extent. When you start to reach the 1600 mark, granulation might become noticeable. Only in extreme emergencies would I recommend ever using ISO 3200. That's just kinda crazy.
If you're shooting outside, in broad daylight, it's probably a good idea to follow old-school film recommendations. ISO 100, if it's bright. If it's cloudy, maybe you move to ISO 200 or 400.
On the T2i, you will adjust your ISO by first pressing the ISO button, on the top of the camera, right next to the camera setting dial. Once you're in ISO-set mode, you'll adjust your ISO by rotating the dial just in front of the ISO button (Oh, except I forgot to mention that you first have to change the exposure to manual in your menu).
Exposure, or f-stop, also controls how much light is let in. This is your aperture-setting. The aperture is the hole in the lens that lets light in. A smaller f-stop is actually a bigger hole, thus allowing more light in.
Your f-stop is something you'll want to pay attention to, in relation to depth of field. A shallow depth of field is when less things are in focus, whereas a deep depth of field is when pretty much everything is in focus. The lower the f-stop, the more shallow your depth of field. Generally speaking, f8 or above is a pretty wide depth of field, especially if you've got a wide lens.
The other part of the depth of field equation is your lens (smaller number equals wider lens). Wide lens equals wide depth of field. Macro lens equals shallow depth of field. So, if you want a really shallow depth of field, you pop on an f2.8 100mm lens. If you want everything in focus, f8 (or higher) 18mm will do the trick. To adjust f-stop, press-and-hold the little button on the top-right corner of your display (the one labeled “Av”), and while you're holding that button down, adjust the dial at the front of the camera (the same one used to adjust ISO and shutter-speed).
The third part of the trinity is the shutter-speed. You don't need to press any buttons to adjust shutter-speed. As long as you are not in ISO or f-stop adjustment mode, you can adjust shutter-speed just by rotating our favorite dial at the front of the camera. For "normal" film productions, the shutter speed is typically double the frame rate. So, a film shot at 24 frames per second, would have a shutter speed of 1/48. For whatever reason (I don't have the slightest idea why, to be frank), this is what our eyes seem to be most comfortable watching (maybe someone who knows more would care to comment). Anyway, this shutter speed gives the image just enough blur to make movement seem fluid. If you change to a faster shutter speed, say 1/100, there's less blur, meaning that moving objects don't move so fluidly -- the movement appears almost "choppy".
And, focus. Seems simple enough. Just move that little switch from auto to manual focus, and then play with your focus-ring, right?. However, the DSLR is getting such high resolution that you really can't adequately see what you're focusing on, when looking at your tiny display. This is why a lot of indie filmmakers are purchasing HD monitors for their DSLRs. Sorry, you bought a T2i – HD monitoring is not an option; your camera won't do it.
On the back of your camera, at the very farthest top-right corner, there is a little digital-zoom button. Just beneath it is a tiny graphic of a magnifying glass. This digital-zoom button is your friend. You cannot focus without it. Here's how you do it:
When looking at your display, there is a little rectangle in the center of the screen. If you were using auto-focus, this is the region that the camera would focus on, when you press the button half-way. On manual focus, this is the region that the camera will digitally zoom-in on, when you press that magic digital-zoom button. Use this function to zoom-in on your subject. Make sure that their eyes are in focus. Now, back out of the digital-zoom, and you're good to go.
Okay, now take that holy trinity, and focus, and go complete the same assignment as before. Just take a whole bunch of still pictures, following the basics of shot-composition, except this time, you don't have the camera on auto. Control everything yourself. Take TONS of pictures. Experiment. Have fun. Then, later, take a look at them to analyze what worked and what didn't.
Finally, share your awesome results with the great people on this forum.
Next up: We talk white-balance (simple enough), and finally start shooting video for narratives. Still just the basics.
Before we start talking about the specifics of your camera, let's get down to the basics. Good video is rooted in photography. In film, you're shooting 24 frames/second. Jumping right into video/film, with no prior camera experience, is the equivalent of entering a toddler in a 100 meter sprint. Maybe we should just do a little walking, first.
Before we can effectively shoot video, we need to learn how to compose a single shot. Unless you want to be a DP, you might not want to spend as much time as a still photographer would, learning and practicing this craft, but you should at least know the basics.
In the very beginning, I personally don't think you need to worry about f-stops, ISO, or any of that stuff. You can learn that next. With this camera in your hands for the first time, I think it best to put it in auto-mode and just start clicking away (except, without the flash – on the T2i, that camera-setting is the one with the lightning bolt crossed out).
Learn the Rule of Thirds. Like all rules, it's meant to be broken, but you need to know why you want to break this rule, before you break it. Almost every image you see on TV or in cinema follows this simple, basic rule.
An amateur's first instinct is to place their subject right in the center of the image. That's boring. Divide your image into thirds. Any crucial focal-point should lie on the dividing lines. On your T2i, you don't have to imagine the image split in thirds – in your menu, on the second page, the sub-menu labeled “Grid display” will place the lines on the camera for you.
Give your subjects head-room and nose-room. Often times, you might want to frame your subject. Balance your image. Pay attention to lines. And don't let any trees grow out of anyone's head. I'm sorry, I'm not going to explain all of these concepts, as they all exist, quite freely, in the Google-sphere. These are the basics, and researching them is pretty basic. But crucial. Don't feel like you're wasting time in the wading pool. The deep-end can wait.
When you've learned how to compose a shot, you can finally start practicing the technical stuff. Like entrance into heaven, getting the shot you want is dependent upon a holy trinity. ISO, shutter-speed and f-stop.
If you really want to know the nitty-gritty of how this stuff works, go google-crazy. Keep in mind the fact that much of what is practical in old-school camera world is virtual in DSLR world. For example, ISO, in old-school world, is a measurement of the sensitivity of the film. Well, obviously, with DSLR, there is no film. The camera's super-smart computer is doing stuff to replicate the effects of film speed. Anyway, that's but one example of how the terminology of photography is different, when in reference to DSLR.
However, you don't really need to know all of the nitty-gritty. It's good to. But that will come with time. In the beginning, let me just dumb it down for you.
ISO – The higher the number, the brighter the image. However, since we're talking virtual “film-speed”, the difference between DSLR and film is crucial. Really, all your camera is doing, when you up that ISO, is amplify the light coming in. This is fine, and looks great, to a certain extent. When you start to reach the 1600 mark, granulation might become noticeable. Only in extreme emergencies would I recommend ever using ISO 3200. That's just kinda crazy.
If you're shooting outside, in broad daylight, it's probably a good idea to follow old-school film recommendations. ISO 100, if it's bright. If it's cloudy, maybe you move to ISO 200 or 400.
On the T2i, you will adjust your ISO by first pressing the ISO button, on the top of the camera, right next to the camera setting dial. Once you're in ISO-set mode, you'll adjust your ISO by rotating the dial just in front of the ISO button (Oh, except I forgot to mention that you first have to change the exposure to manual in your menu).
Exposure, or f-stop, also controls how much light is let in. This is your aperture-setting. The aperture is the hole in the lens that lets light in. A smaller f-stop is actually a bigger hole, thus allowing more light in.
Your f-stop is something you'll want to pay attention to, in relation to depth of field. A shallow depth of field is when less things are in focus, whereas a deep depth of field is when pretty much everything is in focus. The lower the f-stop, the more shallow your depth of field. Generally speaking, f8 or above is a pretty wide depth of field, especially if you've got a wide lens.
The other part of the depth of field equation is your lens (smaller number equals wider lens). Wide lens equals wide depth of field. Macro lens equals shallow depth of field. So, if you want a really shallow depth of field, you pop on an f2.8 100mm lens. If you want everything in focus, f8 (or higher) 18mm will do the trick. To adjust f-stop, press-and-hold the little button on the top-right corner of your display (the one labeled “Av”), and while you're holding that button down, adjust the dial at the front of the camera (the same one used to adjust ISO and shutter-speed).
The third part of the trinity is the shutter-speed. You don't need to press any buttons to adjust shutter-speed. As long as you are not in ISO or f-stop adjustment mode, you can adjust shutter-speed just by rotating our favorite dial at the front of the camera. For "normal" film productions, the shutter speed is typically double the frame rate. So, a film shot at 24 frames per second, would have a shutter speed of 1/48. For whatever reason (I don't have the slightest idea why, to be frank), this is what our eyes seem to be most comfortable watching (maybe someone who knows more would care to comment). Anyway, this shutter speed gives the image just enough blur to make movement seem fluid. If you change to a faster shutter speed, say 1/100, there's less blur, meaning that moving objects don't move so fluidly -- the movement appears almost "choppy".
And, focus. Seems simple enough. Just move that little switch from auto to manual focus, and then play with your focus-ring, right?. However, the DSLR is getting such high resolution that you really can't adequately see what you're focusing on, when looking at your tiny display. This is why a lot of indie filmmakers are purchasing HD monitors for their DSLRs. Sorry, you bought a T2i – HD monitoring is not an option; your camera won't do it.
On the back of your camera, at the very farthest top-right corner, there is a little digital-zoom button. Just beneath it is a tiny graphic of a magnifying glass. This digital-zoom button is your friend. You cannot focus without it. Here's how you do it:
When looking at your display, there is a little rectangle in the center of the screen. If you were using auto-focus, this is the region that the camera would focus on, when you press the button half-way. On manual focus, this is the region that the camera will digitally zoom-in on, when you press that magic digital-zoom button. Use this function to zoom-in on your subject. Make sure that their eyes are in focus. Now, back out of the digital-zoom, and you're good to go.
Okay, now take that holy trinity, and focus, and go complete the same assignment as before. Just take a whole bunch of still pictures, following the basics of shot-composition, except this time, you don't have the camera on auto. Control everything yourself. Take TONS of pictures. Experiment. Have fun. Then, later, take a look at them to analyze what worked and what didn't.
Finally, share your awesome results with the great people on this forum.
Next up: We talk white-balance (simple enough), and finally start shooting video for narratives. Still just the basics.
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