Shooting Video

[Vance]

I may be looking for a needle in a haystack, but does anyone have any idea where I might find a place (a forum, etc.) that deals with shooting video?

I shoot - or at least try to shoot - video of rc (radio-controlled) airplanes in flight and I can't get decent footage due to zooming in on the planes. When I zoom in the shot get all jumpy and I'm looking for some ideas as to how to prevent or at least reduce this in my videos.

Any suggesions gladly accepted.

Thanks,
Vance

[yoda313]

Well what about post processing??? Maybe zoom in a little but not so much to get the jumpiness. Then use a video editing package to enhance the shot later????

[canadateck]

Are you using a tripod?

[garman]

Normally when zooming in the shaking becomes magnified. Image stabilization is your best bet with a tripod as mentioned earlier. If not, post processing is the next best thing. I believe Virtualdub has anti-shake plugin. No idea how to use it. Goodluck. -garman

[guns1inger]

Don't use digital zoom - ever. Get a camera with optical stabilisers, instead of digital. Accept that at that distance, with a domestic camera, you are in for a hard time. Shoot lots of coverage with wide shots and just cut to closeups from time to time.

[ZAPPER]

Get closer. If this is for production keep in mind that a large part of what you see on the screen is not real, but staged, that is close ups are shot close up and such. Without a cam on a nearby plane you just ain't gonna get overhead shots too easy. But say if you got footage of the planes in a near ground banking turn it could be edited in to look like an overhead shot.

[Vance]

Thanks for the input. I am beginning to think that maybe I just need more practice and/or a good tripod (or at least some kind of stabilizing system). I shoot my videos with a Panasonic Palmcorder VHS-C. If you see my videos (if you're interested to maybe get a better idea of what I am asking about, go to http://www.butlerrcmodelers.org/video.htm you can tell that I am an amateur and I probably need much more practice.

And just for discussion sake, I don't think I utilize the digital zoom capability of my camera. I only use the regular zoom.

Time for more practice, practice, practice.

Thanks again,
Vance[/url]

[Guest]

http://www.kolumbus.fi/janipartanen/apache.mpg

[garman]

How's this for a thought. Try staging the scene. Pre-foucus the area where the plane will be. Next time is passes start shooting and pan smoothly if need be. Goodluck! -garman