New Canon Vixia/HG10. . any shooting tips? (newbie!)

[Woodserr]

Hello all, first time posting here, and naturally I have a newbie question

I recently purchased a Canon Vixia/HG10, so far it seems great! I mainly plan on/have been using it for shooting action clips usually 10 mins or less. Ultimately I would like to compile them (will be posting a thread in Advanced Video Conversion section to get help dealing with the .mts files to get them in a nice form for editing)
My hopefully simple question is essentially which mode I should keep the camera in/what setting I should have set (I've played with them a bit, and the video quality is excellent, but it doesn't seem to be capturing frames as fast as I'm sure it can. I mainly notice this when capturing clips of bmx aerial tricks. The visual quality is outstanding though, like I said. I've mainly left it in "24p cine mode." I also may end up using the camera to record some very fast motorcycle rides once I have a mounting solution for it. How do I change the fps rate to something like 60? Seems like most current camcorders are capable of that from what I've read.

ANY tips or ideas will be much appreciated, this is my first camera in 8 years though, so any explanations may need to be step-by step!

-Woody

[zoobie]

What most mfgs don't tell you is that HD really needs stabilization...much more than DV...much more than any in-cam stabilizer. It seriously needs a tripod or something else....especially with these rolling shutter cams. Unfortunatley, the tripod often costs more than the little cam. I'm afraid you won't have much luck mounting it to your motorcycle....just the nature of the beast...especially since you're shooting 24p...which will probably be a shakey, blurry disaster...but give it a try anyway to see what happens.

[Woodserr]

Appreciate the quick reply!

I am open to suggestions on a better shooting mode for the faster action. . hopefully there is a decent solution for that.

Anything has to be better than the craptastic bullet-cam we use to record some of the rides currently!! I took it on a slow ride just around town (nothing over 30 m.p.h. and definitely realized shakiness would be an issue, but oh well. No way to stabilize it completely, although there are some mounting locations which are subject to less vibrations than others.

I have looked into a cheap tripod . .any which won't break in half in the =to or < 100 dollar range? Most reviews on the cheapest ones (<$50) said they are good for breaking and that's about it! I would be subjecting it to daily or harsh use. . And I don't really need professional-quality equipment, most involved I will probably ever get with this camera is maybe a wide-angle lens and a spare battery for a full day of action clips/fun moments with my little brothers :P

[minidv2dvd]

cine mode is fine, but i'd go with the 30i for the faster frames per second. it will help with action shots, and is a better source if the end product is for the tv. 24p is supposedly more "movie" like but that's debatable.

[zoobie]

Well, the reason you're shooting in 24p is that you've read that it simulates a film look and is a major selling point with mfgs to move their cameras. However, the result is disappointing at best because film gets it look from not only 24p but a depth of field that your camera can't possibly match. But you can also buy 35mm lens adapters to simulate film. Trouble is, again, they can cost more than the little cam. I always recommend a 35mm movie camera for this "effect" but I guess that's why videographers are choosing to fake it...it's cheaper.

[Woodserr]

Appreciate the insight guys

I'll check the manual to see about switching to 30i mode. . .is that 6 more fps than 24progressive? or is there more to it than that?

[minidv2dvd]

there are trade-offs. 30i shoots 60 fields(half a frame) per second and 2 fields are interlaced back into one frame on a tv. for computer displays you want progressive video. if it shot 30p that would be the best compromise.

[Woodserr]

Found "Frame rate" 60i or "pf24" ?
60i sounds better will mainly be watching on a computer though. . /publishing online.

[minidv2dvd]

frame rate of 60i is 60 "fields" per second or what is normally referred to as 30i. marketing jargon, more is always better

[Woodserr]

Alright, so unless I have a 30p mode available, then the fastest frame rate would be the 24p?

[Soopafresh]

I also may end up using the camera to record some very fast motorcycle rides once I have a mounting solution for it.

Get ready for the wobbly jello effect known as "rolling shutter distortion". You're going to see a lot of it when you're filming motorcycle shots. See clip below. You can try to reduce this effect by turning off optical image stabilization (OIS) in your camcorder menu settings, but you won't completely be able to eliminate it.


http://www.vimeo.com/4334428



BTW, a good and inexpensive tripod is the Velbon Videomate 607. Runs around $70

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/146249-REG/Velbon_VMATE607F_Videomate_607_Tripod_with.html

[Woodserr]

BTW, a good and inexpensive tripod is the Velbon Videomate 607. Runs around $70

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/146249-REG/Velbon_VMATE607F_Videomate_607_Tripod_with.html

Thanks for the links!

[Woodserr]

Get ready for the wobbly jello effect known as "rolling shutter distortion". You're going to see a lot of it when you're filming motorcycle shots. See clip below. You can try to reduce this effect by turning off optical image stabilization (OIS) in your camcorder menu settings, but you won't completely be able to eliminate it.

I just watched that clip. . I think it is deriving most of that motion from being handle-bar mounted (meaning it is DIRECTLY over the front forks, which is directly transferring most of the energy it goes over on bumps, cracks, and lumps/irregularities in the pavement). I am hoping to find a way to get a helmet-mount engineered somehow, the hg10 is light enough it shouldn't bother me on 2-3 hour rides. My main concern is a method of protecting the lens from bugs and assorted debris (god forbid a rock hits it!). Do they sell optically-correct (clear) lens protectors?

[zoobie]

ROTFLMAO
You mean he can't simulate a $50,000 35mm cam with a $400 buck one?
Oh dear...dear dear dear
What the OP probably should have done is his homework
Now you must pay...or just switch cams
You may lose some $...but getting a better cam specifically for your task is probably your best bet

PS - I thought you researched cheap tripods...
$70? geez...why didn't someone tell me? I could have saved $400

[Woodserr]

What the OP probably should have done is his homework
Now you must pay...or just switch cams

Well as stated, most of my filming is for short action clips, I wanted them to be in good quality, which they certainly are. I'll be able to work with what I have, just wanted to make sure I had the settings as good as they could be. I definitely got the best camera in my price range I think, at under 500 dollars with 2 years of accidental damage protection on top of the Mfg. warranty and a case to boot. The interest in recording some of our rides was secondary, and I knew there wouldn't be a mounting kit on the market compatible with this type of camera. I don't have the mula to spend on a camera in the thousands of dollars range! Perhaps if I sold my motorcycles, but then where would I be? :P

[Soopafresh]

Well, a helmet mounted camera will work a bit better than a handlebar mounted one, for the sole reason that the human body will act as a shock absorber of sorts.

I'd recommend a fish eye lens for the camera

http://cgi.ebay.com/Wide-Angle-FISHEYE-LENS-for-CANON-VIXIA-HV30-HG10-HV20_W0QQitemZ36...26188005r34466

Then screw an inexpensive ($15) polarizing filter to the front of the fisheye lens. That'll be like having sunglasses for your camera, plus you'll be able to protect your optics from bugs and dirt.

A Fish eye will give you this type of effect - wide, wide angle shots

http://www.vimeo.com/3155182

[Woodserr]

Thanks for the tips Soopafresh!

I had thought about a fish-eye lens before, but thought maybe a wide-angle lens would look a little better? But I HAVE seen some GREAT footage with a fish-eye lens, but they most often seem to look too distorted

[Soopafresh]

True, the image does bend but it's the standard lens for the wild and wacky. I kind of like the effect myself, but you can ultimately decide on a Fish Eye or a Wide Angle. Regardless, it's still a lot of weight on your head, plus a fair amount of wind resistance to think about.

Good luck. Don't be surprised about the rolling shutter grief. You can fix it. Buy a $5000 camera.

PS - I thought you researched cheap tripods...
$70? geez...why didn't someone tell me? I could have saved $400

I'll bet yours is rock steady in a hurricane, but for the <$100 mark, the Velbon is decent for the newly initiated. Two way fluid head, after all. Hard to find that feature for less than $200.

[zoobie]

rolling rolling rolling...
maybe rent a pro cam?

yep...the wind totally blew away some shots with a cheapo tripod
but I suppose you havta start somewhere...$70 will do for a start
just don't let it fall over or it will break

what's even funnier is hauling around a 50 lb tripod with a little 1 lb camera on it