Newbie question about zoom...

[dustie]

Hi All. I'm new to the forums and a pretty amateur videographer myself. I've had my video camera for nearly a year. Originally I was using the video on my Canon T3i Camera, but wanted more flexibility so purchased a refurbished Panasonic HDC-SD90 at a great price.

It's been wonderful, especially with it's 40x digital zoom. But I've been looking at the entry level professional video cams in the 1000.00 - 1500.00 range. I'd love to have an eyepiece (I shoot a lot in the sun and have a hard time seeing the LCD screen often) and I think, handheld, I'd get more stabilization from the pro versions.

My main concerned with moving to a pro camera is the zooms I'm seeing. It looks like I've been spoiled in the fact that my first dedicated video camera has a 40 x zoom. These much more expensive pro cameras have 10x zoom, 12x zooom... why is that do you suppose. I'm not sure I'll be able to get around not having the 40x zoom available as I shoot a lot of birds and other wildlife at a distance. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I'm also wanting something that takes decent stills and am wondering if anyone uses a camcorder also as their camera for stills, and, if so, what camera and quality & size are they?

Thanks for any response to my post and may I say, I'm excited to be here and to learn more about videography

[sanlyn]

Most pros would rather not zoom, period. They know that especially long zoom or tele lenses require precise and careful handling. Amateurs work zooms like mad and think it's cool. Seasoned cameramen and directors know better. Most of them would prefer fixed prime lenses over zooms when feasible. Alfred Hitchcock used to say that the best camera techniques are those that make the viewer unaware of the camera itself.

Using (not abusing) the zoom lens

Because the zoom feature is easy to use and fun to play with, amateur videographers tend to zoom in and out a lot. For the best results, you should avoid zooming during a shot as much as possible. Overuse of the zoom lens not only disorients the viewer, it also creates focal and light problems whether you're focusing the camera manually or using autofocus. Some zoom lens tips include

Avoid zooming whenever possible. Yes, you'll be tempted it to zoom in on something cool or interesting in a video shot, but you should exercise restraint whenever possible.

If you must zoom while recording, zoom slowly. You may need to practice a bit to get a feel for your camera's zoom control.

Consider repositioning the camera instead of using the zoom lens to compose the shot. Wide-angle lenses (remember, when you zoom out you make the camcorder's lens more of a wide-angle lens) have greater depth of field. This means more of the shot is in focus if you're zoomed out. If you shoot subjects by zooming in on them from across a room, they may move in and out of focus. But if you move the camera in and zoom the lens out, focus will be less of a problem.

~ http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/shooting-better-digital-video.html

[dustie]

Sanlyn,

Thanks for your response. I really do understand what you are saying, and good points for those putting together a movie, or shooting a wedding. I'm not wanting the zoom to zoom back and forth though. I'm wanting it so I can can bring what I film closer to me. I want to zero in on the Piliated Woodpecker who is way high up in the tree, or get the camera close enough so I can fill the frame with the mother doe with her twin fawns as they walk along the water's edge without spooking them them. That's the kind of zooming I do. I film wildlife from my boat, and when I spot them way off in the distance, I was looking for a zoom that would allow me to bring them close like the fox in the video I've linked below.

After much research, I've settled on a prosumer camera (size matters here...smaller then the pros, larger then the consumers...), the Panasonic HDC - HS900. Under 1000.00 with an additional battery and I'm excited!

http://youtu.be/VKTKmNLl4hs

[sanlyn]

It's good that you understand how silly some people can get with a zoom lens. I've seen some NatGeo material about how nature photographers shoot long-zoom video (and in the I once spent lots of $$$ on long zooms for my old Nikon still cameras). The problem with long zooms is, of course, amplified lens motion and sharpness/chromatic aberration issues, etc. I had to give up all that when I saw how much those long focus pro jobs cost, the extra gear required, and how careful you have to be. Obviously the digital chips in lesser cameras aren't up to the task, so higher-end gear is definitely required.

Keep in mind that a lot of the kind of camera work you're talking about is often done on film. But that's another story. You should be able to find some material on how nature photogs produce some of those excellent nature shots for PBS, NatGeo, and the BBC. A lot of that broadcast work is done in the Netherlands.

[jagabo]

Note that digital zoom is nothing more than digitally enlarging a section of the picture after it's been captured. You can do the same in software after shooting. The advantage to doing it in-camera is that the frame can be upscaled before compression artifacts are added. Optical zoom, with a good lens, is far superior (and more expensive).