Hand Holding a 5D II for Video

Is anyone out there hand holding for 5D2 video and if so, what stabilizer are you using? I want to incorporate DSLR video in some of my wedding shooting and plan on hand holding the 5D2 for a good part of it. I'm also planning a trip to Yellowstone in the spring and would like the freedom of not using a tripod for shooting some video.

What is your setup for hand holding for video?

Carl

Over the past year I've done a limited amount of hand-held work. Prior to adding a viewfinder I found that shooting handheld was more or less impossible (well, it would have that "shot with a very good cellphone" feel).

Adding a viewfinder (I have a HoodLoupe, but will be springing for a Z-finder pretty soon) added a critical "point of contact" that made handheld shots at least possible. I should note that I have eyeglasses, so my ability to push the camera to my eye is somewhat limited and that diminishes the effectiveness of a viewfinder.

I also plan on purchasing (or, more likely, building) a rail set that will add another point of body contact, and that should get me up to an acceptable handheld rig.

Ultimately it comes down to the style of video you are shooting. If the entire video is hand-held you can get away with a lot more jittering than in a video that mixes locked-down shots and hand-held. It's a matter of setting expectations within the course of the entire production.

So, in my humble opinion, one needs to invest in some form of viewfinder to create minimally acceptable handheld footage. Skill and practice (and a lack of caffeine in the diet) plays a big role after that.

- dave

Thanks, Dave! Any experience with image stabilizers (gyros) for handholding? Anyone else?

If you're shooting weddings, I would suggest asking over in www.cinema5d.com or dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-event-videography-techniques . There's quite a few wedding shooters over there using the 5Dm2 for video.

In-camera (or in-lens) image stabilization (IS) is a major win. I have Canon equipment and will use the stabilizer when doing handheld work. (I use "Mode 1" rather than "Mode 2" whenever shooting video -- it seems to behave better visually.) You have to carefully consider having IS on when locked down on a tripod. The IS may slowly drift, imparting a subtle movement in the frame when you intended it to be still. If you don't have a rock-solid footing, then IS can help mitigate jitters. You should really test this situation as each IS system has its quirks and strengths when on a tripod.

I've not used gyro systems like the Kenyon -- that's what I would call "rental territory".

Another stabilization option is to use a "steadicam" rig (I'm using that term generically). You can spend anywhere from $15 to $15,000 on a steadicam rig -- depends on how good you want the results to be and how much upper-body strength you have.

I've shot some wedding footage with the 5DMk2 with just the viewfinder and scrunching in my arms tightly as I navigated the crowds. Wide-angle shots work quite nicely, and you'll spend most of your concentration on watching your focus (no usable AF in any of the HD-DSLRs that I've heard of so far). Viewers give a wide latitude when the camera is moving around a dance floor -- they only start to get picky when you are jumping all over the place on a close-up of static scene... Plus, if it is like most weddings I end up at, you're practically in the dark anyway, shooting at f/1.8 and ISO 6400 and hoping for the best.

I forgot to mention that if you turn on the Canon image stabilizer (I assume Nikon VR might have similar behavior) then you really need to use an external microphone. The in-camera microphone is very sensitive to mechanical noises which telegraph from the lens into the body. If you are fliming a wedding reception, this isn't likely to be an issue, but if you are looking to record a quiet nature scene you will be disappointed.