Camera Controls

Due to the fact that I did not use the video cameras provided, this post is about controlling the video function of my camera.

Unlike video cameras, my camera is designed as a stills camera, with video attached. Therefore, the breadth of controls is much narrower.

The whole mode is automatic, which means that aperture is not selectable. However, it is possible to achieve the same effect via a different method. Since the aperture is electronically controlled, and unlike cinematographic lenses, my lenses do not have aperture dials, It is impossible to change it manually, which would make the aperture problem much easier to cope with.

To change the aperture, I went into the photographic mode, changed the aperture to the one I wanted, then, I pressed on and held the depth of field preview button. Then, by rotating the lens slightly out of position, but still firmly in place, I have the aperture I want, and it cannot be interfered with by the camera itself. This allows for a shallower or deeper depth of field.

The white balance has many options available, including Daylight, Tungsten Lighting, Incandescent lighting and Cloudy. These can all be changed by rotating the click wheel.

Only three video sizes are available. The first is 1080p (1920x1080). This however films at 20 fps, which is under the limit for jerk-free movement. The Hollywood standard is 23.97fps, which gives films their distinctive effect. The second is 720p (1280x720). this runs at the faster frame rate of 30fps. This however doesn't meet standards either, as no system uses exactly 30fps, only 29.97fps. The last size is 480p (640x480). Again, this is 30fps.

It should be worth mentioning that during the time we were filming, canon released an upgraded model of this camera, called the 550D. This featured standard frame rates, a proper frame rate for 1080p recording, manual aperture control and 60fps 480p recording. This would have come in quite handy for our video, but, this would have meant starting it months later, which would put an inordinate amount of pressure on us. Also, recording at 1080p would put a strain on most computers including macs) and I have doubt that it would have been very time efficient to record in that format.