- Hey guys, welcome to Travel Feels.
Today we're going back to the basics.
Everyone always asks me what camera settings I'm using
and so I want to go through each of the camera settings
and show you what settings you need to have
to get the most cinematic images out of your camera.
(bright band music)
Now, when I talk about cinematic images,
what I really mean is the most film-like
or Hollywood image possible.
Hollywood has the best in the industry working there
so we should be looking at what they're doing
and use those same things in our own films.
So what F stops are they using,
what frame rates, what shutter speeds?
All these little things, they make a big difference
in your footage.
I remember when I started out,
I would just fiddle around with the shutter speed
and f stop and I'd be all over the place
and I thought that doesn't really matter so much,
but it actually matters a lot.
It's really important that you have the right settings
in your camera.
It doesn't matter what camera you're using,
if your settings are off,
the footage is gonna to look like garbage.
It's like having a 1D for photos
and then just throwing it on auto
and taking pictures on auto all the time.
The images won't be nearly as good as they could be.
So it's the same thing with your camera.
Whatever camera you're using,
make sure you're thinking through
what settings you're using and why.
A lot of the settings have exceptions
for stylistic reasons.
So you need to know what settings you should have
and if you're not using those settings,
why are you changing them?
There are so many different thing that you could do
to get cinematic images, but camera settings
are a big part of that.
So I want to go through the different settings,
what they are, and what I'm usually using.
I want to go through frame rates,
color profiles, shutter speed, f stop and ISO.
So let's start off with frame rate.
When you're taking a video, it's basically
just a series of images that are put together
that make it look like there's motion
or a video clip.
And there's different frame rates
that you can have in your video clips.
But the most cinematic frame rate
is 24 frames per second.
Virtually, everything in Hollywood
is played in 24 frames per second.
You can film at higher frame rates,
like 60 or 120 or 360 frames per second,
but you're always conforming it
and playing it at 24 frames per second.
And why is this?
I've done some research into this before,
and really the brain can only handle
about 20 to 24 images per second.
That doesn't mean that we can't see the difference
between 24 and 60 frames per second,
but the brain can't process
more than 20 to 24 frames per second.
Anything below 13 frames per second,
the human eye can see that there's a series
of images instead of smooth animation.
Anything above 13 frames per second
starts to look like animation
or smooth movement where the brain can't see
that it's pictures one after another.
So 24 frames per second is kind
of like the maximum amount
that the brain can handle at once.
I don't know exactly what happens
with 60 frames per second,
but if the brain can only process 24 frames per second,
that means the brain is having to discard
a whole bunch of those.
And when you're filmmaking, you want each frame to count.
So 24 frames per second is what they've landed on
throughout history.
And when you compare 24 versus let's say,
60 frames per second, they look totally different.
60 frames per second has this like
news, soap opera feel to it
and just doesn't look cinematic at all.
Whereas 24 frames per second
had just the right amount of smoothness to it,
but it's not overly smooth either.
Now you guys can debate this all you want,
but there's a reason why virtually every film
gets played in 24 frames per second
with only a few exceptions.
Like for example, some of the Hobbit films
were shown in 48 frames per second.
But I think this has to do more
with the fact that it was shown in 3D
and they were trying to cut some of that motion blur.
3D is really hard with motion and there's
a ton of motion and action going on in the Hobbit.
So I think they were trying to enhance the image
a little bit by playing it in 48 frames per second.
But it really didn't look that good to me.
So whenever you're shooting something real time
or not slow motion, shoot in 24 frames per second.
And then if you're shooting in slow motion,
conform that to 24 frames per second
so you're playing it at 24 instead of 60 or 120
or whatever the frame rate was that you filmed it in.
You can also shoot in a lower frame rate than 24
and then conform it to 24 and it kind
of speeds it up a little bit.
The movie Mad Max used a lot of this effect,
it creates kind of a chaotic, jittery feel to it.
A little bit sped up, but it just really worked
for that film.
So 24, not 30, not 60.
24 frames per second is the most cinematic frame rate.
Next we're gonna look at color profiles.
Every camera comes with different color profiles.
Some cameras have a log format that's a really flat image
and then others don't.
But in every camera, you're able to tweak
the color profiles a little bit.
Now, I would always say to use
as flat of an image as possible.
The reason for this is that you're not baking in
any of that look.
So then in post you can go and manipulate the image
as much as you want.
For that reason, I'm almost always shooting in log.
If my camera has log, I'm shooting in log.
So for example, in the Sony a7R II,
I'm shooting in S-Log2, whereas,
in the Olympus, it doesn't have a log profile.
But I choose settings that make it
the most flat image as possible.
It's almost like the difference in taking
a JPEG photo and a RAW photo.
It's not quite the same, but you have a lot more information
to use in posts.
So if I can, I'm always using a log profile.
This way, I can have the most room
to color grade and color correct it in post
and make it look the way I want.
The only exception to this would be
if the Kodak or sensor isn't good enough
to capture a log file.
The DJI cameras are good example of this.
I'd say anything below the Phantom Four Pro,
they just can't handle the log profile.
When you go to grade it, it just falls apart.
There's just not enough information
and resolution there to make log footage look good.
But 90% of the time, I'm shooting in a log profile.
Now, the log profile doesn't actually
make it more cinematic necessarily,
but it does allow you to in post make it more cinematic.
And it does also give you more dynamic range,
which is a really film-like, or Hollywood quality.
You want the most dynamic range possible.
And what dynamic range is, it's just the amount of values
between your darkest and your lightest luminance values.
That means, if you're filming inside
and there's a window, it's not blowing out right away
because it's much brighter outside.
Or that the inside is way dark
and the outside is exposed.
So you're able to capture more of the highlights
and shadows at the same time.
I want to split this tutorial into two parts,
just because there's a lot to go through
and I want you to internalize as much as possible.
Also, I don't know if you guys checked out
my review of the Olympus E‑M1 Mark II
I posted a few days ago.
Go and check that out.
And I also want to add to that review
and show you a vlogger's perspective of the camera.
When we were in Italy and Switzerland
testing out the cameras, I was with my friend,
Peter McKinnon, he has his own YouTube Channel,
he vlogs and makes tutorials,
and he was testing the camera from a vlogger's perspective.
So here's what he had to say about the camera.
- So how is this for vlogging?
Well, I'll tell you how it is.
My favorite thing when using this,
and I mean, as vloggers, we're taking this everywhere,
that's the thing.
It's going on airplanes, it's going in restaurants,
we're going into hotels and elevators.
This camera goes everywhere with you
when you are trying to make vlogs.
One of the biggest positives of this was the size.
Using a mirrorless camera to vlog
was such a refreshing thing for me.
Coming from using a much larger camera to vlog.
And why that's important?
I'll tell you why that's important.
A lot of the time it's all about feeling comfortable
when you're filming, when you're vlogging especially.
Because it's, as you guys know,
if you're starting out, it can be really nerve wracking,
almost embarrassing when you first start
walking around, holding a camera in front
of your face talking to it.
It takes some getting used to.
So when you're able to take a setup
that's much larger and condense it
into a mirrorless size.
Look at it, that's it.
When you can get it this size,
that boosts your confidence
and what is that gonna do for you?
Well that's gonna make sure that you continue shooting.
You're gonna keep shooting in those instances
where maybe you weren't going to before
because the camera just made you feel
a little uncomfortable.
Not only that, larger cameras make
other people feel uncomfortable.
So not only do you feel awkward with the giant camera,
so does everybody around you.
So when you switch to a nice little setup like this
that packs the same amount of punch into a small body,
it gives you the confidence
and it calms everyone else down around you as well.
So if you're walking into a store,
if you're walking into a movie theater,
not to bootleg, but to just make a vlog
and do whatever it is that you're gonna do,
people around you will feel less tense
and less stressed about, what is this guy doing?
Is he making a film?
It's accepted, it's socially accepted more.
And for me, that was the biggest,
the biggest plus of this camera.
Was just feeling so comfortable right off the bat
being able to vlog with it.
The screen flipping around, huge help
in being able to see yourself and where you're framed.
The auto focus will automatically focus
on whatever's in the frame or it'll track your face.
It's a little bit slow on the uptake,
but nothing that's gonna prevent you
from being able to take advantage of that feature.
So when you're walking around on the street,
and you're running around on the street,
maybe you are doing whatever it is on the street,
when you use this camera, they've specifically designed
the image stabilization into this
to work very well when you're walking.
So as vloggers, we're always walking around
holding our cameras out in front of our faces,
filming what's happening.
So, the added bonus of having stabilization
built into the body is great
because it's gonna smooth out those shots
so it's not just everyone's you know,
throwing up because your footage
is all over the place.
You're not gonna have that problem.
The benefit to that is, you know,
prior cameras and other brands and stuff like that,
image stabilization is built into the lenses.
So depending on what lens you use,
you have to make sure that has image stabilization
in order to get a smoother shot.
But, with these, it's built into the body.
So you know, you can rest assured
that you are good to go whenever you're vlogging,
because it's built in, it's right in here,
it's like it's in this, it's submerged into this.
It's a good thing to have.
So we've got the good battery life,
we've got the swivel LCD, the mic goes on top,
we've got that stabilization,
you throw that grill of Pod on the bottom,
boom, bust that out in front of you,
you're vlogging in no time.
You're welcome.
(upbeat band music)
- Thanks for joining me today, guys.
I hope you learned something.
And stay tuned for part two
of the camera settings tutorial.
On part two, we're gonna be looking
at shutter speed, f stop, and ISO,
so stay tuned for that.
Enjoy the film making process
and go make some travel memories.
(upbeat rock music)