Digital Camera World » Videos

Nikon D600: manual aperture control for video finally explained

jmeyer — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:30:58 +0000

Given the Nikon D600 price tag and spec sheet, you may be forgiven for wondering why a camera with a full frame sensor and so much potential for recording video would appear to have no manual aperture control when you read the Nikon D600 manual.

One aspect of the D600 that has riled some DSLR video enthusiasts is the apparent lack of a Nikon D600 manual aperture control for video.

Not having manual aperture seems odd given its other video-friendly features, such as audio monitoring and full HD video capture with an option to record uncompressed footage via HDMI.

While the Nikon D600 manual mentions nothing about manual aperture control for video recording, there is a quick and easy solution to manually control the aperture for video.

Here Ali Jennings of our testing takes a look at the Nikon D600 and shows you step by step how to do it.

Edit HD video: from camera to computer using Premiere Elements

jmeyer — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:00:53 +0000

Thanks to DSLRs like the Canon EOS 650D, you can capture high-quality video clips as well as stills. However, this creates the problem of how to organise and share your ever-growing collection of video footage. When you import the contents of your camera’s memory card into editing packages like Photoshop Elements, the stills and video clips appear together in the Organiser. This enables you to play video clips and add keywords to make them easier to locate. However, if you want to edit HD video you will probably find that Photoshop Elements’ video-editing  and sharing options are very limited, and many of your DSLR video clips will likely remain unwatched.

To get the most from your valuable HD video assets, you can download a trial version of Premiere Elements, Adobe’s easy-to-use video editing and sharing software. Using Premiere Elements alongside Photoshop Elements, you can take your unedited HD video clips from the Organiser and turn them into a tightly-edited movie, complete with transitions that help you move smoothly from one clip to another.

Here, we’ll show you how to get to grips with Premiere Elements’ tools so that you can edit HD video like a pro. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to trim away any boring bits to create a short but entertaining movie.

This saves your audience from having to endure hours of unedited footage  of varying quality. You’ll also learn how to use Premiere Elements’ tools to add animated captions to clips and reduce problems such as camera shake.

We’ll finish off by demonstrating how Premiere Elements makes it easy to share your edited movies with family and friends, courtesy of its export options, to sites such as Facebook.

Step by step how to edit HD video using Premiere Elements

01 Import clips
Launch Premiere Elements, then click on the Organizer tab to launch the Organizer. Go to File>Get Photos and Videos>From Files and Folders. Browse to the folder containing your video clips and click Get Media.

02 Project settings
Click on the first clip’s thumbnail and then Shift-click on the last clip to select them all. Go to Edit>Edit with Premiere Elements Editor and click OK. In New Project, name the project ‘Travelogue’. Tick Change Settings. Choose DSLR 720p24 to suit our Canon EOS 500D-sourced clips.

03 Preview the edit
Click OK to launch your new Travelogue project. The ten shots will be placed along the Sceneline in numerical order. Tap the spacebar to preview your movie in the viewer. When you’ve watched the rough edit, drag the Shuttle slider to the left to rewind the blue Playhead to the start of the programme.

04 Non-linear editing
You can swap the order in which shots appear to change your narrative. In our Sceneline, we clicked on the thumbnail of the girl by the bread shop (Shot08). Then we dragged this shot left to place it before the lady selling paintings. A vertical blue line will appear to confirm the shot’s new place in the programme.

05 Trim a clip
Next we click on Shot03 in the Sceneline. Below the viewer is a blue bar. Small grey trim icons will appear at the start and end of the shot. Drag the start trim icon to the right to trim 21 frames from the beginning of Shot03. This makes the train start moving as soon as you cut to this shot.

06 Stabilise things
Next we clicked on the candle shot’s thumbnail in the Sceneline. This handheld shot wobbles about too much. Click on the Edit Workspace tab. Scroll down to the Video Stabilizer section and drag the Stabilizer icon onto the candle clip. Go to Timeline>Render Work Area to preview the stabilised clip.

07 Cool it down
In the Edit Workspace scroll to Image Control and drag the Colour Balance (RGB) icon onto Shot02 in the Sceneline. Go to Window>Properties. Toggle open Colour Balance (RGB). Drag Red to 85, Green to 94 and Blue to 142. This cools down the warm lighting, creating healthier skin tones.

08 Add a transition
In the Edit Workspace, click on Transitions. Many of the transitions are rather tacky, so we dragged the classic Cross Dissolve between Shot04 and Shot05 on the Sceneline. Preview the transition. More showy transitions (like Bouncing Cubes) will date your productions, whereas dissolves are timeless.

PAGE 1: How to edit HD video using Premiere Elements – steps 1-8
PAGE 2: How to edit HD video using Premiere Elements – steps 9-18

Photokina 2012: what to expect from Canon, Nikon, Sony and more

jmeyer — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:44:39 +0000

Are you like us and just dying to know what the big camera manufacturers will announce at Photokina 2012? Amy Davies, of our testing team, gives a brief preview of what to expect from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus, Fuji and Samsung at Photokina 2012 in Germany.

For more on some of the hottest rumours about what could be launched at Photokina 2012, check out our testing team’s blog on our sister site TechRadar.

What do you think will be announced at Photokina 2012? Vote in our new poll below!

Take Our Poll

Why a cheap flash gun is the perfect camera accessory

jmeyer — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:30:55 +0000

The Yongnuo YN560-II is a cheap flash gun, that’s compatible with both Canon and Nikon systems.

With a Guide Number of 58, full manual, two slave modes and a multi flash feature it’s the perfect camera accessory for strobist photography or anyone wanting to get into off-camera flash.

In the short video below Ali from our testing team explains why he loves the Yongnuo YN560-II.

Nikon D3200 vs D5100: how do they compare

jmeyer — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 10:00:44 +0000

Since its launch earlier this year many photographers have been stumped by the Nikon D3200 vs D5100 conundrum. Is the newer camera better because it has more megapixels?

Recently we shared a video comparison of two leading Nikon DSLRs, the Nikon D3200 vs D3100, and discussed some of the key differences between these two entry-level DSLRs in the Nikon range. Given the Nikon D3200′s impressive specs we thought we would take this idea further and compare the D3200 to another popular camera a little bit higher in the manufacturer’s line-up with a Nikon D3200 vs D5100 face-off.

While the Nikon D3200 sits at the beginner end of Nikon’s line-up, for the moment at least, it is more expensive than the higher-end Nikon D5100. The D5100 is aimed at novice photographers who are looking to get a little more creative with their photography. But is the Nikon D3200 now a better option for them?

Amy Davies of our testing team takes a look at a few of the key differences between the Nikon D3200 vs D5100 to help you decide which DSLR is best for you.

Nikon D3200 vs D3100: how do they compare

jmeyer — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:09:00 +0000

Announced in April, the Nikon D3200 became the latest addition to Nikon’s DSLR range after refreshing the top end of its line-up at the start of the year with the Nikon D800 and Nikon D4. Bolstering the manufacturer’s beginner range, the Nikon D3200 was launched not to replace the ever-popular Nikon D3100; rather, it will sit along side the D3100 as a more premium option. Which begs the question… when you make a comparison of the Nikon D3200 vs D3100, which is the better camera for your money?

In this new video, Amy Davies from our testing team takes a look at a few of the key differences between the 24.2-million-pixel Nikon D3200 and the 14.1-million-pixel Nikon D3100.

If you liked this video, stay tuned, as we’ll also be comparing the Nikon D3200 vs the D5100.

Video: Nikon D3200 Guide Mode explained

jmeyer — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:13:47 +0000

Announced just a couple weeks ago, the Nikon D3200 has already been hailed as the ultimate beginners camera, thanks to its 24.2-megapixel resolution and range of features.

Chief among these features is the Nikon D3200′s Guide Mode, which might not be an entirely new feature, but Nikon has been keen to point out the improvements made to both the interface and navigation over previous versions.

In the video below, our head of testing, Angela Nicholson, takes a look at how the Nikon D3200 Guide Mode works and the benefits it provides through its step by step camera settings for those new to photography.

Make a stop-motion animation using your DSLR and Photoshop

jmeyer — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 06:00:37 +0000

You don’t need a movie mode function on your digital camera to make a motion picture. In fact, you don’t even need additional movie-editing software, such as Adobe Premiere.

For this simple photography project we’ll show you how to use nothing more than your digital camera and Photoshop CS to put together a simple stop-motion animation sequence, then save it as a QuickTime movie. And seeing as today is Easter, we thought what better subject than to melt a chocolate Easter Bunny!

Using the basic principles of animation, we’ll take a series of images using our DSLR’s Interval Timer set to take a shot automatically every seven seconds,
while the chocolate bunny is slowly melted by a hair dryer.

After making some global tweaks to all the captured JPEG images in Adobe Camera Raw, we’ll use the often-overlooked Image Sequence check box in Photoshop’s Open window to merge them all together into a movie that can be rendered and saved as a file that you can share quickly and easily.

The chocolate bunny we’ve used here works a treat, because the melting process is fairly fast, but there are many subjects that will work just as well. Try recording the movement of a bunch of flowers opening over several days, or shoot a sequence during a long walk. Want to see how it’s done? Watch the video below.

SEE MORE VIDEOS

How to make a photo book in Photoshop Elements
Photoshop CS6: new features and how they work
How to share photos online using Photoshop Elements

Canon 5D Mark III silent shooting mode vs Sleeping baby

jmeyer — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 06:00:16 +0000

Rarely before has a camera provoked such speculation, soul-searching and anticipation as the Canon 5D Mark III. Its predecessor set the bar for all new cameras and created a generation of filmmakers.

One of the signature features of the new Canon 5D Mark III has been its silent shooting mode, which quiets the sound of the shutter down to a whisper to allow you to work without drawing attention to yourself. When the review sample came in, we thought we’d put this feature to the ultimate test. But how?

Finally, we asked ourselves: is the Canon 5D Mark III in its silent continuous shooting mode quiet enough not to wake a sleeping baby? Watch the video below to see how it performed.

Video: how to share photos on Flickr and Facebook via Photoshop Elements

jmeyer — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:30:53 +0000

Recently we showed you how to make a photo book in Photoshop Elements, but if books are a little too old-fashioned for you, then why not try one of Photoshop Elements’ other cool features?

In the short video tutorial below, we show you how you can use some of Photoshop Elements’ new sharing options to post photos on Flickr and Facebook and start doing more with your photos.

If you’ve tried this, why not let us know how it went in the comments and drop us a link to your image gallery!