You may have given up your camcorder because your DSLR can shoot HD video but the results you are getting aren’t exactly what you want. Try the following tips to get better quality video.
1. Use a smaller aperture (large f-stop number). Closing down your lens to f/11 instead of trying to shoot wide open will get you a greater depth of field and allow more of your subject to be in focus.
2. Shoot at a wider angle. You will have a larger in-focus area at wide angle as opposed to telephoto. In addition your footage will be more stable and appear less shaky. Camera shake will be amplified if you are zoomed in.
3. Use image stabilization. If you are shooting video hand held the I.S. feature of your lens or camera will help remove shakiness from your shots.
The above tips will help you get steady, in-focus video from your camera. But what about when you want very shallow depth of field? It is possible but requires more planning in your shots. I will cover this in an upcoming post.
