The Basics of Choosing Camera Settings for Video

If you are a photographer and you are thinking of diversifying your skills by learning to shoot video, understanding the basic camera settings as they apply to video is one of the first steps. This great video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of setting your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, as well as why an ND filter is an essential piece of gear for video work.

Coming to you from Think Media, this helpful video tutorial will run you through the basics of exposure settings for video work, as well as why an ND filter is so useful for filming. If you are a photographer, you are likely already familiar with how your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO work together to create the overall exposure and their individual effects on the image. When it comes to video work, though there are a lot of similarities, the most crucial difference is that you generally have less creative freedom regarding your shutter speed, as you should generally follow the 180-degree shutter rule to ensure realistic movement. This states that your shutter speed should be the reciprocal of twice the video's frame rate; for example, if the frame rate is 30 fps, your shutter speed should be 1/60 s. Check out the video above for the full rundown.

If you would like to continue learning about video, be sure to check out "Introduction to Video: A Photographer's Guide to Filmmaking With Lee Morris and Patrick Hall!"

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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His info is the same for still photographers.