Sigma fp for video - examples of kit & set-up

[LocalHero1953]

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I would like to see examples of how you have kitted out your Sigma fp for video, and what other setups you have used.

My fledgeling amateur career as a drama & stage videographer came to an abrupt end when the performances I was lined up for were cancelled in March. Recently I have started recording short church services led by our local minister in a solitary chapel, for posting online. I'm on a steep learning curve for video recording and editing, so I'd like to see how other people are doing it.

My kit is a combination of stuff bought especially and stuff that has been commandeered for the purpose. From the ground up there is a Benro tripod, a Manfrotto 502 fluid head, and then a Smallrig Arca-Swiss clamp, itself bolted to the large Manfrotto plate. It is not possible to fix the camera direct to the Manfrotto plate because larger diameter lenses get in the way. In this shot I have an Arca-Swiss plate on the foot of the Leica 90-280SL lens (chosen to allow social distancing in the chapel!); for smaller lenses of course the plate is on the fp itself.

Attached to the left of the fp is the Sigma Hotshoe unit, and attached to that is a Lanparte SSD mount to hold a Samsung 2tb T5 SSD, connected to the camera by USB-C. The camera is powered from the mains using Sigma's DC connector and AC adapter; it's not strictly necessary for the length of video I'm recording at the moment, but the standard battery is a bit under powered and I don't want to run out at the wrong time. On other occasions I would add a Rode Videomic Pro to the hotshoe. For current use I record the main sound remotely on a Zoom recorder as shown, and sync it later using the low quality audio from the fp's internal mics. All this kit (plus a Leica CL for stills, and a shorter Leica SL lens) fits in a Lowepro backpack, with the tripod and recorder stand in a holdall.

I'm recording 1080p at 50fps, full frame. I have tried raw, but that is overkill for current needs, which are to post on YouTube. Editing is done on Davinci Resolve, which came with a BlackMagic Videoassist monitor that I bought but have not yet used in anger. Resolve is an immensely powerful package, and it has taken me a lot of time to get my head round it, but I can now do the basics of editing and grading.

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[frame-it]

looks nice

have you tried shooting with the new LOG profile ? these might help..though there are many free ones as well.

was watching this a few days back quite cool

https://youtu.be/ROwQiKalCEE?t=78

 

 

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[LocalHero1953]

8 minutes ago, frame-it said:

looks nice

have you tried shooting with the new LOG profile ? these might help..though there are many free ones as well.

was watching this a few days back quite cool

https://youtu.be/ROwQiKalCEE?t=78

 

 

No, I haven't. Thanks for the suggestion - I will investigate those.

[BernardC]

I would go even simpler.

First, you can record in MOV, GOP, 25fps. That will make for much smaller files. I doubt your minister moves fast enough to justify 50fps.

Don't bother with log unless you are dealing with huge lighting contrast (not unusual in churches, granted). Just find a 'color' pre-set that matches the mood you are trying to convey. Set the white balance manually if the camera hasn't figured it out automatically.

Resolve is a mighty tool, but it's way too much for this. You shouldn't have to do much colour correction (if any), and you aren't doing much editing.

I use Kdenlive for small projects like this. It's a free video editor for Linux and Windows. The workflow for this type of project is dead simple:

• Import your main camera file, add it to your timeline
• Right-Click on the file in your timeline, select "Set Audio Reference". This means other clips with audio will synchronize to this one.
• Add your audio track to your timeline, right-click, select "Align Audio to Reference." It will magically sync-up to the video.
• Disable the audio in your camera track so it won't end-up in the final video.
• Pick a start and end point in your timeline, render using one of the Web pre-sets (MP4, WebM).

That's it. Really.

Of course, you can get fancier. For instance, you can shoot additional video clips with your CL, drag them to your timeline, sync them as above, and use them as cutaways. You can also add titles, effects, and transitions.

[LocalHero1953]

Thanks, Bernard, very helpful.

I am recording in .mov, ALL-I, and haven't felt the need for log. My sequence for the short service includes a pan down from a stained glass window to the pulpit, and this showed the limits of 25fps. Hence the move to 50fps. I agree a static shot of the minister does not need it. The only adjustment I've been doing is lifting the mid zone brighness and increasing contrast slightly. The brickwork in the church is a deep red that brings the worst out of a digital sensor, so I also reduced red saturation a bit. The camera got white balance right from the start.

I agree Resolve is overkill, but then I have it anyway. It's like Photoshop - massive overkill for most images compared to Lightroom, but it helps to learn it progressively ready for when I do need it. I will look at Kdenlive, though - sounds useful. Audio syncing isn't a problem - I just do a hand clap at the start. The main work with audio is in Audacity to denoise and reduce some of the resonance in this acoustic with a high pass filter - which Audacity does quickly and well. I add titles, and music to begin and end with.

This is a simple project but I'm finding it a useful learning exercise.

[Archiver]

On 5/8/2020 at 7:32 AM, LocalHero1953 said:

I agree Resolve is overkill, but then I have it anyway. It's like Photoshop - massive overkill for most images compared to Lightroom, but it helps to learn it progressively ready for when I do need it. I will look at Kdenlive, though - sounds useful. Audio syncing isn't a problem - I just do a hand clap at the start. The main work with audio is in Audacity to denoise and reduce some of the resonance in this acoustic with a high pass filter - which Audacity does quickly and well. I add titles, and music to begin and end with.

If you can, have a line out from the recorder going into your camera and monitor it through earphones/headphones. This will ensure that it's being recorded in camera, and also that the levels are okay. This may alleviate the need to sync a separate audio track.

[LocalHero1953]

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4 hours ago, Archiver said:

If you can, have a line out from the recorder going into your camera and monitor it through earphones/headphones. This will ensure that it's being recorded in camera, and also that the levels are okay. This may alleviate the need to sync a separate audio track.

Yes, that wpould be the correct way to do it! I don't actually have a line long enough, though, and syncing is not particularly difficult.