[pfl1507]

Hello all,
I am seeking advice on the best settings to use with a K-r, in order to take 'talking head' videos with it. The person / subject will be stood in whatever natural daylight is available, just in front of a white or cream painted plaster wall. Only the head and upper torso will be in camera shot. I want the picture to be as 'flat' (i.e.: unprocessed by the camera) as possible, and as close to natural daylight as possible in terms of white balance, so that it looks as realistic as possible. I have two lens, as follows, and would welcome thoughts on settings for both. Lens A is the standard K-r SMC PENTAX-DAL 1:3.5-5.6 18-55mm AL. Lens B is an old ASAHI SMC PENTAX-M 1:1.7 50mm (which I understand is a good fixed lens?)
Thanks and best,
Paul.

[Na Horuk]

There are a number of threads on this forum and on various blogs online about how to do video with a DSLR.

I want the picture to be as 'flat' (i.e.: unprocessed by the camera) as possible

Don't think any option is truly "neutral" in terms of PP. I think you should disable the jpeg modes and select Neutral instead of Bright. These jpeg modes affect video.

and as close to natural daylight as possible in terms of white balance, so that it looks as realistic as possible.

AWB will shift the ambient light to what appears to be "natural" to the human eye. AWB will adjust the WB depending on the detected light conditions. "Daylight" means the camera assumes the ambient WB is daylight. If its not daylight, for example its night time and you are indoors, the Daylight setting will look odd. Because you will be looking at a tungsten photo through "daylight" eyes.
So I suggest you just use AWB or you use the Custom WB with a greycard. I would also recommend you put a light in front of the talking head, because natural light does not look very attractive. News or film studios have a lot of lights for this reason

Lens B is an old ASAHI SMC PENTAX-M 1:1.7 50mm (which I understand is a good fixed lens?)

Yes, its a good lens, i like it. But the camera can not control its aperture because it has no A setting on aperture ring. Buying lenses with A on aperture ring (like A series and newer) gives you more automation. M 50mm f1.7 is a fine lens, but you will have to do some tests to learn how to get the most out of it. I recommend you practice before the actual studio date

[Glynn_Smith]

I would try the 50mm f1.7 first to lose the background. I rarely (almost never) shoot video but the ones that I have are very natural looking.. even slightly undersaturated.
I captured a couple of clips of a old lady in a care home. They have natural colour and contrast while being pleasantly sharp.
I used no special procedure, just selected video and pressed the shutter button (probably twice if I remember correctly ..).

I'm assuming you are doing a voice to camera without much movement or change in lighting...
...otherwise I agree the 18-55 would work better.

[CDW]

I'm not familiar with the video menus on the K-r but I would offer these suggestions, if the menu allows:

Reduce contrast significantly, reduce sharpening, reduce saturation. The output will look very flat and lifeless, which is precisely what you want.

Import the video file into video editing software for color grading -- restoring saturation, contrast and sharpness, with more control and hopefully improved dynamic range.

If you use Adobe CS 2015 or later, you can import the file into Photoshop, convert it to a Smart Object, then under Filters, click on RAW and treat the file as a RAW file, giving you far more flexibility on color grading than you'll find in Adobe Premiere, much less any other entry level video editing program. Be aware that, depending on your computer, you'll have to allow 5-10 seconds of processing for each second of actual video. After the processing has completed, you'll need to export it to a video editing program for additions of titles, any additional graphics, etc.

As for lighting, and I worked in broadcast television for thirteen years much earlier in my life, you'll need some front light but not much with modern camera sensors. If you want to use ambient light as much as possible, use a bit of fill, off axis a bit, to illuminate the individual's face with a gentle wash of light. I would suggest LED lighting and select LED lighting with a daylight description to match ambient outdoor lighting as much as possible.

To keep you subject from looking flat, use some back lighting, elevated above the individual, to create gentle highlights across the shoulders and hairline but be careful not to overdo it.

There are lots of books and YouTube tutorials on studio lighting for television and you may find them quite useful for what you're attempting to create.

Good luck.

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Last edited by CDW; 12-14-2017 at 07:43 PM.

[pfl1507]

Thank you for the really great replies! Lots to look into.
Best wishes to all, Paul.