First of all, this post is for the owners of pentax cameras that record video in MP4 format. Due to its low bitrate, the post-production for colour grading, is almost useless as you lose so much detail and video quality.
So, basically, this post is for K3, K30, K50, K500 owners (I might be missing one or two cameras) that record using the h264. I think there are some differences in the K3, but the rest are practically the same camera in terms of video options.
Quick opinión: even though we know pentax cameras lack in video quality, low bitrate, absence of SR in video mode, no autofocus during video recording… the truth is that we get a full manual video mode, focus peaking before recording, fairly good dynamic range, good performance with high ISO and a good range of video options and looks.
And that’s the video options the reason of this post. There are so many that I would like to share our opinions and experiences in this matter. Especially in video looks. I would like to have different in-camera pressets that you may have tried or used on your videos so we can all have examples and make our lifes easier for videoshooters with pentax.
So, basically, I would like to know what are your favourite camera video options to get that look we are looking for. Looks for movie clips, documentaries, music videos, etc.
So just a few tips:
SHAKE REDUCTION
First of all, digital SR is absolutely useless. So forget about using it.
SHUTTER SPEED
When recording in 24p, 25p or 30p, the shutter speed should double the fps.
Shooting at 24p and 25p the shutter speed should be 1/50, while shooting at 30p shutter speed should be 1/60.
That’s the hardest things to achieve, a low shutter speed. This way we get the film look and we avoid the rolling shutter issue. The easiest way to get the shutter speed we want is getting a variable ND filter. The good thing about video is that the use of filter doesn’t affect video quality, at least not significantly.
STABILIZE VIDEO
As we know, shooting handheld without mechanic SR is awful and it lacks professionality. Use a monopod or tripod, and when shooting hanheld, attach the tripod and hold the tripod instead of the camera. You will get a handheld video look without the shake, which makes the video much more professional, even when moving with the camera.
And now the purpose of the post: video looks.
For now, my favourite preset for movie look: BLEACH BYPASS
You will get this picture style (taken directly from the video shot with the K30)
You basically get a desaturated imagen, high in contrast and with a nice retro colors. Quite movie style. Tip: You can reduce the contrast if you want to get a better movie-style video.
The good thing is that pentax allows you to personalize each preset, so we can get hundreds of possibilities.
What presets do you use? What personalized options do you use to get the look you want?
Please, do not hesitate to share your presets, and if possible, could you as well post a frame of your videos?
Thanks in advance and I hope this post help us all with our video projects.
Please participate with your presets and video tips.
Last edited by JohnnyXD; 07-28-2014 at 10:27 AM.