Setting the exposure for video is similar to setting exposure for still photographs, but you will notice a few differences that will only apply when recording movies. One obvious difference is that you can only view your scene in Live View, and the LCD Monitor will display a simulated exposure for what your video will look like during the recording process. There are also some limitations on shutter speed and exposure—keep on reading to learn more about them.
AUTOEXPOSURE VS. MANUAL EXPOSURE
When shooting movies on the 60D, you have two options for exposure: Auto and Manual. When shooting in Auto, the camera determines all exposure settings (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO), whereas with Manual, you have control over these settings just as you would when shooting still images. Auto is a simple setting to use if you want to get a quick video and don’t have the time to change the settings manually. However, with autoexposure you have limited control, and if you want to take full advantage of your DSLR and lenses when shooting video, you’ll probably want to give the Manual mode a try.
The Manual mode for video functions in the same way as it does for still photography: You pick the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. You can even change your settings while you are recording (although the microphone might pick up camera noises— read more about audio later in this chapter). I prefer to use the Manual mode when shooting video because I like to have control over all of my settings, and I also like to use the largest aperture possible to decrease the depth of field in the scene.
One important thing to note when shooting video is that you have some shutter speed limitations, depending on your frames-per-second setting. The slowest shutter speed when shooting with a frame rate of 50 or 60 fps is 1/60 of a second, and for 24, 25, or 30 fps, you can go down to 1/30 of a second. You can’t go any faster than 1/4000 of a second, but it’s recommended that you keep your shutter speed between 1/30 and 1/125 of a second, especially when photographing a moving subject. The slower your shutter speed is, the smoother and less choppy the movement in your video will be.
CHANGING THE MOVIE EXPOSURE SETTING
- Set the camera to video mode using the Mode dial on the top of the camera.
- Press the Menu button and use the Main dial to get to the first menu tab, and then select the Movie Exposure option at the top (A). Press the Set button.
- Make your selection (Auto or Manual), and then press the Set button once again to lock in your changes (B).
WHITE BALANCE AND PICTURE STYLES
When shooting video, you want to be sure to get the white balance right. Remember the difference between RAW and JPEG. Well, think of a video file as a JPEG. If you were to edit the video file on your computer, it would be difficult to change the white balance without damaging the pixels, and if the white balance is completely off, you might not even be able to salvage the video’s original colors.
What’s neat about shooting video is that you can see what the video quality will be like before you start recording. This means that you can set the white balance and see it changing right in front of you
Picture styles are also a very useful tool when shooting video. They work the same way as with still photography and you can preview your scene with the changes while in the video Live View mode. Just remember that once you record in one of these settings, you can’t change this quality of the video. For example, when using the Monochrome (black and white) picture style, once you’ve recorded a movie, there is no way to go back and retrieve the color information.