3

Keeping Your Camera Steady

In This Chapter

arrow Keeping the camera steady

arrow Knowing your tripod

arrow Breaking down the camera rig

arrow Different types of stabilization

Talk is cheap when it comes to boasting about camera features, but if you can’t keep your DSLR steady while you’re making movies, all those virtues are cancelled quicker than a sitcom with low ratings.

Compared to a video camcorder, which is designed specifically to wrap around your wrist, gripping a DSLR, let alone holding it steady while shooting a movie, is much more cumbersome. You clearly need some assistance.

Mounting the camera to a sturdy tripod can keep the shot stable and help with framing the scene. It will even eliminate the bounciness in your movie that may cause viewers to run for their airsickness bag.

Tripods work well for maintaining stability for most situations, but needing to keep your subjects planted in front of it can get old quick. Although steadiness starts with a tripod, it gets more practical with ...

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