180 Rule, Shutter Speed?

[bmoore1118]

I have a large pro photography background, but I am trying to get more into making videos with my drone and would like some tips and help. Reading around about shooting videos, I heard a lot about the 180 rule. Is there a reason for this besides giving you that cinematic blur? As I have been doing some test shots, I sometimes notice that if I shoot a video when it's sunny and the shutter has to be very high, sometimes on sweeping/curve motion, it almost looks like it stutters. Does this have to do with the high shutter? If I get it lower but not quite twice the shutter speed, will it help? I did buy a set of ND filters (up to 32) that I should probably start using. How do you determine what level ND to use before you take off, or is it an educated guess?

Thank you for any help that can be provided!

 

[EJs Mini down under.]

I have a large pro photography background, but I am trying to get more into making videos with my drone and would like some tips and help. Reading around about shooting videos, I heard a lot about the 180 rule. Is there a reason for this besides giving you that cinematic blur? As I have been doing some test shots, I sometimes notice that if I shoot a video when it's sunny and the shutter has to be very high, sometimes on sweeping/curve motion, it almost looks like it stutters. Does this have to do with the high shutter? If I get it lower but not quite twice the shutter speed, will it help? I did buy a set of ND filters (up to 32) that I should probably start using. How do you determine what level ND to use before you take off, or is it an educated guess?

Thank you for any help that can be provided!

I get similar happen sometimes and I thought that I must just turn too quickly. im not a professional but I have done a little videoing with my drone

 

[mavic3usa]

Gosh, there are a ton of YouTube videos covering the subject particularly about ND filters that we probably cannot get into deeply here in this forum with the limited space and the plethora of opinions. Maybe you should start there; I use ND filters 75% of the time.

 

[GadgetGuy]

If you increase the frame rate to 60 fps and "slow your roll" while turning, you can eliminate the jitter without resorting to ND filters. If you ever want to have a photo from any portion video, the cinematic blur ruins any chances of a sharp still frame. IMHO, cinematic blur is overrated. I like having 30 or 60 shots per second from which to choose the perfect photo from video. Just turn very slowly, which is more cinematic anyway, or use a jump cut after, to eliminate any resulting jittery turns.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

Here's a good resource for a lot of your answers about video.

RED Digital Cinema | Red 101

www.red.com

 

[Gazwas]

I have a large pro photography background, but I am trying to get more into making videos with my drone and would like some tips and help. Reading around about shooting videos, I heard a lot about the 180 rule. Is there a reason for this besides giving you that cinematic blur? As I have been doing some test shots, I sometimes notice that if I shoot a video when it's sunny and the shutter has to be very high, sometimes on sweeping/curve motion, it almost looks like it stutters. Does this have to do with the high shutter? If I get it lower but not quite twice the shutter speed, will it help? I did buy a set of ND filters (up to 32) that I should probably start using. How do you determine what level ND to use before you take off, or is it an educated guess?

Thank you for any help that can be provided!

Stutter is almost always a case of a frame rate miss match between your footage and the editor project timeline settings.

 

[SethB]

I have a large pro photography background, but I am trying to get more into making videos with my drone and would like some tips and help. Reading around about shooting videos, I heard a lot about the 180 rule. Is there a reason for this besides giving you that cinematic blur? As I have been doing some test shots, I sometimes notice that if I shoot a video when it's sunny and the shutter has to be very high, sometimes on sweeping/curve motion, it almost looks like it stutters. Does this have to do with the high shutter? If I get it lower but not quite twice the shutter speed, will it help? I did buy a set of ND filters (up to 32) that I should probably start using. How do you determine what level ND to use before you take off, or is it an educated guess?

Thank you for any help that can be provided!

“That cinematic blur…” is the blur we got used to seeing in films. It looks like natural motion. However, such blur will be rarely perceptible in most drone video because most lenses are wide angle, most subjects are not moving fast, and most flying video is not done with high speed. Except panning (yawing) the drone; it can be a problem.

“if I shoot a video when it's sunny and the shutter has to be very high, sometimes on sweeping/curve motion, it almost looks like it stutters. Does this have to do with the high shutter?”
Yes.

“If I get it lower but not quite twice the shutter speed, will it help?”
Yes.

“How do you determine what level ND to use before you take off, or is it an educated guess?”
While you’re still on the ground you can try different filters and see if your image controls and appearance show what you want. You may need to learn about and experiment with manual exposure. Over time you’ll gain experience in your area with your subjects, developing your own guidelines.

For me in the western area of the Pacific Northwest it’s 8-16-32, depending on the light, I only go higher on snow or sand.

There have been many discussions of this on the forum, a little searching will find lots!