What FPS do you film in and what FPS do you export in?

black_magic100 · Apr 27, 2018

I have personally always shot in 30 fps because I was under the impression that more fps = smoother shots and while that may be true, I am now finding out that slower FPS like 24 frames is really good for motion blur. What I also didn't realize is that you can film in 30 fps and export in 24 fps and still get the same result. Can a more experienced photographer step in and help? I've always had very good results with 30 fps on my mavic, but seeing as I just bought my first DSLR (Panasonic g85) I am starting to learn what all of these settings mean. I will be testing these different settings here shortly so let me know what you find works best!

droneworx · Apr 27, 2018

I always shoot in 30FPS on everything, drones, DSLRs, GoPro, etc. and make all my videos in 30FPS. This is a personal preference more than anything. Cinema shoots in 24FPS, but most TV is in 30FPS due to broadcast requirements, and the lack of noticing much a difference shows that its not as dramatic as 24FPS and say 60FPS, which tends to look fake. from 24 to 30 will not make a huge difference in motion blur. Its actually harder to shoot in 24 than you think because you have be very careful in panning and other camera movements to not introduce too much blur and make the video difficult to watch, this is especially true in 30 to 24 converted where the frames are removed and can make the video look more jumpy as the software tried to determine which frames to remove. 30 FPS is more forgiving in how you interact with the camera and your targets and produce a nearly identical result. Most people shoot in 24 simply because it says "cinema like" and they feel they have to shoot in 24 to make a movie when "making a movie" is way more than just the FPS you shoot at. Some Directors like Peter Jackson routinely use 40-50FPS in his movies and some animations shoot in as little as 12FPS, and people dont call them not movies because of it. What it boils down to is, if 30 works for you, and you like it, just stick with it.

black_magic100 · Apr 27, 2018

droneworx said:
I always shoot in 30FPS on everything, drones, DSLRs, GoPro, etc. and make all my videos in 30FPS. This is a personal preference more than anything. Cinema shoots in 24FPS, but most TV is in 30FPS due to broadcast requirements, and the lack of noticing much a difference shows that its not as dramatic as 24FPS and say 60FPS, which tends to look fake. from 24 to 30 will not make a huge difference in motion blur. Its actually harder to shoot in 24 than you think because you have be very careful in panning and other camera movements to not introduce too much blur and make the video difficult to watch, this is especially true in 30 to 24 converted where the frames are removed and can make the video look more jumpy as the software tried to determine which frames to remove. 30 FPS is more forgiving in how you interact with the camera and your targets and produce a nearly identical result. Most people shoot in 24 simply because it says "cinema like" and they feel they have to shoot in 24 to make a movie when "making a movie" is way more than just the FPS you shoot at. Some Directors like Peter Jackson routinely use 40-50FPS in his movies and some animations shoot in as little as 12FPS, and people dont call them not movies because of it. What it boils down to is, if 30 works for you, and you like it, just stick with it.

Very well thought out response. I watched a youtube video on the topic and he also mentioned Peter Jackson filming in 60 fps.

The only reason why I questioned if 24 fps was better than 30 fps was because Caleb Pike recommended shooting in 4k 24 fps with the panasonic g85. I've looked at so many different comparisons and I really can't see the difference between 24 and 30. I may try it on the mavic though just to see if it is better.

droneworx · Apr 27, 2018

Ya I know of Calebs work, and he is an advocate of 24FPS, and in some regards he's right, but as a semi-professional he has the ability to successfully shoot in 24FPS. Peter McKinnon is someone who will tell you he shoots in 30 and 60 as much as 24. But really, as with all "self created youtube vloggers" you have to take them with a grain of salt. We aren't talking about the likes of a Seamus McGarvey or Andrew Lesnie, who are videographers of the most well known and award winning movies ever made.

However, with that said, there are sometimes concerns over shooting in higher frame rates because of software. So a good example, I have a Panasonic GH5 as one of my main cameras, along with a Canon 80D. I like the Panasonic because it shoots at 4K/60, but I rarely use it, unless I need a slo-mo shot becuase at 60FPS the video will be more washed out and lighter than 30 or 24, and this is becuase of the extreme processing needed to shoot at 60FPS and the heat issue generated by the camera. If you have a iPhone 8/X, they shoot at 4K/60 as well, and record a video in 60FPS and 30FPS, and its easy to see the quality difference.

droneworx · Apr 27, 2018

I started rambling and forgot the point I was trying to make LOL. Yes there is little noticeable difference between 24 and 30 unless you are REALLY looking for it, and they will produce almost identical quality videos. HA there...

black_magic100 · Apr 27, 2018

droneworx said:
Ya I know of Calebs work, and he is an advocate of 24FPS, and in some regards he's right, but as a semi-professional he has the ability to successfully shoot in 24FPS. Peter McKinnon is someone who will tell you he shoots in 30 and 60 as much as 24. But really, as with all "self created youtube vloggers" you have to take them with a grain of salt. We aren't talking about the likes of a Seamus McGarvey or Andrew Lesnie, who are videographers of the most well known and award winning movies ever made.

However, with that said, there are sometimes concerns over shooting in higher frame rates because of software. So a good example, I have a Panasonic GH5 as one of my main cameras, along with a Canon 80D. I like the Panasonic because it shoots at 4K/60, but I rarely use it, unless I need a slo-mo shot becuase at 60FPS the video will be more washed out and lighter than 30 or 24, and this is becuase of the extreme processing needed to shoot at 60FPS and the heat issue generated by the camera. If you have a iPhone 8/X, they shoot at 4K/60 as well, and record a video in 60FPS and 30FPS, and its easy to see the quality difference.

So if I am shooting in 30 fps on my mavic and combine it with 60 fps gopro (assuming I do not change the speed) and export at 30 fps the gopro footage would actually improve in quality because it is shoving more frames so that it is 30 fps? Would that also help with noise?

black_magic100 · Apr 27, 2018

droneworx said:
I started rambling and forgot the point I was trying to make LOL. Yes there is little noticeable difference between 24 and 30 unless you are REALLY looking for it, and they will produce almost identical quality videos. HA there...

What about with DSLR's? Same thing?

droneworx · Apr 27, 2018

black_magic100 said:
So if I am shooting in 30 fps on my mavic and combine it with 60 fps gopro (assuming I do not change the speed) and export at 30 fps the gopro footage would actually improve in quality because it is shoving more frames so that it is 30 fps? Would that also help with noise?

You would export it at 30fps, and the go pro wouldn’t look better since to accomplish 30fps, it would be dropping every other frame as it renders evening out the video look. It would give you some blur but it would look different. It’s hard to explain but it’s a different kind of blur, you want to try to avoid mixing frame rates as much as possible since it will still have a fake look to it. You should try to shoot In a single format unless your looking to do Slomos.