Amr Nabeel Media Blog: Camera Lesson No.1

Media: Camera Lesson:

During our first camera lesson in Media, my group and I used the Canon 5D Mark 3. In the lesson, we learnt how to use the Focus,White Balance, Bubbling the tripod, Zoom, Pan and to tilt the camera on the tripod.

Focus:

The camera we used ,the Canon 5D Mark 3, had to be manually focused. However, the challenge with the Canon was that it didn’t have zoom, in order to focus on an object. In order, to correct the focus, we needed a tape measure to measure the distance from the camera to the object. On the Canon there is a symbol on top of a circle with a line running through it, that was the marker to place the tape measure. My colleague measured the distance from the camera to the object (which was a wall), the distance was 6ft so on the camera lens we twisted the lens until it the distance no.(6ft) matched to the marker. This is the method in which to focus a camera that doesn't have zoom.

Zoom:

On the Sony NX5, the zoom was digital and it was easy to use, it only required to adjust the zoom by pressing a button. On the Canon, the process of zooming was slightly more complicated. You needed to turn the lens so that you could zoom in or out.

White Balance:

This was the first time I learnt of white balance, we used the Sony NX5. When filming, depending on the lightning whether man-made or sunlight it changes the colour temperature and can alter the colours of the things you are filming. To change this and make what you’re filming more natural in colour you need to adjust the white balance. We aimed and zoomed the Sony NX5 on a white reflector, then we pressed the white balance button on the side of the camera. The camera than re-adjust the colour and creates a new colour temperature. After the colour has changed, we zoomed out and the colours in the room were more natural and vibrant. Before the colour change, e.g. Blacks appeared grey and after the white balance black objects appeared black.

Bubbling a tripod:

At the top of the tripod, just below where the camera sits, is a knob that can be loosened and tightened to centre the camera or release. To know if the camera has been centred, you need to look at the top of the tripod where there is a glass circle filled with a fluorescent yellow liquid, that holds a single clear bubble; in the centre of the glass circle is a smaller black circle, if the clear bubble is within the small black circle the camera is centred and if not it is not centred. By loosening the knob at the bottom of the camera you can move the head of the tripod so that you can centre the camera and then tighten the knob when it has been centred.

Pan and Tilt:

Lastly, probably the most important use of the tripod was to effectively use the Pan and Tilt.

On the side of the tripod is a large switch that if loosened allows the mobility for the tripod to tilt up and down; If it is tightened it will remain in its position. Besides tilting, there is also another switch that can be opened or closed to allow the tripod to pan freely, its mechanics are exactly like the tilt switch.

This lesson, revealed to me some techniques I didn’t know and as well built on my knowledge of what I already knew about using camera’s for filming.

Sony NX5 focusing on wall, while Matt explains White Balance.

The Tripod

Bubbling the Tripod

Canon 5D Mark 3 focusing on wall

Tanisha adjusting Tilt

Focusing at wall with the Sony NX5

Canon 5D, Tanisha trying to be a photographer

Canon 5D starting up, as you can see at the bottom of the camera there is a fluorescent yellow circle, this was the indicator that helped us centre the camera, when we were bubbling the tripod.