Video A-Z

Video A-Z

You need to control camera movement very carefully when you're shooting video. For static subjects and framing you can simply mount the camera on a tripod, but if you need to move the camera to follow a moving subject, you need to keep the camera movement as smooth as possible – you want viewers to pay attention to what the subject's doing, and any camera wobbles, shakes or jitters will be really distracting.

It's not possible to hand-hold cameras and get smooth movement, so videographers use a variety of 'rigs' and braces to keep the camera steady. Some use chest or shoulder braces, others use complex counterweights and specially-balanced frames. A pro rig will also help alter focus smoothly while filming – 'focus pulling'. Geared focus mechanisms make this smoother still, and there's a new breed of specially-designed 'cinema' lenses from makers like Samyang and Canon.

You won't get perfect results straight away. Rigs initially feel odd and awkward to use, and it takes a good deal of practice before you start to see any benefits.

Camera stabilization systems can be a useful alternative for 'run and gun' videography, where you're chasing a moving subject while filming. Olympus has attracted a lot of attention with the OM-D E-M5 II, which has a five-axis sensor-shift stabilization system that works in both stills and video mode.

Back to the index

Rod Lawton
Freelance contributor

Rod is an independent photographer and photography journalist with more than 30 years' experience. He's previously worked as Head of Testing for Future’s photography magazines, including Digital Camera, N-Photo, PhotoPlus, Professional Photography, Photography Week and Practical Photoshop, and as Reviews Editor on Digital Camera World.