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UER Forum > UE Main > Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains (Viewed 2939 times)
sope 


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UHR

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Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains
< on 11/5/2014 9:01 PM >
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How's it going everyone?... I have recently been shooting some short drain videos and need some suggestions on lighting. I would assume a good cordless flood around 100 would do the trick and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this. Recommendations? I am shooting in HD720 30i MP4.

Thanks.

Here are the two drain videos I shot... The Magnum Drain video came out ok due to massive post edits however, I would like to avoid that in the future. Any help with this issue would be awesome!






[last edit 11/5/2014 10:16 PM by sope - edited 1 times]

(H)ampton(R)oads(D)rainers
wranglerroadhead 


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Safari Kay

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Re: Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains
< Reply # 1 on 11/6/2014 4:14 AM >
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Cool vidoes. I've encountered the same problem while trying to film in drains, mines, and caves. Mostly I use a helmet mounted camera so I am at another disadvantage with such a small and wide angled lens.

If you are worried about low light and how to maximize light in the video there are a few things you should consider.

Firstly the most easy fix is as you alluded to; bring more light. Helmet lights, flashlights, lights taped to your camera, and lights that directly interface with your camera are all options. When I bought my first DSLR I was extremely surprised and amazed at how much fluctuation a human eye has when you can see fine in bright daylight as well as the light cast from a single led headlamp in pure darkness. Cameras, on the other hand, are not nearly so flexible and must compensate for change in conditions with technology or technique.

Having a large lens lets in more light. Slower framerates/shutterspeed can allow longer time for the sensor to capture the available light. Specific sensors can be bought specifically for an amount/type of light. There are also a plethora of software techniques for getting the most out of your camera sensor.

The easiest thing I can recommend is to add large soft flood light behind your camera. This will hopefully eliminate contrast issues while in moving video. With tunnels and whatnot, if you are setting up a specific shot, you can add focused light down the length of the tunnel to highlight darker areas. Lighting technique is super simple but VERY tedious and can take a LOT of spare lights and, of course, batteries to run them. I myself never had the patience for such technique, just too much prepwork for each location and cut. Also, if you intend to go down this rabbit hole, you may want to invest in ways to steady your shots. Even something as simple as a home made stabilization platform can make a world of difference.

I hope this was at least a little bit helpful. I am sure some real photographers and videographers will chime in here soon.




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sope 


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UHR

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Re: Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains
< Reply # 2 on 11/6/2014 9:07 PM >
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Much appreciated. I was leaning more towards the soft flood myself. Those videos were not shot with my camera those were shot with an Iphone. I have built a pvc rig for my cam




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AnAppleSnail 


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Re: Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains
< Reply # 3 on 11/18/2014 1:16 AM >
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C'mon over to CandlePowerForums for big *** lights.

The videos Aurelie and I made several years back were mostly lit with road flares and a 2000-lumen HID spotlight. These days I'd bring a big NiMH battery pack and some 60-degree-optic LEDs.

But yeah, it comes down to spending more on lights, lenses, or cameras. Lights are cheaper but heavier.




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sope 


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UHR

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Re: Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains
< Reply # 4 on 11/21/2014 6:03 PM >
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Posted by AnAppleSnail
C'mon over to CandlePowerForums for big *** lights.

The videos Aurelie and I made several years back were mostly lit with road flares and a 2000-lumen HID spotlight. These days I'd bring a big NiMH battery pack and some 60-degree-optic LEDs.

But yeah, it comes down to spending more on lights, lenses, or cameras. Lights are cheaper but heavier.


Thanks for the input. I'm browsing CPF now and I never thought to use flares. Is there a link to this video you speak of?




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AnAppleSnail 


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Re: Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains
< Reply # 5 on 1/4/2016 4:09 AM >
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Posted by sope


Thanks for the input. I'm browsing CPF now and I never thought to use flares. Is there a link to this video you speak of?


I've been looking for it lately. I'll see if I can turn it up.




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DawnPatrol 


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Re: Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains
< Reply # 6 on 1/4/2016 4:33 AM >
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I know someone who used to take a gopro in caves and she said she'd get well lit results with a zebralight. They're bright, water proof, awesome headlamps that I'd recommend for anyone filming or not. I use them for light painting quite a bit. They come in spot and flood and they're only $90. If you're going to stick with handhelds or headlamps, might be a good choice.




Abby Normal 


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Re: Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains
< Reply # 7 on 1/4/2016 1:39 PM >
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I'm starting to shoot videos of mine exploration and am working on a lighting solution. The flood mode on my headlamp provides pretty good light but because the light is behind the camera (mounted on my helmet), it throws camera shaped shadows into the picture. In line with what Dawn suggested, I'm seriously looking at two Zebra H502 lights with one mounted on a bracket on each side of the camera. Having two light sources spread 12 to 15 inches apart should help soften the shadows I currently get with a single light source. CPF is a great resource.

Abby Normal







"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
DawnPatrol 


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Re: Light Trouble when Trying to film in Drains
< Reply # 8 on 1/4/2016 10:31 PM >
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To add to the idea of using zebralights, or any light for that matter, consider battery usage as well. The zebralights max out just over 1000 lumens, but if you're running it on high, you're only going to get approximately 2 hours out of it according to their website, so realistically it's probably a bit less. Good batteries for them aren't incredibly cheap, either. I still think it's an awesome option though, especially if you're using a helmet mounted camera like abby. And with two of them you shouldn't need to run them on high.




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