if you use a 7d with a steadicam.
What kind of f-stop do you have to use ?
I can imagine if you just use F1.4 for example, it should be difficult to keep the subject in focus all the time what would result in a bad shot.
My guess is to have the f-stop at around f5.6 ?

If you can, shoot with a really wide lens like a 24mm or wider then set it to infinity. So if your subject is like 12 feet away and they are in focus at infinity, just don't get closer than 12ft. If you do need to be closer to a subject you may want to close down the aperture and/or getting a remote follow focus with an AC. This method works really well for me on my 5D. On the 7D you will probably want something more like a 16mm or the tokina 11-17mm.

Hey Cody,
Thanks for the info.
I have the 24-70mm f2.8 L Usm from Canon so I don't know if it will do.
Are the results from the Tokina any good ?
A remote Follow Focus ? Isn't really difficult or can the focus puller watch on an own external screen ?

Gents:

Without remote focus, you will need to start working "splits", where you set an intermediate setting that will give you the most range. Get yourselves a depth of field calculator--there are a number of apps available for the iPhone (I used pCam, which has a lot more to it and costs a lot more to boot).

In the example Cody listed above, you would not want to set it to infinity if you want the maximum range for your subject. Let's say you were shooting at f4. Setting the focus at infinity would give you from infinity to around 25' (not what we are looking for). Using the hyperfocal, which is the minimum distance that will hold subjects at infinity in focus (24'11"), you can hold from infinity down to 12'6". Not bad, but we can do better. If you set the distance at 12', you can now hold 23'1" to 8'1", which gives your subject a lot more room to move around--and you might start to throw your background a little out of focus, which of course is what everyone wants with these cameras. Get a little bit greedier, set your focus at 9', and you'll get 14' to 6'7", which gives you even more room for your subject to come close, and a softer background still.

Of course, stopping down will increase your range--switch to f8 and set the lens to 6'6", you'll now get 13'5" to 4'3", which is an obvious improvement. Bear in mind that these are numerical calculations and a given lens may have slightly different performance, but generally the calculators err on the forgiving side, so you are more inclined to see useable focus just outside the stated parameters.

Remote follow focus IS really difficult and it will be interesting to see how the indie world manages it as low-cost systems begin to arrive this year. Traditional AC's use a combination of techniques to judge camera to subject distance; monitors have become somewhat popular but not with all AC's. Generally when one pulls focus from a monitor, you are reacting after the fact and the pulls tends to be a little late. With a small stabilizer, running a lightweight BNC off the rig to a monitor is an additional operating challenge (HDMI cable, far worse). It is indeed possible for a good AC to maintain focus on handheld or Steadicam shots at an f1.4, depending on the lens--the longer they go, the better the AC needs to be. Somewhere around 50 to 75mm it starts to become unmanageable.

I'd curious what steady-cam rigs people are finding best for use on the the 7D. Any thoughts?

I have the Merlin with the arm and vest (total cost under $2500 as I recall) and it works great for the XH A1. Since the 7D even with a heavy lens is significantly lighter, it should be fine for it too. I haven't tried it yet but probably will before the next shoot.

Weight-wise the Merlin isn't a bad match, but you do have the limitations of the small screen for viewing, limiting how far you can rotate the camera from your body. The next model up, the Pilot, has an external screen and comes with the same vest and arm as the Merlin. If you are absolutely sure that you won't be adding any additional hardware to the camera and lens combination, you are OK with the Merlin, but if you were ever to add remote focus capabilities you will need the extra payload and power distribution of a rig like the Pilot. It may seem strange to spend more money on support gear than the camera itself, but bear in mind that people generally own tripods and stabilizers through multiple generations of cameras so it makes good sense to invest wisely in those.

Good point about the monitor. I've always used the Merlin setup with the XH A1's flipout LCD. But it's easier to see than the screen on the 7D, since it can be angled. The 7D screen might limit the range of vertical movement somewhat.

Spending more on accessories than the camera cost is something people need to be aware of--we should think of the camera as the engine...but without everything else, you can't drive it anyplace. Red likes to call theirs the "brain."

Oops, double post.

Gents:

Without remote focus, you will need to start working "splits", where you set an intermediate setting that will give you the most range. Get yourselves a depth of field calculator--there are a number of apps available for the iPhone (I used pCam, which has a lot more to it and costs a lot more to boot).

In the example Cody listed above, you would not want to set it to infinity if you want the maximum range for your subject. Let's say you were shooting at f4. Setting the focus at infinity would give you from infinity to around 25' (not what we are looking for). Using the hyperfocal, which is the minimum distance that will hold subjects at infinity in focus (24'11"), you can hold from infinity down to 12'6". Not bad, but we can do better. If you set the distance at 12', you can now hold 23'1" to 8'1", which gives your subject a lot more room to move around--and you might start to throw your background a little out of focus, which of course is what everyone wants with these cameras. Get a little bit greedier, set your focus at 9', and you'll get 14' to 6'7", which gives you even more room for your subject to come close, and a softer background still.

Of course, stopping down will increase your range--switch to f8 and set the lens to 6'6", you'll now get 13'5" to 4'3", which is an obvious improvement. Bear in mind that these are numerical calculations and a given lens may have slightly different performance, but generally the calculators err on the forgiving side, so you are more inclined to see useable focus just outside the stated parameters.

Remote follow focus IS really difficult and it will be interesting to see how the indie world manages it as low-cost systems begin to arrive this year. Traditional AC's use a combination of techniques to judge camera to subject distance; monitors have become somewhat popular but not with all AC's. Generally when one pulls focus from a monitor, you are reacting after the fact and the pulls tends to be a little late. With a small stabilizer, running a lightweight BNC off the rig to a monitor is an additional operating challenge (HDMI cable, far worse). It is indeed possible for a good AC to maintain focus on handheld or Steadicam shots at an f1.4, depending on the lens--the longer they go, the better the AC needs to be. Somewhere around 50 to 75mm it starts to become unmanageable.


As always Charles gives advice that is soooo good he should charge for it!!! BTW I use a CMR Blackbird with my 7D and I really like it. I have tried the Merlin and the Glidecam alternatives and I really think it's a better setup than either. The Glidecams can really bind up your wrist pretty quickly. Here's a page that I have bookmarked on my Droid Phone that is pretty helpful for figuring out DOF pretty quickly. I am almost always shooting at 17mm so I can get away with a pretty good amount of movement.

Online Depth of Field Calculator (http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html)

Hey Charles, thanks for clarifying all that! We can all learn a thing or two from this veteran!

Bart,

If you end up going to WPPI I'll meet up with you and let you try my rig (Steadicam Pilot w/ Canon 10-22mm) Works great for me!

Weight-wise the Merlin isn't a bad match, but you do have the limitations of the small screen for viewing, limiting how far you can rotate the camera from your body. The next model up, the Pilot, has an external screen and comes with the same vest and arm as the Merlin. If you are absolutely sure that you won't be adding any additional hardware to the camera and lens combination, you are OK with the Merlin, but if you were ever to add remote focus capabilities you will need the extra payload and power distribution of a rig like the Pilot. It may seem strange to spend more money on support gear than the camera itself, but bear in mind that people generally own tripods and stabilizers through multiple generations of cameras so it makes good sense to invest wisely in those.

Sage advice.

We've finally trimmed out our Merlin to where we can pull some fantastic shots, but the camera with the 17-55 lens is clearly near being maxed out on weight.

if you use a 7d with a steadicam.
What kind of f-stop do you have to use ?
I can imagine if you just use F1.4 for example, it should be difficult to keep the subject in focus all the time what would result in a bad shot.
My guess is to have the f-stop at around f5.6 ?

Only advice I could even attempt to offer is to keep your z-depth the same at all times....not easy or possible in all situations when you're using a Steadicam.

i´m wondering if i use a steadicam with a 7d or 5d, the weight of my lenses may interfy in the mobility of the steadicam?
i haven´t use the grip but guess all the big weight will be head on not on the back of the camara or down it, as it is in dv camcorders. Also depends on the sizes of the lenses, of course. So the stabilizer system that looks like a wheel may not be the most recommended for a 200mm lent, any ideas?

One solution is to get a Bogen adapter and plate. That allows you to slide the camera fore/aft to get good balance. It also allows you to quickly move the camera from your tripod to your other rig(s).

Depending on your tripod, one of these should work...

Manfrotto | 357 Pro Quick Release Adapter with 357PL Plate | 357 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554151-REG/Manfrotto_by_Bogen_Imaging_357_357_Pro_Quick_Release.html)

Manfrotto | 577 Rapid Connect Adapter with Sliding | 577 | B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/241139-REG/Manfrotto_577_577_Rapid_Connect_Adapter.html)

Hey guys,
I have been away a few days while I'm moving to a new house this week, so it's a lot of work around here, but the end is near. ;)
Thanks Charles for the great information.
I had to do some calculations while I don't know those metrics. We use meters and centimeters in Belgium. ;)
Last week I bought myself DOFmaster for my Ipod but I checked out that pCam application and it looked great so I bought it aswell.

About the steadicam.
I have the steadicam Pilot and I use it with my Canon Xha1. I have been trying to use the 7D on it, but I couldn't achieve dynamic balance. It really is driving me crazy. Aaaaargh
I have a new shoot coming up this weekend, so I switched now back to the Xha1, but I'll give it another try next week and hopefully with a little more success. ;o)

@Andrew : Yeah, I will be attending the WPPI. I booked my flight tickets today and I will be in Vegas from the 7th till the 10th. Then I will be travelling around to San Francisco & LA and I will go back to Belgium on the 19th. It would be great meeting up. ;o)

I shoot with the 7D, pilot and tokina 11-16 2.8. I almost ALWAYS have it set to infinity and never have a problem with soft footage. Most of the time I'm stopped down to f/8, but in times where I need more light, f/4 or even f/2.8 has been fine. Of course, using common sense prevails. I'm usually at least 5 feet away from the subject. From my experience, things always look good.

Keep in mind I'm shooting fairly wide (11-16) so it doesn't make as much difference as when I used to shoot with a 24-70.

Randy:

The wide lens definitely helps, as does the fact that you are a good distance from your subject. When you are at 2.8 or 4, you may want to do some experimenting to see if you are truly in focus on your subject. Using the magnifying function, zoom in your subject and rack between infinity and, say, 8 feet and see if there is any difference (there should be).

A lot of this has to do with how you are ultimately viewing your footage. You are not likely to see focus issues on a 16mm focal length on the camera's viewfinder, and maybe not even in a humble sized window on your computer. Full screen may reveal a different story. It wouldn't be terribly out of focus, but why not set the lens at a more logical place than infinity, knowing that it gives you a more useable range for the subject, and may even give you a touch of softness to the background?

A wide lens helps. Even a 28mm. If you have enough light use F4 or F5.6.

I am researching all this since I have not purchased a DSLR as yet. It's great to find a forum with so much info on Canon. I am liking the new Canon T2i, which I think is coming out in March, brother to 7D. It's 10 ounces lighter which should go great with my Merlin (no vest). I am also liking the Tokina 11-17 mm lens. Let me know if anyone has heard any good/bad things about the new T2i and if this set up would work well for me for shooting wedding stuff like bridal prep, pre-ceremony, cocktail hour and first dance.

Charles,
What do you advice ?
With my steadicam I like starting further away and then going in close for example 1,5 meter (4,9 feet) and then doing a few fast 360°'s around the subject and then backing up again.
How would you do this while the focus when being close is different from the focus being further away.

Randy:

The wide lens definitely helps, as does the fact that you are a good distance from your subject. When you are at 2.8 or 4, you may want to do some experimenting to see if you are truly in focus on your subject. Using the magnifying function, zoom in your subject and rack between infinity and, say, 8 feet and see if there is any difference (there should be).

A lot of this has to do with how you are ultimately viewing your footage. You are not likely to see focus issues on a 16mm focal length on the camera's viewfinder, and maybe not even in a humble sized window on your computer. Full screen may reveal a different story. It wouldn't be terribly out of focus, but why not set the lens at a more logical place than infinity, knowing that it gives you a more useable range for the subject, and may even give you a touch of softness to the background?

Hey Charles,

I shoot more often than not at a small aperture. I prefer to have as much in focus as possible as I'm getting establishing shots rather than the standard steadicam "walk and talks" and what not. I find infinity to be rather logical and useful in that aspect although I will say I have set it to a specified distance and worked within that distance many times when I use to fly with a 24-70. Now that I use such a wide lens, I use steadicam in a different way.

I'm surprised at the range of usable focus I get out of the tokina 11-16 as I never had this much play with my 24-70. I can only guess that it's due to it being so wide.

I'll try the magnified view and see how much of a difference it is racking back and forward versus just leaving it at infinity. I will say that I've never had an issue up to this point with unusable footage but I'm all for experimenting to get better results.

Cheers.

Hey Randy,
What do you think about the quality of that Tokina compared with an original Canon lens ?

Depends on which canon lens. The tokina has better build quality than everything except the L series, which I feel it's pretty close to. Mostly metal and very sturdy. I have 2 tokina lenses and they are built well.

Randy:

The wide lens definitely helps, as does the fact that you are a good distance from your subject. When you are at 2.8 or 4, you may want to do some experimenting to see if you are truly in focus on your subject. Using the magnifying function, zoom in your subject and rack between infinity and, say, 8 feet and see if there is any difference (there should be).

A lot of this has to do with how you are ultimately viewing your footage. You are not likely to see focus issues on a 16mm focal length on the camera's viewfinder, and maybe not even in a humble sized window on your computer. Full screen may reveal a different story. It wouldn't be terribly out of focus, but why not set the lens at a more logical place than infinity, knowing that it gives you a more useable range for the subject, and may even give you a touch of softness to the background?

Hi Charles, thanks for sharing! Can I say the recommended way would be to use DOF calculator and attempt to give about 2m-3m of "in focus range"? I do loads of tracking shots of couples walking and sometimes circling around them. The out of focus issues comes mostly whenh circling with a 16mm. I normally try to step down to F5.6 if I can but I prefer to do it at F2.8 to work out a shallow DOF. As u said, the out of focus only comes with it goes to a huge screen.

Another issue I have is sometimes the image seems to shutter when I run. It seems like the shutter is too slow but I have alr set it up to 200 at 25p and it still appears. Is there any way to fix this? I see that in the 1D4 video u did, there were a number of fast moving scenes but I didn't see those issues.

Sean:

Yes, careful application of the depth-of-field tables will help you get the results you desire.

Gents: in general, these are tried-and-true concepts that have been in use for decades in 35mm production. There's nothing new or radical about them. Digital or film, the basic concept remains the same--it's just optics. While it was true that with a 1/3" sensor, leaving the focus on infinity guaranteed you a wide range of focus, with a large format such as the 7D it's a different ball game.

At the same time, don't go too nuts or literal with the tables. After a while you can get a feel for a given lens at a given f-stop. It only gets really dicey when you start to move into a longer lens or a shallow stop. Bear in mind that from the earliest years of Steadicam there have been remote focus systems in use, because it was so limiting to keep a set-and-forget formula in play. Uber-wide lenses for Steadicam are cool for particular types of shots but it's a shame to limit oneself to them purely for focus reasons. So experiment with going a little longer-lens, using the tables and seeing what you can "get away with". Hopefully soon you will all have access to reasonably priced remote focus systems and be able to pull off much more sophisticated shots as needed.

Sean, not quite sure about your second point--what do you mean by the image "shuttering"? Do you mean "shuddering", like showing vibration? If that's the case, it has to do with the rig you are using--something is loose somewhere.

If this an artifact due to the camera settings; in general, you'll want to keep the shutter at the standard ratio, which is the reciprocal of twice the frame rate (in your case, 1/50th at 25p). A "skinny shutter" like 1/200 should be reserved for a staccato, "Private Ryan" type look.

This may be of interest if you've not seen this - it is shot with a 5D on a glidecam, but they do a good job keeping focus and framing the shots.
Go here - Battle for Hearts and Minds (http://battleforheartsandminds.com/)

both the 16-35 2.8 and 14mm 2.8 are good choices for steadicam. you can stop them down to f5-6 and set focus to infinity and then just remember to keep the proper amount of distance between the lens and subject.