Chapter 7: Using Movie Mode

The 60D opens a new dimension of creative expression with its high-quality and very versatile video shooting capabilities. The 60D has video shooting with either automatic or manual exposure control. In addition, the camera has a built-in microphone that offers automatic or manual control over the noise of the wind for outdoor shooting. You can shoot in full High-Definition, Standard-definition, or in Movie crop mode with frame rates that you can select based on the recording size.

It is also to your advantage that the 60D’s movie quality is among the best available in the dSLR market. All of this is packaged in a lightweight camera with a vari-angle LCD monitor that gives you a large view of the scene during shooting. Further, the 60D accepts more than 60 lenses to enhance your videos in ways that traditional video cameras cannot. Last but not least, you can capture still images during video shooting.

About Video

For many still-image photographers, shooting video is like learning a new visual language. While the language is different, video, like traditional still photography, is a form of creative visual communication. And just like with still shooting, the goal of video shooting is to tell a story, a moving narrative with sound that has a beginning, middle, and an end.

As with still photography, a world of technical information and terms goes with video. So if you are new to videography, it is good to have at least a basic understanding of digital video.

Video standards

In the world of video, there are several industry standards, including the following resolutions: 720p, 1080i, and 1080p.

The numbers 720 and 1080 represent vertical resolution. The 720 standard has a resolution of 921,600 pixels, or 720 (vertical pixels) × 1280 (horizontal pixels). The 1080 standard has a resolution of 2,073,600 pixels, or 1080 × 1920. It seems obvious that the 1080 standard provides the highest resolution, and, therefore, would be preferable, but that is not the entire story.

The rest of the story is contained in the i and p designations. The i stands for interlaced. Interlacing is a method of displaying video where each frame is displayed on the screen in two passes — a first pass that displays odd-numbered lines, and a second pass that displays even-numbered lines. Each pass is referred to as a field, and two fields comprise a single video frame. This double-pass approach was engineered to keep the transmission bandwidth for televisions manageable. And the interlaced transmission works only because your mind automatically merges the two fields so that the motion appears smooth, with no flickering. However, interlacing is an old way of transmitting moving pictures.

The newer way of transmitting video is referred to as progressive scan; hence, the p designation. Progressive scan quickly displays a line at a time until the entire frame is displayed. And the scan happens so quickly that you see it as if it were being displayed all at once. The advantage of progressive scanning is most apparent in scenes where either the camera or the subject is moving fast. With interlaced transmission, fast camera action or moving subjects tend to blur between fields. That is not the case with 720p, which provides a smoother appearance. So while 1080i offers higher resolution, 720p provides a better video experience, particularly when there are fast-action scenes. As a result, 1080i or 720p are the commonly used standards for major broadcast companies, with those that broadcast sports choosing the 720p standard. On the other hand, 1080p is the standard for digital movies shooting at 24 fps that at full resolution has the wide-screen aspect ratio of 16:9.

Another piece of the digital video story is the frame rate. In the world of film, a frame rate of 24 frames per second (fps) provided the classic cinematic look of old movies. But in the world of digital video, the standard frame rate is 30 fps. Anything less than 24 fps provides a jerky look to the video. The TV and movie industries use standard frame rates, including 60i, which produces 29.97 fps and is used for NTSC; 50i, which produces 25 fps and is standard for PAL, still used in some parts of the world, and 30p, which produces 30 fps, a rate that produces a smooth rendition for fast-moving subjects.

Videographers who want a cinematic look prefer cameras that can shoot in 24p (or 24 fps), creating 24 high-quality images that can then be converted in the camera or in editing software to 30 fps by adding frames in a process called 3-2-1 pulldown.

With this very brief background on video, it is time to look at the digital video options on the 60D.

Video on the 60D

By now, you probably have questions, such as how does the 60D compare to industry standards, how long you can record on your SD/SDHC card, and how big are the files. Following is a rundown of the digital video recording options that you can choose on the 60D:

Full HD (Full High-Definition) at 1920 x 1080p at 24fps (actual 23.976) or 30 (actual 29.97). In PAL mode, you can use either 25 (actual 25.00), or 24 (actual 23.976) fps. You get about 12 minutes of recording time with a 4GB card and about 44 minutes with a 16GB card. The file size is 330MB per minute. Full HD enables you to use HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output for HD viewing of stills and video.

HD (High-Definition) at 1280 x 720p at 60 (actual 59.94) and 50 (actual 50.00) fps. You get about 12 minutes of recording time with a 4GB card, and 44 minutes with a 16GB card. The file size is 330MB per minute.

SD (Standard-definition) at 640 x 480 at 60 (actual 59.94) or actual 50 fps when set to PAL. You get 24 minutes of recording time with a 4GB card, and 1 hour and 32 minutes with a 16GB card. The file size is 165MB per minute, and the aspect ratio is 4:3.

Crop mode at 640 x 480 at 60 or 50 fps with 7X magnification when compared to other video recording sizes. Videos are recorded in Standard-definition at a 4:3 ratio that creates the telephoto 7X magnification by cropping the video from a small area at the center of the image sensor. This mode is good when you’re shooting at a great distance from the subject, but it comes with some restrictions, including that you can’t magnify the image for focusing, and focusing may be more difficult at the increased magnification. In addition, digital noise and dots of light are more noticeable. In Crop recording size, you can record for 1 hour and 32 minutes with a 16GB card at a file size of 165MB per minute.

There is a 4GB limit to single movie clips, and the clips are H.264-compressed movie files with a .mov file extension. At 1080p and 720p, clips run approximately 12 minutes depending on ISO and movie content and movement. You can also trim the beginning and end of a clip in the camera. Videos can be viewed in Apple’s QuickTime Player.

NTSC is the standard for North America, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and other countries. PAL is the standard for Europe, Russia, China, Australia, and other countries.

So you have two high-quality video options, albeit at different frame rates. The 30 fps option is the traditional recording speed for online use whereas the actual 29.97 speed is the TV standard in North America. As a result, the 30 fps option is suitable for materials destined for DVD or display on a Standard-definition or High-Definition TV. Although 24 fps may be more filmlike, it can produce jerky motion for subjects that are moving, and it requires slower shutter speeds of around 1/50 second. In addition, the actual 29.97 frame rate makes it easier to sync audio when it is recorded separately using a video-editing program.

Here are other aspects to consider when shooting video:

A fast, high-capacity SD/SDHC card. For the best movie recording and playback performance, use a high-capacity Class 6 or higher-rated SD/SDHC card. If you’re doing a lot of movie shooting, an 8GB, 16GB, or higher capacity card is a good choice. Media cards are rated for both write and read speeds. When shopping for SD cards, make sure that the card’s bus interface is supported on the 60D. For example, some of the newest and fastest SDHC cards use the new and faster UHS-1 bus interface that isn’t supported on the 60D at the advertised read/write speeds. You can use these newer cards, but the read/write speed is much slower than advertised speed. If you use a slow card, an indicator appears on the screen showing how much data is waiting in the buffer to be written to the media card. Once the level reaches the top of the indicator, movie shooting automatically stops. If you don’t have a fast card, you can try using a low-quality recording level to keep the buffer from backing up with unwritten data.

Audio. You can use the 60D’s built-in monaural microphone, which is adequate if you do not want to invest in a separate audio recorder and microphone. The audio is 16-bit at a sampling rate of 48 kHz and is output in mono. If you use the built-in microphone, be aware that all the mechanical camera functions are recorded, including the sound of the Image Stabilization (IS) function on the lens, and the focusing motor. With the built-in microphone, you can use either automatic or manual recording volume adjustment. With manual control, you can adjust the audio recording level in 1 to 64-step increments. The built-in microphone features a wind-cut filter to reduce wind noise during outdoor shooting. You can, of course, use an accessory stereo microphone connected to the 60D via the mike terminal on the side of the camera.

Exposure and camera settings. Video exposure offers full manual exposure control with the slowest shutter speed being linked to the frame rate. For example, the slowest frame rate at 60 or 50 fps is 1/60 second. At 30, 25, and 24, the slowest shutter speed is 1/30 second. And at all resolutions, the maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 second. The ISO can be set automatically or manually. Manual settings range from 100 to 6400.

Alternately, you can use fully automatic exposure so that the 60D sets the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO automatically. In addition, you can set Auto Exposure (AE) Lock and set Exposure Compensation of +/–3 stops. You can change the focus and drive mode, white balance, Picture Style, setting for Auto Lighting Optimizer, still image file format and size, and recording quality before you begin shooting in Movie mode.

Battery life. At 73-degree temperatures, you can expect to shoot for 2 hours, with the time diminishing in colder temperatures.

Video capacities. The upper limit is 4GB of video per movie. When the movie reaches the 4GB point, the recording automatically stops. Just press the Movie button to begin recording a new movie file.

Focusing. You have the same options for focusing as you have in Live View shooting. In Quick mode, the reflex mirror has to flip down to establish focus, and this blackout is not the best video experience. However, Quick mode focusing can be suitable for an interview or other still subject where you can set the focus before you begin recording. You cannot use continuous focusing for moving subjects in Movie mode.

For more details on Live View focusing options, see Chapter 6.

HDMI output. The 60D offers HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) video output connectivity, which enables you to control many devices with one remote control. This means that when you play back movies on your HD TV, you can use the TV remote control to play back movies or to view still images. You can control image playback, display an index, display the shooting information, rotate images, and run a slide show. You can turn on HDMI on the Playback 2 camera menu. Just select Ctrl over HDMI, and then select Enable.

Still-image shots during recording. You can capture, or grab, a still image anytime during video recording by pressing the shutter button completely. When you half-press the shutter button, the 60D displays the current aperture and shutter speed on the LCD, and these settings are used for the still image. This results in a 1-second pause in the video and a full-resolution still image. The still image is recorded to the card as a file separate from the video. The still image is captured at the image-quality setting that was previously set for still-image shooting or you can change it. The camera sets the aperture and shutter speed automatically, or you set it manually if you’re shooting movies in Manual exposure (M) mode and the built-in flash is not used. The white balance, Picture Style, and quality settings that you have set for non-Movie shooting are used for still images. The flash is not used, and you cannot use a Self-timer mode during movie shooting for capturing the still image, but you can use it before you begin movie recording.

Frame grabs. You can opt to pull a still image from the video footage rather than shooting a still image during movie recording. You can do a frame grab using the ZoomBrowser EX/ImageBrowser program provided on the supplied EOS Digital Solution Disk. If you shoot at 1920 × 1080, frame grabs are limited to approximately 2 megapixels, 1 megapixel at 1280 × 720, and 300,000 pixels at 640 × 480. Also because the shutter speeds during automatic exposure tend to be slow to enhance video movement, frame grabs can appear blurry.

Recording and Playing Back Movies

Some of the setup options for Movie mode are the same as or similar to those offered in Live View shooting. In particular, the focusing modes are the same in both cases. Also when you set the Mode dial to Movie, the camera menus change to show a variety of options that you can set for recording movies.

The following sections help you set up for movie recording with the 60D. It’s important to note that careful setup helps create a much smoother and more polished movie.

Setting up for movie recording

To set up for movie shooting, you can choose the movie recording size, the focusing mode, and whether to record audio using the built-in speaker. As with Live View shooting, you can also display a grid to line up vertical and horizontal lines, set the amount of time the camera retains the last metering for exposure, use the Electronic level, and choose whether to use a remote control.

Be sure to review Chapter 6 for details on the focusing modes, grid display, Silent shooting modes, and Metering timer because the same options are used in Movie mode shooting.

When the Mode dial is set to Movie mode, the camera menus change to display the options that you can select during movie recording. Tables 1.1 through 1.3 provide an overview of the menus and options.

You can set any of the following options by pressing the Menu button, and then pressing left or right on the Multi-controller to highlight the Menu tab or turning the Main dial. Press up or down on the Multi-controller or turn the Quick Control dial to highlight an option, and then press the SET button to confirm your option selection.

Table 1.1 Movie 1 Shooting Menu
Commands	Options
Movie exposure	Auto or Manual. Manual enables you to set the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed you want. To set the shutter speed, turn the Main dial. To set the aperture, turn the Quick Control dial. To set the ISO, press the ISO button above the LCD panel, and then press left or right on the Multi-controller to select an ISO from 100-6400.
AF mode	Live mode, Face Detection Live mode, or Quick mode. These are the same focusing modes as those used for Live View shooting, and they are detailed in Chapter 6 and later in this chapter.
AF w/ shutter button during [Movie shooting]	Enable or Disable. Enabling allows you to half-press the shutter button to focus during shooting. Alternately, you can choose Disable and use the AF-ON button to focus.
AF and metering butt. for [Movie shooting]	Choose this option to reassign the function of half-pressing the shutter button, the AF-ON (start), and the AE Lock buttons. See Chapter 5 for details on this option.
[Movie shooting] ISO speed setting increments	In Manual exposure mode, choose this option to set the ISO sensitivity speed in 1/3 or full-stop increments.
[Movie shooting] Highlight tone priority	Disable or Enable. This is a useful option to enable, particularly when you want to preserve highlight detail in the scene. If you enable this option, the lowest ISO sensitivity setting is 200 and Auto Lighting Optimizer is automatically turned off.

Table 1.2 Movie 2 Shooting Menu
Commands		Options
Movie rec. size		1920 × 1080 at 30, or 24 fps (25 and 24 in PAL). 1280 × 720 at 60 fps (50 in PAL). 640 × 480 and Crop 640 × 480 at 60 fps (50 in PAL).
Sound recording	Sound rec.	Auto, Manual, or Disable. Choose Manual to control the recording audio level.
	Rec. level	Set from 1 to 64 levels by turning the Quick Control dial. To set the loudest level of recording, set level meter so it occasionally lights up at the 12 (–12dB) mark. Levels approaching and at 0 will be distorted. Select Disable if you’re using an accessory stereo microphone attached to the camera.
	Wind filter	Disable or Enable. Choose Enable and adjust the filter to reduce the noise of wind during outdoor shooting. Low sounds may be muffled, so test this to find the best level. Choose Disable for shooting where wind noise is not a problem.
Silent shooting		Mode 1, Mode 2, Disable. Choose to reduce the noise of the shutter when you take a still picture during movie shooting. These modes are detailed in Chapter 6.
Metering timer		4, 16, 30 seconds, 1, 10, or 30 minutes. This option determines how long the current exposure is retained.
Grid display		Off, Grid 1, or Grid 2. Select a 3 × 3 or 4 × 6 grid to help you align horizontal and vertical lines in the scene. Or select Off if you do not want to use a grid.

The choices that you make on the Movie 3 Shooting menu are applied to both the movie and still images that you shoot during recording.

Table 1.3 Movie 3 Shooting Menu
Commands	Options
Exposure Compensation	Press the SET button to set up Exposure Compensation up to +/–5 stops. This functions for movies just as it does for still images, as described in Chapter 3.
Auto Lighting Optimizer	Disable, Low, Standard, or Strong. Setting anything except Disable automatically corrects the brightness and contrast of movies. If you use Highlight Tone Priority, this setting is automatically cancelled.
Picture Style	Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, or User Def. 1, 2, or 3. Picture Styles are detailed in Chapter 4.
White balance	Daylight (Approx. 5200K), Shade (Approx. 7000K), Cloudy (Approx. 6000K), Tungsten (Approx. 3200K), White fluorescent light (Approx. 4000K), Flash, Custom, or K (2500-10000). White Balance settings are detailed in Chapter 4.
Custom White Balance	Enables you to set a Custom White Balance for movies. Custom white balance is detailed in Chapter 4.

In addition, abbreviated versions of the Shooting 1, Playback 1 and 2, and Setup 1, 2, and 3 menus are available in Movie shooting mode.

Recording movies

To get a feel for shooting, you may want to record your first movies using automatic exposure, and then move into manual exposure shooting. Preparation is also important. Here are a few things to do before you begin shooting a movie:

Focus on the subject first. While you can reset focus during shooting, it creates a visual disconnect that isn’t ideal. This is especially important if you use Quick mode where the reflex mirror flips down to establish focus.

Plan for the depth of field. One advantage of Movie mode on any dSLR, particularly if you are recording with manual exposure, is that you can create a shallow depth of field that isn’t possible with a video camera if you are recording with manual exposure. Thus, you can blur the foreground and background for creative effect. Plan ahead for the look you want and choose the lens and set the aperture accordingly.

Make camera adjustments before recording. If you’re using the built-in microphone, think through camera adjustments that you can make before you begin shooting. This helps keep the sounds such as focusing, image stabilization, and so on to a minimum during recording. Be sure to set the Picture Style, white balance, recording quality, and so on before you begin shooting with Manual exposure mode.

Attach and test the accessory microphone. Stereo sound recording with an accessory microphone is possible by connecting the microphone with a 3.5mm-diameter mini plug that can be connected to the camera’s external microphone IN terminal.

Stabilize the camera. Use a tripod or specialized holding device for movie shooting to ensure smooth movement. And if you stabilize the camera, turn off Image Stabilization (IS) on the lens if the lens has IS.

Once the camera is set up, you can begin recording by following these steps:

1. Set the Mode dial to Movie, and then press the Movie shooting button on the back of the camera. The reflex mirror flips up and a current view of the scene appears on the LCD.

2. Press the Q button to display the settings that you can adjust. If you didn’t previously set up the camera, you can press up or down on the Multi-controller to move to the option you want to change. Then turn the Main or Quick Control dial to change the setting.

3. If you’re shooting in Manual exposure mode, follow these steps to set the exposure:

• Turn the Main dial to set the shutter speed. At 50 or 60 fps, you can choose 1/4000 to 1/60 second. At 24, 25, and 30 fps, you can choose 1/4000 to 1/30 second. For smooth motion for a moving subject, shutter speeds 1/30 to 1/125 second are recommended.

• Turn the Quick Control dial to set the aperture. If necessary, press the UNLOCK button below the Quick Control dial first. Shooting with the same aperture is best to avoid variations in exposure during the movie.

• Press the ISO button above the LCD panel and turn the Main dial to set the ISO between 100 and 6400. If you have Highlight Tone Priority enabled, the ISO range is 200 to 6400.

4. Focus on the subject. Here is how to use the focusing options:

• Live mode. Press the Multi-controller to move the white magnifying rectangle so that it is over the part of the subject that you want in focus, and then press the AF-ON button or half-press the shutter button. When focus is achieved, the AF-point rectangle turns green. If focus is not achieved, the AF-point rectangle turns orange. In Live mode, focus takes slightly longer than you are accustomed to.

• Face Detection Live mode. The camera looks for a face or faces in the scene, and displays corner marks or corner marks with left and right arrows, respectively, over the face or faces it finds. You can press the left or right cross key to move the focusing frame to another face. To focus, press the AF-ON button or half-press the shutter button. When focus is obtained, the corner marks appear in green. If the camera cannot find a face in the scene, it displays a solid rectangle and the camera uses the center AF point for focusing.

• Quick mode. If you selected Quick mode, press the Q button to display the 9 AF points. Press up or down on the Multi-controller to activate the AF points, and then select the AF point by turning the Main or Quick Control dial.

• Manual Focus. You need a lens that offers manual focusing to use this option. Set the switch on the side of the lens to MF (Manual Focus). Then turn the focusing ring on the lens to focus on the subject. If you have to change focus during shooting, manual focusing avoids the noise of the AF motor being recorded, but the focusing adjustment can be intrusive to the movie.

5. Press the Movie shooting button to begin recording the movie. The Movie mode (red) dot appears at the top right of the screen.

6. Press the INFO. button one or two times to display more or less shooting information.

7. To start recording, press the Movie shooting button. A red dot appears in the upper right of the screen. To stop recording, press the Movie shooting button again.

You can’t focus continuously on a moving subject in Movie shooting mode.

Note that movie recording can raise the camera’s internal temperature. If an icon that resembles a thermometer appears, wrap up shooting and let the camera cool. Taking still photos when the icon is displayed can cause overall image degradation.

Playing back movies

For a quick preview of your movies, you can play them back on the camera’s LCD. Of course, with the High-Definition quality, you will enjoy the movies much more by playing them back on a television or computer.

To play back a movie on the camera LCD, follow these steps:

1. Press the Playback button, and then turn the Quick Control dial until you get to a movie file. Movies are denoted with a movie icon and the word Set in the upper-left corner of the LCD display.

2. Press the SET button. A progress bar appears at the top of the screen, and a ribbon of controls appears at the bottom of the display.

3. Press the SET button to begin playing back the movie, or press left or right on the Multi-controller to select a playback function, and then press the SET button. You can choose from the following:

• Exit. Select this control to return to single-image playback.

• Play. Press the SET button to start or stop the movie playback.

• Slow motion. Press left or right on the Multi-controller to change the slow-motion speed.

• First frame. Select this control to move to the first frame of the movie.

• Previous frame. Press the SET button once to move to the previous frame, or press and hold the SET button to rewind the movie.

• Next frame. Press the SET button once to move to the next frame, or press and hold the SET button to fast-forward through the movie.

• Last frame. Select this control to move to the last frame or the end of the movie.

• Edit. Select this control to display the editing screen where you can edit out 1-second increments of the first and last scenes of a movie.

• Volume. This is denoted as ascending bars; just turn the Main dial to adjust the audio volume.

4. Press the SET button to stop playing the movie.

5. Press Exit to exit out of the movie.

Cutting movie scenes

During image playback, you can choose to cut the first and/or last scenes of a movie in the camera in 1-second increments, and then save the edited movie. This is handy if you used the first part of the movie for setup or testing and the last section of the movie for wrap up and scenes that are not vital or relevant to the story of the movie.

To cut scenes from a movie, follow these steps:

1. Follow the previous steps to play back a movie, and then select Edit on the movie playback control bar at the bottom of the movie. A screen appears with a frame and control bar at the bottom of the display.

2. To cut the beginning of the movie, press the SET button, or press left on the Multi-controller to select Cut end, and then press the SET button. A selection bar with the time segment appears at the top left of the image along with an icon of a pair of scissors.

3. Press and hold left or right on the Multi-controller to move through the section of the movie indicated on the blue bar, or turn the Quick Control dial to move to the next frame you want to cut.

4. Press the SET button to cut the scene. The blue bar at the top shows what will be left in the movie.

5. Do one of the following:

• Press left on the Multi-controller to select the Play (right arrow) button to see the resulting movie after cuts.

• Press right on the Multi-controller to select the Save button, and then press the SET button. Select New file to retain the unedited version and save the edited version as a new movie file, or Overwrite to replace the existing movie file with the edited version, or Cancel. If the SD/SDHC card doesn’t have sufficient space to save the movie as new file, you can’t select the New file option.

• Press left on the Multi-controller to select Exit, and then press the SET button to return to the movie playback screen.