Through the Lens - Volumes of learning material on Film Making & Photography. Here is the 1st Volume of Through the Lens (Video Camera Techniques). This is for learning purpose not for commercial use. Hope this is will really helps media students. Write to me for to clarify any doubts - ebenezerannadoss@gmail.com

1. Through the Lens
– Ebenezer Annadoss
Volume - 2
CAMERA TECHNIQUES

2. A Video Camera

3. Index
Lens
Focal Length of the Lens
Shot Size
Focus
Aperture
Shutter
Image Sensor
In built Light Meter
White Balance
Depth of Field
Aspect Ratio
Lens Hood
Lens Cap
View Finder
LCD Screen
Zoom in – Out pedal
Video Cassette
Menu Options
Camera & VCR Mode
Audio Controls
AV Connectivity
Power Supply

4. The foremost element of the Camera
Lens
! Zoom
! Focus
! Iris (Aperture)

5. A Lens
One or both
surfaces are
curved in order to
collect light from
one direction,
change the
convergence of
the light rays and
focus them onto a
surface in the
other direction.

6. A Lens – Variable focal length lens
The TV Camera
Lens is made up of
a series of
individual lenses.
This arrangement
focuses a small
sharp image of the
scene on to the
camera’s chip or
target plane. Zoom Lens

7. Focal Length of the Lens
● On digital cameras, focal length is
often expressed as 35mm film
camera equivalent
● Higher focal length number
indicates a greater image
magnification
○ Telephoto ~ Above 50mm
○ Normal ~50mm (human eye)
○ Wide angle ~ Below 50mm
● Combination of all the above three
are Zoom Lens otherwise called as
Variable Focal Length Lens.

8. The Eye & The Camera
Lenses are found in
Human
- The Eye
In technology
- Cameras

9. Angle of view and shot size
Focal Length vs. Image Size (Shot Size)

10. Extreme Long Shot
ELS (Extreme Long Shot)
The view is so far from the
subject that she isn't even
visible. This is often used as
an establishing shot.
Below 50mm Lens (eg. 18mm Wide angle Lens)
*More Depth of Field (DOF)

11. Very Long Shot
VLS (Very Long Shot)
The subject is visible
(barely), but the emphasis is
still on placing her in her
environment.
Below 50mm Lens (eg. 22mm Wide angle Lens)
*More Depth of Field (DOF)

12. Long Shot
LS (Long Shot)
The subject takes up the full
frame, or at least as much
as possible. The same as a
Full shot.
Below 50mm Lens (eg. 28mm Wide angle Lens)
*More Depth of Field (DOF)

13. Mid Long Shot
MLS (Medium Long Shot)
The subject takes up the
frame till knee level. It will
be useful for a group shot.
Below 50mm Lens (eg. 35mm Wide angle Lens)
*Little Depth of Field (DOF)

14. Mid Shot
MS (Medium Shot)
Shows some part of the
subject in more detail whilst
still giving an impression of
the whole subject.
50mm Lens (Normal Lens)
*Little Shallow Depth

15. Mid Close Up Shot
MCU (Medium Close Up
Shot)
Half way between a MS and
a CU.
Above 50mm Lens (eg. 75mm Telephoto Lens)
*Little Shallow Depth

16. Close Up Shot
CU (Close Up Shot)
A certain feature or part of
the subject takes up the
whole frame
Above 50mm Lens (eg. 100mm Telephoto Lens)
*More Shallow Depth

17. Extreme Close Up Shot
ECU (Extreme Close Up
Shot)
The ECU shows extreme
detail.
Above 50mm Lens (eg. 200mm Telephoto Lens)
*More Shallow Depth

18. Focus
To adjust the lens to obtain
the sharpest image is
called focus.
Professional cameras usually
have a manual focus ring at the
front of the lens housing. Turn
the ring clockwise for closer
focus, anti-clockwise for more
distant focus. Consumer cameras
have different types of focus
mechanisms usually a small
dial.

19. Auto Focus
Most auto-focus devices
assume that the area you want
in sharp focus is in the centre of
the picture in the photo right
below that the centre area is
correctly focused (thanks to
auto-focus), but the main
subject is blurry. Of course, the
goal was the opposite

20. Manual Focusing Technique
Make sure the camera is set to manual
focus.
Zoom in as tight as you can on the subject
you wish to focus on.
Adjust the focus ring until the picture is
sharp. Turn the ring clockwise for closer
focus, anti-clockwise for more distant
focus.
Zoom out to the required framing — the
picture should stay nice and sharp.

21. Aperture
Aperture is a opening
within a lens, through
which light travels into
the camera body.
It controls the amount of
the Light.

22. Various sizes of Aperture in f-stops

23. Auto Iris
Auto Iris controls the
amount of light that is
used to expose the
camera’s image sensor
according to the
illumination requirement.

24. Video Camera Shutter
Video camera shutters work quite
differently from still film camera
shutters but the result is basically
the same
The shutter speed is adjusted by
electronically varying the amount
of time the CCD is allowed to
build a charge.

25. Video Camera Shutter
The main effect of higher shutter
speeds is that individual frames
appear sharper, due to the
minimization of motion blur.
Motion blur occurs when the
subject moves within the frame
while the shutter is open.
Below 1/60 of Sec 1/60 of Sec
Above 1/60
of Sec

26. Image Formation in Video Camera
A lens allows light to pass through to create the image of
a scene, but instead of this light hitting a piece of film to
later be chemically processed, an image sensor takes that
light and converts it to a digital format and gives output
into a memory.

27. Image Sensor
The image sensor is the heart of
the camcorder.
It converts optical energy into
digital energy or signals.
Image sensors are used in
camcorders, digital still cameras,
medical products, security
equipment and mobile phones.

28. Types Image Sensor
Video cameras originally used vacuum
tubes, but today camcorders include
either,
•CCD – 3CCD
Charge-coupled device
•CMOS – 3MOS
Complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor

29. Sensor Table

30. In Built Light Meter
The camera has a built in
light meter that evaluates
the total amount of light
reflected from the subject. It
then averages this light
and sets the correct
exposure. Center Weighed Metering

31. Camera White Balance
White balance adjustment In the light of a particular
color temperature, to adjust the white levels of the R,
G, and B channels of a color video camera so that
any white object shot in that light is reproduced as a
truly white image.

32. How White Balance Works
All digital cameras have an auto white balance setting
that allows the camera to detect the color of the light
and balance it correctly.
When you look at a white object, it appears white to
you regardless of the light source. When lit by an
ordinary household bulb, or a fluorescent light, or
outside in daylight it still looks white to your eye.

33. How White Balance Works
But to the camera’s eye, each of these light sources is different
and each produces a tint of color on the white object. And
unless the camera makes some sort of adjustment for this
variation in light color, a white object will not appear white in
your photos.
In fact, everything in your photo will have a color cast to it… it
is just more obvious in the whites and near whites than in other
colors. This is the function of the white balance feature in
digital cameras.

34. How White Balance Works
The image was shot using the
camera’s auto white balance setting.
The light was daylight and the color
is correct for this subject.
Light is measured in degrees Kelvin, such as
3200K or 5800K. This is known as the color
temperature of a light source.

35. How White Balance Works
The light was daylight, but the
setting was for cloudy daylight.
Though the color is not correct, it
could still be OK, if you wanted
a slightly warmer feeling.

36. How White Balance Works
For this shot , the setting for
tungsten (or indoor light). Since
daylight is much bluer than
indoor light, the result was an
overall blue cast.

37. Depth of Field
Depth of field refers to the range
of distance that appears
acceptably sharp.

38. Depth of Field
"circle of confusion" is used to
define how much a point needs
to be blurred in order to be
perceived as un sharp.
When the circle of
confusion becomes
perceptible to our eyes,
this region is said to be
outside the depth of
field and thus no longer
"acceptably sharp."

39. Depth of Field
How to achieve DoF?
•Use higher f.no. (Smaller opening of aperture)
•Focus the subject at Infinity range (Keep your subject at far distance)
•Use short focal length lenses

40. Depth of Field - Examples

41. Aspect Ratio
The term Aspect Ratio refers to
the width of a picture (or screen)
in relation to its height.
Ratios are expressed in the form
"width : height".
Width
Height

42. Aspect Ratio 4:3
This is the standard
television format.
All Television compatible
ratio.
4
3

43. Aspect Ratio 16:9
This format has gained
acceptance as the new
standard for widescreen TV,
DVD and high-definition video.
16
9

44. Aspect Ratio 21:9
Cinemascope
A very wide screen format
used for theatrical release
movies.
21
9

45. Converting Aspect Ratio
16:9 4:3
21:9

46. Lens Hood
To avoid unwanted entry
of light (Glare) Lens Hood
is used.
Made up of black colored
plates.

47. Lens Cap
To protect lens from dust,
moistures, finger marks,
etc.,

48. View Finder with Eye cup
•Its electronic view finder,
some camera has b&w & some
color view finder.
•This has eye piece correction.
•Eye cup is used to rest our eye
on it.

49. LCD Screen
To compose the subject in
large finder.
Tilt able during high angle &
low angle shot.
Useful for playback option.

50. Zoom In/Out Peddle
To achieve smooth Zoom in
and Zoom out.
Fore finger holds Wide mode.
Middle finger holds Tele mode.

51. Video Cassette Loading Chamber
VHS, SVHS, Beta, Digi Beta,
Umatic, Mini DV, DVCAM &
HDV format tapes are used it
video cameras.
Now the Video contents are
stored as a data in a memory
card & Hard disk.

52. Menu Options
With this button we can manually
set the camera settings. It have
various functions.
Once you press the Menu button
the menu will open in LCD Screen
and use the scroll bar or touch
screen to access it.

53. Camera & VCR Mode
In Camera mode its ready to
record on tape or memory
card.
In VCR mode its ready to play
back the recorded content.

54. Audio Controls
To control the in-built
microphone and the input
microphone through XLR input.
Selecting the channels &
leveling.

55. AV Connectivity
Through this Audio/Video
ports we can connect the
camera directly to TV or use it
for direct composite capturing.
It has remote connectivity to
operate camera in tripod
handle & Rigs.

56. Power Supply
An external rechargeable
battery will be used for power
supply.
There will be a DC power
adapter connectivity also
available near the battery.

57. Now its your turn. Any Questions?
Ebenezer Annadoss
Assistant Professor – Department of Visual Communication
Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for Women
ebenezerannadoss@gmail.com