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Trust me, you want to start learning the tools now. Most of the concepts are fairly simple, but there are so many individual fragments of things you have to learn that, if you wait, you'll find yourself not being able to do what you want to do when the time comes.

Snippy, but deserved. :) You're going to have to fully understand the visual you want to create (to the point of being able to accurately describe it), and then either learn the required software to do it yourself, or hire someone for cash. If you put in the effort to learn it yourself, you will...

MindStudios, how much time are you prepared to learn effects software? I've been mulling this over, and the coolest way to do it would be to use camera projection to place your original room image directly onto 3D objects in Blender, animate those objects to their final position, and project the...

As long as you're not moving the camera around laterally (eg. just panning/tilting), you can film your actor in front of greenscreens w/ tracking markers. You'll need to then import that 2D tracking information into a 3D program of your choice (Blender is free, if you're on a budget), and then...

I probably should have clarified that I often switch out of video mode to get focus initially...

Lenses are important. Lighting is crucial. Everyone is so hung up on film, but if you want to stand out, get solid on your lighting. Second is learning how to color grade correctly. Unlike film, processing digital is like having the latent image on a negative -- you now have to develop your own...

Ack! No no, you put the lens in manual-focusing mode first! You activate the camera's auto-focus button so that the viewfinder will indicate when the subject is in focus. Since the lens itself is in manual focus mode, the drive won't activate and you won't ruin your lens. I probably should have...

Oddly enough, the 18-55mm f3.5 kit lens ain't too shabby. Did you get that one with your camera?

Zooming out with a prime means walking waaaay back... :)

Try cropping your footage down to 2.4:1. Makes it look very cinematic. (You might have to zoom out somewhat to make room.)

About focusing marks: Your general prosumer lens is not going to have accurate focusing marks. The best way to focus in manual mode is to hold down the camera's auto-focus button while manually focusing the lens. When the subject is in focus, you'll get indicators in the viewfinder. The only...

Heh. In the computer. As much as I'd love to be a real mad scientist, I'm pretty much strictly a software guy. My original experiments were with simple feed forward neural networks, using those as brains for single-celled organisms in a simple 2D world. Reproduction was asexual (eg. cloning)...

I build neural network systems and evolve them via simulated DNA. ... My hobbies tend to be a great conversation-killer. If you ever need to clear out a party fast, invite me over.

Them's fightin' words. :) I was shocked at the difference in image quality, especially at larger apertures and wider lengths. It's like going fro mud to mountain-pond. Try out Canon's 70-200mm L-series f2.8 sometime. Or the 85mm f1.2. The image quality improvement is staggering. As for Zeiss...

DSLR's, while they have their own quirks when it comes to video, are a real eye-opening experience if you've never used a full-blown camera before. After having full control over my shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, I have trouble using video equipment that does not provide these same controls...

The wider the lens, the harder it's going to be to find one that opens up. Even my fancy Zeiss 18mm prime is f3.5. If I remember correctly, this is because at short focal lengths things like aberration and softness become very prominent around the edges at wide apertures because physics. I'm a...

If you need a single lens to cover both landscape and people close-ups, you'll want the 18-55mm if you get a crop-factor camera, or the 24-70mm f2.8 on a full-frame. The 18-55mm is an f3.5-f.. don't remember, but it's not going to work as well in lower-light situations. I don't know if there's...

I own the Canon 135mm f2.0. It is a gorgeous lens.

Ditto on getting an 85mm. When you switch to a full-frame, all your lenses are going to look more zoomed-out than they did on the 550d. When you go lower than 35mm, you'll find it harder to find lenses with wide apertures as wide-angle lenses generally start to exhibit sharpness and aberration...

The non-clicky aperture adjustment could be very interesting. I'm now seriously considering the Rokinon 24mm cine to supplement my Canon 24mm TS II since the TS doesn't open up as wide as the Rokinon. Has anyone here used the Roninon 24mm? Any reviews as to image quality? So far, what I've read...