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I have a problem with aperture when I zoom with my DSLR.

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harmonica44

Default I have a problem with aperture when I zoom with my DSLR.
I was told before if I want to do a zoom shot with my DSLR, that in order for the aperture to not change, I have to lock it at at least f5.6. Here is a shot at sunset at f11:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kk7gMefDBo

Even though if's at f11 the whole time, it seems to me that the exposure changes as you zoom in and out. There seems to be a bit of flashing in the exposure, and it seems to get somewhat brighter when you zoom in and somewhat darker when you zoom out. But it's the flashing that is more noticeable to viewers during the zoom, even though it's locked at f11 the whole time. What do you think?
 
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It's a 18-55mm lens there. However, I want to get a longer lens for a specific fast zoom shot while making a short. If I want to have a zoom shot specifically, is their anything I can do to stop the flashing?
 
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Okay thanks. I looked for a DP with a fixed aperture lens before but could not find one that had one. So I thought I would try the variable aperture lens and work the best with what I have. When I put the variable aperture up to my own eye though and look through it while zooming, the aperture does not change. It seems to only change while it is attached to the camera. Is it something that the camera does to make it change?

What about color correcting it in post? I tried it with that same video, but having some trouble getting the changes to look exactly the same during the flickers, but is that do-able?
 
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I guess 'fixed aperture lens' is a confusing phrase suggesting that the aperture can't be modified.
I can't imagine there is nobody with, for instance, a Canon 24-70mm 2.8L lens.

But I am pretty curious whether or not your camerasettings are all set to manual :P

Anyway: don't do the zoom if it looks ugly.
And don't try to fix it in post: just a waste of time...
Actually filming a zoom shot on a DSLR almost always looks crappy if you have to twist the lens...
 
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Dude yeah don't do it. Use a stabilizer and physically move toward your subject. This isn't the 70s anymore, zooms look cheesy.

Also your white balance is so off it's completely distracting.
 
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Okay thanks. I was going for the blue dusk look like some movies have. Can I have that blue dusk look without it looking distracting? Because I set the white balance like that for that look intentionally. Some movies have it, here is a one off the top of my head. Notice how the sunlight is white, but the shade is blue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OziaaQX7AHM

That look is more blue-green. I was going for a look like that but a little more blue and a little more saturated. Here is another where the light shining on the actors is more blue for daylight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJBNE7F49Aw

Is their a way to go for that cinematic look without it being distracting?

Also, I can have the camera move instead of zoom. I want the POV to start out with a close up, and then move back really fast, like the shot at 1:37 into the clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w9HwC7C8nM

It starts out as a close up of the woman then zooms back, really far, and really fast. I can put the camera on a stabilizer and move it back instead of zooming, but how do I move the camera back that far, in such a short amount of time if you want it to be really quick like in that scene. It seems no matter how fast I go, I can't move it that fast.
 
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is that do-able?
Click to expand...

Given sufficient resources ANYTHING is possible. How much money do you want to spend to do it?

how do I move the camera back that far, in such a short amount of time
Click to expand...

Quickly is your answer.

I can't move it that fast
Click to expand...

This is filmmaking. If what you're trying to do cannot be done with your budget, schedule or expertise, find another option that achieves the result you need. It's really that simple.
 
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Are you in full manual mode on your camera? Your aperture may be fixed at f/11 but that flashing effect appears to be your camera adjusting the ISO or shutter speed due to other automatic exposure settings.

On a side note, I personally wouldn't try to color grade my footage in-camera. There are plenty of post-production software solutions to do that and they're very affordable.
 
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Okay thanks. I was shooting at dusk when the sun is orange, and when the sun is orange, I can't seem to correct it in post because when you add blue, it mixes with the orange, and comes out a magenta color, with more noise.

If I white balance the orange dusk sun to white and get rid of the orange entirely to begin with, then I am much closer to the look I want for when I get to post, and I won't have to deal with mixing blue with orange, and getting magenta.

When I zoom back and forth, the shutter speed stays at 1/50 the whole time, and then ISO stays at 100 the whole time. At least it SAYS it is that the entire time of the zoom. After I set my shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, they do not change at all, unless I reset them, even during the zoom.
 
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Wow...
I thought that my comment about the white balance was nit-picky, as I realized upon further review that there was no possible way that your test was supposed to be anything but showing the zoom thing. It's astonishing that ANY of that was intentional, as it looks worse than a 2009-era cell phone video.
 
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I have had about a year's of experience now, and still learning. When it comes to white balancing, since dusk sunlight is orange, should I white balance the sun even though there is not a lot of white remaining in the orange?

If it's not correctly white balanced, how do I white balance a light without much white in it to begin with?

As for zooming looking too old, what if I also want to do establishing shots of locations. Like let's say I want to show a street view, but then I want to show what building on the street a character is in?

This is done nowadays with helicopter shots, where the chopper will show the overview, and then fly towards the building the characters are in, but when I have no helicopter, but also cannot zoom it, what should I do to get from the street view, to the close up of the building?

A cut may be a bit jarring to the viewer cause all of a sudden they go from a street view, to a close up of the building, and loosing your sense of direction in the scene in the process, perhaps?
 
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Just cut.
Use an extra shot if you think it is 'jarring'.

At dusk I usually set to daylight :P
But I'm lazy and probably understand grading a bit better.
If you white balance the orange sun (better use a grey card where the light falls on than taring into the sun ;) ) everything will look like a neutral moment in the middle of the day, instead of dusk...
 
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