My experience with YouTube so far

[Kris Cringle]

If you have the time or have gained the speed with the tools, the DSLR gives you more creative control. The iPhone tries but you're in fact having to override so much of the automatic mindset, it seems like working backward.

Here is an Iphone 14 Pro max photo shot in RAW. The image resolution started at 60MB! From the RAW file I edited it's color (you have to edit RAW files, they are sort of blank slates), and ended up exporting 1600 pixel image. About the only manual control I used was to set the exposure with my finger tip on the piece (a cover for a heat pump), about a 1/3rd of the way down. Plus there seemed to be more lens distortion with the iPhone, especially at the edges (my dogs front legs are not that short,..)

My DSLR max. resolution of this image was 25MB. It too was edited in a program for RAW photos, and then exported at 1600 pixels wide and posted here. But it was easy to manually set the aperture and manually focus on that same spot on the piece. That let me blur the background to my eyes liking. And generally, the light looks more natural. I'm thinking these general tools can be used for better video footage.

 

[Kris Cringle]

The drone does seem perfect for marine work

Unfortunately I notice their popularity and how obnoxious it is to have two or three of those things hovering over the anchorage each evening

Of dozens and dozens of channels, I only follow a handful of sailing channels. The drone can be put to great use in locating your subject and telling the story, even give you good glimpses of boats under sail, but more often of the channels I've watched, it looks overused to me. Sort of like talking mugs in the lens. Like any lens, you still need an 'eye' behind it.

And I agree, they are starting to become annoying. I hope the users start to get that so it doesn't become more of a problem.

 

[Fleetwood]

If you have the time or have gained the speed with the tools, the DSLR gives you more creative control. The iPhone tries but you're in fact having to override so much of the automatic mindset, it seems like working backward.

Here is an Iphone 14 Pro max photo shot in RAW. The image resolution started at 60MB! From the RAW file I edited it's color (you have to edit RAW files, they are sort of blank slates), and ended up exporting 1600 pixel image. About the only manual control I used was to set the exposure with my finger tip on the piece (a cover for a heat pump), about a 1/3rd of the way down. Plus there seemed to be more lens distortion with the iPhone, especially at the edges (my dogs front legs are not that short,..)

View attachment 580867

My DSLR max. resolution of this image was 25MB. It too was edited in a program for RAW photos, and then exported at 1600 pixels wide and posted here. But it was easy to manually set the aperture and manually focus on that same spot on the piece. That let me blur the background to my eyes liking. And generally, the light looks more natural. I'm thinking these general tools can be used for better video footage.

View attachment 580868

The DSLR edited out your dog?

 

[Fah Kiew Tu]

Of dozens and dozens of channels, I only follow a handful of sailing channels. The drone can be put to great use in locating your subject and telling the story, even give you good glimpses of boats under sail, but more often of the channels I've watched, it looks overused to me. Sort of like talking mugs in the lens. Like any lens, you still need an 'eye' behind it.

And I agree, they are starting to become annoying. I hope the users start to get that so it doesn't become more of a problem.

They've always been annoying.

FKT

 

[Finknottle]

The drone does seem perfect for marine work

Unfortunately I notice their popularity and how obnoxious it is to have two or three of those things hovering over the anchorage each evening

I'm not a big fan of drone stuff either, ok in it's place.

OTOH here is a snippet of unedited drone work that is well worth watching:

 

[Jim in Halifax]

I'm not a big fan of drone stuff either, ok in it's place.

OTOH here is a snippet of unedited drone work that is well worth watching:

Indeed worth watching. But all the tech and the versatility of those little drones buzzing above an IMOCA 60 will never match the technique and excitement of footage from a real cameraman aloft in a helicopter for me...

 

[ProaSailor]

But all the tech and the versatility of those little drones buzzing above an IMOCA 60 will never match the technique and excitement of footage from a real cameraman aloft in a helicopter for me...

I disagree. Drone camera work is as good as the operator and equipment and FAR CHEAPER than "a real cameraman aloft in a helicopter". More practical too when far offshore. Drones are cool.

 

[chester]

My self-imposed video crash course is a deep rabbit hole. It's teaching me to start noticing video footage techniques, mostly on Youtube subjects I cruise(travel, food, etc). You can spot 'go-pro' or simple wide-angle footage, which I find mostly unappealing. Drone footage is the new overdone tool, to me. Outside of go-pro wide angles, I can't really tell what tools are being used.

More and more, I suspect phone cams are posting Youtube footage, though the best are likely using DSLR or video camcorders.

My older DSLR has a max video resolution of Full-HD (1080p). My new iPhone 14 goes to 4K. But that setting is overkill, especially for a beginner. And the memory requirements are ridiculous (at least for my present sorting-storing system).

No sailing video footage yet so I practice on the dog. The iPhone wins the faster contest. Plus it's fairly easy to edit right on the phone before downloading, which saves space and time.

, what a goof.

The dog, I mean

 

[toddster]

Other than bland white-box lab documentation shots, my photography went on a three-year hiatus, due to the dog. Only shots that could be taken with one hand, while a 70-pound Alaskan Husky with 4x4 studded traction pulled on the leash attached to the other hand.

 

[chester]

My self-imposed video crash course is a deep rabbit hole. It's teaching me to start noticing video footage techniques, mostly on Youtube subjects I cruise(travel, food, etc). You can spot 'go-pro' or simple wide-angle footage, which I find mostly unappealing. Drone footage is the new overdone tool, to me. Outside of go-pro wide angles, I can't really tell what tools are being used.

More and more, I suspect phone cams are posting Youtube footage, though the best are likely using DSLR or video camcorders.

My older DSLR has a max video resolution of Full-HD (1080p). My new iPhone 14 goes to 4K. But that setting is overkill, especially for a beginner. And the memory requirements are ridiculous (at least for my present sorting-storing system).

No sailing video footage yet so I practice on the dog. The iPhone wins the faster contest. Plus it's fairly easy to edit right on the phone before downloading, which saves space and time.

I note that you have Escape to the Country on the telly. I love that show for the tours of the UK it gives and for the shock at the price tags hung on english country real estate

 

[Kris Cringle]

I note that you have Escape to the Country on the telly. I love that show for the tours of the UK it gives and for the shock at the price tags hung on english country real estate

The prices seem way high. The guests have bigger budgets than I expect. I suppose it's equity mostly.

Love to see UK culture. Such an old worn country . Bugs are wildlife in UK, I love that.

 

[Zonker]

Lots of folks doing this use m4/3 Panasonic bodies. Some of them are really optimized for video not stills.

I have to say the built in IBIS in my Olympus is very good. Not steadicam good but walking and talking it just floats gently along. Small sensors are easier to stabilize in-camera I think (less mass/inertia?)

I had a Canon 10-22 snap in half too. However I did drop it 2' onto a concrete dock. But it snapped very cleanly as though that was a designed in weak spot to protect the glass. It was fixed fairly reasonably in S.Africa. The 17-55 with a busted ribbon cable was fixed there too. The 7D that got soaked in a tropical rainstorm was a write off. We were down to a Canon 300D and a 18-55 kit lens in the normal range for a few months. Felt odd.

 

[TheDragon]

Lots of folks doing this use m4/3 Panasonic bodies. Some of them are really optimized for video not stills.

I have to say the built in IBIS in my Olympus is very good. Not steadicam good but walking and talking it just floats gently along. Small sensors are easier to stabilize in-camera I think (less mass/inertia?)

I had a Canon 10-22 snap in half too. However I did drop it 2' onto a concrete dock. But it snapped very cleanly as though that was a designed in weak spot to protect the glass. It was fixed fairly reasonably in S.Africa. The 17-55 with a busted ribbon cable was fixed there too. The 7D that got soaked in a tropical rainstorm was a write off. We were down to a Canon 300D and a 18-55 kit lens in the normal range for a few months. Felt odd.

Time to take a few of those bleary canadian winter evenings and put some yt videos together for those of us who followed your blog for years

 

[ProaSailor]

More practical too when far offshore.

More examples of excellent aerial footage that wouldn't exist without drones. Good stuff!

 

[Kris Cringle]

This thread seems to be where the video onboard, lands. Drones are cool, I just don't think I have the eye in the sky that is needed. It would have to learn the tool just like any other aspect of photography/videography.

But I notice they start at dirt cheap these days and the kit is very compact. Maybe in the future,..

Photography kit size is key for me. We're coastal sailors getting on and off the boat for a few days/weeks at a time. Unlike the cruiser or liveaboard, getting yourself and gear on a boat for a few days is a step I like to streamline. In deciding to enter the video world, I've been keeping that from dock to the boat - and back to the dock - step in mind.

For bare bones video work these days, that doesn't add too much gear. I'm not sure if more of the video I shoot will be on the iPhone or the DSLR.

I'm still sticking with two lenses that are well suited to filming/photographing, mostly from the boat.

I've added a smaller, stout tripod that fits onboard filming (mostly from deck height), plus a phone mount.

A while back Dylan mentioned video editing on his phone. I've looked into that and it makes a lot of sense for me. I'll have tons of crap videos as I experiment that I don't want to store.

With an SD card reader, I can upload video from my DSLR to my iPhone 14 to see results, and delete as I take it.

I'm looking for a basic video editing app for the phone that gives more control than MacPhotos (any recommendations?). I'm not ready for Final Cut Pro on a big screen,...

Then there is the natural sound that I have so much appreciation for while onboard, but, no experience recording.

I needed an external mic and so added a simple one that fits both the DSLR and iPhone. Most importantly, I can put a windscreen on this. More experimentation.

Back to the kit size; it all fits in a small light bag that will still fit under the dodger and give ready access to a camera for a quick photo.

 

[TheDragon]

You want to edit on your phone? Not sure about that. I used iMovie on my iMac, a couple of YT videos got me started, and the rest was pretty intuitive, and appeared reasonably sophisticated for my use.

 

[Kris Cringle]

You want to edit on your phone? Not sure about that. I used iMovie on my iMac, a couple of YT videos got me started, and the rest was pretty intuitive, and appeared reasonably sophisticated for my use.

After I read this I shot a minute of footage and opened a free video editor after watching an 'edit video on your phone' bit. I only touched on the basics but the cutting is easy, I added my first 'B roll' footage on the front, worked with the filter and color settings (pretty standard Lightroom controls), added some elevator music, and posted it on the free vimeo platform.

Apparently editing on the phone is a thing these days, mostly for amateurs but a few pro's are using the newer phones for both footage and editing and posting Youtube how to's.

For me it will be a means to trash tons of bad footage as I take it. This was shot at 1080p but if you want to use 4K the storage can add up fast. I'll likely buy an editor to use both on my phone and laptop at home, but I don't even think of taking the laptop onboard unless we're on the boat for weeks.

 

[robtoujours]

Maybe use an iPad instead? I use Lightroom on my phone which is ok for simple editing of casual photos but can’t imagine editing videos for upload on it.

At minimum I wpuld need my head in a different space, so if a laptop is too much then an iPad in your favoured size seems like a good compromise.

What lenses are in the bag?

 

[Kris Cringle]

What lenses are in the bag?

2 zoom, 18-55 and 28-135mm.

One reason many are editing or pre-editing on phones is to eliminate the download process and needed storage. Most footage (I'm reading) gets boiled down to a small percentage of what needs to be downloaded.

I watched a tutorial on an editing phone app that connects to a drone, GoPro via Bluetooth and accesses and edits the stored footage without even downloading it to the phone.

There basic cutting and editing can be done on the drones footage, deleted, without downloading.

There are many apps now for phones (and Ipads) at different levels from basic Instagram editors to sophisticated software that a pro would use. I've seen several that will import your phone pre-editing into Final Cut Pro.

On head size; I have a smaller head. Plus the new screens are bigger and brighter.

 

[_samwise_]

A catamaran with two couples was tied up next to me a few days ago getting ready to shove off and messing with their fenders.

They joked around that one of the girls knew how to make a youtube video before knowing how to tie a knot, that about sums up the sailing vlogger scene.