Any professional will tell you you have to be able to see yourself while filming yourself. If you can’t, then it’s really a different kind of shoot: a crapshoot.
But filming with the Facetime camera or any other phone camera that only gives you 720p video is not a great option anymore either. Those videos are looking pretty soft these days.
For an image-conscious market you need something better. At least full HD, which is 1920 x 1080. But this presents an almost insurmountable challenge when you have to use the main camera of your iPhone because YOU CAN’T SEE YOUR IMAGE.
So here’s a simple solution to eliminate the anxiety of not knowing what you look like on camera, for those times when you’re using the iPhone or any other phone camera.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Another great tip Steven!
Some follow-up questions:
1) Can you use a tablet (ipad) vs. your laptop as the monitor?
2) How do you set/lock your focus on the iphone when it is on a tripod and no one is there to help you?
3) How do you hit record from a distance?
Many Thanks my friend!
michael
Good questions!
1. No.
2. You can set the phone to auto-focus, as shown in the video by the yellow box around my face.
3. You don’t. That’s what editing is for! 🙂
could not find reflector dwnload on page
Here you go: http://www.airsquirrels.com/reflector/download/
I just bought the Canon EOS 550D you recommended in your earlier video and now you are telling me that I need to see myself when filming? ;-P
This video was about using phone cameras only. They have special requirements for monitoring that your new camera does not. You can just plug yours into a computer monitor if you wish to film yourself. So cheer up. There’s no need for anxiety.
I have used the MotoG in the past with the front camera and then I could see myself: I found that very useful.
I did not use the camera yet for video: I bought it yesterday. Secondhand, so no manuals. But those I can get from the internet. But I could plug it into a computer monitor and see myself while filming? That would be very handy indeed. How is that done?
It depends on the connections on your monitor. The best would probably be the micro-HDMI out of the camera into an HDMI connection on the computer. Of course you could always use a TV with HDMI as well.
Thanks. I will look into it. I should be shooting new videos in the near future again. 😀