A Beginner’s Guide
As promised in The Sony NEX-5 Camera – The Travel Photography Dilemma Solved, here is a juicy, fruity post on how to make a travel videowith the same beast: the Sony NEX-5. Now, I know that a lot of you have been asking me about this (either on the site or in person) because of the NEX-5′s unique, mirrorless setup.
I also know that a lot of you couldn’t care less about this photography stuff and just came here to read some great travel articles. If that’s you, then why not check out A Cultural Awakening in Benidorm or The Safari Symphony in the Okavango Delta.
If you’re here for video, then read on.
Video With the SONY-NEX5
It’s actually incredibly easy, to the point that it’s slightly embarrassing to write this post. Press the red record button to start recording – and then press it again to stop. Ta da!
Travel Video Tips
- Steady your hand as much as possible. Use a tripod if you can, otherwise rest your camera on a solid object or at the very least use two hands.
-Noise: Without a special microphone, wind and background chatter will probably drown out your subject. In quiet conditions, though, the SONY NEX5 does a decent job (Listen at around 1 minute 20 on the Alaska video below.)
-Before you start recording, press the photo shutter release half way down to focus the camera.
-Use the zoom smoothly and slowly.
-Film for a few seconds more than you think you need both before and after the crucial event you’re recording. It will make your life much easier at the editing stage.
The Verdict? An Independent Review
For adventure travel situations, when you don’t want to carry heavy, cumbersome equipment, the SONY NEX5 is ideal. It lets you produce high quality photographs and create travel videos with a single piece of lightweight kit. Could you find individual components elsewhere that would produce a better result? Yes and no.
Yes, there are certainly cameras (for both still and moving pictures) that will produce higher quality images than the SONY NEX5 IF (and this “if” is bigger than it sounds) you are able to carry them around without injuring yourself or damaging the lenses. On dry land, in a safe studio, the others win.
Hiking on ice in Alaska, the SONY NEX5 is perfect.
Here’s the video (a picture paints 1000 words, the proof is in the pudding and all that. On ice, the boot’s probably even on the other glove.)
Video Clip Using the SONY NEX5: Icebergs in Alaska
Video Clip Using a Flip Video: Sparkly Bras In Copenhagen
Video Clip Using a Panasonic SDR-S50: Zooming Around London
Video Clip Using an iPhone: Gondolas in Venice
Read the original review on the Sony NEX5 here.
Loved the quality from the sony nex5 video. what software did you use to create the video clip ?
Windows Live Movie Maker (comes as standard with my laptop.) I am exploring other options but for the time being it suits me fine!
Well, — just press the button when you start and press the same button to stop. But even my compact Samsung nv100HD allow me to pause a video if that is what I need, With Nex-5, you must edit several video’s together to get the same result as if I press the Paue button on the remote, to change angle without making the image an amature video.
Personally, I think you always need to edit a video so having a pause button wouldn’t really help me. But each to their own.
Video. There’s no better way to bring your travel memories to life than to have a well composed video to support your story or highlight a special aspect of your travels.
Except for, er, the writing and photos on this blog of course! ;-)