DSLR Video equipment and editing questions

[Amp34]

I went away during the summer and got some videos on my then new D7000. Just looking through them again reminded me of a few questions I had...

First off, editing software. What is the easiest yet good software to use? I know of Premiere Pro, After Effects and Sony Vegas but which is the better one for general use?

I'd be looking to merge/crop clips etc but also to remove camera shake as best I can. I've seen http://www.guthspot.se/video/deshaker.htm this using virtualdub as another option, anyone used it?

Equipment wise I know of steadicams but they are very expensive, short of making my own are there any other brands that would be good enough to take a couple of kg but are cheaper?

Lens wise. I was using the Nikon 17-55 on my camera and it's ok, however I couldn't use autofocus as it would hunt every few seconds. I understand autofocus isn't to be used all the time but is it a limitation of the camera or is it a limitation of the lens? If the latter are there any better lenses to use? I'm thinking a VR prime, but I don't think Nikon do any?

 

[York]

For handheld stedicam look at the Stedicam Merlin or a Glidecam. Glidecam will be cheaper, but still around £400 for the 2000 series (good enough for DSLRS). Alternatively you can knock one up yourself if you're any good at making stuff. Lots of videos on YouTube .

Got a stedicam merlin and a Glidecam HD4000 (with vest etc!) and actually find the Glidecam easier to balance and setup.

 

[GTRacer]

I used to use Vegas but Premiere Pro is very nice, the integration with Ae is quite useful. The warp stabiliser is pretty nice too, but it works up to a point before you end up with some seriously strange distortion. I haven't really used it in depth though (it came with my Creative Cloud sub), but from what I can tell I'm having an easier time editing video on Premiere than Vegas (I used version 9 last), plus I get to use it on my Mac as well. To be honest Vegas would be fine for quickly putting together video, I never really ran into any truly frustrating quirks of the program when I edited using that.

 

[eyyaz]

You can get the Flycam, tis a clone of the glidecam and a cheaper option (i had this before getting my glidecam) and works the same.
Sony vegas and after effects also have stabilizer effect plug-ins
You should stick to manually focusing your shots and not rely on the autofocus, get yourself a 50mm too as the DOP will help make your subjects stand out in shots.

 

[Tysonator]

I used to use Vegas but Premiere Pro is very nice, the integration with Ae is quite useful. The warp stabiliser is pretty nice too, but it works up to a point before you end up with some seriously strange distortion. I haven't really used it in depth though (it came with my Creative Cloud sub), but from what I can tell I'm having an easier time editing video on Premiere than Vegas (I used version 9 last), plus I get to use it on my Mac as well. To be honest Vegas would be fine for quickly putting together video, I never really ran into any truly frustrating quirks of the program when I edited using that.

Is that SONY Vegas ! ?

 

[Amp34]

Thanks for the comments so far.

I downloaded vegas 10 after this thread and had a play with the stabilisation option and it ives me some odd artefacts so I think I'll have to play with it a little more and download Premiere pro

You can get the Flycam, tis a clone of the glidecam and a cheaper option (i had this before getting my glidecam) and works the same.
Sony vegas and after effects also have stabilizer effect plug-ins
You should stick to manually focusing your shots and not rely on the autofocus, get yourself a 50mm too as the DOP will help make your subjects stand out in shots.

Thanks for the Flycam suggestion I will have a look at it.

My videography work will mostly be landscape and wildlife work so a 50mm isn't going to be much good, I think IS would be a better option than a bit less DoF, especially if I have to try and track something whilst it's moving, which is why I was trying to see if AF would work in those situations. It's also why I would rather have a compact professional system rather than a home made one. The biggest issues I appear to have is stability (when not on a tripod, with a longish lens trying to track an animal moving) and focus, trying to keep something in focus while it's moving is a pain, Continuous AF appears to work ok with photos but I get a constant rechecking of focus every few seconds on the D7000 which ruins any use of AF (especially if I've forgotten to turn it off after using photos). It's why I want to know if it's a D7000 problem or a lens problem.

 

[GTRacer]

Is that SONY Vegas ! ?

Yup.