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franky92.franky92Hi all,
I currently have a new ZR800 camcorder. I want to know if there’s a way to put filter on it or make some filters from gels or other.
Thanx a lot, π
franky92 π
AnonymousShort answer: no.
Not so short answer: One of the problems with consumer end gear is that they often cut out a lot of the camera to keep it cheap. This camera doesn’t have filter threads on the lens, so you can’t add any lens filters.
Can you put a filter in front of the lens? Sure, but there’s nothing to hold it there.
If filters are a must for what you do, you shoul consider exchanging the camera. But honestly, most filters can be digitally created in post production anymore.
What exactly are you trying to do that you want filters for?
franky92I would want to reduce sharpness (you know to make it look more like a film), a filter for Day-for-Night,etc…
PS: I use Sony Vegas 7
AnonymousVegas can soften up the video in it’s effects (if I recall correctly.) However, if you want a super cheap filter to soften up your video, try pulling a pair of women’s pantyhose over the front of your camera. It looks funny, but it really does work. Otherwise, you can buy a softening filter and tape it in front of the lens, but I hate sticking stuff to my cameras if I can avoid it.
TheGrimmSleeperfranky92 Wrote:
a filter for Day-for-Night,etc…
Lots of options here. I’m not familiar with your model of camera but if it has manual white balance control, set the white balance to something orange or yellow. This causes a blue, kind of night-time tint. You may also want to close the iris a bit to make it a bit darker. There’s a better description of this technique in this thread: http://www.videomaker.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5339
I tried it, and actually went outside a few days back to give it a test run. It worked wonderfully. I was in a fairly dense forest. The only issue was when the sun light came through the trees and created white patches on the ground, but that was workable. It’s certainly a more cost effective option than buying a DFN filter. I’ve seen them priced for well over $200.
You can also do it in post (Vegas is great from what I’ve heard; I use Final Cut myself). The advantage to that is that your original footage looks "normal", in contrast to the above where the footage actually has the blue tint directly on it. On the downside it can take awhile to adjust the color and brightness to look believable.
Another thought for your lens softening issue. If you’re doing a stationary shot you could try using a c-clamp on some kind of stand or extra tripod positioned right in front of the camera to hold the filter in place. Getting some gels might work too using that method.
