Setting Up

Camera basics: exposure, white balance, focus

All the basics in one video

Scroll down for more in depth material on all the basics, but if you have time to watch only one thing before you start practicing, this is a good place to start.

One and done settings

Before you being a shoot, make sure your camera batteries are charged, memory cards backed up and formatted. Carry extra batteries, cards, charger, card reader, etc.

Under most circumstances, the following settings won't change:

Frame rate - 24 fps (except slow motion, timelapses, step printing)
Shutter speed
- 180 degrees if measured in angle
- 1 over 2 x frame rate if measured in seconds (so 1/48 or closest available on your camera, usually 1/50)
- Exceptions include step printing, or low motion blur sharp images - examples include Peter Jackson's Hobbit movies, Saving Private Ryan
Picture profile - do you want your final look in camera with minimal postproduction, or do you want to shoot a flat picture profile (or log) and color grade in post? LUTs are like instagram filters that apply a certain look
File format - in NX100, choose between AVCHD or XAVC (only some SD cards support)