advice on doing videos of calculator operations

[Dieter]

(07-09-2014 10:59 PM)Don Shepherd Wrote:  Yeah, my daughter was born in 1979 and I decided to invest in a good 35mm camera and tripod at that time. I forget the camera model number, but it was a Nikon SLR, probably a low-end one. I took many great pics over the years with that setup.

The only low-end Nikon SLR at that time was the brand new EM, a camera without manual exposure control (aperture priority auto only) that was exclusively available in black. Which - except in higher end models - was quite unusual at that time. It also was one of the very first cameras with a beeper. ;-)

So you got the original VS-3. In this case it should feature a tiltable center column. This could be very useful here since it allows the camera to look downward while the calculator rests on a table or on whatever you like – but without any mechanical connection to the camera. So you can do anything with the calculator without the slightest effect on the camera position. If you do a Google image search for "Velbon VS-3" you will find various pictures of your tripod with the center column set horizontally, for instance this one. The picture also shows the VS-3's second camera support (additional 1/4" screw) where the camera may be mounted pointing downwards while the center column stays in its standard vertical position.

Quote:I hadn't considered that, but you're right. If I get this stand I'll have to do some experimenting. I've only done a couple of videos in the past and would like to do one more, and I'm not sure I want to go to the expense of buying this for a one-time use.

One more reason for using the VS-3. ;-)

Dieter