Hand Held VS Tripod?

[Robsinhamilton]

Easy answer.... Tripod of course BUT!

What would you choose... great hand held vintage shot or a "boring" tripod shot?
My answer is vintage...content rules as far as I'm concerned. You can't go back into the past to redo a shot with a tripod.

http://www.rail-videos.net/video/rejected.php?id=1501310&key=0

How would you vote on the above? Yes for content or no despite content, its shaky handheld?

[Northern Limits]

I vote "no!" From seeing the titles this video obviously has more worth to you than the screeners and subsequent viewers.
Lets face it, what you have dubbed "great" is still shaky and dark. You might try taking out some of the shaky stuff at the beginning, and that little bit before you switch to the caboose view, then resubmit.

Having said that 2 of my 3 submissions were hand held. But this grab shot could have been longer and better with a tripod http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=2540

[Joey Bowman]

The video you posted was not too bad.


Generally I hate hand held videos, there is no excuse not to use a tripod today since most people posting videos are using small cheap cameras and can find an okay tripod for $20 that will at least hold it more stable than their own hands.

There is a guy on Youtube that posts a lot of videos of Tweetsie and all of his are hand held, every time the whistle blows the guy jumps and the camera goes crazy.

[Robsinhamilton]

I have snipped the "shaky" stuff out of my video the best I can and will re-submit tonight.

Looks like I'll have be just as picky as the screeners and be more objective in my selection of videos I plan post on here.

Maybe I got too danged happy just to find my original tapes! :D

Have a great day guys

[Northern Limits]

Maybe I got too danged happy just to find my original tapes! :D

Have a great day guys

:lol: Many of us have had similar thoughts I'm sure.
Good luck on your submissions.

[JWH]

Rob, the screener's purpose of this site IMO is to show railroading in as perfect condition as possible. Historical importance again, IMO is not on the top of the list. That being said, I'll take historical content, over tripod mounted, perfect sunlight SD40's, but then again, that's IMO.
Jan

[WisconsinCentral]

Using SD40's as a standard boring model seems a bit outdated since most SD40's were retired years ago. And now the SD40-2's arent run of the mill either. But I do agree with the fact that if the video isnt too horrible, the historic stuff is definately neat to see.

Alec

[BR549]

I'm actually surprised that your video was rejected considering some other videos that have been accepted to the database with "shakiness". I think that I would agree with you that "hand-held vintage" is just as good as "tripod modern". However, that being said, I don't upload every video that I record.

One prime example occured just today. I videoed a train with a lone B36-7 leader ... something you don't see everyday. Would that be something of interest? Absolutely! However, the wind was blowing my tripod mounted camera all over the place and I got a bunch of camera shake. I didn't attempt to upload the video to this site because it could have been alot better. I even cropped out alot of the shakiness before I posted it to YouTube. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice what you might think is a rare jewel.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the video. Keep them coming.

[Robsinhamilton]

Thanks guys
I appreciate your comments and feed back. My biggest mistake was not using a tripod right from the get go... I liked the idea of the grab and shoot technique back in the 80's. I do use a tripod now albeit I hardly video tape anything these days.

I do have plenty of material and with some creative editing, I should be able to get past the screeners criteria and get posted.

BR549.... I have considered using You-Tube as a plan B should I get rejected video.

SIDE NOTE:
My Pinnacle Video Transfer seems to have a hiccup in it ever since I updated the firmware. I have a hard time digitizing video from a few minutes up to 30 minutes at a time. This is far short of the 60ish hours my hard drive can hold. There must be a way to reverse the firmware to its previous version.

[willie6622]

I'm trying to transfer some of my stuff from the early 90's to DVD so I can post, but I had no idea what the heck I was doing then, and didn't use a tripod. I'll see if I can get them accepted, because there is some awesome stuff there but it is non tripod and shaky.

[Robsinhamilton]

Willie
The only way around shaky video fo me was to edit edit and edit! Keep the scenes as short as you can without loosing the feel for the video clip. It takes time as I got rejected several times. Just keep trying and if you have a decent video editing software, know how to make the most of it. I keep playing with my Studio 12 from Pinnacle and I keep finding new ways to use it.

[willie6622]

Thanks, I'm anxious to start uploading stuff.

[Rod Williams]

There is always YouTube. There are times that something has historical value but is lacking in technical expertise. It's then that you want to be able to share it and it's then that you take option B. There are some very good quality vids on YouTube and a great deal of "don't waste my time". I personally do not use a tripod when travelling overseas but I do use a monopod, a post, a fence or whatever comes to hand to reduce shake. I always try to edit out any excessive movement before posting. Go see em at http://www.youtube.com/user/Rocketboy1950

[Kilroy1313]

...nobody is perfect: This is my ONLY handheld video at Rail-Videos.net:
http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=846

I came on a brand new location in a hassle, when I heard a freight train approaching, it only let me the time to put down my tripod grab the camera and to brace myself with the two elbows on the railing of the viewpoint before the train just was there.

In general handheld videos give me a kind of sea sickness, so I mostly close instantly without watching; also they have a taste of something fastly done without care (= a product of our fast food & consuming era ...:roll:), and so lacking of quality. - As a matter of taste: You may appreaciate such video because of the uniqueness.

P.S.: I watched your video - it must be some very nice souvenir for yourself after all these years and if you put it at YouTube it surely will be not one of the most shaken ones... ;-)

[norfolksouthern]

I should say about handheld or tripod so I vote "TRIPOD"!:)

- David

[Joe the Photog]

Someone suggested your definition of great might be different from their own. I think your definition of vintage might be diffreent from mine. When I saw this thread, I was thinking 1960s, maybe 1970s. Except for the Chessie System unit, it feels like I could go to CP Rail territory and see something similiar today. Not vintage enough in my opinion to be accepted to RV.

Also, the titles at the first are over board. For my tastes, just show the train. I'd also lose the CG at the end over the caboose. Not needed and just corny.

Post it on YouTube where it should rightfully get lots of views.

[railfan_Montreal]

I use to get a tripod for video and even sometime for picture by using the zoom,but I get a video on the database that was hand eld,but really,if I say the right thing..
I put a fixture on my hat for filming some bicycle ride on winter,and while taking a commuter train,I decide to put the camera on my hat-fixture and I did it.
http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=4457
I was also surpised that the video made the top 2 of the day,and of the week..
sometime,the video get a special thing that the screeners need,sometime,the enough good for them without tripod,sometime,I do not have my tripod with me,on that situation,I try got put the camra on a good struture that can prevent the camera movements..sometime,a small fence can do the job..

[lost bouy]

It matters, I know that some people know how to shoot hand held (Danny Harman). He knows how to shoot hand held videos. While some people should just get a tripod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc2TeOJkFyg

Heres probably his best Hand Held video.

I set up my tripod hit play, wave, after the engines pass hit off.