Lighting equipment / tips for unboxing vids, please. • Non-Gaming • Photography • Eurogamer.net

1Dgaf 8 May 2010 21:32:43 5,211 posts
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I got myself a Kodak Zi8 camcorder - 1080 / 720fps but with no manual focus - and want to do some unboxing vids of games.

To make them look half-decent I know I'll need some lighting kit. Table lamps and overheads probably won't cut it. What do you lot suggest I get? Nothing too expensive, please. Also preferably something I can use with regular bulbs I can get from the corner shop.

A diffuser thing to make light look softer? One of those reflective umbrella things?

EDIT: It turns out diffusers are for flash photography. Shows how much I know.

Benno 8 May 2010 21:41:24 11,854 posts
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unboxing vids of games?

chortle

Benno 8 May 2010 21:42:03 11,854 posts
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i read as lifting equipment / tips for boxing

caligari 8 May 2010 21:47:46 17,956 posts
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1Dgaf wrote:
What do you lot suggest I get?

Hmmm...

mrharvest 8 May 2010 22:23:12 5,718 posts
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Basic three point lighting with regular light bulbs should be fine, as long as you set the white balance on your camcorder right. (However since your Kodak Zi8 doesn't apparently have white balance settings, you'll need to fix it in the post.)

Dirtbox 8 May 2010 22:29:10 92,599 posts
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Post deleted

1Dgaf 8 May 2010 23:06:05 5,211 posts
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Harvest,

Have regular lights in a triangle shape around the game? Assuming I understood correctly, that makes sense.

Unfortunately I can't adjust white balance and all that stuff - just using the iMovie HD software that came with my 2-3 year old Mac. Just hoping for as a good of picture without any tweaking.

I'll try the light thing, of course. Do I need to put some kind of filter over them? Piece of paper or something?

VandelayIndustries 8 May 2010 23:15:58 1,524 posts
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You could bounce the lights off some white paper/card or use tracing paper in front of the lights.

heyyo 8 May 2010 23:44:22 14,356 posts
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caligari wrote:

1Dgaf wrote:
What do you lot suggest I get?

Hmmm...

hmmmmm...

mrharvest 9 May 2010 04:34:03 5,718 posts
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1Dgaf wrote:
I'll try the light thing, of course. Do I need to put some kind of filter over them? Piece of paper or something?

If you use direct light, it will exaggerate any contours and creases on the subject. Having a diffusion filter will smooth out those creases. It's your choice.

If you do bounce the light (with a piece of white card for example) or use a filter, make sure your lights still give enough power so you don't have to use the camera aperture wide open (causes softness) or use a high ISO rating (increases image noise).

1Dgaf 9 May 2010 13:52:31 5,211 posts
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Thanks Harvest. I think I'll bounce it off card and see how it goes. I can't adjust anything on Zi8, apart from a switching it into macro mode. It's like disposable point-and-shoot camera in that respect.