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	<title type="html"><![CDATA[Forums - Bricks in Motion - web cam vs a real camera?]]></title>
	<link rel="self" href="http://bricksinmotion.com/forums/feed/atom/topic/19308/"/>
	<updated>2014-06-27T06:52:57Z</updated>
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	<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/topic/19308/web-cam-vs-a-real-camera/</id>
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			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: web cam vs a real camera?]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326888/#p326888"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[You have StopMotionPro, right? The website will tell you what cameras are compatible with the version you have. I've always used DSLRs because my Mom's a professional photographer and I'm semi-professional. Why go out and buy a webcam when you've got thousands of dollars of camera equipment lying around. Also, as stated before, when you get down to it, the ability to change lenses and have total and versatile control over your camera is a huge advantage, even if the camera is a little larger. And if you think about it, 20 years ago stop motion was done with big film cinema cameras; imagine squeezing that onto a set. :o]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[backyardlegos]]></name>
				<email><![CDATA[backyardlegos@gmail.com]]></email>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/4579/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-06-27T06:52:57Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326888/#p326888</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: web cam vs a real camera?]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326810/#p326810"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[Hmm.  Some good points here.  There are a whole lot more settings (shutter speeds/lens/exposure etc) that aren't available in most webcams.  I guess at its very core, stop motion is simply photography (obviously!) and when it comes to photography, a real camera will win every day.

I've become very attached to my compact webcam and cherish the idea of making cranes and dolly's with minimal effort.  On more than one occasion though I've wished for a different shutter speed or focal length.  Maybe I'll migrate into real camera's at some point.  I'd need to know what my stop mo software can support before that though!]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[togfox]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/132081/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-06-26T02:39:04Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326810/#p326810</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: web cam vs a real camera?]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326794/#p326794"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[I didn't know webcams were fake! I guess you learn something new everyday.]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[Rockydude411]]></name>
				<email><![CDATA[rockydude411@yahoo.com]]></email>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/130340/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-06-25T22:00:55Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326794/#p326794</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: web cam vs a real camera?]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326787/#p326787"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[If I remember correctly web cams can't user a shutter speed under 1/60th of a second, maybe 1/30, this would frustrate me to no end, if I need a 2 second exposure nothing should stop me from getting one.

The other important thing is different lenses. I [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisboyer/10811390303/]shot this[/url] with a 300mm prime lens, a webcam is somthing like 10mm to 18mm or something. Shooting that micro-scale city on a web cam lens would really ruin the scale of the shot (I tried it with my 55mm prime and was disappointed in how it looked, it just wasn't a long enough focal length), plus the gradient background would have to be around 4-5x bigger. Understanding how different focal lengths effect your photography is really important if you have a specific thing in mind you want to create on screen.]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[SlothPaladin]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/411/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-06-25T21:07:08Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326787/#p326787</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: web cam vs a real camera?]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326784/#p326784"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[You have a ton more control with a DSLR then with a webcam you can adjust how much it focuses on and just a ton ton more settings. Also its a lot more professional and if your ever thinking of doing filmaking as a living is just a really good investment.]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[osomstudios]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/130679/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-06-25T20:57:22Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326784/#p326784</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: web cam vs a real camera?]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326765/#p326765"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[[quote]Only build what the camera sees.[/quote] - Once said Nathan Wells, in his perfectly done "Bricks in Motion" tutorial series. (Which I'd really recommend any brickfilmer to watch, BTW) Though he used a webcam in that video, the rule applies to any camera that you could use for a film - You don't need to build some big, awesome set, just to have 1/12 of it appear in the final film. Instead, write things out, make some concept art, draw an over-head view of the sets, and make it in LDD - that way, you not only end up with better, more original set designs, but you also use less LEGO bricks, and just build what's right for the shot itself - a luxury that only animation and stop-motion really have.

Thus, if you're going by Nathan's rule, you could really use any camera for brickfilming. The only problems come down to filming on already made sets. (which, really, should be carefully dismantled for each individual shout, even though most of us brickfilmers are too lazy to do that, and just try to film the best we can on what we already have) However, with a dslr, you can usually have much more control over things such as aspect ratio, size and image quality, zoom features, and even can mess with setting the picture-capture on a timer! Most, if not all of these things could be done with a decent webcam, and some heavy editing in post, however, the dslr would cut down the time you spend editing tremendously!

Thus, that's really a hard question, togfox. Both cameras have advantages as well as disadvantages. Only when looking into minor details and set-ups does the dslr usually come out ahead. It really all boils down to how much money you've got in your pocket, and if you're willing to change to be a better brickfilmer? (Not to say that great brickfilms haven't been done on webcams, as, they will no doubt continue to be made on them...) If you can invest in a dslr, it's probably for the best if you're going to use your LEGO collection to it's fullest, and dismantle sets just to get the perfect shots in your film. I you're going to be filming in tiny sections, with the camera close to the actual set at all times, then a webcam is probably best. However, if you'd prefer to build simple wall-and-minifig sets, then, either would do you well.]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[Dyland]]></name>
				<email><![CDATA[thedylandproductions@yahoo.com]]></email>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/2257/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-06-25T16:47:05Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326765/#p326765</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[web cam vs a real camera?]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326748/#p326748"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[And by real camera, I mean a dslr or similar.

I use a webcam and I find it works extremely well.  I'm confused by those that use dslr.  I understand the quality can be WAY better but when youtube mangles even the most awesome looking video I find this a false argument - unless of course you're not having your video mangled by youtube compression.

I've also yet to find a nook or cranny I couldn't get my webcam into.  How do you slr ppl do overhead crane shots with a large and heavy cam?  And remote shutter clicker things - how?  Does your capture software allow you to remote click?  And remote focus and remote pan and remote zoom?  Maybe it does - I don't know - I'm asking the question:

[list=*]
[*]apart from quality, why a dslr over a good quality webcam?[/*]
[/list]]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[togfox]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/132081/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-06-25T06:29:52Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/326748/#p326748</id>
		</entry>
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