Canon 7D sports videography

If you’re an avid viewer of our Merciad Multimedia: Game of the Week series, you may have noticed a change in the last month.

The two most recent editions of this series were shot entirely using a Canon EOS 7D, unlike those before which were done with a Canon HV20.

The difference is striking, especially as winter sports move into full swing. Shooting in Mercyhurst’s poorly lit arenas would be very difficult with the HV20, especially because it can be difficult to adequately control exposure with that camera. But with the 7D on manual exposure using a variety of L series and fast prime lenses, the job is much easier and there’s very little grain.

The biggest challenge, though, is in tracking fast action subjects using manual focus. I don’t own a Zacuto viewfinder or other similar tool for the camera’s LCD, so it’s even tougher sometimes.

For the two videos below, I used a simple monopod for support and it has worked relatively well. Any shaky shots are user error, as I’m still getting practice at keeping this video tool completely stable.

The 7D’s 60p mode has also been extremely useful. I typically ask coaches and players questions about specific plays that I captured in a game, so having those shots played back in super slow motion really helps the viewer see clearly what transpired. In the video sequences from which the two above frame grabs were taken, it’s very easy to see why the dunk was missed and where that puck ended up.

I plan to continue to use the 7D extensively through the rest of the year for this series and any other news pieces that I produce. Once I saw Patrick Murphy-Racey’s video from the SEC Championship game last month, I was sold on the idea of trying the 7D at campus athletic events. My previous goal for its use had been to improve the quality of my still photos. As a student photographer who had only ever owned a Rebel, it was quite a welcome step up.

Here is the first video, shot at Mercyhurst’s men’s basketball game in December against Urbana. The interviews with Shelton Jackson and Christian Cornelius were shot in a very dark hallway outside the locker room, which made me nervous at first. But with the ISO cranked to 3200 and some slight color correction, both clips turned out to be very usable.

Tracking the action in the second video below was even more difficult, as anyone who has ever shot hockey (still or video) might imagine. The postgame interview again presented problems, since the zamboni driver elected to start the motor just as Chris Risi began talking. I used a Sony shotgun mic plugged into the camera’s input, but the results are still less than ideal.

I’ll post a few other pieces throughout the spring, but you can stay tuned to The Merciad online to see each video as it becomes available.

Thanks for reading and watching!