Using a VDSLR in a Client Environment

In case you haven't heard, digital SLR still cameras are now including features to allow shooters to record HD video in the camera. Why is this a big deal? Well, first, it offers a much larger imaging sensor than typical prosumer video cameras. The bigger the sensor, the more shallow the depth of focus can be...and that's what gives you that deep Hollywood feel to your footage. Second, shooting on a DSLR opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for using good still lenses for video. Super wide fisheyes, ultra-telephoto, Lens Baby's, etc.

This is a new technology...in fact, Canon and Nikon sort of accidently included HD video as a feature on some of their newer DSLR camera bodies. They had very little idea that this feature would be so popular...especially with the independent filmmaking community. I was struck by all of the buzz, and I ran out and got one...a little early Christmas of '09 gift to myself.

The thing to remember is that this is a new technology. It's a stills camera that just happens to record HD video...I'll get more into the limitations that brings later. The camera I purchased is the Canon 7D. Shoots 18MP stills, as well as full 1080p 30fps video (not to mention 1080/24p and 720/60p). To go along with it, I purchased a Tamron 17-55mm lens with vibration compensation; and for sound I acquired a Samson Zoom H4n recording device. All of the other support and grip gear I already had.

So, anyway, it's a stills camera. There's no zoom rocker on the lens. No zebra bars on the VF. To white balance you have to jog through menus, shoot stills and tell the camera what white is. Hardly any audio controls whatsoever. No built-in ND filters. No gamma or paint functions. The video out is only via HDMI...which turns off the camera's VF, and only takes up 80% of the display of your external monitor. Plus, the camera is the size and shape of a DSLR...which could scare off a paying client really quickly! And I had to really dig in and figure out what an ISO is, and what "fast glass" meant. Quite the learning curve, as I have experienced...at least for someone who has never owned an SLR before.

Now I am using the camera for real paying clients. And, well, I'm not looking back! The look of the footage is something I was never able to obtain from other HD camcorders...even 2/3" full-body cameras. Not even a 35mm adapter on a prosumer camera can reproduce the look of a real full-frame sensor. You can tinker with the color (tint, saturation, contrast and brightness) in the camera; at default settings the colors are quite accurate, although fleshtones seems a bit flat. Reds can be noisy, especially at higher ISOs, but the rest of the color spectrum is clean and full of detail. The sharpness is astounding...a good lens can go a long way! Low-light shooting is worlds...WORLDS beyond what smaller-sensor'd camcorders are capable of. And the shallow depth of focus that's all the rage right now...it's easy to obtain with these DSLR cameras.

All rigged up with a big lens, support rails, and an on-board LCD monitor on an articulating arm, the camera doesn't look so small. It looks more like a science project. Haven't had a client balk at me yet. And the footage has only brought smiles...and more projects on the way.

I'll continue to post some footage and stills from my work, and comment on future experiences as more projects and toys come my way.