DSLRs That Shoot HD Video - A Different Kind of Camcorder (page 2)
Video to Stills
Noah Harald is an independent filmmaker and videographer who has made the transition to shooting with DSLRs. See his website for examples of his films and commercials. Harald's introduction to the Nikon D90 came for a commercial for Lincoln. "I was excited about using Nikon lenses for a film shoot," he says. "We shot the night life of L.A., cars, bars and restaurants, and were not weighed down with a big crew. It worked perfect and I fell in love. There's a depth of field, sharpness and clarity of prime lenses."
"It was great how little light was needed," says Harald. "In the interiors, the more we turned off the lighting, the more real it looked. The contrast looks beautiful; there's a quality to the dark areas, with more dynamic range. Camcorders provide around 4 to 5 stops, film provides 11 and this is in the middle. There's more detail in the black; it's richer."
"They look more cinematic," he says. "There's a quality to the video that's more film-like. Video can be incredibly sharp - too sharp - or the noise will give it away as video noise, with color in the noise. This is more like film grain."
Production
Shooting video with a DSLR consolidates equipment and provides more flexibility for production, especially because you're not so obviously shooting video.
"I travel to remote places," says Vitale, "and the weight and amount of gear that I carry is always an issue. I was excited by the possibility of being able to switch so quickly and easily between formats without having to carry a completely different setup. I need for people to feel comfortable and relaxed, and this format was a lot less intimidating than a much bigger traditional video camera."
However, even with the smaller camera, says Harald, "People don't question the professionalism of the crew." And in a more traditional filmmaking setup, "It works well on rig and is something of a conversation piece." In addition, the small size allows for more run-and-gun use. "You can shoot with just the camera," he says, "while a more visible camcorder causes problems in a night club or a restaurant. It's a great advantage for guerilla filmmakers."
Shooting Style
But there's still an adjustment, whether your background is photos or video. For Vitale, "Video, as a medium, is quite Zen-like. It forces still photographers to plan more, to be more patient and to think about the story in a tangential way. The principles are the same, but you need to wait longer, hold shots and get a variety of angles and perspectives to make it flow."
Shooting with a DSLR is "more like film," says Harald. He recommends using a rig when possible, saying "it helps to stabilize the camera since it uses a rolling shutter."
Similarly, Harald recommends capturing sound separately - the cameras are not as quiet as camcorders, and, while the high-end models have an audio input, the others record only mono sound. This is a good idea even if you just plan to shoot photos, since you can use the ambient sound to create multimedia presentations with animated stills, as shown on Frakes' StrawHatVisuals.com site.
Wrap
Even with all this excitement, video DSLR cameras are still in the early phases of development. There are obvious areas of improvement, some of which are already appearing in the newer, higher-end models, from longer recording times to more complete photo-like control when you are shooting video.
Harald concludes, "It's a different format, not for long weddings or sports. But it would be hard to go back to a video camera with a fixed lens. I've converted a couple of friends and expect that DSLR for video will be pretty common in a few years."
Doug Dixon covers digital media at Manifest-Tech.com.
