If you have a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) stills camera that is only a few years old, it may well shoot video. Also referred to as HDSLR (High Definition Single Lens Reflex), it may well shoot better looking video than an expensive video camera. The BBC, Hollywood and American mainstream media have been using them for some time and they are well suited to drama where some of their shortcomings are less of a problem. They can however, be used very successfully for documentaries. They can shoot great looking interviews and are even of some use for on the hoof 'run and gun' work.
The video below is an example of what can be achieved. It was shot on a Canon 550D with a £7 neck tripod and a £50 LCDVF (an eyepiece similar to the one shown above) and the total cost of setup was around £500. This was the first time I have used a DSLR in anger! There are a couple of slightly wobbly shots and I think a rig of the type shown above would help a lot (these are discussed below). This beginners guide to DSLR video should get you started, outline the 'pros and cons' and set you in the right direction. For more information, you may also want to look at Rough Guide to Filming which is a general guide to shooting. So what's so great about DSLRs?The main reasons people like DSLRs are:
3rd party firmware hacks can give you facilities and frame-rates only available on the most expensive cameras and/or new facilities not available at all. There are video cameras coming along with DSLR sensors (often refereed to as CMOS/Crouped Frame sensors) and these can give the best of both worlds but are still currently expensive (£3000+ not including a lens). What are the downfallsDSLRs are designed primarily for taking stills so there video capabilities and ergonomics are compromised. The downfalls which apply to almost all DSLRs are:
Sound IS Important!
There are three issues you are trying to solve here. |
The solutions for recording sound separately while using DSLR are the same as recording with any film camera. For years, DAT was used, followed by hard disk systems. Recently there has been a move to solid state recorders which record on SD cards. Prices vary, but Zoom do a range which include the budget Zoom H1 and the more professional Zoom H4n (pictured right) which has balanced XLR inputs. Other ones to consider are the Edirol R-06 (pictured left) and the Sony M10 (which is probably one of the best with 3.5mm jack inputs). To get clean sound you will want to use a boom mic and lavalier for interviews and you can also get very good results using the internal microphones for ambient and wild-track.
The best option is always to record the sound using external microphone(s) which are plugged into a mixer which is controlled by the sound engineer. The output from the mixer can either be recorded separately (as above) or recorded on the camera (see next section). |
Using a camera mounted mixer/amplifier
Several people (Beachtek and Juicelink) have created units specifically to overcome the problems of recording sound on a DSLR. They have an amplifier so the internal amplifiers in the cameras can be turned off. They have circuitry that causes the Auto Gain Control to be turned to minimum. They also have manual levels and a headphone socket to allow the audio to be monitored. Jucelink do a budget, but high quality, unit (DS214, pictured left) which is designed for use with 3.5mm mini-jack Microphones such as the Rode VideoMic. They do a full range that includes XLR and phantom powered models and even a 4 channel one. Beachtek also do a full range which take both XLR and minijack. The Jucelink with XLR and phantom power (DT454) is quite a lot more expensive than the Beachtek Equivalent (DXA-SLR, pictured right) but you should look at both and see if there are any other ones around. Be sure the model you choose has all the features you need; for instance, some of the Jukelink models do not have a headphone output. If you turn off the internal pre amps (the camera may have this feature or you may need to use hacked firmware), it may be possible to connect some microphones directly to the camera if they put out a line level signal (i.e. Sennheiser radio microphones). You may not be able to monitor the sound. Alternatively a external mixing desk will put out a high enough signal to record on to the camera with pre-amps turned off (but then, if you have a sound engineer and portable mixer available, you probably want to record sound separately anyway!). |
Getting a Steady Shot - Rigs and Stabilisers
There are numerous rigs and stabilisers ranging for under £10 to thousands of pounds. I have used a £7 stabiliser from 7dayshop with great success (see Skateboarding Guess video at top of this article). There is also a £30 stabiliser that straps to your body which has had favourable reviews (Amazon Shoulder Support) but only works if you are right handed. Redrock do a full range of reasonably prices rigs (from a couple of hundred pounds, the picture at the top of this article is a Redrock Micro Rig) and lots can be found on eBay by doing a search for 'dslr rig'. Flycam are also worth looking at if you are looking for something a little more like a Steadycam. The more expensive ones tend to use a system to allow you to attach accessories such as follow focus and matt boxes. There are also several DIY ones you can build (have a look on Cheesycam), my particular favourite is made out of PVC pipes available from your local DIY shop. |
So which camera to get
The Canon 5D Mark II is generally considered the leader of the pack due to it having a massive full frame (35mm) sensor. This is even bigger than top of the range video cameras and the footage from this camera is spectacular. The body alone will set you back £1500 and as the sensor is large cheaper lenses (EF-S ones designed for smaller sensors) can not be used. If you don't want to spend thousands of pounds the Canon 550D/60D or the Panasonic Lumix GH1/2 are worth looking at. There are lots of reviews of them and the GH2 may be the best choice. This review pits the GH2 against the 60D. The Canon 7D, 550D/T2i and 60D all have the same sensor but the 60D has improved features so out of these is probably the one to go for. If you are on a very tight budget picking up a used 550D is a good option (see this article for more info). Do lots of research, people have different requirements and the only way to know for sure is to try one. There are lots of DSLR and even non DSLR stills cameras that do video so you may already have a suitable one. If buying one get full HD 1080 and if you want to record sound on the camera make sure it has at least a standard 3.5mm microphone socket. |
Depth of Field (DOF)
The Depth of field is the area where things are in focus (eg. everything from 3 to 5 meters is in focus). One thing that makes video look more 'cinematic' is setting up the camera so that the background is out of focus. This is refereed to as a shallow depth of field. This tends to make the contributor or in focus element pop out and if done properly can look great. There are a number of different elements to getting a shallow DOF but having a bigger sensor helps a lot. With DSLR cameras it is a lot easier to get a shallow DOF than all but the top of the range video cameras. Exactly how best to achieve this is beyond the scope of this article but generally moving back from the contributor, zooming in and using a large aperture (small F number) helps. Moving the contributor away from the background also helps. Be careful not to overdo it, you may end up with only the tip of the nose in focus. Also you don't want a situation where there are interesting shapes in the background of objects that are out of focus that the viewer will get distracted trying to work out what they are. Background which create abstract patterns work well, experiment. Sometimes extremely out of focus works best, sometimes a more subtle look works. In terms of focusing, concentrating on the eyes is generally considered best practice. More expensive lenses create a nicer looking out of focus area, this is referred to as the Bokeh of the lens. Although a shallow DOF looks good it is not always practicable. If you use a small aperture (high F stop) and zoom wide you will have a much wider depth of field, this means that a lot more is in focus. This is very useful for on the hoof shooting when a lot is happening and is also a good place to start if you are a beginner. It much better to have everything in focus than nothing. Lastly remember if you increase the ISO it is easier to get wider DOF and reducing it will mean you will use a lower f stop and DOF will be shallower. For more info watch this video. |
What other kit will I want?
With traditional camcorders, you have a whole integrated video recording unit but with DSLRs the camera often becomes the central building block for a video system comprising lots of bolted on kit. Rigs have already been mentioned and as well as stabilising the camera they are also used to bolt on extra components. Below is the list of the extra components you may require.'LCD' Viewfinder and external monitors.
LED Camera LightLighting for DSLRs is no different from lighting for other types of video cameras. It is however worth mentioning that there have recently been a number of very cheap LED video lights that are good for fill (when in bright sunlight) or for the key light if you are shooting run and gun documentaries. It is even possible to use several at once. LED lights have three big advantages over traditional tungsten lights.
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BracketsAs you have seen the DSLR can have multiple attachments. One solution to this is to but a Rig but they are expensive. Another solution is to buy a bracket (or even two) to increase the number of things that can be attached. Pictured above is a very cheap 'camera bracket handle' that screws into the bottom of the camera and gives you 2 extra hot shoe attachments. This can allow an LED light and microphone to be clipped onto a camera. There are various different brackets available on eBay such as the 'rotating flash bracket'. |
Follow focus
As mentioned above one of the problem with DSLR lenses is that the zoom ring is not designed for smooth zooming. The 'gearing' is too high and the ergonomics are not ideal for filmmaking. There is a similar issue with focusing. It is difficult to smoothly change the focus to follow something. In professional filmmaking, even with top end video cameras, a attachment called a follow focus is used. Follow focus systems generally attach to rigs (or the bottom of the camera). They have a control wheel sticking out from the side of the camera and a focus wheel which press onto the focus ring of the lens. When the control wheel is rotated the focus wheel has gears to change the focus. The gearing is low so the focus can be changed slowly and smoothly. It is also possible to mark specific focus settings. This is put last in the list as it is more used in drama than documentary but it is still very useful for docs. Follow focuses tend to cost from around £75. Examples (with cheapest first) are Indiefocus, D focus and Redrock (pictured). It is worth looking on eBay and Cheesycam have a few DIY projects and a review of a budget follow focus. |
Special / Hacked Firmware to unlock hidden features.
Manufacturers have not necessarily given users everything they could regarding video facilities. This has led to groups of very technical users finding ways to improve cameras. Cameras have firmware which users have found ways of re-writing (or writing extensions). Below is a list of cameras and places where firmware can be got. Bear in mind this is quite technical to do. If you know of any details of any other cameras please contact us.- Canon 5D Mark II has Magiclantern
- Canon 550D / T2i / Kiss X4has has Magiclantern for 550D
- Canon 60D has Magiclantern for 60D
- Canon 500D / T1i / Kiss X3 has Magiclantarn for 550D
- Canon 50D is on its way
- Canon 600D is on its way
- Panagonic Lumix GH1 has PTool
- Panasonic Lumix GH2 currently has no firmware
Links / Further Reading
The DSLR Show - excellent resource and good next stop. The show is a series of high quality (in every way) video guides.Cheesycam - blog giving advice on DSLR film-making. It is mainly concerned with kit but has some tricks and techniques stuff also.
(c) Ben Edwards 2011