Up until 3 months ago, I classed myself as a DSLR camera operator and I have filmed work that I am very proud of on one. I’ve been through 3 Canon DSLR’s in my career and still use one as a B camera alongside my Canon C100 today.
That being said, there is a terrible stigmatism against DSLR shooters and smaller video production companies that use them in place of larger or more broadcast friendly cameras.
But why do they get such a bad reputation?
I have seen some terrible videos produced using DSLR cameras, but I have also seen some terrible videos produced on broadcast cameras.
I’m not going to lie, DSLR’s have a lot of issues because they aren’t designed to be used specifically for video. They are stills cameras with video capabilities. As such there are some problems but that doesn’t mean you can’t make great videos with one.
Audio
Let’s tackle this one head on. DSLR’s have terrible audio. No XLR inputs, noisy preamps and the cheapest and nastiest built in microphones that make phone microphones sound amazing. Plus its only very recently that they’ve started to include a headphone jack on most pro-sumer DSLR’s.
The best way to get around this is to use the internal DSLR audio as a guide track and record sound separately and sync it up later in the edit.
A programme like Plural Eyes can synchronise footage extremely quickly and without fuss, even if you haven’t got a clapperboard.
With many audio recorders, they have a line output which can go directly into a DSLR’s microphone port. Set the recording levels as you normally would and you can have your audio recorded on the directly onto the cameras audio track.
This is a simple trick that can save you a lot of time and an editor a mind thumping headache later on in post-production.
Sometimes just having an external microphone like a Rode Videomic or Videomic Pro can greatly increase the sound from your camera over the internal microphone – but I still wouldn’t use this audio as my main audio.
Please excuse the dog hairs on my Videomic.
ND Filters
To control the amount of light entering the camera we can adjust either our shutter speed, aperture and ISO/gain. To get that lovely out of focus background – the point that makes DSLR and mirrorless cameras wanted by so many filmmakers (alongside the huge array of lenses) you’re going to need an ND filter or Neutral Density filter.
On broadcast cameras, they have built in ND filters but DSLR and mirrorless cameras traditionally don’t have them – so you need an ND filter that screws onto the end of the lens.
ND filters vary in strength but the most convenient ones are variable ND filters like this one from Tiffen. By being variable, you can adjust the strength to allow as little or as much light to hit the sensor as you want.
They are a must have when shooting outside and I even keep one on me now even though I have built ND’s on the C100 for very sunny days.
Here is a shot outside at without an ND filter at f4, 1/50, ISO 100.
And here is one, with an ND filter at f4, 1/50, ISO 100
Bit Rate
This for me is the Achilles heel of the DSLR because I can forgive everything except the internal codec of the DSLR. The 8 bit 4:2:0 colour space.
As beautiful as the image is out of the camera, any kind of colour grading is going to showcase artefacts. In essence we call this “the image falling apart”.
The main way to get around this is to use an external recorder. Cameras like the Sony A7S and the Canon 5D Mark III can output uncompressed 8 bit 4:2:2 through the HDMI port or the Panasonic GH4 can output 10 bit 4:2:2 through the HDMI port.
The new Canon 5D Mark IV can internally record 4K at 8 bit 4:2:2 in Motion JPEG (but that’s not something that anyone is shouting about as the Canon 5D Mark IV is clearly designed for photographers, not videographers).
HDMI is not as secure as SDI from broadcast cameras, but it’s a solid solution to improve the quality of the image coming out of your DSLR especially when used with something like an Atomos Ninja 2/Blade or a Blackmagic Video Assist. You end up with bigger files sizes, but better quality video.
So I’ve talked a lot about the negatives of DSLR’s but there are a few benefits to filming with them as well.
Small Form Factor
Any camera operator will tell you that they wish their camera rig could be lighter. All of us suffer from back/shoulder/neck problems at one time or another and there is no getting around the sheer number of bags we have to carry around in order to get the job done. I myself get very bad shoulder blade pains. Even Phillip Bloom isn’t immune and is currently recovering from a horrendous back injury (watch his video review of the Blackmagic Ursa Mini to see just how horrific it has been for him – and to support his channel in a time where he can’t work).
With DSLR’s and mirrorless cameras the ability to be able to have a very small footprint is in itself a blessing. You can be lighter, move around faster and can pack it all into 1 bag as opposed to 7.
When I’m out on my own, just walking around I pack just one bag with my Canon 7D Mark II, maybe 2 lenses, 2 extra batteries, a variable ND filter and a Rode VideoMic for better audio.
Staying light and mobile is very important to me because it means I can adapt to any situation when it arises and not have to rely on getting the shot, picking up my bags, moving 20 metres and then setting it all down to get the next shot.
Cost
This is another main reason why videographers prefer DSLR and mirrorless cameras to broadcast cameras. The sheer cost of them makes people wince with fear (including myself) which is why DSLR’s seem much more appealing.
There are cost values involved with DSLR’s. Lenses, audio, filters, batteries etc but comparatively they are more bang for your buck.
Learning Experience
“How is this one a benefit?”
We all have to learn how to use cameras, but what I think is more important to learn, is what is your style? How you shoot. How you frame your shots. How you tell a story is far more important than anything else.
If you’re just getting started in video, it’s probably not wise to go out and spend £15,000 on a camera because you’re not going to have worked out what kind of shooter you are going to be.
It was on a DSLR that I began to find my footing rather than just filming. Here I learnt more about composition and how each shot influences the next and how to tell a story visually.
No camera can ever improve the story but it can help you to tell it. If you’ve got a rubbish story, a £15,000 camera isn’t going to improve it any more than a £500 can.
So before you discount DSLR’s entirely, give one a go and see how you get on. It might even surprise you.
To see how I use a DSLR on shoots, watch the first in a series called “How We Make a Corporate Video”
To see more examples of DSLR shoots, mixed in with a bit of C100 check out the Design Sheep Youtube channel.