Jeff Mottle Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I know that DSLR video is all the rage, but I just saw this in a B&H newsletter and am just shaking my head wondering WHY. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/find/newsLetter/Redrock-Micro.jsp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Because it's smaller than a rigged Panasonic video camera? Of course, you look at the guy in the photo and it's talking about walking around at a wedding reception, and you realize the guy can't walk around at a wedding reception like that because he's using a DSLR and he needs one hand to focus. I think this is supposed to be the next big thing. Calumet sent me this this month. Still, you don't have autofocus, you can only record something like 5 minutes at a time, you need to make separate arrangements for the audio - I'd take the Panasonic with 1080p, the Leitz lens and the optical stabilizer and add a mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 All these rigs are like gold plating a Hyundai. Sure you can do it, but why would you want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAcky Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 must be for all those crack head photographers rolling around that can't stop the shakes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Buchhofer Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 3 points of stability are a BIG thing for video.. I personally am not too interested in the video aspect of dslrs (I'm much too lazy/unskilled to pull focus), but i know a few people that are quite heavy into it, afford-ability+lens options seems to be the main draw, specifically longer lenses, and 1.2/1.4's~ that said, that rig looks particularly uncomfortable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koper Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 hmmm, we might just go for that. We've already built a couple of rigs to hold the 5Dmk2 x 2 for stereo video. should not be to difficult to re-rig this contraption. so, why have a mobile phone and a portable music player when instead you can have an iphone, all in one. Imo that comes down to the same as having a dslr with video capabilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 I just can't imagine anyone doing anything professional and being taken seriously filming with a DLSR. Great for pro-sumers etc, but for professional use? Which is why I posted...why build these crazy rigs for prosumers as any serious professional is goign to use the right tool for the job...a proper video camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koper Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I'm sure people we're saying the same when steadicam first came out http://www.urbanfox.tv/images/tripods/steadicam_Ultra.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rddimension Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Have to agree with Jeff....Pointless! IMO - It's kinda like creating a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Do you know any professionals that would film using a DLSR? Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt McDonald Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Maybe the steadycam is kind of silly but have you ever checked out http://prolost.com/ There's some pretty cool stuff there that makes me want to take a stab at some motion video. I think Stu is mostly an advocate of filming anything as opposed to not filming. So not necessarily pro-DSLR but he's got lots of advice on the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nils Norgren Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 We just did a 2 day green screen shoot with 2 rented canon 7Ds, set to 24p, we are able to pull keys from the footage, and get some great depth of field. We piped footage into a video station via an AJA HDIO via HDMI and used Final Cut pro's waveform and vector scope, and monitored the signal to a professional Panasonic video monitor. It was nice to transfer the footage with a card reader, instead of having to digitize in realtime, or get tapes digitzed. We may not be pros, but you would be surprised who is using them, Saturday night live shot it's opens with DSLRs. http://www.dv.com/article/90754 Prolost is a great blog BTW, if you are interested in learning great After Effect techniques read "DV Rebel's Guide" by Stu (Prolost author). http://www.amazon.com/DV-Rebels-Guide-All-Digital-Approach/dp/0321413644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266531443&sr=8-1 my 2¢ -Nils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Oh, I don't doubt that you can do good things with a DSLR - the lenses can come in handy and the pull focusing is no more inconvenient than what pros in studios do - but I think the marketing of these rigs to people walking around at events doesn't seem realistic. It's not a good situation, shooting that sort of unscripted action with both hands dedicated to holding the rig. It's going to be very awkward getting at the camera controls. Compare to a semi-pro video camera where you have the shoulder, and both hands are on the camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 Sure Nils, go and ruin my argument. Doh! So there ARE pros that use them. What was the reasoning behind using DSLRs vs a traditional camera? Price, effect, trendy way to shoot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quizzy Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Only one reason: Because it is very cool to look like The Borg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koper Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Maybe the steadycam is kind of silly but have you ever checked out http://prolost.com/ There's some pretty cool stuff there that makes me want to take a stab at some motion video. I think Stu is mostly an advocate of filming anything as opposed to not filming. So not necessarily pro-DSLR but he's got lots of advice on the matter. Great blog, love the review on the Rebel T2i aka 550D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nils Norgren Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Sure Nils, go and ruin my argument. Doh! So there ARE pros that use them. What was the reasoning behind using DSLRs vs a traditional camera? Price, effect, trendy way to shoot? There are probably only a few fringe vets that are using them (many still shoot 35mm film), but the students, to the young directors that are tech heads are using them. Primarily due to the fact that they can put big, fast glass on them, and they are shooting with a large sensor. With a low f-stop you can get very good depth of field effects, (which is impossible with small video cameras) and shoot in much lower light situations. The quality of the lens in video is as important as photography. For a while (about 3 years ago) the "Ground Glass" adapters were all the rage, they would let you have a consumer camera, attach to a big noisy contraption that allowed you to mount SLR lenses on the front and get the DOF and "Film" look. They sucked up about 3 stops of light and they added noise, but people were still shelling out 2 to 3 grand for the good ones. DSLR video made these obsolete (as far as I know). This is where the discussion comes full circle, the people who made all those ground glass - type adapters, are now trying to stay relevant by making all the bells and whistles for DSLR video, like the shoulder mount and follow focus rings etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth-of-field_adapter http://www.redrockmicro.com/lensadapter/index.html One additional note, although it is not a reason for pros to use the DSLR for video, in the past we have been disappointed with anything less than the pro level cameras for pulling green screen keys, that meant a cine-alta (sony) or varicam (Panasonic), which are around 1300 to 1500 dollars a day to rent, and you need a professional DP to run them, someone who knows all the ins and outs of the cameras. We have tried the Panasonic P2, and a few other HDV cameras, and the footage ends up too compressed to get good keys. The DSLRs are 200 to 300 to rent for a week, and lenses are cheap to buy or rent. This along with not needing a 2500 to 3000 dollar a day professional to run the camera, makes a huge cost savings, and we get more control (don't have to explain everything to the DP on set). Overall it makes sense for us, again we are not pros like Stu from Prolost, those guys get into all the tech, and know everything about all the camera systems, and they have other motivations behind the DSLR video/film movement. -Nils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litleboy Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 I just saw a filming crew using two DSLR for video, one Nikon and one canon (5D and 3D I think) the tripod he was using for the video looked more expensive than the camera. for sure DSLR video is not a PRO or semi PRO video replacement jet, but they had to start somewhere an looks promising, Already you can do nice stuff in short shoots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draper Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Sure Nils, go and ruin my argument. Doh! So there ARE pros that use them. What was the reasoning behind using DSLRs vs a traditional camera? Price, effect, trendy way to shoot? I don't know about other people, but the paramount things for me are affordability, size, and simplicity. I was able to make these two completely on my own with only a T1i, kit lens, and premiere pro. Obviously due to the barebones-ness of them they're not really pro at all, I didn't even think of sending them to any kind of film festivals, but I'm still pleased with how they turned out considering how simple they were to make: and http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=7QOhj82Faw0&feature=related Those were over a year ago. Now, I'm buying a T2i and maybe an external mic and cheap steady cam along with MAYBE an alternate lens. Everything will be higher quality now, while still being affordable and easily transportable. Being able to do everything myself is unbelievably freeing, though obviously for actual movies with actors and such I would need more people involved. Even with that, though, it's still much easier than film sets I worked on in high school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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