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Using a 7d for broadcast actuality scenes
Most of what I shoot with my Canon 7d tends to be fairly controlled and set up, as this is where the camera really comes into its own. Director / Producer Lucy Cutler from the BBC contacted me as she wanted to shoot a film with a different look and was keen to use some kind of DSLR for the shoot. Initially it sounded like the wrong camera for the job, but I was really interested to see if you could shoot a standard fly on the wall or observational style piece with a 7d. For this project, it was impossible to control the scenes in this way at it was more of a "run and gun."
When shooting any actuality scene I find myself continually re-framing in order to help the edit. If I shot an entire scene on a mid shot there would be nothing to cut to, so a variety of shots are needed in a very short space of time, and this can be a challenge on an HDSLR as the lenses just don't have the same range as a traditional broadcast camera. Alternating between a wide and a tight on a 17-55 mill lens gave me just enough variety, along with moving position more frequently than you might need to with a full size camera.
The big difficulties are obviously lack of ND and iris control. Following a presenter as she walks from dark rooms to bright rooms to outdoors with no ND filters or a smooth iris control was obviously pretty tricky. I tried to control these scenes as much as possible, by stopping the action before going into a new room. I used an ND fader on the front of the lens which I find essential for DSLR work, you can twist the ND ring to give you more or less light.
On the whole I would say shooting actuality on a 7d is difficult, but not impossible. Check out the results below.
Some thoughts on the new Canon C300 compared to the RED scarlet and the Sony F3
When the Canon C300 was announced there was a collective sigh of disappointment from legions of Canon EOS shooters, who were probably hoping for a camera under 5000 dollars that fixed up some of the issues they had been having shooting with their EOS cameras for the past couple of years. Maybe all our expectations had got a bit carried away, with rumors flying around about a new camera that shoots 4k at pro res while over cranking etc etc.
There is a lot that is good about the C300. Firstly, it is made by Canon, it therefore will work, will be reliable and have plenty of places that will sell it and its accessories (or take it in to be fixed should anything go wrong). Secondly, if you are already invested in EOS lenses, shoulder rigs, focus units and so on, you can continue to use those tools. Thirdly, it records with Canon XF 50Mbps 4:2:2 MPEG2 codec.
For people that want to upgrade from the Canon EOS range, the next price step up is the FS100 and the AF100 that solve EOS issues (such as audio and short record clip lengths). This is not the bracket Canon are aiming at with the C300. The C300 is priced much higher, and brings it to the same range as the Sony F3 and now the RED Scarlet.
The RED scarlet does have some great credentials on paper - mainly that it shoots RAW 4k footage. However, the biggest problem from my perspective is work flow.
Here is an example of how a conversation might run between me and a production manager with RED.
PM: "Do you have an HD camera we could use to shoot our next production."
Me: "Yeah, I have a RED Scarlet - it shoots 4K"
PM: "What is 4K, is it as good as 1080?
Me: "4k is higher res than 1080"
PM: "Oh RED, yeah we used that a year ago and our AVID shit itself, we had to take all the footage to a facilities house in Soho and it cost a million quid and took a year longer than expected."
Here is the same conversation with the Canon C300
PM: "Do you have an HD camera we could use to shoot our next production."
Me: "Yeah I have the Canon C300"
PM "Is it like the 5D Mark ii?"
Me: "Yes, it shoots on the same CF cards, but is has audio and you can record long clips and you don't have to convert the footage before editing."
PM "you're hired."
This may be a touch oversimplified, but you know what I am getting at. So the next consideration is The Sony F3. Sony is such an established name in the broadcast industry it doesn't need much introduction. People are used to using SxS cards and they seem to be very solid. The only real issue I have with the Sony F3 is the fact that it records at 35MBPS unless you go out of the camera to a nano flash. This puts it out of the considered range of "HD" by many broadcasters. The Canon C300 records at 50MBps in camera.
All in all I think the Canon C300 is a very interesting offering, however, with the price point being close to the F3, I am not going to be ordering one immediately. The next thing to look out for is how Sony will respond, perhaps an upgrade to the F3 so it can shoot 50MBPS?
Screen Protector for TV logic Monitor
If you are looking for a screen protector for the TV Logic VFM-056W, you could either pay £100 for a thick piece of plastic from TV Logic that screws over the screen (and probably reflects a lot of light) or you could buy a stick on screen protector for £15 from Amazon. The screen protector goes on well and gives the monitor a matte finish, cutting down glare slightly and protecting the screen from scratches.
Using a DSLR for Broadcast work
The Canon 7d and 5d mark 2 are HD, so they can be used for HD broadcast work right?
What to look for when buying a DSLR lens for video
If you are looking to buy a lens for a DSLR camera to shoot video with, there are a few things that are
worth looking out for.
First question: Prime or Zoom?
The answer to whether to buy a prime lens or a zoom, really depends on the type of work you do. Although we would all love to shoot everything we do on primes, with a tiny depth of field, how realistic is this? For certain jobs there is the time to change lenses, a camera assistant to help out and speed the process along, and for other jobs there is no time. As your rig grows, it is easy to end up with a matte box or flare hood, an ND fader, a follow focus etc etc and all of this kit slows down the amount of time it takes to change a lens.
Imagine setting up an interview on a 50mm lens and the director asks you to punch in a bit tighter, you can either reset your tripod moving forward and re bubbling it, or change to another lens – some shoots there is time for this, and some not. I find having the flexibility to move in a touch, often mid interview to show some emotion on the interviewees face is a big help. A standard zoom such as Canon’s 17-55mm for the 7d or the 24-70 for the 5d would be my first choice for lenses. Both of these lenses are nice and fast (2.8 throughout the range). If you are willing to sacrifice a bit on the speed of the lens you could get the 24-105mm on the 5D. You gain a bit of extra length here, but the sacrifice is dropping down to a slower 4f throughout the range.
Ok, so you have your 17-55mm or 24-70mm standard zoom, this is a great start but if you do the kind of work that involves a lot of interviews, I find 80mm (which is roughly what you’re looking at with the 17-55 on the long end with the 1.6 crop factor) is not quite long enough. For a standard MCU (medium close up) in an interview you need to bring the camera too close to the interviewee. Having a camera right in someone face, if they are not used to being interviewed, can be uncomfortable for them.
Should I just buy a cheaper zoom lens?
There are a few issues with lenses as you go down the price range. Firstly, they are slower with apertures around the 4.5 to 5.6 mark, this means they are not as great in low light and don’t have such a narrow depth of field. Secondly, the build quality isn’t as good, often the cheaper lenses are in plastic casing rather than metal. Thirdly, and most importantly for shooting video, the aperture changes throughout the zoom range. Imagine you are shooting a tight shot on the long end of the lens, and then you zoom back for a wide and you’ll be pretty over exposed. This probably isn’t an issue for a photographer, but it could be if you are shooting video. The next point is a bit of a killer. If you take a zoom lens, zoom in to the subject and make sure it is sharp, then go back to your wider shot on some lenses the focus point will have shifted slightly. This is a disaster from a DSLR video point of view. With a broadcast lens this aberration can be easily fixed with a backfocus chart, this is not the case with a stills lens. You can of course avoid checking focus in this manner by using the digital zoom on your camera, but – and it is a big but - not if you are already rolling. If you are shooting with a sound recordist and you synch up your camera to their external recorder, once you are rolling that is it, you can’t cut, and you can’t use your digital zoom.
My advice would be, if you can afford the more expensive 70-200 lens, get it, and if not buy the cheaper 70-300 IS, but be aware of its limitations, you can still get good results with this lens, theglass is still good quality and you will still get great images, but be aware of its problems. In between these options there are still other choices: you can get a 70-200 that still has image stabilisation and it still has a constant maximum aperture through the range, but it is 4f not 2.8f. This is a good option as it is almost half the price of the 70-200L 2.8IS.
So, in answer to the original question, as to whether to buy primes or zoom lenses, the answer is, you may need both. If you generally shoot in situations where there is enough time to frequently change lenses, primes are great. Generally speaking, primes are built with less glass meaning they allow more light in, they tend to be better in lower light and have a smaller depth of field when wide open. Even if you work on projects that are relatively quick moving, getting a few establishing shots on a 50mm at 1.4 will give you some stunning small depth of field shots, and really add some value to your work, but is likely to be used less often that a standard zoom. I tend to put my standard zoom on the camera and leave it there for 70 percent or more for the shoot, so this is where I don't mind investing some money.
Which DSLR rig to buy
There are several different manufactures making rigs for the DSLR market for 5d 7d etc. Here is a short review of some of them.
Which lens to Buy for a Canon 7d when shooting video
If you have bought a 7d and are looking for just one lens to start you off shooting video
Read more: Which lens to Buy for a Canon 7d when shooting video
DSLR toplight LED light panel
I used this the other night on a shoot for the BBC. The presenter was sitting in a car, and needed to be lit gently enough so it was still possible to see the small amount of light in the street as well as the presenter. The Fellini click was perfect for this, I could just set my exposure to capture a small amount of the scene through the window and then dial in enough light so the presenter was well lit.
If you want to buy one from the UK I bought mine here.
where to buy DSLR video gear in London
I recently stumbled across a great place near London for everything DSLR and video related.
I find it is much easier to buy all my camera gear from as few places as possible. Getting everything from one shop usually means you can get a better deal from the seller and it is just less hassle. The Flash Centre in Bloomsbury are quite good, although they tend to be more photography centred than video. Creative Video are good as they have a really large selection and are much more video centred. I recently discovered Production Gear (www.videogear.co.uk) and think they are great. The main pluses are:
- The staff really know their stuff. I spoke to Edward, one of the owners, he was really enthusiastic, knowledgeable and helpful. He even assembled my entire Redrock rig for me, which would have taken me hours to figure out.
- They have a showroom. This is invaluable, trying to buy something online by reading reviews and looking at pictures can be really difficult. Holding the products in your hand and comparing them is so much easier.
- They are near the M25 in Borehamwood. (useful if you live in London).
- They don't try and sell you stuff you don't need. Edward actually told me one of the products seemed a bit overpriced and searched for a cheaper alternative and ordered it for me - this is not the kind of service you get everywhere.
Calibrating a DSLR monitor
When I first plugged in my new TV Logic VFM-056W the image coming out of my 7d was very different from that showing on the back of the 7d LCD screen.
Cheap monitor sun hood for dslr
If you don't feel like paying 100 dollars or more for a DSLR monitor sunhood, check out this free DIY option.
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