I'd like to shoot HD on my Digital SLR
It's been on the way for a few years and now it has arrived. Call it integration converging or merging, High Definition Digital Video has come to a DSLR camera near you.
There are many good reason to like the Canon 5D Mk11. One is that it answers the question as to why digital video cameras have not shared sensors of similar specs to those in digital SLR's. There is no reason now, and with the Canon 5D and 7D along with Nikons' D90, they do. Specialised training in the use of Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras is now available
The Canon 5D Mk11
I wonder if Canon’s engineers knew what they were starting
with the 5D M11. The video feature has all the hallmarks of being a something that was
added on simply because it could be.
DSLR cameras are certainly not
designed to shoot a lot of handheld video however it is an amazing achievement
and people have gone nuts over it - with good reason - the facility to record
1920 X 1080 full HD resolution onto a full frame 21.1 mega-pixel sensor in a
compact stills camera.
I’d like to take a look at some of the more practical
aspects of this integration that may get lost in the excitement. If you plan to
shoot HD video with this camera, there are a number of things that have to be
considered.
Stay focussed
Video displays are larger than ever with resolution that has
never been higher. Digital cameras continue to capture even crisper and cleaner
images and essentially you have in your hands a lightweight and compact device
with the potential to capture near 35mm cinema quality movie footage.
Even with today’s pace of development that is quite an
achievement however there are a number of important technical considerations.
The difference between shooting stills and recording video images is
considerable. Some differences are technical, others creative, but each has
some influence on the other. What does this mean if you plan to use a camera
similar to the 5D MkII for serious video work'
Full frame sensors
The primary difference and the one that will impact the most
on you, is the resulting shallow Depth of Field (DoF) characteristics
in the recorded images – characteristics similar to those shot on 35mm film by
motion picture cameras such as those designed and manufactured by Arriflex, RED
and Panavision.
Razor thin depth of field DoF is one of the reasons why
large format images look cinematic and movie-like and having that capability in
a small still camera marks a turning point for cameras like the Canon 5D MkII.
Stills cameras have included some basic option for video capture for a few
years so why this full frame stuff is different'
Different because the Canon 5D MkII uses a CMOS sensor
approximately 36mm
x 24mm in size, similar in size to the image area exposed on double
perorated 35mm motion picture film.
If you happen to set focus just a tiny bit off the mark, the
image will look totally out of
focus on one of these big screens - these shots will not make the cut in HD.
It means that precise focussing has inched it’s way up and
become one of the more essential technical skills you will need to master if
you are to get the most from this camera. Focus, and the selective use or it,
can now be used as an effective mood-generator in your video work.
Photographers have always had a fondness for the artistic
benefits and the pitfalls of shallow DoF as defined by the aperture
setting (as determined by shutter speed) in concert with lens focal length and
image format size. This awareness, carried over to shooting video on the 5D
MkII, will most likely come as second nature.
Videographers on the other hand who have come through the
“Mini-DV Revolution” will be right at home shooting scenes where everything,
from the those irritating specs of dust on the front element to the mountains
on the horizon is in sharp focus.
Keeping an eye on things
Remember that you will be recording action that may be
constantly changing its distance from the camera. With the Canon, the Live-View
screen at the back of the camera is the only way to monitor the video recording
without going to an external display (which I recommend).
It’s fine for framing and to some extent setting exposure,
but it is not a that accurate or convenient way to deal with critical things
like focus. Firstly, it’s hard to pick correct focus on the wide angle
shots and I suggest that you use the feet/meter distance markings on the lens
to set focus to the right distance.
Nothing is worse than covering action a few meters from your
shooting position only to find the lens focus distance was set to infinity. If
it’s fast and furious action, you may not pick it. Stay on a telephoto shot and let soft
focussed objects to pass through the foreground. They can reveal a perfect
moment and you’ll be amazed how good this can look in HD.
When you use the telephoto end of
the zoom, focussing becomes more challenging. Telephoto lenses compress the
frame - drawing the foreground and the background in together resulting in a
composition that has multiple focus planes.
Use shallow depth of field to:
- direct audience attention
- follow focus with moving subjects/objects
- pull focus to reveal
- soften distracting backgrounds
A bird in the hand
DSLR cameras are not great cameras for continuous handheld video
shooting. As a stills camera the Canon 5D MkII feels
perfect with everything in just the right place. Put a long lens on like a
70-200mm f2.8 and it still feels good.
Video mode calls for a different approach however it will
soon be clear that you will not last very long shooting with it in your hands.
The size and weight of DSLR video cameras make them perfect
for covering spontaneous and unpredictable situations however the fact that
they are so incredibly lightweight and have a wide aspect ratio, guarantees
that there’ll be annoying shaky movement and see-sawing horizons.
The best advice to offer about handheld shooting is to
always record using the wide angle lens and engage closely with your subject.
The wide lens gives you minimum camera shake.
There are many situations not to use a tripod but with this camera, save the handheld shots
for those scenes where it will fit the scene.
Video vs stills
There is a tendency to limit the duration of camera takes
and record in small bite-sized clips with no real start or end points. You will
need to get into a different frame of mind when you switch to video mode.
It’s vital to shoot in such a way that you give you options
in the edit. By this I mean choices to pace up or pace down the sequence or to
lengthen or shorten a sequence. Shooting in a way that doesn’t allow these
choices, limits your final result.
There are
times when you might decide on a particular shooting style - one that you want
to carry through the whole production. It’s good to have that vision but on the
other hand, there can be other factors that influence the end result and not
all of these factors are know at the time of shooting.
They could be factors like, narration, a decision to shorten
or lengthen the piece or a desire to slow the whole pace down to allow for a
music track. Good reasons to have choices. Allowing subjects to enter and leave
frame is an elementary rule of film making. Just by doing this, you can add
instant class to your shooting.
Panning to reveal
If you have set up to record a scenic landscape, there are a
few things to keep in mind.
- Firstly, check to see if there’s a part of the landscape that you could pan from – ie another part of the scene that could reveal the landscape
with a nice slow camera move. Pans like this will give you a valuable option in
the edit room
- You don’t have to use this pan in the edit, but
you will have a choice to gain extended screen time for narration.
It's in the detail
Detail, and lots of
it is what we usually think of when we shoot HD video. Is it a good thing? Not
always, because there is a lot to see in a wide screen 16:9 frame and sequences
can loose impact, cluttered with too much unwanted information – in this case,
more is not always better.
If you have an awareness of these things then I believe that
you can work around them – most people are doing just that. The results from
the 5D Mk11 and the Nikon D90 are just too good.
Other things will never change regardless of the format,
camera brand or recording format used. Just try to keep tabs on what you have
here. Some trade-offs will have to be made - that’s the way it is at the
moment....
Pieter de Vries ACS
