When is a camera not a camera?

When it’s a DSLR, of course. Digital Studio looks at the irresistible rise of DSLR film making.

A common theme in the industry recently has been the decreasing price of film-making technology. With editing software at affordable prices bringing a bit of Spielberg to bedrooms around the world, and good quality camcorders within the typical household budget, a trip to see the family is barely complete without a viewing of the four-hour epic Our Trip to Corfu. One of the most surprising members of the cast that has brought down the cost of producing quality footage, however, was not even intended for film at all – the DSLR camera.

The trend for DSLR film making has been bubbling under for some time now, ever since Canon began to put a video function into its models and a few enthusiasts got a feel for the look of the shoots. Lately, however, it really has broken into the mainstream. DSLRs are now a common sight on corporate and commercial shoots, hit US series House MD recently filmed its season finale entirely on Canon D5, with executive producer Greg Yaitanes admitting he was “blown away by the depth of field,” and the 7D was a common sight on the Prague set of George Lucas’ Red Tails this summer.

Within the field, the Canon 5D, and to a lesser extent 7D, have truly cornered the market – as Paul Mongey, cameraman and editor at Dubai’s Picture Department, observes: “There are other similar products out there, but people just look at you funny if you don’t have a Canon. Plus, to be honest, whether you’re using it as a work tool or not it’s a great camera just to have around the house.”

The popularity of the camera as a filming tool has even taken Canon themselves by surprise. Mike Owen, European professional support manager, says: “The camera was really designed for photo journalists. As the world moves towards multi-media they’re increasingly expected to capture snippets of film for websites as well as photos, but we expected the stills angle to be the main one. When we sat down in development and listed our priorities, film was probably only seventh or eighth on the list. We were very surprised when it took off for longer features, but pleased nonetheless.

“In fact, this occurrence led to Canon making a number of changes to the D5 Mk II, adding frame speed adjustment, for example. This was a first for Canon – we normally fix things with new models after they hit the market, but to add features specifically to meet an unexpected market demand was new.”

It’s unusual for one brand to become so ubiquitous in its field, and clearly something that other manufacturers are keen to address. Panasonic, for example recently launched its AG-AF101, billed as a ‘DSLR killer’ (read 5D-killer), which puts a DSLR-sized sensor into a professional camcorder. This could address some of the ergonomic problems associated with shooting with DSLR. Action Impact’s post-production manager James Thomson notes: “On the one hand what the technology’s doing with the 5D is great, but on the other the ergonomics aren’t great. It’s designed as a stills camera, so it’s meant to be held up for long enough to take a photo, and then put down again, which obviously doesn’t compare well to a traditional shoulder-mounted video camera in a long shoot. The logical next step would be to put the guts of the 5D into a more film-friendly body.”

For now, however, the 5D remains king. Philip Bloom, founder of the F-Stop Academy, which offers training in DSLR film making, is under no illusions why: “The 5d is unique in the video world,” he says. “It can record video in full HD with a full frame still camera size 35mm sensor. Not a movie 35mm sensor. Much bigger. This is unique. No other video camera can do this. There is a Scarlet in the works that is full frame but that has yet to come out. This makes the 5d very desirable. It gives a unique image that is punchy, superb in low light and is capable of achieving, with the right lens, an insanely shallow DOF for you insanely shallow DOF lovers out there!!

“It also means those entire lovely full frame lenses you have can be used to their fullest. Not just the wonderful Canon L series lenses which I have been buying avidly but my Nikon collection, especially my Zeiss lenses which fit with a simple adaptor and are generally cheaper than the Canon glass.”

Some expensive lenses and a different sensor are all very well, but what do they actual mean in the real world of filming? Mongey says: “It really does give superb pictures. There’s a lovely narrow depth of field because of the bigger sensor, and I often use it as a secondary camera for ‘sexy’ cutaways in interviews, or to give a really filmic look.”

Depth of field seems to be a recurring issue, as Action Impact director Martin Lindros concurs: “When you look at images taken on a traditional video camera, pretty much everything is in focus. With the narrow depth of field on the 5D, as a cameraman, you really have to decide what you want to focus on, but it looks great.”

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Producer Vanraaj Padhaal agrees: “This is what gives you your artistic choice - this need to really choose and focus on your subjects. There’s a very specific look with the 5D too, due to way the censor reacts to colour. The second you look at 5D, you know it’s 5D. Of course thanks to the cost and the portability this is great – these great images are so affordable and portable, so anyone with an idea can get the idea out there. It may lead to a lot more talented filmmakers being discovered.”

The portability angle is another feature that’s popular with film makers, perhaps even more so in the Middle East. Mongey notes: “I was doing a shoot on Dubai Creek recently, I’d have needed a permit to bring a full rig down, but the 5D is a stills camera, it has a much lower profile, so you can access places that simply wouldn’t be possible with a rig.”

Padhaal agrees: “(Recently) we were shooting in Saudi, where we’d need a permit for a film crew, but not for a stills camera, so we saved all that bureaucracy and paperwork.”

Of course, portability isn’t only useful for avoiding permits, as Lindros notes: “We were filming at about 30 locations. To do that with a full rig, crew, catering – it would be a logistical nightmare. With the 5D all you need is a bag – the 5D is great in low light conditions, so it even saves a lighting rig. Just pack your camera, laptop and an external hard drive and you’re ready to shoot.”

So the 5D gives great images, it’s portable, it can even help circumnavigate some of the bureaucratic nightmares film makers in the Middle East face every day. Plus, of course, it’s cheap, as Mongey notes: “I paid $54,000 for my HD camera, around $4,000 for my 5D and what gives the better picture? It’s scary!” Surely traditional video cameras days are numbered, then? The 5D may not rule the roost for evermore, but as Canon and its competitors develop this watershed technology further, can we expect to see the tired old cameras wither and die? Probably not. As one would expect, it’s not all a bed of roses.

For a start the ‘distinct look’ of the 5D might not be the look you want at a given time. Thomson notes: “The number of pixels available is what gives the images their very distinct look, but that could also be seen as a limitation. There’s only so much you can do to change that in post. Add the fact that the cameraman needs to be so on the ball with focusing – make a mistake with the focus and there’s very little can be done to correct that in post. There are still circumstances where big cameras have the edge.”

Mongey has noticed quirks too: “There’s only a 4-1 zoom ratio on the 5D. I’m used to 22-1. The digital zoom’s ok, but it’s still a big difference.” His biggest problem came after the shoot though: “I brought the files back, put them into Final Cut and started editing away - the colour grading was going to take 22 hours to render, which is hardly practical. My advice is never try to edit H264 files in Final Cut Pro 7. It’ll do it, but any tweaking it doesn’t like. You’re better to bring it in as a full res 42 file, that way a couple of hours to convert and then you’re away.”

Another factor Mongey notes is the small view screen on the D5, but with eyepieces available and the latest model Canons featuring a flip out LCD screen, this seems to be a factor that has already been addressed.

All in all, then, not a long list of complaints from users. One factor that does count against DSLR film making, however, is not a complaint from users themselves, but from clients, and it seems a purely psychological one. Lindros explains: “The fact is that customers want to see a full crew and big cameras. That way they think it’s something they can’t do. If you turn up with a handheld, they wonder why they’re paying you. It’s easy for a client to forget the operator has a lot of shooting, lighting and exposure experience too.”

Mongey concurs: “There is an element of psychology behind being expected to turn up with a big camera. For a big shoot in Abu Dhabi, for example, they’d want a sound man, camera man, turn up two hours early to set up. If you rocked up with a 5D and a tripod it’d be a hard sell.”

It seems the traditional methods won’t be dying just yet then, and as Thomson notes: “Choosing the right camera is a bit like warfare. You have to choose the right weapon for each opponent. Besides, if everyone knew about DSLR filming, it’d lose one of it’s biggest bonuses – you wouldn’t just be able to turn up and film in Dubai Mall with a 5D if people knew what you were doing.”

It’s a fair point, so maybe we should keep it under our hats for now.