Filming with DSLR's?

J-Evs

J-Evs

Active member
im going to pick up a new camera since my previous one broke and it was time for an upgrade anyways.i was looking at vx2000's and dvx100's, etc, and the canon dslr's really caught my attentions but i was wondering; to get good quality video from say the t2i or t1i or even the 7d, do you have to buy a better lens or is the lens provided good enough to for crisp high quality video?
 
I see lots of ppl doing it, switching to the DSLR, or as a backup. it gets great stills. and films. i personally think its just a camera w/ youtube mode. i dont know if they have the same functions as video cameras do, but i would still buy a video cam. ((i have a D300)) but do some diggin, look for reviews on youtube.

Good luck
 
18-55 kit lens isn't that great. go to your local best buy or what have you and you will immediately know that its just a cheap, plastic lens without a focus ring. Not saying it doesn't give you good results and you definitely can still use it, its just that you are better off putting that $100 towards a better lens. Remember that with DSLR's you don't have a great auto focus mode during filming and that you are going to have to do it by hand, and with that kit lens you are going to be doing the focusing via menu and not on the lens itself.
 
Don't ever use AF. Manual focus is key when shooting DSLR's. If you want to shoot action shots buy a fisheye and set the focus close to infinity, or any lens for that matter at least of action shots.

Before you go out and buy a T2i (best deal) or 7D, I'd highly suggest researching a shit ton. They are so new and they do produce great images but there are drawbacks also. I'd suggest lurking forums like Cinema 5D, Skateperceptions DSLR forum, etc. Also check out Vimeo for tests and comparisons. Learn about Aperture, shutter speeds, and exposure.

As for a beginning lens I'd suggest the Canon 50mm F1.8. Cheap at around 100 and it will give you a nice shallow depth of field. This is way sharper/better than the kit lens and you can use this for about anything. The one downfall is that it has a shitty focus ring.
 
alright, im already kind of leaning away from dslr's what camera do you guys suggest for no higher than $1000it can be used, and ive found some good prices on vx2000's, and i have also been looking at hv40's?any thoughts/advise
 
Seriously. I work at a big time production studio and they've basically switched over to shooting 100% on 7D's. We used to shoot mainly on super16, but the average joe, and even techie viewers can't tell the difference, especially with good lighting.
 
they are the death to the 35mm adapter too: no need to over light a scene and cost the same as one too
 
I disagree, I had a t1i for a few weeks and the AF worked fine. Cropped in(just enlarging on the lcd) for focusing there wasn't a difference between what I could pull by hand and what AF set to.
 
I bought the T2i, very similar to the 7D (video wise, if not the same) and it came with the kit lens. Can't complain one bit about the quality of the video. Shoots in 24p, 30p and 60 (in 720p). Much better than "youtube" videos as one said earlier. Quality is awesome even with the 18-55 kit lens. Great for day shooting.
 
I have the D5000, which is probably the poorest quality DSLR video, but its still pretty damn impressiveit only shoots 24p, which sucks for slo mo, but its a very fun cam to film with, because at any moment I can switch to pictures instead
Joseph Fletcher Feb Break from Ian Avery-Leaf on Vimeo.
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Nikons HD video has a much more organic look. I like it better than canons HD. If only they could get their shit together and release a camera similar to the 7d.
 
Pros:

-interchangeable lenses

-sharp images

-large sensor = great lowlight, shallow DOF

Cons:

-AGC makes it so that you basically have to record sound on a separate system if you want anything quality.

-Aliasing, which is really the single biggest drawback to these cameras

-Lack of image controls

If you get a DSLR, you would need at least a Z-finder (or something similar), a steadicam or shoulder mount system, and a fast prime. Stock lenses suck. I highly recommend a follow focus, although it isn't essential.

If you're going a different route, an HV40 will blow a VX out of the water. A DVX will outperform both if you get good at using it.
 
If you're considering the HV40, it would be also be worth checking out canon's tapeless options. I bought an HV20 a long time ago, so I haven't researched them recently, but i've seen some pretty good looking footage from them.
 
i have a hv40 and love it, but i feel that it may be obsolete soon. HDSLRs arent perfect but they seem to be the future of budget filming
 
I got a t2i a little bit ago. It's a super fun camera, really small and light. I havent been able to play with it to much cause I have been in the hospital a month now. But I filmed one time that edited and uploaded. Just some shots around my ski house, nothing special. Oh and filmed on the kit lens.

http://vimeo.com/10156217
 
heal up matty!but just wondering what your thoughts for using this camera with the kit lens for making skiing, skateboarding, etc. edits. do you think this cam with the kit lens would be good for fast moving things?
 
yes, it will hold up fine. the 18mm end of the lens will work well for wideish shots, and as long as you arent zooming and you have everything on manual you should be fine. fast moving things? yes, it has 60p recording and even 30p works well. probably want to keep the camera incredibly stable and try to avoid handheld because the IS doesn't work as well as a video camera. The less vibrations, the better.
 
so following a person is out of the question with a basic handle unless i get like a glidecam
 
its actually a combination of rolling shutter, aliasing, and small body size, so it NEEDs a stabilization system of some sort. The footage doesn't just shake, it becomes warped and distorted.
 
Absolutely correct

and to eheath: definitely, its one of the pieces of equipment i'm not going to cheap out on
 
it seems like great video, the only problem must be stability...i mean what do you do yo keep it stable? Make a handle? Always carry a tripod?? Seems like stability wouold be the only issue. unless they really are easy to keep stable...any input?
 
god dayum, if you hadn't said so I would have figured it was filmed on a $800 video camera, not a DSLR camera. Haha, I have a D40 I'll have to try that out.
 
haha the funny thing is, I've had it for like a year, taken 1000 pictures, and not a single video. I thought the FPS sucked but I gotta try soon.
 
bumpare there any traditional hd video cameras in the price range of teh t2i that even compete with it, that you recommend
 
Like others said, the HV series and they are a bit cheaper by now, however they are tape format compared to the SD Card. Check out my profile for the new edit I shot with the T2i.
 
That's very true, but in my mind, everything seems to be moving away from the tape format (p2 cards, sd cards). For most people, its more time effective to use a card format (basically drag and drop) rather than capturing the clips you want from a tape. Plus dirty heads suck.
 
Actually that's exactly what it is. Tapes are ass.

Sure I'm going to love pulling out my tape-based DVX when I'm in my late 20's, in the same way I love breaking out tape-based echo units for guitar, but relying on a tape workflow causes nothing but problems.
 
Ken Rockwell is an overly opinionated Hack. If he is talking about quantitative data, I will listen, but half the time, his jibber jabber is just that. "I like this lens because it looks nice to me. You should like it too. Click on these links so I can feed my kids."
 
The panasonic hs700 looks good for what it is. 60p 1080 on a handy cam is dope. I wouldnt personally get it but if your looking to just film your friends and have no real desire to really learn everything about filming it could be a good bet.
 
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