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Video-capable DSLRs and news shooting
After months of drooling over the visual possibilities, I finally cracked and bought myself a Canon 7D (the "cheapest" of Canon's video-capable DSLRs). The decision was motivated almost purely by greed--I just HAD to have that gorgeous detail, that shallow depth of field--but now I'm left wondering how to make it work for news gathering.
Has anyone out there tried this? What worked? What didn't?
There are, I realize, dozens of forums dedicated to VDSLRs (God, what an unfortunate acronym), but they're all very thin on using the cameras specifically for NEWS video.
I'll be taking my camera back to China, where I plan to put it to use on a couple short feature pieces, and will post my impressions here. In the meantime, if anyone else wants to jump in with advice, questions or other thoughts, I'm eager to hear it.
Here's a little sample of what these cameras can do (shot the day I pulled mine out of the box).
Has anyone out there tried this? What worked? What didn't?
There are, I realize, dozens of forums dedicated to VDSLRs (God, what an unfortunate acronym), but they're all very thin on using the cameras specifically for NEWS video.
I'll be taking my camera back to China, where I plan to put it to use on a couple short feature pieces, and will post my impressions here. In the meantime, if anyone else wants to jump in with advice, questions or other thoughts, I'm eager to hear it.
Here's a little sample of what these cameras can do (shot the day I pulled mine out of the box).
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Allan Lissner on -
I'm just about to make the switch also. So I don't have any experience to share yet.
Dan Chung's blog dslrnewsshooter might be useful for you:
www.dslrnewsshooter.com
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Permalink Reply by Spencer Soper on -
that was a sharp looking clip. nice work. what's a camera like that run?
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Permalink Reply by Josh Chin on -
Sharp, indeed. The first time I shot something on it I almost fell over backwards realizing how clear the images were.
The 7D runs around $1400, body only. I shoot Canon for stills, so I already have most of the lenses I expect to use, but a good zoom would run up to another thousand.
I also picked up a Zoom H4n recorder ($300+) for sound because the 7D's native audio is pretty weak, plus a Zacuto Z-finder loupe ($400) to magnify the LCD screen.
Still working on a stabilization rig. As you can see, the images can get shaky even at short focal lengths.
Add in flash cards, tripod mounts, etc. and I think you're probably looking at around $3000 for a workable kit. Pricier than the Sony A1U, but still cheaper than a 3-chip CCD.
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Permalink Reply by Greg Linch on -
If you're interested, Zach Wise has a good post about syncing the audio from an external recorder.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Saldivar on -
Josh -
Please post the videos you shoot in China. I'm definitely curious to see how these come out.
I just purchased mine and had a chance to go out and shoot a video of my Softball team and agree that the built in audio could definitely be better.
I have yet to see any news organizations step up and use these tools as they produce video for the web (but if anyone knows please let us know.)
Also, you said the 7D was the least expensive model in the VDSLR lineup but I believe the Canon T1i takes that honor.
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Permalink Reply by Josh Chin on
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Hey Steve:
Nice to see a post here from a fellow Berkeley J-schooler (I graduated in '07). Nice also to see one of these cameras put to use in the field.
A nice portrait of your team. Curious what you used for audio...Is that all from the camera itself? Or were you using an external recorder?
You're right on the T1i, although from what I understand, it only shoots 20 fps at full HD, which seems like a major limitation for news shooting (jerky fast-motion images). It also appears not to have an external mic input (can that be right?).
To recast my comment, then: the 7D is the cheapest VDSLR with enough features to be considered a part of the video journalist's tool kit.
Still waiting for the rest of my kit to arrive (stablization rig, LCD mangifying loupe), so it may be awhile before I have a chance to use mine for work. Stay tuned...
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Permalink Reply by Steve Saldivar on
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Hi Josh,
Go Bears!
It was the first time I was taking out the 7D and the audio was all from the camera itself. I'm currently in the market for a solid audio recorder. If you have any suggestions, please do tell.
Congrats on the Emmy nod!
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Permalink Reply by Josh Chin on
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Admitted, this piece isn't really what I promised, but it is technically a news video, and parts of it (the b-roll) did come from my Canon 7D.
I also recently had a chance to take the camera out on a documentary shoot, using it plus a little Sony A1U to film a press conference and a couple musical performances.
What I've taken away from these two experiences so far is that the 7D performs nicely in highly controlled environments. When you have the time to set-up your shots, and can use a tripod, it is a fantastic piece of equipment.
I've also learned that, even in controlled environments, dual-system sound is tougher than people make it seem, at least if you're stuck pulling the one-man-band act. I had a Zoom H4n mounted to the top of the cam for the documentary shoot, and while the recorder grabbed excellent sound, I often found myself forgetting to turn it on and off. I haven't started editing any of that footage, but I can tell right now that syncing the audio with the video is going to be painful. Maybe I'll get better at this over time, but in a fast-moving situation it's still going to be two extra steps I'd rather not have to take--and syncing is going to add time in post even if you're conscientious about things (There's a software option, PluralEyes, that many people say does a good job syncing for you; it costs $150, which makes me hesitate...for now.)
Stabilization is another issue, particularly if you're using a telephoto lens. The footage I got from my telephoto on the tripod was excellent--no, make that transcendent. Really, really nice. But take this thing off the tripod, and you're looking at a lot of shake. Even slapping a monopod on the bottom only helped a little.
I've read elsewhere that lenses with image stabilization are crucial when shooting hand-held with these cameras. I think that's true, with long focal lengths at least. Hand-held footage using my shorter zoom has been OK (see here).
More to come...
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Permalink Reply by Josh Chin on
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As promised, here are some examples of stories I've shot in China using the Canon 7D. First, a fun little piece about fireworks:
Learn to Love the Noise: China's New Year Fireworks Craze (WSJ) from Josh Chin on Vimeo.
And, second, a longer and more serious feature on living with Beijing's housing boom:
The first piece was shot entirely on the 7D, the second using 7D for b-roll and a Canon XH-A1 for interviews. A couple observations:
Sound: This is still proving difficult. While I continue to try using a separate flash recorder to replace the 7D's poor native audio, I've found it to be a lot trouble in a fast-moving, one-man-band situation. In the second video, I jettisoned the flash recorder altogether (hence the use of the XH-A1 for the interview). Until there's a firmware update that disables auto gain control and provides some way to monitor levels on the 7D, I think this is how I'm going to divide the work load.
Ergonomics: The 7D has proven easier to handle than I expected. As I mentioned in my last post, going hand-held with a wide angle lens and image stabilization produces images that work fine for web video. That said, I've found long focal lengths impossible without a tripod--see the opening of the fireworks video for an example of how bad the shake can be. Final Cut Pro has a filter (SmoothCam) that Philip Bloom and others have used to compensate for shake in these situations, but it can take as long an hour for FCP to process a 5-second clip this way; it works in the background, so you can still edit, but I find it slows things down enough to make it impractical in a fast-paced news environment.
Focus: The big criticism of these cameras for news shooting purposes is the lack of auto-focus. You'll see instances in both videos where this was an issue: Sometimes, no matter how conscientious you are, your subjects are going to move out of focus--particularly if you've using a shallow depth of field (one of the principal reasons to shoot with this camera in the first place). Still, I don't think it's as big an issue as it's made out to be. Being forced to use manual focus has, I think, made me a better shooter--has forced me to think more about the composition of each shot. And a little blurriness here and there can sometimes make for a good effect. If you're in a fast-moving situation, focus can be a pain, but in bright light at least you can dial down the aperture to compensate.
For those still contemplating the switch, I'd say go for it, but only if you can afford to keep your old DV camera as well.
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