Can We Talk Film Equipment... Specifically Cameras?

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• Peter von Puttkamer | July 7, 2012 8:51 PMReply

  I've been in the Film and TV business for 30 years, produced hundreds of documentaries and TV series, both independent and for networks like Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, PBS, BBC, History Channel, CBC and more. My programs have been featured in American Cinematographer twice and we have an upcoming article in the ASC mag on our new Discovery Channel series "Biggest and Baddest" with Niall McCann. I love new technology (such as the new remote miniature helicopters I've used with both GO PROS and hi-end Sony Cameras) but it's important to know how to use which product for which application. We currently produce primarily for television for broadcasters that have specific technical requirements and in our shows are in remote locations: shooting adventure, blue-chip wildlife and travel on the move- across several continents. While I have used the DSLR cameras for certain FX/Dramatizations and such- I would never use a Canon 5D to shoot our productions as an "A" Camera. It's small, flimsy has bad ergonomics, would die in the rain, bushes and other hardships we throw at our cameras; 5D has a terrible latitude and blows out in the white highlights easily due to many factors including the high compression h.264 encoding; in this case "bigger chip" is actually a hindrance- as we need to be able to put large Wildlife Zoom lenses on our 2/3 inch cameras and operate them in a manner where you can control zoom, focus, iris, etc. quickly and efficiently. The larger chip cameras- and that includes the RED (not robust either) for our TV applications- does not work- as you would need massively huge expensive lenses (our zoom lenses cost $55k as it is) but a Cinema lens designed (needs to be bigger than for 2/3") for 35mm sized chip or bigger would be impractical for so many reasons- including a massive massive size that would not fit into airplanes, canoes, etc... Most of the small DSLR cameras or other cameras such as the F3 do not work where you have to run and gun interviews, catch a monkey coming down a tree or a charging tiger shot off the back of an elephant. In addition their 28mbps video capture capability does not meet broadcast standards- (we need at least 100mb, 50mb minimum)- short of bringing a flimsy nano flash into the field with an even more flimsy cable- these cameras will not work on shooting Discovery Channel style shows in tough wilderness or travel situations. Remember also, the last 3 Star Wars and even Avatar were shot using 2/3" cameras- Sony F950's and had little impact on quality. So a 2/3" ENG camera such as the Panasonic HPX-3100 (about $18k) is currently the best deal going for a proper video/cinematographers camera that takes a huge variety of high quality lenses and allows for quick manual adjustment of focus. It uses the chip out of the $60k Panasonic 3700- which is used on TV Dramas around the world- such as BBC productions. It's a full raster 1080 chip and shoots amazing images onto AVC-INTRA 100mb files. This is a camera I would recommend for many many types of productions. btw for a small hi, inexpensive HD quality camera- the Canon's are very good- XA-10, 100, 305's etc. These are good for B &C camera applications.
  
  I do think when you have controlled situation, not too many (especially wide shots) exterior daylight (ie. sunny) shots- so studio interviews, small dramas, commercials, the Canon 5D and other small cameras of that ilk work fine. REDS and ALEXAS are amazing hi-res cameras and work best on TV Dramas and Features- where you have a (crew) few people to run them and have all the attachments to facilitate zooming, follow-focus, iris pulls etc...
  
  That's it for now...
  
  Peter von Puttkamer, Writer/Producer/Director/Cinematographer
  www.gryphonproductions.com

• Ashanti-Young | May 2, 2012 10:22 AMReply

  I have to say that I enjoy shooting on DSLR. I own a t2i but i've shot with the 7D and 5D and like another comment said, the shallow depth of field is great! The audio does become an issue but it's nothing an outside audio recording setup can't solve! Besides, I too was trained on film cameras such as the old school arri and bolex which require a seperate setup for audio to begin with, so the inability to rely on DSLR for sound doesn't bother me.

• rane | May 2, 2012 4:16 PM

  Exactly... if you slate properly, it's no big deal to line up boom audio... DSLR's rock! I have a Panasonic DVX100a that's become a very expensive paper weight.

• Wesley-Issac | May 1, 2012 11:28 PMReply

  Technology moves so quickly and you can get lost in the labyrinth of cameras, lenses,bit rates/resolution, and adds on to get a better image. I was told buy what you can afford,and also what you can make your money back on. Here a sample reel of shoots including the panasonic GH2(with Nikon,and Canon Lenses) Panasonic Hmc-150,and 170, and the panasonic Af-100. https://vimeo.com/36632856
  It's really about what you want to shoot, how you want to shoot it, and where you want it to go (Broadcast,festivals, or web). I don't really feel there's any do it all camera,and at the end of the day a good storyteller be they a director, editor, or cinematographer trumps what ever cool gizmos they were using.

• J. Shooter | May 1, 2012 11:20 PMReply

  I love my Panasonic HMC 150 All day! I shoot on My Super 8 ONLY for personal projects or if requested. But I am also purchasing a DSLR this summer. The shallow depth of field gives such beautiful imagery. It seems to be where video is going. However, of filming with audio, can you say Pain in the A$$ Dual system!!! Even on a simple interview. Ugh. But, the audio software to sync the sound is catching up, not like when DSLR first came out. As long as you slate, editing, will be a piece of cake. So, all that to say, start getting familiar with the DSLR and get you a Sound guy cause clients will be saying "I want it to look like..." and it'll be a video shot on DSLR. Gotta give the people what they want.
  
  Shooter

• Rane | May 1, 2012 9:24 PMReply

  I shot an entire feature on a Canon T2i!!! Of course I bought decent lenses but I have to say it looks damn good for an $800 camera and then some; I've seen crappy movies shot on 35mm and RED...(Haywire comes to mind.) Bottom line; a good story, creative cinematography, framing and composition, alluring art direction and a good looking cast, goes a long way to nullify whether the film was shot 2K or 4K.

• KeithPurvis | May 1, 2012 8:32 PMReply

  Most commercials and feature films that are shot digitally are shot on Alexa right now with Red coming in second, but that's strictly for rental. With $5000 you can get a 5D Mark 2 (not the three-there's issues and you can get the 2 cheaper right now) with a full rig, sound recorder and decent mic. We currently own two rigged out 7Ds and rent lenses as we need to. The Sony FS700 looks promising but no one knows what the final price will be right now. It has full 1080p slow motion which most other cameras in this price range do not. The black magic camera is interesting, but it's super 16 sized, not super 35 sized like the 5D which means it may give you a slightly less cinematic look when its all said and done.

• JPFilmz | May 2, 2012 5:38 PM

  They announced the price at $7999.

• LeonRaymond | May 1, 2012 7:34 PMReply

  It's the ARRI ALEXA all the way, the Sensor is super beyond your wildest dreams, do a test with a few house hold light bulbs and see with out color correction what supreme image quality you get. The Red is the bar none 2nd choice!

• Tambay | May 1, 2012 7:48 PM

  Obviously Leon belongs to a higher socioeconomic class than the rest of us... He's rolling with an Arri Alexa, and nothing but. I'll be checking for you Leon when I'm looking to shoot my next project :)

• Andre Morton | May 1, 2012 7:24 PMReply

  As an addendum Tambay, when I do get around to shooting my next "ahem" home movie/sex tape that joint will not be in Hi Def! Might go Super 8 or Fisher Price Pixelvision to avoid "seeing" all the glory!!!

• Tambay | May 1, 2012 7:43 PM

  Hah!

• Dee | May 1, 2012 6:12 PMReply

  There's a saying that goes. "The best camera you have is the one you own"
  
  Over the last few years people have been hyping, hating, praising, pixel peeping, and occasionally shooting with the massive range of cameras available. Oddly enough, the stories didn't get any better.
  
  The only thing I'm interested in right now is what lenses I'm putting on the camera. If you've done your work on script, lighting, production design and you want to make it sing. Put some good glass on your camera.
  
  For my short I'm hiring in a set of 6 Leica R cinematized stills lenses (the aperture ring is de-clicked for smoother operation) I did my research, found the guy who knows his stuff and for my budget ...£/$0 they'll give me images I can project. I can sell some less used bits of equipment to fund the hire.
  
  Because here's the truth. In this day and age, if the only thing between me and shooting my movie is the camera. I have no business shooting movies.

• bama | May 1, 2012 7:44 PM

  dee Rees?

• James Richards | May 1, 2012 5:52 PMReply

  What up 'Dre!

• Andre Morton | May 1, 2012 7:16 PM

  Hey James! Nice to see you "nerding out" on similar lines! Gotta get together for beverages!

• Zeus | May 1, 2012 5:49 PMReply

  Forgot to mention...RED works best when shooting with a variety of super zeiss 35 mm lenses (or any good 35 mm lenses). They cost more to rent but SO worth it.

• JPFILMZ | May 1, 2012 5:48 PMReply

  RED is good but way to expensive and cumbersome. I've been looking at it as well. I think it's best to rent it as needed..although i wouldn't mind owning one. It's requires alot of light compared to a 5D or C300/500 or even the Sony Fs100/Fs700. You could get RED Scarlet for under 10k but end up spending $25k to rig it up to shoot with....go with an Epic and your looking at least a $60k investment That's not including proper lighting, and audio gear. Most end up renting theirs out to recoup the cost of buying it out. Technology is working in out favor though....Blackmagic has a affordable crop sensor camera that shoots 2k video for under 3k coming in July. If it is successful it should put pressure on Canon, Red, and Sony to be more innovative in their offerings to the Indie market.

• Temi | May 1, 2012 5:42 PMReply

  I just purchased a canon 5d mk II. This is my first camera purchase, so far everything I've shot has been remarkable. Besides the moire effect I can't find any problems with this camera. Can't wait to shoot timelapse and low light work.

• James Richards | May 1, 2012 5:42 PMReply

  Right now (actually the last five years) have been amazing times for camera nerds. The original Canon 5D Mark II that spurred the DSLR (r)evolution has a new successor in the Mark III. Panasonic has a great camera in the Lumix GH2 and Nikon (the company that was actually ahead of Canon to put video in their DSLR) finally woke with the new D800 and D3200. All the DSLR's are reasonably priced (as far as cinema equipment goes) with the Canon T2i being a steal at less than $700. But, in my opinion, the DSLR's make great images but are very clunky motion picture camera, and terrible video cameras. Most of us are willing to take the good with bad because the images they create are so stunning.
  
  Blackmagic-Design just introduced a camera at the NAB conference last week that I think bridges the three worlds of still, cinema and video. It's about $3000, records to harddrives using the common ProRes or Avid DNX codecs and uses Canon still lenses. It's called the Blackmagic Cinema Camera:
  
  http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/blackmagiccinemacamera/
  
  It supposedly has 13 stops of dynamic range which is amazing at this price level.
  
  At my job we just purchased about 60 of the Sony FS100, as we phase out tradition film cameras. It's a great camera, makes wonderful images at full HD, has full sound capabilities and now with the introduction of it's bigger brother the FS700 is priced within arms reach at $5000 without a lens.
  
  I like these camera because they are relatively easy to use, learn and master. They make great images and they can actually be owned. The Red family cameras are amazing, but they require a team to operate and real knowledge of workflow for post and that needs to be considered when budgeting. If you have the money, the Red and the Alexa are awesome choices. Lastly, Canon earlier introduced the C300 starting at $15000, and recently announced the 4K C500 and the 1Dc (a cinema version of 1D) at much higher prices. The reports are mixed but we have seen nothing but great stuff from the C300, which should be considered as an option in any lower budgeting productions.

• Tambay | May 1, 2012 7:44 PM

  I knew James Richards would be all over this piece :)

• Andre Morton | May 1, 2012 5:41 PMReply

  I'm a shooter/producer or more commonly known as a PREDITOR. I was classically trained in shooting film stocks from Super 8 to Super 35 mm. Shooting in film taught me so much about the image in terms of it's latitude and it's color space, things I might have missed if the first tool I picked up was a DSLR with it's crushed blacks and clipped highlights. That said I never shied away from embracing digital knowing it was what I would get paid to work in. The last 10 years have been amazing but 2012 might be the true watershed moment. For the first time inexpensive
  ( $3K - $10K ) imagers are available with 13 stops of dynamic range and uncompressed color space. The Red Scarlet and Canon EOS 300 round out the top end of this range but Black Magic is blowing the doors wide open with it's $3,000.00, 2.5K sensor that shoots in natively in 12 bit RAW, Apple Pro Res or Avid DNxHD for instant editing with no conversion. It has standard audio and video ports, and records to inexpensive SSD drives. This camera is the Indie Cinema game changer! Have a peek here.http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/blackmagiccinemacamera/

• JPFilmz | May 1, 2012 5:38 PMReply

  Currently I shoot on a rigged out Canon 7D. But I'm looking to upgrade. The Canon 5D Mark III, the new Blackmagic Cinema Camera, and the Sony FS700 are all in my sights as potential next steps. I think the Sony FS700 might be the best one out of the pack though.

• Everette | May 1, 2012 5:32 PMReply

  I am still shooting on the Panasonic HVX 200. I want another camera but I would not purchase that costs more than five or six grands. The reason for that is, camera technology is developing and changing rather quickly. If there is an abundance of paying work, then, I can make a return on my investment with an expensive camera. I can recoup the cost of a cheaper camera sooner or before another camera comes to market and knock me off.
  
  My choice right now would be the RED MX or the Canon C300, but a Chinese knock-off of the RED is coming shortly. The KINE RAW. That will cost about $8, 000 it is said. That may change things. Then, JVC has a 4K on the market that costs four grand. Why go expensive?
  
  In the end, it is not the cost or the camera, but the technique used to tell the story.
  If one would offer me a present of a camera, I'd take a, RED.

• Eric Haywood | May 1, 2012 5:27 PMReply

  My feature FOUR OF HEARTS was shot entirely on the Canon 5D Mark II with Canon lenses.
  
  http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/preview-drama-four-of-hearts-couple-tries-to-rekindle-relationship-by-having-1-night-stand

• Zeus | May 1, 2012 5:11 PMReply

  I don't own one but when time comes, I hire someone with or rent only one camera...RED.

• Darkan | May 1, 2012 5:51 PM

  Agreed Zeus. Shooting on the RED then having a professional colorist work on it after will bring your footage looking close to film and have people wondering if it was or not. Shot on the Epic with my last short and was blowed away. Love the RED. Also if you cut on Premiere pro CS5.5 or 6 the ease of workflow is outstanding which always made me wonder why people weren't cutting on Premiere sooner?