The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook: Real-World Production Techniques

By Barry Andersson and Janie L. Geyen

A how-to guide for getting professional-quality video from yourDSLR

Shooting HD Video with a video-enabled DSLR has many benefitsand some tricky drawbacks that digital filmmakers and videographerscan overcome to get professional results. The DSLR Filmmaker'sHandbook helps filmmakers harness the HD video capabilities oftheir DSLRs to create professional-level video. Packed withprofessionally-tested techniques, this indispensible book serves asa training guide for the complex steps that must be taken before,during, and after filming.

• Teaches you the key tools and techniques for using your DSLR toshoot high-quality, professional-level video
• Distills dense information about filmmaking and filters it downto easily understood granules
• Shows you what to expect and what to avoid with your DSLR andhow to maximize the visual look of your film
• Shares tools and techniques that have been used in real-world,independent movie-making environments

The DSLR Filmmaker's Handbook shows you how to overcomeany tricky drawbacks that you may face while shooting HD video withyour DSLR.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wiley
• Release date: Nov 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781118234778

Book preview

Title Page

Acquisitions Editor: Mariann Barsolo

Development Editor: Pete Gaughan

Technical Editor: Jeff Greene

Production Editor: Liz Britten

Copy Editor: Kim Wimpsett

Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan

Production Manager: Tim Tate

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Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde

Book Designer: Mark Ong, Side By Side Studios

Compositor: Chris Gillespie, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

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Indexer: Ted Laux

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Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed

Cover Image: Carrie Vines

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-87660-2

ISBN: 978-1-118-22100-6 (ebk.)

ISBN: 978-1-118-23477-8 (ebk.)

ISBN: 978-1-118-25934-4 (ebk.)

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Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing The DSLR Filmmaker’s Handbook: Real World Production Techniques. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we’re still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at [e-mail]. If you think you’ve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

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Neil Edde

Vice President and Publisher

Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley

To our kids, who put up with us.

Acknowledgments

We could not have written this book without the help and support of many people. First we need to thank our kids, Trinity and Stonewall, for being so patient with us during the whole writing experience as well as being good subjects in so many of our examples and testing over the past couple of years.

We must also thank our contributors, Michael Heagle and Daniel Brown. Michael wrote the chapter on fixing it in post and did a superb job of making the subject matter of post-production seem to be no problem at all. Daniel wrote the entire section about shooting underwater photos and video. His many years of experience were invaluable and distilled to a point where we believe anyone reading his tips will be well on their way to top-quality underwater images.

We also want to thank some of our close friends who allowed us to share some of their invaluable knowledge with their permission. Shane and Lydia Hurlbut and their top-of-the-line Hurlbut Visuals Elite team were awesome. They are leaders in the field and helped us tremendously in better learning the DSLR video cameras and workflows; we also gleaned some information from their blog at www.hurlbutvisuals.com. Additionally, Chris Fenwick, editor extraordinaire, was invaluable in helping with a simplified workflow for compressing final images getting them ready for multiple devices. Thanks to Scott Sheppard for the many hours of assistance in helping set up test after test and being a sounding board for everything from lenses to editing to compression to color, and more; Milo Durben for his invaluable knowledge of gripping and rigging and the patience for all the images we had to take during the course of writing the book; and Jack Boniface for being a great sounding board and a great help with consulting on the audio portions of the book.

We also cannot thank enough our cast and crew of The Shamus for their outstanding performances and their patience in working with a young technology so early in the DSLR game: to our actors, Charles Hubble, Greg Hain, Emily Tyra, Sarah Richardson, Sam Landman, Sasha Andreev, and the many other outstanding actors; and to our crew, Michael Dvork, Ryan Dodge, Tammy Hollingsworth, Deena Graf, Thomas Popp, and the rest of the gang who helped make the film such a joy to work on.

Additional thanks to Anne Gaither, Scott Citron, Julien Lasseur, Brian Valente from Redrock Micro, Dan Ikeda from Tiffen/Steadicam, Garrett Brown for his lifetime dedication to the perfection of movement in film, John Peters, Matthew Duclos from Duclos Lenses, Steve Holmes, and Lee Varis.

Lastly, we have to thank our great friend and DSLR video champion Mitch Aunger and his website Planet5D.com. It is the must-read blog and information resource on the Web. Bookmark the site and visit often.

Of course, the book wouldn’t have been possible at all without the Sybex team: Mariann Barsolo, acquisitions editor; Pete Gaughan, developmental editor; Liz Britten, production editor; Kim Wimpsett, copy editor; and the compositors at Happenstance Type-O-Rama.

About the Authors

Barry Andersson is an award-winning independent filmmaker and trainer. His career started with live television video production, ranging from international live interactive broadcasts to live sporting event production. About the same time Andersson started in video production, he also started to produce and direct 35mm motion-picture short films. Working with everything from ½˝, ¾˝, Beta, and high-definition video to 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm motion-picture film, he has a knowledge of both the video and traditional film workflows. Additionally, he has shot hundreds of weddings. He has directed several award-winning short films, a couple television pilots, many commercials, and one of the first DSLR feature films.

Janie L. Geyen has a law degree with an emphasis on entertainment and contract law. She has produced several award-winning short films, a television pilot, and a feature-length DSLR film. She is currently producing another DSLR feature.

Follow Barry Andersson on Twitter at @mopho_barry.

Follow Janie L. Geyen on Twitter at @deodand.

Introduction

This book is a culmination of untold many long hours fiddling with cameras and trying to get a shot to work in the DSLR video arena. The transition from shooting with film or standard video to working with a DSLR is an exciting and daunting prospect. It is a combination of technological knowledge and a lot of trial and error. This arena is constantly changing as innovations are added or new cameras enter the market. However, we are at a point where there is a DSLR core knowledge base that will provide a foundation for any project. Currently, most DSLR knowledge comes from word of mouth or from some blog or forum that I once read. Tips and disinformation are given equal footing, and ultimately everyone is stuck holding a camera on the first day of shooting wondering whether the information that they have been gleaning in bits and pieces is actually going to work. This book cuts to the chase; if it’s in here, it’s going to work. This book attempts to cram that core knowledge of DSLR video into one volume.

It will offer information on every subject that you need to be aware of to shoot a DSLR project. This book addresses the practicalities that a filmmaker needs to know to actually be able to complete a DSLR project or that a videographer needs for a shoot. You will find out how to pick gear, set up the gear, and choose and interact with lenses and various tools to improve your shooting. As you plan all aspects of your shoot, the book will give you direction on how to ensure that you have your bases covered. Whether you have never worked with DSLR video or you have DSLR video experience, we will cover how to create a professional, high-quality project from start to finish and help you avoid pitfalls that might hurt your final project.

Obviously, at times, further knowledge or proficiency is necessary. For example, we can tell you about a Steadicam rig, but you will need to practice using a rig or test your motion needs with an operator in order for it to function correctly. We can highlight various editing workflows, but when you get your footage, you will need to have a working knowledge of editing in order to edit.

This book is for anyone who wants to shoot a DSLR project whether it be a feature film, a wedding, or any other project. This book will not cover film theory, ways to break into Hollywood, or how to start your own wedding videography business. What we will cover are ways you can best use DSLR cameras, lenses, and other accessories to help you make a professional-looking project.

Who Should Read This Book

As the title implies, this book is intended for people who own or want to shoot video with DSLR cameras. Such people probably fall into two basic groups:

Independent filmmakers trying to get the film look on an affordable budget

Photographers who are looking to start shooting DSLR video but have never worked in the video world or a motion-picture film world

We are making certain assumptions regarding the reader here:

You are familiar with using a video, film, or still camera.

You are interested in diving deeper than the factory settings on the camera to achieve a certain look for your video.

You have a rudimentary understanding of movies and the visual language of movies.

For the purposes of this book, an independent filmmaker is not only a filmmaker as in Hollywood movies but also videographers who create or want to film documentaries, music videos, weddings, commercials, or corporate videos. As for still photographers, we assume many will have little to no knowledge of video, editing, and the effects that motion will have on the lens choice in the final image. If you are a photographer with more exposure in this arena, then you are ahead of the game, but there is still plenty of practical advice, tips, and tricks you can benefit from before you head out on your shoot. If you are an aspiring filmmaker, then you will find out what you need to successfully prepare and shoot, as well as what problems to watch out for before you start your next film.

With The DSLR Filmmaker’s Handbook, we aim to provide a clear overview and pitfalls of the DSLR video workflow. We will touch on various camera types, lenses, and more, but on the whole there are practical advice and tips regardless of what camera and/or equipment you use. We hope this encourages people to dive in and test the DSLR video capabilities, and not be discouraged with any limitations of the technology. Use the new technology as a challenge to create the very best video possible, and feel free to learn from our mistakes and successes.

With any technology, DSLR cameras will continue to evolve and change. You contact us directly with your questions via Twitter or our website at www.MophoRentals.com. Additionally, we are guest bloggers on our friend Mitch Aunger’s website at www.Planet5D.com. Make sure to stop by to keep up-to-date on any new cameras, equipment, or workflows that evolve after the printing of this book.

What Is Covered in This Book

Here is a glance as what is in each chapter:

Chapter 1: Fundamentals of DSLR Filmmaking is key. Whether you are person familiar shooting with standard video cameras, a still photographer, or a filmmaker, there will be overlap in equipment and vernacular. However, there are some unique processes, gear, and workflows that apply specifically to shooting video on DSLR cameras.

Chapter 2: Gear and Recommendations answers what camera is the best fit for you, what gear is available to help shoot your next film, and our recommendations for what you should use for your next project.

Chapter 3: Testing and Custom Settings helps you control the look of the image, which is a first-order goal of the filmmaker. Accurate color, the ability to create a look, and the proper way to set up the cameras are all part of the DSLR workflow.

Chapter 4: Cameras and Lenses on Location covers cameras and lenses since the DSLR platform has exponentially expanded the number of available cameras, lenses, and formats that a filmmaker can work with. It is now more important than ever to understand the tools and be aware of the available choices and the reasons to choose your camera and lenses.

Chapter 5: Camera Motion and Support covers not just equipment but rather a method for adding movement and motion to your shots. See what type of equipment is available, best practices for creating the motion, and how to plan for what equipment you will need in order to get the shot you want.

Chapter 6: Lighting on Location covers lighting, from available natural light to full-on professional lights and lighting setups. Check out best practices and things that will help you achieve a better image.

Chapter 7: Sound on Location provides suggestions for working with DSLR cameras, which is totally different from working with traditional video cameras. DSLR cameras should be treated much more like film cameras, where the best option is to record audio on a separate device for maximum quality.

Chapter 8: Organizing and Storing Data in the Field covers how to handle your data. With a little forethought and planning, you will save tons of time and headaches later in post-production. Don’t skip what might seem like a boring chapter.

Chapter 9: Troubleshooting helps you be aware of the common issues when shooting DSLR video and that there are problems and limitations (but nothing that can’t be worked around). Knowledge is power in this sense, and the more you know, the easier it will be to craft the way you shoot your film so you can be successful.

Chapter 10: Converting and Editing Your Footage shows you how (and when) you need to convert your original footage, best practices for backing up your footage, and how to get organized for the edit. If you are unfamiliar with editing, this will get you started (but is not a comprehensive how-to on editing).

Chapter 11: Audio Crash Course covers everything from syncing audio and video, all the way to how to ADR lines that you didn’t get or didn’t turn out in post.

Chapter 12: Color Correction and Grading covers not just the look of the movie but also correcting color problems and creating a seamless image that is technically satisfactory and ready for you to show to an audience.

Chapter 13: Compression looks at how you can compress your film so it looks as close as possible to the uncompressed version you edited and so it can be viewed in the best-quality compressed version no matter whether you show it online, on a DVD, or in a theater.

Chapter 14: Fixing It in Post covers many common problems that come up during shooting that need to be fixed in post. We will look at the top issues both for DSLR video shooters and for video in general.

Chapter 15: Workshops covers some tips and tricks for shooting underwater, for shooting in or at a moving vehicle, and for changing your video speed to achieve the cinematic look you want.

How to Contact the Authors

We welcome feedback from you about this book or about books you’d like to see from us in the future. You can reach us by writing to [e-mail] and [e-mail]. For more information about our equipment, for consulting questions, or for questions regarding our work, please visit our website at www.MophoRentals.com.

Sybex strives to keep you supplied with the latest tools and information you need for your work. Please check the book’s web page at www.sybex.com/go/dslrfilmmaker, where we will post updates to the book’s content should the need arise.

Chapter 1

Fundamentals of DSLR Filmaking

When choosing to shoot with DSLR cameras, you need to know some basics. If you have used a standard video camera, are a still photographer, or are a filmmaker, then you’ll see the overlap in equipment and vernacular. However, some unique processes, gear, and workflows apply specifically to shooting video on DSLR cameras.

Features of DSLR Cameras

Until Nikon released the D90 in 2008, buyers had to choose between a digital still camera or a digital video camera. Filmmakers were using film or traditional video cameras for production. When the D90 and, quickly afterward, the Canon 5D Mark II were released, you finally had the ability to shoot digital stills and HD video on the same device.

At the time, HD video on a still camera was very controversial. A lot of photographers worried that improvements to the still camera would be limited because it seemed all the attention was being placed on the video side of the camera. Independent filmmakers took one look at the early footage and realized the vast potential of this new technology. HD video has been around since the 1990s but was practically available only on traditional video cameras. The design and function of traditional video cameras prevented a lot of the cinematic qualities that traditional film cameras provided.

DSLR cameras allowed filmmakers to easily and inexpensively use interchangeable lenses to craft the look of their film more like traditional filmmaking. These factors, along with an available shallow depth of field and low-light capabilities, were not available on most traditional video cameras. These issues, coupled with the price and quality of the video image, helped supersize the growth of the DSLR market.

Since the launch of the Nikon D90 and the Canon 5D Mark II, manufacturers have released several more DSLR cameras. In the upcoming years, the still/HD video hybrid will likely become the norm for DSLR cameras. As more models hit the marketplace, you will need to be able to compare models and find the right functions and price point for your project.

Sensor Size

If you are not a photographer and not accustomed to dealing with sensor sizes, let’s put it in motion-picture film terms. Sensor size is a bit like choosing whether to shoot on 8mm, 16mm, Super 16mm, 35mm, Super 35mm, or 70mm film. Just as with motion-picture film stock, you choose your sensor size based on your budget, the depth of field, and the aesthetic look for your film. In general, the bigger the sensor, the more expensive (just like 35mm or 70mm film); the smaller the sensor, the cheaper the camera. Again, this is a generalization, because some higher-end cameras have small sensors.

A full-frame sensor is approximately the same size as a single frame of 35mm film from a traditional still film camera (Figure 1-1).

Figure 1-1: A full-frame sensor and 35mm still film are the same size; the sensor area is 36×24 mm, or 864 mm².

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Any non-full-frame sensor is referred to as a crop sensor (Figure 1-2). These sensors vary in size but are smaller than a single frame of 35mm film from a traditional still film camera.

Figure 1-2: A crop sensor is smaller than 35mm film. The Canon APS-C sensor area is 22.2×14.8 mm, or 329 mm².

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The sensor size affects the grain in your image as well as your depth of field. At the time of this writing, there are two dominant sensor sizes: full-frame sensors and APS-C crop sensors.

APS-C is a crop sensor and is currently in all non-full-frame Nikon cameras and the Canon 7D, EOS 60D, and Rebel T2i. To make things slightly more confusing, there is a slight difference between the Canon APS-C and Nikon APS-C sensors (Figure 1-3): specifically, the Nikon APS-C sensor (22.2×14.8 mm, or 329 mm²) is slightly larger than the Canon version (~23.6×15.7 mm, or about 370 mm²).

Figure 1-3: Nikon APS-C (left) vs. Canon APS-C sensor (right). The Nikon sensor is also used by Pentax and Sony. Notice the Canon APS-C Sensor is slightly smaller than the Nikon APS-C sensor.

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If you are using a crop sensor, be aware of how this affects your lenses. Shooting with lenses from traditional 35mm film cameras will not match up with the given focal length on the lens. Some people will say that the focal length will be shortened when used on a crop-sensor camera, but that is not really accurate. Standard still lenses were designed so the field of view would cover the full frame of the 35mm film. A crop sensor is smaller than a standard 35mm film frame, and when a standard lens is used, the field of view is greater than what is captured on the sensor (Figure 1-4). This creates a magnification effect. For example, your 50mm lens will have a narrower field of view. This does not in any way change the actual focal length of the lens, just how much of the area of view is captured.

Figure 1-4: Field of view comparison between full frame (blue) vs. cropped sensor (red)

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The various sizes of crop sensors have their own multiplication factor specific to that size of sensor; these are referred to as either the crop factor or the focal length multiplier. Specific crop factors range between 1.3 and 2 depending on the size of the sensor. The way the crop factor is determined is a simple division of the size of the sensor by a full frame. For example, a full-frame sensor is 36×24 mm, and a Canon APS-C sensor is 22.3×14.9 mm. If you divide 36 by 22.3, you get 1.614, which we round to 1.6. If you are using a standard 24mm wide-angle lens on a 1.6 crop sensor, your field of view is more like a 38mm lens than 24mm. This can hurt you if you are shooting in a really tight location, because you may not be able to achieve a wide enough angle.

The APS-C crop sensor is almost identical in size to the standard 35mm film that Hollywood uses. So, don’t get worried if you have a crop-sensor camera. If you have a choice, look at some footage from the cameras you are looking to shoot with and choose the one that best aesthetically matches the movie you want to make. Decide the speed of film (ISO on your camera) and the grain tolerance (sensor size) and choose as you would between standard film stock, Kodak Vision stock, and so on.

Full-frame sensors are becoming more popular, and the Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D3S are the two leading cameras in the DSLR space with full-frame sensors. The great part of the full-frame sensor is that traditional 35mm film lenses retain their true focal length. If you have your trusty 35mm or 50mm lens (or any lens, for that matter), then there is no learning curve for what image you will get. It will look the same as when shooting still images. The strange part of a full-frame digital sensor vs. 35mm still or motion-picture film is that a full-frame digital sensor is in fact larger than 35mm film. In reality, a full-frame sensor is almost VistaVision size (Figure 1-5).

Figure 1-5: VistaVision film frame (left) vs. 35mm film frame (right)

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VistaVision

VistaVision was created in 1954 at Paramount Pictures; 35mm motion film stock is 24×36 mm, whereas the full-frame digital sensor is 36×24 mm.

In VistaVision, instead of recording an image horizontally from edge to edge of 35mm motion-picture film, the image is recorded vertically, allowing a much larger area of the film stock to be used for each frame. The main benefit was a much higher-resolution image and the possibility of a much greater depth of field.

Because of the lack of speed of the film stock at the time, usually productions blasted the scenes with light to create a very large depth of field and usually didn’t take advantage of the ability to have a narrow depth of field. Because DSLR cameras are so sensitive, for the first time filmmakers are able to shoot at narrow depths of field previously not seen on a mass scale.

Table 1-1 lists the dimensions of the most common DSLR sensors; Figure 1-6 compares those dimensions visually. Figure 1-7 compares various physical film sizes.

Table 1-1: Sensor dimensions

Figure 1-6: Comparisons of sensor size

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Figure 1-7: Various motion-picture film sizes

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The major benefits of using a camera with a full-frame sensor are that it is more light-sensitive, creates less noise in your image, and offers the ability for a narrow depth of field.

More Light Sensitivity The reason that a camera with a full-frame sensor has more light sensitivity is easy—there’s more space for light to hit the sensor and bigger pixels collect more light (photons). The full-frame sensor has more than double the area of the APS-C crop sensor. The bigger (fatter) pixels catch more of the light than the smaller sensors.

Less Noise By having the larger pixels to catch the light, the camera doesn’t have to amplify them in order to match the same ISO from a smaller sensor. Think of it as blowing up your image. The larger the image you begin with, the less noise in your final print. The larger the sensor you start with, the less noise in your final footage.

Depth of Field Most filmmakers were never happy with the look of video. When HD came into existence, it was touted for its clear and sharp image. Many filmmakers didn’t like the look because it didn’t look cinematic. That all changed with the release of the Canon 5D Mark II and subsequent DSLR cameras. The ability to have a shallow depth of field and the more natural color rendering of flesh tones (this is for all flesh tones not just Caucasian), made HD video acceptable and in some cases desirable to many filmmakers.

Depth of field is what we unconsciously think of when we want something to look cinematic. Look at your favorite movies to see how much you see of the background in any given shot. You will see that most scenes have a shallow depth of field where the background is more or less out of focus. With your traditional home video camera, you have a very deep depth of field, and when you view your footage, you will see that most things are in focus almost as far back as you can see.

The larger the sensor, the more shallow depth of field is possible; the smaller the sensor, the deeper the depth of field will be. Also, shooting at lower f-stops will cause a shallow depth of field vs. a higher f-stop on any sensor size.

With DSLR cameras, we are now creating our films like Hollywood does. We can choose a lens and paint with light just as they have since the dawn of the movie industry. And that is why shooting on an DSLR camera is revolutionary. We are making movies that look just the way we have been watching movies for as long as we can remember.

Frame Rates

The current DSLR cameras offer a range of frame rates depending on which camera you buy or rent. Let’s talk for a moment about the standard frame rates in both film and video production. We call these frames per second (fps). These are the most common, or standard, frame rates:

24 fps is the standard rate at which motion-picture film gets run through the camera. So, any movie that is shot on film that you see in the movie theater was shot at 24 fps and is the holy grail of the film feel of your footage.

25 fps is the standard in most of the world (outside the United States and Japan) for video broadcast. This is close to the film look and was widely sought after in video cameras in the United States for filmmakers looking to get away from the 30 fps look of U.S. video cameras.

29.97 fps is the standard for broadcast in the United States. Most people refer to this as 30 fps, but there is a huge difference between 30 fps and 29.97 fps when it comes to broadcasting or viewing your footage in traditional formats (that is, TV, DVD, VHS, and so on).

30 fps is the standard more or less for web video. On the Web, there are no rules for frame rate. The Canon 5D Mark II originally was able to shoot only 30 fps and was limited to web-only video or complicated transcoding that doesn’t always work without problems.

Slow motion would be any frame rate greater than 30 fps. The two most common frame rates on DSLR cameras are 50 fps and 60 fps. This means you are recording double the amount of frames as you would at 25 fps or 30 fps, and you can (in post) play these shots back at half speed smoothly, giving you slow motion.

FPS and p vs. i

Many times fps is not listed next to your frame rate. Instead, you will see the frame rate of 24, 30, and so on, and either the letter i or the letter p will follow it. For example, if you want to shoot at 24 fps, you will see you can select 24p, which stands for 24 frames per second progressive.

When you see 60p vs. 60i, the p stands for progressive, and i stands for interlaced. Interlaced video records every other line, whereas progressive records a full-frame image. For example, 60p means you are recording a full-frame image each second, whereas 60i means you record half an image each second, so you end with a total of 30 full frames.

You might hear a few other terms related to frame rates. For example, NTSC stands for National Television System Committee and is the analog television system used in North America, South America, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Burma, the Philippines, and some other Pacific islands. NTSC has been the standard for more than 50 years in broadcast media in the United States and represents a 4:3 aspect ratio (think of the standard TV image, that is, non-wide-screen models) and a frame rate of 30 fps (also a 29.97 fps). Both 30 fps and 29.97 fps are referred to when talking about NTSC. Thirty fps was the initial standard for NTSC in 1941, but in 1953 with the introduction of color television, the committee required a slight reduction in frame rate down to 29.97 fps. This reduction was needed because of visible interference with the chrominance signal and the sound signals over the airwaves. (In June 2009, the United States transitioned from analog to digital transmissions, and the new standard is called ATSC, which includes the digital formats 16:9 and 1920×1200 resolutions.)

ISO Settings

What is ISO? ISO represents how sensitive the image sensor is to the amount of light available. The higher your ISO, the more sensitive the image sensor is, thus increasing your ability to get shots in low-light situations. Which ISO settings are available will differ from camera to camera.

If you have a still-film background, you are more familiar with this being referred to as the ASA rating. ISO is the digital-photo equivalent of a film camera’s ASA.

As the famous quote states, You can’t have your cake and eat it too. There is a trade-off to high ISO settings: noise. When you boost your sensor’s sensitivity by selecting a higher ISO, you are enabling the camera to record a fainter light signal. By enabling the camera to record a fainter light signal, you, at the same time, are allowing the camera to record the fainter noise signal. Noise is defined as any signal that is not attributed to the light from the subject you are shooting. Noise appears as colored pixels usually most visible in the shadows and dark areas of your footage.

The actual sensor in your camera is in fact an analog device and as such will create some noise itself in capturing your footage. This, coupled with the increased ability of the sensor to capture the light signal and noise signal, created the actual visible noise in your captured footage. If you ever shoot high ASA film stock, then you have grain instead of noise; in general, film grain is acceptable, whereas digital noise is considered bad.

The size of your sensor determines the range of ISO settings available on any given camera without being affected by noise (at least noticeable noise). This is what is referred to as the signal-to-noise ratio (or the S/N ratio); it’s the amount of light (signal) captured in relation to the amount of noise captured. This is why, in general, the larger the sensor, the less noise present in your footage. The reason for this is the number of pixels and their density on the actual sensor. Look at various camera models, and you will see 8 megapixels (MP), 10 megapixels, 12.1 megapixels, and so on, as a rating for those cameras. This is just telling you that the manufacturer has placed 8 million, 10 million, or 12.1 million (a megapixel stands for 1 million pixels) on the sensor.

This can be a bit deceiving, though, because it’s possible for two cameras—one that has a crop sensor and the other a full-frame sensor—to have the same megapixel count. In this case, the manufacturer has crammed the same number of pixels on the smaller sensor as there are on the larger sensors. This causes the pixels to be much closer together and affects how much signal (light) can be captured through each pixel. For instance, consider an 18 MP Canon 7D (Canon APS-C sensor) and a 16 MP Canon 1D Mark IV APS-H. You might think that because the 7D has more megapixels, it would yield a better image. In fact, the 1D Mark IV, with only a 16 MP count, will yield a better (less noise) image because the pixels are less densely packed on the larger sensor.

So, you cannot look just at the megapixel count; you also need to look at the sensor size and the density of the pixels in the camera you want to use. The best possible situation is a full-frame sensor with a high megapixel count. If you are looking at cameras that share the same sensor size but different megapixel counts, you may want to rent both cameras and shoot some footage to test the noise signals and see which one gives you the better image for your project.

Features of SLR Lenses

The lens is the eye of your camera; what is captured in the lens is what will end up on the screen. Shooting with a DSLR opens up the world for most videographers who were limited by a single lens or complicated adaptations, and filmmakers are curious to see how a familiar lens interacts with the new system.

Because the lens is the single most important decision you will have to make for every single shot, it is important to start with the relevant basics. Here we will talk about the lens choices and how they affect your final footage.

Depth of Field and Focus

Sensor size also affects your depth of field. As the size of your sensor gets bigger, the depth of field at a given aperture decreases. A smaller sensor will produce a greater depth of field in comparison to a larger-sensor camera when compared at the same aperture.

Taking a portrait with a large aperture on a DSLR would give you a nice out-of-focus background. Taking a portrait at the same aperture on a compact digital camera would have much more of the background in focus. The only way to match the depth of field on a smaller sensor to that of a larger sensor would be to add a lot of light and stop down the camera with neutral-density filters to better achieve the shallow depth of field that a larger-sensor DSLR camera would provide.

Aperture, F-stops, and T-stops

Aperture (the measure of the space that light passes through in the lens) is measured in f-stops. An f-stop is a ratio or fraction, so smaller numbers mean more light. Often lenses are considered fast or slow: a lens with a low-numbered minimum f-stop is considered a fast lens because it allows in more light (or, put another way, you can use a faster shutter speed). A lens with a large minimum f-stop number is considered a slow lens.

The sequence of f-stops follows an unusual pattern; this is a typical sequence:

f/1.0, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, f/45, f/64

Each stop represents a change of half the size greater or lesser than the adjacent aperture; so, f/2.8 lets in twice as much light as f/4.

The reason for these apparently strange numbers is that the aperture opening is essentially a circle, so each successive f-stop is calculated by dividing by the square root of 2.

There are also half-stop and third-stop calculations, which allow for even greater control of the amount of light passing through the aperture opening and the exposure. If you see other numbers between the standard full stops, these represent half or third stops.

An f-stop is a geometric calculation between focal length and aperture, but light can be lost within the lens or optics. This loss will usually be more apparent with zoom lenses or when shooting with multiple lenses. The determination of a t-stop is used to handle this loss of light within a camera system. A t-stop is a true stop or transmission stop and measures exactly how much light is making it through the lens to the sensor. A t-stop is a simple measurement of actual light and deals only with exposure, not depth of field. In general, t-stops will not be an issue, but certain lenses are calibrated in both f-stops and t-stops.

Cine-Style Lenses vs. Photo Lenses

Cine lenses were lenses originally designed with the end result of the recorded image being projected in a theater. A good cine lens is designed to be incredibly sharp and has amazing glass that transmits light nearly flawlessly with high resolution and often low contrast. Cine lenses were also designed to fit a 35mm movie film print, so if these lenses are used on a DLSR camera (Figure 1-8)—where the sensor is larger than 35mm motion-picture film—vignetting may occur. Also, cine lenses may be marked with t-stops instead of f-stops.

Figure 1-8: A cinema-style lens on a DSLR camera

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One of the main differences of cine lenses from traditional still photography lenses is that cine lenses are matched sets optically: They have matching t-stops, barrel size, focal length, and back focus throughout the set of lenses. This means there is no change from lens to lens when switching from one cine prime lens to the next. Still lenses are not matched, and the f-stops, barrel sizes, focal lengths, and so on, can change from lens to lens. Another feature of a cine lens is properly calibrated marks for distance, and on cine lenses there are usually more than on a still lens.

A cine lens is designed with focus in mind and will have focus gearing. The lens will have a wider and smoother range of movement from one focus point to another than a still lens. This increased turning distance to achieve for focus is necessary for various focus changes within a shot. A cine lens is designed so that it can be manipulated by a second person and can be done with extreme accuracy because focus is even more crucial when the image is going to be projected in a theater.

A cine lens will also have internal focus. As you obtain focus, the lens front will not move forward because cine lenses utilize internal focusing. Cine lenses will not breathe much, or at all, as you focus.

Breathing Lenses

This phenomenon happens in some lenses (both prime and zoom lenses): when you focus the image, it temporarily appears to expand and reduce. If you are doing a rack focus from a foreground image to an image in the background and you have a lens that breathes, you will not get a smooth rack focus from the foreground to the background. The only way to find out whether your lens breathes is to do a rack focus and see if it does it.

Some cine lenses will still have slight breathing problems, and some photo lens won’t breathe. Testing is always critical because breathing is more apparent when the image is projected.

Cine lenses also do not have hard clicks and have step less aperture for f-stops. This feature means that the f-stop can be set exactly at the level it needs to be at with no need to move to the next level in order to get close.

Hard Click for F-stop

Most still-camera lenses have spring-type mechanisms that click as the aperture setting of the lens is turned. The click indicates that the next f-stop setting or step has been reached and the f-stops are generally accurately set. Importantly for moviemakers, this also means that only the preset f-stops can be used.

In Chapter 4, we’ll tell you how to declick a lens.

Figure 1-9: Zeiss CP.2 lenses are modified still lenses that are housed in a cinema style body that allows for measurements on both sides of the lens and a longer focus throw for better focus pulling.

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Image is courtesy of Carl Zeiss AG.

Lenses can be put into cine-style casings, or you can get a cine-style lens that is not an improvement in glass but just puts the lens into the cine casing for ease of use. In general, a real cine lens will be more expensive than a comparable still lens. Cine lenses are also quite heavy and can feel cumbersome to use, especially if used with added matte boxes or other paraphernalia.

Photo or still lenses are being used for DSLR video with great results. The advent of high-quality DSLR camera options for the moviemaker has opened the floodgates on lenses that can be used, and often lenses traditionally used for stills are now being used to work on a movie. There are some noteworthy differences between a cine-style lens and a still lens.

In general, the focus and zoom on photo lenses are designed for quick adjustments for stills. The movement is not going to be incorporated into the shot either with a zoom or with a focus change, so the focus and zoom on a still camera can be too sensitive for easy motion on video. This means the focus on a still lens may change drastically by merely moving the focus ring only a small amount. This small amount of movement for drastic change can make pulling focus and smooth zooming difficult. Some photo lenses also have the focus, zoom, and aperture ring directions in the opposite direction of a cine lens and so shifting between lenses can create a need to shift more gear around or mentally take note of the shift. Some still lenses rely on the camera settings to make aperture changes, which limits the aperture range that can used for the shot.

Hard Stop for Focus

A hard stop is when the lens will not spin any further. On cine lenses and other high-quality lenses, this stop should be at or very near optical infinity. If the lens does not have an infinity hard stop, it can be turned past the infinity focus until the image becomes blurry again.

Types of Lenses

Most films are shot using a combination of lenses. The combination of lenses you choose will depend on a number of factors. Factors range from availability, desired look and effect, budget, and location parameters. Some combination of primes and zooms will be used on most DSLR shoots.

Prime Lenses

Prime lenses are lenses with a fixed focal length; this means each lens will have a single angle of view. It is this angle of view that more or less categorizes what