I’m kind of into a DSLR right now because I just announced my A guide to shooting cinematic images with a DSLRand eager to share some of my latest thoughts on this topic with my readers. The digital SLR video tips you’ll find below are not technical in nature, but fundamental in nature, focusing on core ideas that will help make your images stronger. I firmly believe that following these 5 guidelines will not only make your work more cinematic, but will greatly improve the overall quality of your work. At the end of this article I will also pick the best entry-level digital SLR cameras available today, but first here’s the list:
1. Understand your camera’s limitations
The first step to getting the best images with a digital SLR camera is understanding its limitations, as not all cameras are created equal. All digital SLR cameras may have some characteristics in common, but in most cases you really need to study, test, and shoot with a camera as much as possible to know its breaking point. Some digital SLR cameras perform well in low light conditions but suffer from poor dynamic range. Others are very sharp but produce images that are jagged… You see what I mean. The point is, you need to know your camera inside and out. If your DSLR shoots gorgeous images during the day, but isn’t a low-light monster, then consider only shooting with it at lower ISOs and in well-lit night conditions, which won’t require you to mess with the codec pressure. Or, if your project requires a lot of low-light shooting, choose a completely different camera and be less restrictive in that regard. Whatever you do, don’t push your camera past its limits in any way.
2. Avoid micro-jitter!
Probably the most disgusting artifact when shooting with a digital SLR (or any other small camera) is the presence of micro-shake. I’m talking about those tiny shakes that show up on your handheld footage and usually only fully show up when you review the footage in post. To avoid this problem, you need to be very careful with how you shoot, as even the slightest movement of your hands can wreak havoc on the image. Solutions to this include using a tripod or stabilizer, but your lens choice will also make a big difference. Longer lenses will always produce more shake, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them – you just have to be more careful! Alternatively, you can use a lens with built-in image stabilization, but this is not always the best option as some lenses can produce unpredictable results when stabilization is activated.
3. Slow panning is your enemy
Next to microshake is slow panning, which is an Achilles’ heel when shooting on a digital SLR. Again, every DSLR is different in this regard, but most DSLRs have difficulty panning at slow speeds when shooting in 24p mode. My old Lumix GH2 is one of my favorite cameras but it has the absolute worst shake effect and it affects my images when panning images with vertical lines like buildings or even standing people . Ideally, you want to avoid unnecessary pans as much as possible. Simply shoot a second setting and take two shots instead of one so you avoid panning too often when needed. Alternatively, you can pan faster so the judder in the image is less noticeable, but not too fast or you’ll get the wobble/jelly effect from the rolling shutter.
4. Hotspot is no problem
One of the first things you’ll probably learn when exposing an image is not to overbrighten your highlights. This advice is very relevant and will effectively help you get better exposure, but only if you understand the difference between highlights and hot spots. Some photographers are so afraid of overexposing any part of the image that they will overexpose the brightest areas of the shot (such as the lights in the background), ultimately underexposing the actor’s face so that the image looks overexposed Seriously inadequate. It’s important to remember that it’s perfectly fine to crop your image to white, as long as it doesn’t occur in key parts of the frame (such as the actor’s face). It actually looks good if the windows are blown out in the background because the windows are a hot spot – and depending on the look you’re going for, it might suit your scene and mood well. A blown out window in the background with a perfectly exposed face will always look better than a horribly exposed face and a window with preserved details. Unless, of course, you want something super stylized.
5. Treat your digital SLR like a film camera
Many of us feel so liberated by the ability to shoot in small spaces and unique situations with our DSLR cameras that we may inadvertently take things too far and forget to think of them as genuine Movie camera. Just because it’s easier to shoot with a DSLR than a RED EPIC, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it like an EPIC. Pack it up. Mount it with beautiful glass. Use follow focus. Add weight to the camera so it moves like a movie camera. And don’t rush into it just because you can. The more you treat your camera like a movie camera, the more cinematic your images will be. It sounds simple, but it’s very true. The same goes for the opposite situation…if you just took a RED EPIC out of the box, put on a crappy lens, and shot handheld without gear and lights, it would look terrible. So remember how to treat your gear and it will serve you well!
6. ProMist filters are your friend
SLR cameras are getting better every year and can now produce sharper images than ever before. This is both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, a sharp image can be nice, helping us see detail in the image and producing rich textures, but when things get too sharp, footage can really start to look like film. The best way to avoid this problem when shooting with a DSLR is to use a ProMist filter. These filters do a great job of softening your image, but only in areas where you want your image to be softer, such as skin tones. It leaves a lot of detail in the image without going overboard and creating a blurry/foggy soap opera effect. Just be aware of which camera you’re using it on. Cameras like the 5D MKIII are already so soft that you usually don’t need to put ProMist filters in front of them, but with a very sharp camera like the GH4, they are your best friend.
This is just the tip of the iceberg…
It’s important to remember to not only focus on the technical specs of your equipment, but also the basics that apply to any camera you own or rent. We’ve really only scratched the surface, but hopefully it’ll put things into perspective for some of you and give you some food for thought. in my new A guide to shooting cinematic images with a DSLRwe’ll be covering these topics and more in more depth, so if you’re interested in pre-ordering your copy at a discount today, be sure to click the link below.
Finally – my pick for the best entry-level video SLR camera…
Nikon D5300!
Nikon D5300 – B & H $746.00
First, here are the specs:
- 24.1MP DX format CMOS sensor, no OLPF
- EXPEED 4 processing
- ISO 100-6400 standard, extended to 25600
- 5 fps burst shooting
- 39-point autofocus system, 9-sensor cross-type
- 2016 pixel RGB photometric sensor
- 1080p60 video recording, built-in stereo microphone
- 1.04 million dot 3.2-inch variable-angle LCD display
Why is this my choice? For starters, this is a very well-rounded digital SLR camera at a reasonable price of about $750. Granted, this isn’t the cheapest digital SLR you can buy, but this choice isn’t based solely on price, but on value. You can buy a Canon T3i for a few hundred bucks and get pretty good images, but in my opinion it’s nowhere near the Nikon in terms of image quality and features. The D5300 may not be the absolute best in any one category (e.g. low light, sharpness, noise, stills, etc.), but it’s pretty much very good in all of the above. It’s capable of shooting in very low light conditions, which is ideal for filmmakers on a budget, and can even shoot at 1080/60p resolution, which is pretty rare for cameras in this price range. Additionally, it is an excellent stills camera, which gives it even more added value since many budding photographers also need to take stills to supplement their income. Cameras like the Lumix G6 are great options, but in my opinion, if you need the most comprehensive, affordable option, the D5300 is your best choice.
If you want to take your cinematic look a step further, be sure to check out my guide to shooting cinematic images with a DSLR below!
