Camera manufacturers are currently in a resolution race. Everyone is trying to make a 4K camera, or in some cases a 5K or 6K camera, and they’re doing it because there’s a demand for it. Filmmakers want higher resolution at a reasonable price, and that’s what the major camera manufacturers are trying to offer. The new GH4 will likely shoot 4K (possibly with the help of the H.265 codec), the Canon 1DC will certainly shoot 4K, and it’s only a matter of time before many other DSLRs and affordable cameras start shooting 4K. But what about dynamic range? Do these cameras necessarily have better image quality, or do they just have more resolution lines.
For anyone who needs to define these terms, think of resolution as the size of the image (1080p, 2K, 4K, etc.) and dynamic range (DR) as the light and dark areas that can be captured by Quantity: your camera. If you look at the example below (which I shot last weekend on the Red Epic), you can really appreciate the camera’s wide dynamic range. It allows bright areas of the image to exist without being overexposed, and dark areas to retain detail.
If I were to take the photo above on a low dynamic range camera, I would have to choose between background exposure and foreground exposure. If I expose the background, the subject becomes a silhouette, or if I expose the foreground, the beautiful scenery behind is completely blown out. This is what an image shot with a less DR camera would look like, choosing between underexposing or overexposing certain areas:
Neither of the other two looks are terrible, in fact, in post you may want to push things to one extreme or the other for various reasons, but the key is to have options. Wide DR lets you push color while grading to get the exact look you want in post without having to bake the image on set.
While resolution and DR are both crucial to achieving a great final product, there’s no question that I would choose DR over resolution. In fact, I would choose a wide DR (let’s say 14 stops) 720p camera over a low DR (9 stops) 5K camera. The reason is that, for most of what I shoot, DR is the element that gives me the look I want—the look of film stock. While there are some differences between the various film types, generally speaking, film as a medium has higher wide DR capabilities than video (although video is catching up), and ultimately to achieve the film look, DR is absolutely critical, and resolution Not so.
When RED first came out, I was blown away by the camera and really liked what RED was doing for digital film, but the image itself still didn’t quite feel like film to me. It was missing an element that I couldn’t identify at the time, but later determined was dynamic range. I believe Red One’s DR rating is about 11.5 stops, which is nowhere near the 15-stop range of many motion picture films. What really drove this home for me was the Arri Alexa, which has 14 stops of DR and always looks better, even when shooting in 1080p mode.
From a strictly technical perspective, it’s always better to get 4K or 5K because you can capture clearer, more detailed images. But in the real world, this doesn’t always lead to better results. One of the things I love about film is that it’s a very forgiving medium. If the makeup isn’t perfect or the lighting is a little dark, the negative will cover it up. It’s softer and more refined in many ways. The numbers are harsh. Colors are clearly visible and edges can be very sharp, which can be a bad thing in many situations and completely give away that you’re shooting film. A lot of times when I’m shooting on Red Epic or any other really high-resolution format, I’ll actually soften the image in post for this reason.
Making a film is all about immersing your audience in the world you create for them, and to do this you need to have an element of surrealism in your images, no matter what genre your film is. Audiences want to feel like they are stepping into another world when watching narrative films, and digital technology can in many cases negate this effect. Take the extreme case of The Hobbit shot in 3D at 48 fps. This movie visually disturbed more people than any other I can remember, simply because it looked so real.
I’m in no way against 4K/5K cameras – quite the opposite in fact. I think resolution is a great thing, and for some situations (e.g. shooting events, concerts, etc.) it may be more important than dynamic range. But in order to achieve a cinematic effect, there is no doubt that dynamic range is more important. I’m certainly not the only one who feels this way, and I really hope camera manufacturers will start paying more attention to DR and stop trying to come up with higher resolution cameras that don’t necessarily offer better image quality.
For those of you who aspire to achieve the wide DR look but don’t have a camera capable of achieving it, remember that good lighting can make a low DR camera look stunning. Having the extra range is incredible and means you don’t have to be as sophisticated in your lighting setup to achieve the look you want, but with some extra fill lights, reflectors and strong framing options you can get This looks like almost any camera.
For anyone looking to further achieve a cinematic look, be sure to check out my Click here for a guide to shooting cinematic images with a DSLR.
