With that in mind, however, there are a few disadvantages of which the videographer should be aware. That doesn’t mean you should pack it up — it simply means that any smart shooter should know his gear’s capabilities and limitations with eyes wide open. I’ll talk specifically about audio, rigging, compression and aliasing.
Audio Concerns
The DSLR was purpose-built for making pictures, but not for recording sound. The camera’s built-in microphone is microscopic, and it picks up as much noise as it does signal. Although there’s a mini-jack for an external mic, the pros prefer an XLR connection for a balanced audio input that won’t disconnect. A bit more troublesome is the fact that you can’t monitor audio with headphones, which severely limits the shooter who’s concerned with both sound and picture (and that’s most of us).
If you’re shooting a video that requires an audio scratch track or simply background ambience, you’re okay. If you’re shooting the kid’s birthday video or the family reunion, you’re definitely okay. But if you need a high quality microphone on the talent, you’re in trouble, Sparky.
There are a few solutions, one of which is to simply use the DSLR for B-roll footage that you’ll edit into your master and sweeten with music and sound effects. You haven’t thrown in the towel — you’ve simply realized capabilities and limitations. Option two is to use an external, portable audio recorder such as the delightful little Zoom H4N that sports X/Y stereo mics, four channel recording, digital pre-amps and metering. Audio quality goes up immediately, but you’ll have to synchronize the DSLR’s scratch track with the Zoom’s high-quality track in post. (Amazing that some things never go out of style — the preferred synchronization device is still the old-fashioned clapboard.) Then again, the Zoom retails for around $300, so the price of admission for your “budget” system just went up.
Rigging Concerns
Since the DSLR lacks an electronic viewfinder on an articulating arm that can be positioned anywhere relative to the camera, a few creative solutions have appeared on the market. As a shooter who often works in very bright sun with my Polaroid sunglasses on, the built-in LCD screens (no matter how large) are rendered almost invisible, thus requiring some form of aftermarket solution.
So, as long as we’re buying a rig on which we can attach gadgets, let’s rig a filter mount, barn doors, shotgun mic mount, beefy tripod base, lens extender mount, stabilizing grips and even a way to pull focus. (Methinks there’s a camera in there somewhere, eh Sparky?)
Yes, all of these peripherals are useful, but they defeat the DSLR’s primary purpose of an economical and simple run-and-shoot package — with a price-point far beyond the camera’s original sticker price. It brings to mind the $2,000 trailer for your $400 boat, or the $3,000 Zeiss spotting scope for your $150 hunting rifle. At this point, I’d be wondering why I didn’t opt for a better, more flexible camera at the outset — the cost of the peripherals might have been offset. The rigging also adds complexity — and nobody wants to invite Murphy to his video shoot.
Compression Concerns
Another concern when shooting video with DSLRs is compression, a necessary evil when the target recording media is the DSLR’s compact flash drive. Compression typically means throwing quality away in order to get the signal through a smaller pipeline, and to increase storage capacity — but you don’t want to compress to the point where artifacts appear. Furthermore, if the camera is “web friendly” in its choice of native video recording formats, it may not necessarily be “edit friendly” when it comes to the desktop non-linear editing system that you’re using.
My old trusty platform is Adobe Premiere, but all flavors and price-points of non-linear systems are available out there including Avid, Final Cut Pro and many more. Each has its specific format requirements when clips are placed on the timeline — some clips transfer from camera to timeline with ease, while others require complex codecs and plug-ins.
My recommendation is to map out your video workflow carefully, using the necessary software to efficiently move your footage from the flash card to the editing system. It’s not an easy process — but a wealth of tools are out there to help you through — ranging from codecs, freeware and plug-ins to video blogs, forums, and an amazing amount of unsolicited professional advice.
Compression also increases one of the last problems I’ll discuss, namely, moiré and aliasing.
Picture Bugs
Really, what can you call them besides bugs?
There’s a host of quirks, visual anomalies and strange artifacts that appear when you shoot in any electronic format, but the DSLR certainly has its share. Whether it’s the fault of the giant sensor, the camera’s processing speed, or the fact that these images are typically “down-sampled” to 1920 x 1080 and below, DSLR shooters have been aware of these critters from the beginning.
In video terms, aliasing occurs when there aren’t enough pixels (or resolution) to capture all the detail in the original image as shot. As the image is sampled, the pixel count is reduced, and image degradation occurs. In addition, when the image is down-sampled, compressed and manipulated, aliasing typically occurs — often observed in very fine lines and the edges of objects.
To solve the problem, special filtering is usually required in the editing system. All Photoshop users know that we can check the “anti-alias” box to create smooth edges — and this option is available in most every non-linear editing system.
The problem of moiré is closely related. When the pixel count and sampling rate of the sensor closely matches the patterns present in a recorded image, an interference pattern, or mesh, occurs. We’ve all seen the newscaster’s pin-stripe shirt burst into patterns of color as he moves on the set. In our biz, point a video camera at an LED wall (regardless of the pixel pitch), and slowly zoom in — you’ll get the picture of moiré very quickly. To solve this problem, avoid moiré-causing backgrounds at all costs, and definitely have the talent wear solids.
Yet another DSLR problem has been affectionately called “Jell-O-cam” — an effect that occurs when the shooter pans or tilts quickly, and objects appear to bend. This problem is an artifact of the sensor, cased by the temporal difference between when the first and last pixels of a frame are recorded. To solve this one, avoid the “whip-pans,” or use the beauty of tertiary movement, where the camera remains steady, and objects move within the stable frame.
With improvements and recent advances in DSLR technology (and constant pressure from the DSLR shooting community), these little bugs are slowly disappearing and quality is improving.
Outweighing the Disadvantages
On one hand, the DSLR has enough quirks and limitations to fill a magazine column, but by no means are any of these “show stoppers.” As the saying goes, it’s the devil that you know.
On the other hand, for the shooter on a budget, for the corporate video department or the touring company’s documentary camera, the DSLR has a wealth of advantages that outweigh the disadvantages. For the right production or the right gig, the DSLR is the ideal production tool —and one that can yield highly creative and rewarding results.
