There are different types of cameras which are used for different types of filming, each camera is better at a specific role to another camera depending on what sort of filming you want to do.
DSLR
DSLR’s are compact digital cameras which have the ability to give a cinematic feel to your footage due to giving you the ability to change the depth of field. The depth of field can be very shallow depending on the lens you use, which is also an ability which you have with a DSLR. For filmmaking DLRS’s are good very portable and small enough to move around, they can easily be fitted to a gimbal for smoother shots. These types of cameras are good for quick shoots. With DSLR’s you are able to swap between modes, this means that you can take photographs too. This ability allows you to do time-lapses.
I used this camera when creating a tracking shot on the gimbal as well as a time-lapse in my ‘Visit Sheffield’ video at the start of the year. The camera was easy to set up on a tripod and other equipment. However the only downfall about the camera is that in low light situations, due to having a small sensor the quality of the footage wasn’t as sharp even with a wider lens.
Cinema Cameras
The FS700 and the 100 are large sensor, high quality cinema cameras which are mainly used for fictional pieces due to the cinematic look they give to the footage. The FS700 has the feature of filming in slow motion as well as having built in ND filters. The ND filters are useful for filming outside and slow motion is good for artistic or experimental filming.
When is used these cameras they were very good in low light. In terms of filming in slow motion however, you needed a lot of light to capture what you wanted due to the shutter speed being super fast. At Whitby, filming indoors and outdoors with the camera the ND filters helped with the 700 when I was still over exposed after reaching the limit I wanted with my aperture and ISO. Peaking also helped get the correct focus for making the picture as sharp as possible as well as allowing us to experiment with subjects coming in and out of focus for dramatic effect.
Video Camera
The video cameras are good for filming events, the JVC cameras have built in ND filters and easily accessible controls which allow you to adjust them with one hand whilst maintaining stability. The cameras also have a motorised zoom which allows you to have a smoother zoom. In addition there is an BNC connector port which allows you to connect the camera to a live feed into an ATEM unit this allows you to do multi cam and project onto a screen.
When working with the the JVC cameras at the Hallé we were able to set the cameras to the same settings for continuity as well use the easily accessible controls to zoom and focus quickly. One other useful function the JVC has is peaking, which allowed you to see by a blue outline what objects where in focus which also added to the speed when put under pressure to get a good shot. That is why the video camera is good for filming events as it can be controlled easily and efficiently unlike the cinema cameras and DSLR’s.
-Joshua Poole- 