Shooting HD Video with DSLRs: New Trend in TV Newsgathering
By Rob Scott
October 3, 2012
October 3, 2012
- The DSLR is becoming “one of the more interesting tools in the 21st century journalist’s kit,” according to TV Technology.
- “Everyone wants the shallow depth of field that DSLRs offer, and it works so well in low-light situations,” says Art Donahue, an editor and producer at WCVB in Boston. “With the fullframe sensor, you’re downsampling to HD. The noise virtually disappears and you’re able to shoot in low-light situations that you couldn’t do with a standard 2/3-inch imager — this is a huge, huge advantage.”
- “It’s really hard to monitor audio properly, even with an outboard adapter,” counters Carl Mrozek, an independent shooter based in Buffalo, New York. “Also, the audio adapters make the DSLR package clunky and harder to handle.”
- Many new film and video students have abandoned conventional camcorders for DSLRs. “They cost less, produce great pictures and offer a ‘film look’ because the glass is better,” notes Chuck Gloman, chair of DeSales University’s TV and Film department. “I think that eventually it will be universally accepted for news work.”
- “It would be good for special applications such as war-zone shooting, where a larger camera would be too conspicuous,” admits Mrozek. “DSLRs have obvious advantages for news applications involving stealth and traveling light. Getting a DSLR through customs shouldn’t be a problem either, where carrying a conventional video camera might.”
- However, drawbacks include issues with the sensor overheating, the need for some operators to use an external monitor for better focusing and the comparative lack of handling comfort based on form factor (which may change in the future). Yet its form and size can provide access in terms of shooting news.
- “People don’t know you’re shooting video — they think you’re shooting stills,” explains Geoff Poister, faculty member at Boston University’s Film and Television program. “These cameras let you get away with it. You look like a tourist and are not likely to be stopped as a professional shooter might. Plus the images are great — high-definition, which can be downscaled.”
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