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Camera Choice for Videography

Lesson 26 from: Use Your Photography Skills to Master Videography

Jessica Dimmock

Camera Choice for Videography

Lesson 26 from: Use Your Photography Skills to Master Videography

Jessica Dimmock

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Lesson Info

26. Camera Choice for Videography

Next Lesson: Camera Sensors

Lesson Info

Camera Choice for Videography

So let's just talk about camera, and what your options are. For me, in doing what I'm doing right now, and for the type of work I want to be doing moving forward, when I think about camera choice, of course there are a bunch of options, and everyone kind of makes these very personal decisions when they're choosing a camera. And so, I'm gonna kinda talk you through my own personal decisions, and not necessarily you know, everything that this camera, that I'm using these days, has to offer. Though, I want to get into some of those details. When I think about camera, I just kind of thinking about, I'm kind of thinking about a couple of things. One, is I have to have XLR inputs on my camera these days. I don't want to do sound externally anymore. I don't want to be caught up in another system. So, XLR inputs, direct into camera, in a place where they're accessible, and make sense, so that I can use good quality microphones, so I can get great quality sound off of a lav, but also so that I ...

don't have to be thinking about running another set of batteries, or running another set, you know, another basically, small machine, is very important to me. So, I make sure that I have that. For me, also because I've been a Canon shooter for a long time, and all of my still photography is basically on Canons, for me, I want to use a camera where I can use my lenses, because buying another body is one thing. Buying another body and lenses and all of this other stuff is another. So, I've kind of geared towards Canon, the cinema line of cameras, because it means that I can just use so much of the stuff that I already have, and just apply it to now, a new camera body. It's incredibly important for me to have a really good sensor, and by this, we mean, you know, the light sensitivity in the camera, and how sensitive it can be to low light situations. I do a lot of shooting in low light, even in one of the last videos I showed you, that takes place in Ethiopia. Even thought that's you know, bright kind of, equatorial Africa, practically, so much of the shooting that I end up doing is inside, lit by fire, lit by candle light, just a crack in the doorway. I'm really, really obsessed with kind of a low light situation, and so I wanna make sure that I have a sensor that can really kind of handle getting pushed up, very high up in the ISO. It won't start kind of pixilating, and falling apart. And I also want to be able to use a camera that gives me a lot of opportunity and flexibility in post, and the sensor, being very kind of, delicate and sensitive, and giving me a lot of flexibility in post, aren't necessarily the same thing. In something like the 5D, or other types of DSLRs, you have a really, really great sensor that can see great in low light, but it doesn't necessarily give you a very flat profile, which we're gonna talk about. In some of the cinema cameras, we can shoot on something called Canon Log, which gives me a ton of flexibility in post, in terms of how much I can tweak the exposure, the color, how many kind of changes I can make in the color grade, and that to me, at this point, is really important, 'cause I'm so interested in the visuals. I know that I can't always get it right. I know that I shouldn't necessarily be changing my f-stop while I'm shooting, changing my aperture while I'm shooting. So, I know that in post, it's really important that I have files where I can do some of the tweaking, so that I don't have to do it in camera, and I can just keep rolling with my shots, and not interrupt any of my footage.

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Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

I have been waiting for a course like this. Purchasing it was a no-brainer. Taught by an accomplished professional in the field, with a strong track record of high level work, Jessica Dimmock, I feel, is exactly the type of instructor Creative Live should be giving air time to. I have watched other Videography classes on Creative Live, and this was the first one that I felt was worth purchasing due to how much info was being shared, in a very methodical, easy to follow (but not dumb downed) fashion.

a Creativelive Student
 

This class has left me feeling very encouraged and inspired about getting into videography. Jessica has made some great work, in her short career with video, and was able to share what she learned through those experiences. She started out as a photographer and has now incorporated video into her skill set and it seems to have expanded the diversity her opportunities and has enriched what she produces and shares with the world. I look forward to doing the same thing in my own way. Thanks CL for another wonderful class.

tandooridan
 

Simultaneously broad and deep, the information Jessica covers and the way she delivers it really give you the feeling you can jump into video right away. Professionalism in every area, from prep steps to workflow in the field to clean organization and processing, inspires confidence in the value of her methods. She clearly learned most of this in the field over years of work, which means the rest of us now have a huge leg up on our first projects. Thank you so much!

Student Work

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