Can I get professional quality video (for broadcast) from a Canon T3i?

[Tiago Ribeiro]

Hi Vic,

Just want to add my cents as a pro-am that is always thinking budget versus quality.

I also love doing post. I don’t shoot pictures in anything but RAW and I just love to get home and sit in front of Lightroom getting all my pictures perfect.

I also love to shoot video, but I find that same problem with H.264.

So I will leave you with two things to check out on yourself:

I use MagicLantern, with adds tons of features to your T3i, and although it is free, I contributed to them because it totally changed my T3i into a camera that is worth at least $1000 more. The guys that develop it totally deserve the money.
One of the features it has is the ability to change the compression ration on the codec, which can yield you a cleaner video (although you won’t get rid of the 4:2:0). It also has other really cool features such as zebras, focus peaks and all sorts of things you expect to find in a pro video camera.
Remember to read the warnings – although I haven’t ran into serious problems, it IS a kind of a custom firmware, and may in some situation cause damage to your camera.

Second thing is something I would love to use but haven’t been able to afford:
The Ninja Atomos.
This is an external capture device that feeds on the HDMI port in the camera to save ProRes uncompressed 10bit video straight out.
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t tell you how great it works. It was recommended on a workshop I was in about Cinema with DSLR, and I’ve read all about in online.
But if you are a post/compositing guy and are willing to invest in that, than you should check it out.
Maybe you can rent it first and give it a try.
Personally, if I were making some money out of filming with my T3i I would definitely invest in it 🙂
You should, of course, make sure about the software that will be able to handle the ProRes codec, and also, if your computer will handle editing the uncompressed 10bit stream. It might become kind of RAM-edacious.

[Pete Burger]

I can confirm Tiagos advice concerning Magic Lantern. Higher bitrate will give you more room in post. You’d also could try one of the various flat styles like the Technicolor Cinestyle.
There is a lot of information about that in the COWs “DSLR Video” subforum.

[Tiago Ribeiro] “This is an external capture device that feeds on the HDMI port in the camera to save ProRes uncompressed 10bit video straight out.
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t tell you how great it works. It was recommended on a workshop I was in about Cinema with DSLR, and I’ve read all about in online.”

Not sure either if it’ll work, because AFAIK the only Canon DSLR that provides FullHD HDMI-out is the 7D, but even on the 7D it is not a clean-feed. All(?) other Canon DSLRs only output 480p (SD) video via the HDMI-port…

——————————————
“Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot.” – Buster Keaton

Me on Twitter (english/german)
https://twitter.com/FastFoodVideo

Tweets by FastFoodVideo

[Tiago Ribeiro]

You are correct, HDMI will not provide FullHD, but it might be close enough so that you will be willing to lose a bit of screen resolution in turn of bit depth:
https://magiclantern.wikia.com/wiki/HDMI_Output
Here you have the info.
So you can get 1620×1080 with 3:2 pixel ration out of HDMI.
Fair enough as a cheap way to get uncompressed 10 bit 🙂
There are also some demo videos.
Remember that the problem of the demo videos is that when they show you the uncompressed output from hdmi you still see some compression due to the online streaming codecs.
Anyway, you can see that it is cleaner. I’m just not really sure how clean it really is when you capture it.

[Pete Burger]

[Tiago Ribeiro] “So you can get 1620×1080 with 3:2 pixel ration out of HDMI.
Fair enough as a cheap way to get uncompressed 10 bit :)”

Thanks, Tiago! I wasn’t aware of that! Much appreciated!

——————————————
“Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot.” – Buster Keaton

Me on Twitter (english/german)
https://twitter.com/FastFoodVideo

Tweets by FastFoodVideo

[Shur Harewood]

The Canon Cameras are used in broadcast see https://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/asia/shooting-news-dslr

But bear in mind you may need to uprez you codec as certain requirement want a recording of file of 50MBbs and 422 colour space.

DSLR fails this so a conversion is needed, DSLR is great for web delivery see many showreels here and projects well, it maybe worth checking with your broadcaster or commissioning company to see what the final delivery or recommended camera/footage specs they require.

Shoot, Edit and Enjoy

United By Photography

[Nea Gogu]

Just some things i want to add. DSLR cameras are used for broadcast. But you need to keep in mind that this is mainly a commercial product and it’s basically a tradeoff between price and features. It’s not exactly designed for studio use (though some actually use it for this).
About the datarate… please check the video datarate. It’s in the range of 48Mbps. So actually very close to 50Mbps.
Getting back to the image that is not so vivid….

Well, what’s your equipment? If you expect to get professional image using the camera as it comes from the box, well… it’s not going to work. The kit lens is actually there just for a quick start. It’s not really a lens, it’s just designed to show the features of the camera and to show the image stabilization feature that actually works superb (considering that it’s a cheap kit lens). Unfortunately the image the kit lens produce is barely usable for anything serious. T3i + kit lens is more or less equivalent with a point and shoot camera. You will get very nice images but you need good lens for that. Yes, it’s somewhat weird to pay $500 for the camera and another $1500 for the lens. But there are some low cost lens that would produce very good images. I would mention here the Canon 40mm F2.8 (pancake) and the Canon 50mm F1.4. The later is actually sharper than a lot of expensive L lenses. The kit lens is more or less safe to throw away ( provided that that’s not your one and only lens).
Also, you need filters. Don’t bother with UV filters. You need a polarization filter. This will reduce unwanted reflections and will produce more saturated colors. Also, in bright light you need an ND filter. Do not close the aperture !!! Especially not above F8-F11 !!
Why? Because at low apertures you will get a huge amount of refraction that will destroy your image. Just keep the aperture under F8 and you’ll get the best images. If you have too much light, just add an ND filter. You will get best images at large apertures like F2.8 and below. The kit lens only goes to F3.5 and only at the wide end.
Experiment some more and compare the results. You can also rent some lens if you think it might help you.
The T3i is actually a very nice camera. It’s much better than a camcorder. With good lens you can get better results than many more expensive camcorders. Remember that you have a recorder with interchangeable lens. Something that in the past used to cost $10.000+

[Danny Pilpe]

Vic,

I am Daniel and I hope i can help clarify a few of your questions. Lets simplify it all to say that having a DSLR is a good thing but your camera is as good as your lens. I know that the last person said the same thing, but it is true, to be able to produce the best possible footage you need good glass. I have worked with both Pro cam, as well as DSLR cameras. I have 3 main lenses that I can recommend, i use a kit canon lens that came with a 5D Mark ii it is an Lseries lens ( they are much more expensive but worth every dime), I also use a 50mm Nikon lens it is a 1.7 and finally i use a canon wide 28mm lens with a 2.0. The three lenses have a great look to them and are incredibly diverse. If you are using good glass then you need to look at your ISO along with your aperture and shutter speed ( unfortunately it is too much to explain in this post, but I recommend reading up on that relationship) That will determine your depth of field, your speed and your light (remember a DSLR works more like a film camera than a camcorder). another thing to look at is your white balance, always check your white balance. The other thing that you should be aware of is the format in which you are recording your video. See in DSLRs and T3i specially you must tell your camera how to record, 1080p 720p? also if you want a more cinematic look i would recommend shooting on 24p (that is progressive footage oppose to interlaced) it is very nice, but i personally tent to shoot in 30p because of the movement. Finally, don’t despair it takes some time to get used to DSLRs but once you do, you will love them, trust me.
Good Luck,

[Vic Noseworthy]

Hey, Daniel.
Thanks for your input. Since my original post, I have been reading and experimenting. I do now realize that capturing a quality image requires solid knowledge of all aspects of traditional photography (i.e. aperture, ISO, etc.). I am shooting with a 50mm 1.4, so I figure that has not been my problem. Personally, I think my dissatisfaction does stem from an expectation that the camera will do more than it actually does, in terms of giving the proper exposure, etc. Your point about this is well taken. I think I’ve come to understand that, while it is possible to get great images with the T3i, it’s vital to get it right from the start, as there is so little latitude in post. I think that could be my problem. Also, I have been shooting in the factory settings, and now realize I should be shooting not in ‘Standard’ setting, but rather in ‘Neutral’.
Also, I’ve read that most (or at least many) lenses have ‘best’ apertures (typically in the middle of the range of apertures, I believe). I expect my video quality to improve in the coming months.
Another problem that I believe is huge: I shoot wedding videos, and the delivery format is typically DVD. I absolutely hate that final stage of compressing for DVD! I find the biggest drop in picture quality happens there. I wish brides/couples wanted another format instead of DVD.
Finally, I would mention that, to improve the quality of the video captured on my Vixia camcorders (which I absolutely love, by the way) I recently purchased an external monitor. It has zebras, false color, and a couple of other features that should be a big help (not to mention the larger screen).
So, all in all, I’m getting there. Having said all of this, I suspect one other issue is me! I am (like most in this business, perhaps) a bit of a perfectionist. I knit-pick my work, while “laypersons” (i.e. family & friends) say, “Go on, b’y, you’re nuts! It looks great!” But, I know it could be better. (And, I expect it will be!)
Oh, and, I just thought of one other comment you made: your point about color balance. That, I know, is critical as well (and not always easy to get right, especially in a run and gun situation like weddings!). For broadcast work, and in a studio setting, I’m sure much attention must be paid to this aspect.
All in all, though, as I said, I believe I am getting there. I just get a little frustrated, because my favourite part of the process is post-production. I really enjoy putting the whole story together.
If only I was using better codecs! Perhaps with my next camera purchase…
Thanks, again, Daniel.
Vic