[Blaise Douros]

I’m a big fan of the Canon XA-series camcorders. For the money and size, they produce a really decent picture, and have all the benefits (autofocus, powered zoom, integrated XLR audio) of a true video camera.

The bottom line is that it really just depends on the kind of image you’re looking to produce. If you want that TV sports look, then the camcorders are going to get you there. If you’re looking to go the cinematic route, and have the freedom to miss parts of the performance while you set up cooler shots, then DSLRs are going to be the rule of the day.

Now, to your last statement about true HD: whether you use the XA-series or the DSLRs, you’re not going to get the ultra-sharp, contrasty look of a real broadcast camera. The h.264 codec is just too limited in its rendition of color and motion. However, without the ability to do any post-processing or editing whatsoever, it’s a good option, since most of the cameras discussed here record in codecs that are designed to play back on consumer devices pretty seamlessly. The flip side of going to something like the new Sony X70 is that while it records in 10-bit 4:2:2, most consumers will not have the ability to play back the media. So your business model (i.e. selling the raw footage) is going to put a hard limit on the level of cameras you can use at all, even if you wanted to step up to something really high-quality–because the customer couldn’t use the files.

Of course, this leads me to the crazy idea that you could get better cameras and run them into a broadcast switcher, and create a multi-camera line cut in real time that records to an encoder…but that, of course, gets REEEEALLY spendy. So to answer your question, yes, the XA-series are a good option for your business model 🙂 They do pretty well in lower light, and as long as you set your white balance correctly, should do well color-wise. Rent one or two for a gig before you buy them, and see how you and your team like them.

[Blaise Douros]

There are a whole host of issues here.

First, if you don’t have the ability to post-produce your videos, then there is no need for you to shoot in 60 fps. If you’re just throwing these on a USB stick, with no expectation that you’ll be showing the slow motion, then I wouldn’t bother shooting it at all. The average home user has no idea how to do a framerate conversion to even get the slow motion working in the first place.

Your shutter speed is currently set too fast for pleasing natural motion. I note that you’re a still photographer, and this is a common error for stills guys transitioning to video. Unless you want a very specific effect, the general rule is that your shutter speed should be 2x the framerate you’re shooting. Ever seen Gladiator? Remember how the fight scenes were super choppy-looking and strobe-y? That’s what happens when you shoot at a shutter speed that’s faster than 2x–in that movie, it was done intentionally.

So at 30 fps, your shutter should be 1/60th. At 60 fps, 1/120th. With the slomo stuff, you can get away with faster shutter speeds if you’re going to do a framerate convert, but in general, stick to the 2x rule.

Once your shutter speed is set correctly, that will allow you to stop up a bit– f8 would be the absolute minimum aperture I’d want to use, and I would probably try to go even higher than that. You NEED the DOF for shooting run-and-gun action like that. And as a bonus, in addition to improving your depth of field, stopping up will improve your sharpness.

It will definitely help the image quality to have a correct white balance set. Unlike shooting RAW, you’re shooting to a highly compressed video codec–like shooting directly to JPG–so you need to get the color balance right. In the sample video, it looks like a lot of halogen lighting, so you could either do a custom white balance, or set to the 3200K Tungsten setting.

DSLR video is not usually super sharp right out of camera. Sharpness is a combination of a huge number of factors, not least of which is your lenses and ISO. Since the location looks to be in a pretty low-light setting, I’m guessing that you’re either shooting with a low f-stop or high ISO…both of which contribute to a softer image. Canon DSLRs aren’t too bad up to about ISO 1600 or 2000, but go beyond that, and you’re going to see a breakdown in image quality and sharpness because of noise in the image from the sensor.

Another option is digital sharpening. Sharpening in post is generally better than doing so in-camera, because the camera’s algorithm isn’t as efficient as an NLE, but since you’re just selling raw footage, you may consider bumping the in-camera sharpness setting up.

The reason indie filmmakers are using DSLRs, even with their limitations, is that their large sensors can give a great cinematic shallow-DOF look, and you have the ability to interchange lenses. If you are on a controlled filmmaking set, or have time to really set your shots up, the results can really look great.

However, they are not good for run-and-gun, uncontrolled scenarios, because you have to focus manually with shallow-DOF.

The absolute bottom line is that a DLSR is the wrong camera for this kind of work. Traditional, small-sensor video camcorders don’t look as nice in a filmmaking environment, but they are perfect for fast action and sports work. They have very deep DOF, autofocus, powered zooms, etc.

All that said, you may have a chance if you experiment with some of the methods I’ve mentioned above.

[Blaise Douros]

When you’re looking through the lens, it’s usually at the lens’ widest aperture–the camera stops down to the actual setting when you either set it to Video mode or fire a picture.

See my other reply for more info.

[Blaise Douros]

What is your camera-to-subject distance? At f4, you won’t have much DOF to play with, especially if your subject is standing closer to your camera (DOF decreases as lens-to-subject distance decreases). You might consider, if it’s a short distance, switching to a longer lens and moving your camera further from your subject.

I’m assuming you’re shooting 1/125th to avoid motion blur in the footage? If it’s just an interview standup, consider going to a 180 degree shutter (1/60th or 1/50th depending on shutter speed) and increasing f-stops. This gives you extra DOF and will eliminate any soft edges where your subject might be blending into your BG.

Shooting Canon 6D is unfortunately asking for a bad time when pulling a key. The color information in the 4:2:0 8-bit codec is really insufficient to pull a good key. I would also suggest (if you have access) using a green screen. I have a hunch that the Bayer compression is negatively affecting the colors present in your footage–there are many more green photosites on your sensor than there are blue, which means that the blue pixels are being interpolated by the compression algorithm…possibly resulting in the blue dancing effect.

After Effects has a lot of tools for cleaning up keys–if you don’t have the option to re-shoot, then a pass through AE is going to be your next step.

[Blaise Douros]

Bill, I agree with you that, all told, DSLRs (or MILCs) will look nicer. However, in his primary use case, OP will benefit more from integrated XLR audio than shallow depth of field or interchangeable lenses. And as for color grading, there’s not that much difference when it’s all 8-bit 4:2:0 AVCHD, bitrates notwithstanding! Properly white balanced footage is key, no matter if it’s 24 or 72 mbits.

I only suggested XA10 because I’ve worked with it, and know it’s a solid little workhorse. No, you’re not going to shoot narrative on it…but for the price and intended use, the image quality is 100% acceptable and the integrated audio is key.

This is my approach when we’re talking DSLRs or MILCs in this situation; sure, you can run a GH3 this way. But you’re going to need to sync audio in post with your external recorder, and compensate for frame drift over time since you can’t sync the clock with your recorder, and probably focus manually since the DOF is shallower, and, and, and…

Jason, almost any relatively modern video camera is going to work fine for event work like this–I haven’t worked with the Panny cameras you linked, but have had good experiences with their HVX and HPX series back in the bygone era when P2 was king.

Bottom line–don’t think yourself into paralysis or worry too much about Big Features; you need to buy something that is going to get the job done reliably, with a minimum of fiddling. With the kind of work you’re outlining, you need a Toyota Corolla, not a BMW; sure, the Bimmer is sexier and in theory it can kick ass on the track with its six-speed manual gearbox, but when all’s said and done, the Corolla is a better daily driver in stop-and-go traffic, and it fits kids in the back seat more comfortably.

[Blaise Douros]

Because of European import/export restrictions, still cameras have a 29:59 rec time limit–otherwise they are taxed as video cameras, which have a higher tax rate. File size is no longer the limiting factor, as it used to be (12 minute/4Gb). Since there are no cameras built ONLY for the North American market, all still cameras have this limitation built in.

Frankly, you don’t want to be manually focusing with a large-sensor camera during a corporate event or lecture. You want the deep DOF of a small sensor, and you want a servo zoom. DSLRs can’t smoothly zoom in and out (unless you have incredibly steady hands, in which case GET OUT OF VIDEO AND BECOME A SURGEON OR BOMB TECH!!!).

I used to think I’d rather shoot a DSLR, no matter what situation, because I’d have more control. I was wrong–camcorders are infinitely superior for gigs where you need internal audio sync, servo zoom, decent auto focus, and deep DOF. Which is exactly what you need for the gig you describe 🙂

[Blaise Douros]

I second Dave’s question. The other way to tell is by looking at the scopes in Premiere–that will tell you how much you need to bring it up.

Try using some of Premiere’s native color correction tools, like the Fast Color Correcter, along with the video scopes. You may surprise yourself at how well you can balance the image.

[Blaise Douros]

I do not recommend getting a DSLR for this purpose. Getting even acceptable audio is clunky and requires a second purchase (external recorder), and DSLRs have a 30-minute record time limit. They are the EXACT opposite of what you need for recording presentations.

Pick up a regular camcorder, and call it a day. If you can find a refurb Canon XA10, that would be ideal. New, they’re still going for around $1400, but you could probably pick one up for less.

[Blaise Douros]

This looks, to me, like part of the assembly that holds the mirror in place. Look at the mirror–is the black plastic holding it in broken? If so, then you definitely want to get the camera body sent in to the service center.

If you have a friend with an EF lens, stick it on the body and see if you have the same problem. If not, then it’s probably the lens!

If it IS only the lens that is the problem, it’ll probably cost you more to have the lens repaired than to just buy a new kit lens, at least if it’s the 18-55. Those things can be had for something like $100–less on Craigslist.

[Blaise Douros]

Looks like some kind of encoding glitch–it’s not dead pixels. Have you looked at the footage on multiple machines? Restarted? This would rule out a video card glitch on your edit machine.

In any event, it doesn’t matter what it is–if you can rule out the possibility that your edit machine is introducing it, then you need to call a rental house for your upcoming shoots, and get this camera sent off to the shop!