8 Reasons to Use DSLR for Videos

Whenever I go to a video shoot, people are often surprised when I pull a DSLR camera out of my bag. Shocked that I’m using what they thought was only a photo camera to film with, they’ll often ask me about it. This usually ends up becoming a conversation about the advantages of using a DSLR to shoot video, which is why I’ve decided to break it down for everyone. This is why, here at bv02, we film video with a DSLR.

Size and Weight
Compared to the size of most professional camcorders, DSLRs are much smaller and lighter. This makes transporting the gear much easier. Also, because of its size, the camera can fit into small places, opening up possibilities for new film angles. Not to mention, DSLRs are much easier to hold while filming for an extended period of time, which helps create a steadier, smoother video, especially with the use of a camera rig.

Photos
When working on a shoot, it’s always good to have the option to take photos. These photos could be used for corresponding assets, such as DVD covers, posters, or other promotional material. It also comes in handy when testing or proving a concept, or to capture what your setup looks like for easy recreation on multiple day shoots. This feature is also incredible for making a time-lapse. Combine your DSLR with an intervalometer and you can set the amount of frames you want at the interval you want to create stunning time-lapse videos.

Sensor
Because they are designed to take excellent photos, DSLRs come equipped with a very large sensor. Both Canon and Nikon DSLRs come with a sensor much larger than your average camcorder; in fact, the size of their sensor rivals the size of Super 35 film. Essentially, the larger the sensor, the more light information it receives. This is advantageous when shooting in low light or creating depth of field.

Lenses
There’s a wide variety of camera lenses available, that do a wide variety of things, and they’re affordable. Depending on the camera body, there’s a lens for almost any type of shooting you can think of. If you want to get creative, lenses can give your shot an entirely different look, and they can allow you to capture different levels of detail, as you’ll see in the video below. Additionally, if you don’t own the lens needed to get the effect you’re going for, most camera shops offer reasonably priced lens rentals.

Low light performance
Due to the size of their sensors, DSLRs perform beautifully in low light conditions. This is important in situations where brining additional lighting is not an option, or while shooting at night and trying to maintain a realistic lighting environment.

Depth of field (DOF)
The ability to play with depth of field has become a big draw for videographers. Thanks to the large sensor of a DSLR and the variable lens options, videographers can shoot with a very shallow depth of field, isolating the subject matter in focus while the background looks blurry, or racking focus between the foreground and background. This gives the video a film-like feel that isn’t possible with most camcorders without a bulky 35mm lens adapter.

Media
Most DSLRs use either compact flash or SD cards. These cards are cheap, reliable, fast and come in a variety of sizes. They are also accessible: if you run out of memory, you can find them anywhere from electronic stores to drugstores.

Price
The biggest driving force behind the success of DSLRs for video has to be the price. From the body, to lenses, to the media they use, DSLRs are inexpensive compared to their professional video camera counterparts. Like most camera equipment, they can get expensive by the time you add on the costs of all your lenses, accessories and rigs, but that should only be expected if you want to create professional-standard videos with all of the bells and whistles.

The list of advantages for shooting with a DSLR goes on. As with anything, they do have their downsides, but the advantages are so numerous that it has started to change the way professional video cameras are being made. While this change is happening, I will gladly pull my little DSLR out of my bag and explain to clients why I’m filming with what looks like a photo camera.