If you go to shoot a film with an experienced crew and you pull out a DSLR camera you’re going to run into a significant issue. All the lenses used on professional cine cameras are PL mount and won’t fit on a DSLR.
And the lenses that do fit on a DSLR don’t have the features an experienced camera crew depends on. That has now changed and this video from Philip Bloom is proof of the value of PL lenses on a DSLR.
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The Canon 7D used for this shoot was modified to accept PL mount lenses by hotrodcameras.com. While some might wonder about using such expensive lenses on a camera like this, it’s the final video file that tells the story.
As I have mentioned before, one way to look at these cameras is simply as image acquisition devices. Ultimately, you need to be able to choose the right device for the job.
For instance, people are wisely choosing to mount the small GoPro HD sports cameras on cars for moving shots rather than risking an expensive camera and lens. For the same money as one DSLR you can mount several of these small cameras and get tons of interesting footage on one drive.
Take a look at this Cooke lens and you’ll see how different it is from a normal DSLR lens.
There accurate markings for distance, f-stop, and focus to make it easier to get the right shot. Camera crews often have one person operate the camera and another operates the lens. Regular lenses don’t work well with two people. Even if you add a follow-focus adapter to your DSLR it’s still difficult to get the same repeated action you get with something like a Cooke.
Plus these lenses are all prime lenses. There is no zoom, you change lens or move the camera to reframe the shot. Prime lenses are generally faster than zoom lenses as they have less glass for the light to pass through. And they also tend to produce a sharper image for the same reason.
It’s interesting to note that the smaller sensor of the Canon 7D is perfect for these lenses as it’s about the same size as traditional 35mm film stock. The sensor on a Canon 5D Mark II is larger and you’re likely to get vignetting when using a cine lens. In this case, smaller is better.
Another factor is that many PL lenses intrude into the camera body enough that the mirror of a DSLR has to be removed. This leaves the sensor fully exposed and eliminates using the optical viewfinder. I’ve mentioned before that it’s a lot better using an external monitor to set focus on these cameras. And usually there are several people who need to check the shot at the same time so a monitor system is a must on a film set.
In a discussion of how to make your videos look more like film, one obvious choice is to use film lenses as they will automatically give you a certain look that can’t be duplicated later in post.
On the other side of the equation, a change like this voids the warranty on your camera. And it means you need access to PL mount lenses, which are typically very expensive to buy. As most film production equipment is rented rather than purchased, it’s likely that going this route may mean owning the camera body and renting lenses as needed.
If you are a photographer wanting to add video production to your services you’ll probably be happier with with regular DSLR lenses. If you’re about to use a Canon 7D to shoot a feature movie you’d be wise to get your hands on a camera adapted for PL lenses. There is a difference.
