Does the Camera Matter to a Videographer?

As a Videographer, does the camera make a big difference me?  What is the best camera for professional video production?  How much do I have to spend on a camera to produce professional looking videos?  As a professional videographer and a filmmaker I get these questions all the time.  Given that nowadays everyone is doing some type of video and most want to have that professional video look. But how is a professional video look achieved?  Is it really in the camera or something else?   

How much Should I Spent on a Video Production Camera

I am writing this article for the amateur who wants to know how to improve their video. So When I will be discussing pluses/minuses of different camera gear I will focus on generalizations.  Pros argue about cameras and their qualities all the time, and they compare specs like 8 bit 420 vs 10 bit 444. You can find 100s articles and youtube videos comparing footage side by side. We are going to skip such details for this discussion.

So, why do some video production cameras cost $30k and some are under $1k?  On paper, many of these cameras produce the same specifications.  For example, my Iphone can now film 4k video. Why spend thousands of dollars on a video production camera?  Let’s start with sensor size. More expensive will have large sensors. These larger sensors have two major advantage.  Dynamic range and color information. Dynamic range refers to the amount of information between black and white tones in video/film.  For example, movies are shot on cameras that have a very high dynamic range, and that is often most visible on skin tones. In movies transitions between dark and light parts of the skin tones tend to smooth.  In contrast, most news footage or something shot maybe with a gopro or phone will have skin tones that are flat, and hence are missing that cinematic look.

Another advantage of larger sensors is the shallow depth of field.  Shallow depth field allows you to focus on the subject while everything in the background becomes out of focus. The out of focus area is often referred to Bokeh and it gives that cinematic feel, especially when framing people in the shots.

Interchangeable lenses is the other plus with the more professional cameras.  A camera on the phone for example has only one fixed lens. However, changing a lens on a professional camera allows me to film something farway or frame a very wide shot. 

What do the Pros use for Video Production

So What is the best video or film camera?  This is once again complicated. For example cameras that are used on movies sets like these RED or ARRI produce amazing images.  However, they are also more expensive than most cars. In addition, they are large and often require a crew to operate. They often are not good with low light as they are meant on production sets where the crew spends hours setting up perfect lighting.  Hence, unless there is a $5k a day budget for production, even most professional videographers will not used this type of gear.

Arri Alexa, camera most often used in films

Mirrorless Revolution for Video Production

In the last several years there has been a revolution in the mirrorless camera.  These cameras most often have large sensors and interchangeable lenses. The prices will range $1k-$3K.  For that price they produce very good dynamic range and color information discussed earlier. Yes, the color and dynamic range on camera like RED will be superior, but the quality of RED might be 10% better yet at 10x the cost.  In addition, mirrorless cameras are small and much more mobile and they often perform well in low light.  

For most professional video projects I have to be mobile and don’t have the entire day to set up one scene with larger gear.  Therefore, my workhorse for several years has been this camera ; Sony A7sii. In fact most of the work on my website was produced using this camera. Here is a link to my video work

https://www.nichevisuals.com/video.html

Importance of Video Post Production

Lastly, there are many improvements that can be made to the quality of image in post production.  Talented videographers and filmmakers know how to use color grading and color corrections during the post production to create the desired video look.  Digital footage is very flexible and many changes can be applied to correct the look. Below is a comparison of footage that is graded vs no graded.

In conclusion, a fortune does not have to be spent to create professional looking videos.  The evolution of the mirrorless camera has changed the game. In addition, skill and practice is also needed in the post production in order to achieve that professional video look.

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