To ensure that I use the right camera for
my films I wanted to make sure that I tested out a few different types of camera so that
I could get the look I wanted to achieve for each film.
After a lot of research and deliberation I
managed to get it down to two choices; the Canon XF305 and the Canon 5D Mark
iii. I should also mention some of the other cameras that were in the running
for me to use during these productions. This includes the Sony FS700 and The
Black Magic camera, however I decided not to use these as although they are
both very good cameras; I have never used them before and as these films are
both part of my final project, I decided that I was going to use a camera that I had used before
and was confident could produce the image that I wanted for my films.
Canon XF305 vs. Canon 5D Mark iii
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Canon XF305
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Canon 5D Mark iii
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Pros
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Cons
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Pros
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Cons
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Made for video
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Heavy
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Lightweight
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Primarily used for photos
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Edit colour before shooting
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Cannot change lenses
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Changeable lenses
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Shoots at 50fps
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Big and bulky
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Shoots at 50fps
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1080p shooting
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1080p shooting
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Fits some accessories
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Fits a lot of accessories
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Better for tracking subjects
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Can change depth of focus
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Can plug mic straight into camera
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Can achieve bokeh method of lighting
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As you can see I have analysed both of
these cameras and made a list of pros and cons relevant to the production of my
film.
For the XF305 it is clear that there are a
lot of benefits to using this camera, however it is very big and heavy, and
does not have any option to change the lens size. This is a problem as during
both of these projects, Fifteen and Tug of War, as I want to use a lot of
different accessories so that I can get a variety of cinematic shot types.
Although the XF305 fits a lot of these accessories, it would be unpractical to
manoeuvre, specifically when used in conjunction with a shoulder rig or Steadicam,
due to the weight and size of the camera itself.
The Canon 5D is a lot more practical when
it comes to size and manoeuvrability as the camera is very lightweight and fits
onto a lot of the accessories that I was planning to use for these projects.
This camera also has one up over the XF305 as it has changeable lenses, and
therefore changeable depth of field, something that is very important to me
when choosing the camera for my projects. Although, the 5D cannot change the
colour of the image prior to shooting like the XF305, and it also was originally
made as a photography camera, as oppose to the XF305, which is primarily made
for video shooting.
I also used the XF305 on one of my projects
last semester, Dinner, the prequel to
Tug of War, and myself and the team
were not happy with the footage it produced, also shooting with it was not as
practical as shooting on a DSLR.
After looking at the pros and cons for each
of the cameras I have decided to use the Canon 5D Mark iii as I think that the
pros outweigh the cons, as it is a lightweight, easy to use DSLR, perfect for
fitting onto other accessories to achieve the look I want to achieve in both of
my films, specifically the shoulder rig and Steadicam, both pieces of equipment
that I would struggle to use with the XF305.
