Tampa Videographers Move to DSLRs

BRANDON, FL, February 19, 2013 (Press-News.org) At Celebrations of Tampa Bay we are excited to start incorporating DSLRs into our Tampa wedding videos; that is using cameras that a still Photographer would use, to shoot video. In the wedding market, some videographers shoot with DSLRs and some use the traditional video camera, and each will give you several reasons why DSLRs are the best, or why traditional video cameras are the best for weddings, however we will be using both.

The three big advantages to using DSLRs for video. 1) the low lighting capability is incredible. This is good because anytime you don't have to use a light, you get a more natural look and it also helps from being too distractive to guests. I absolutely loved filming the cocktail hour like this, shooting with a Canon 7d with a f1.8 50 mm lens, the guests didn't even know I was there. It was a low light situation, yet, I did not need a light, and the shots were sharp without any grain in the picture.

2) The DSLRs also give you a shallow depth of focus that a traditional video camera does not give, which allows for a more cinematic look. When you are watching movies, the director, has determined what he wants the viewer to focus on, by keeping his subject in focus and blurring the background or foreground. This is actually closer to the way our eyes work, they can only focus on one thing at a time, and although other objects or people will be in our peripheral vision, our eyes zero on one object at a time. I was utilizing this yesterday, working with Simon Shakespeare, shooting the formals of a bride and groom, doing a technique known as "racking focus", where I was shifting the focus from the groom in front of me to the bride who was standing 20 feet behind him (left). We showed this footage during the reception on our big screen projector and needless to say I received many positive comments. The shallow depth of field just allows a videographer to utilize his creativity in a way that he can't with a traditional video camera.

3) Another great advantage of the DSLR is the picture quality, just absolutely amazing. In this first wedding I shot, I looked at the ceremony part where I was shooting towards the bride with the rolling hills and wooden bridge in the background of Emerald Greens Country Club, and I was blown away. The background looked like a painting with the rich colors from the Canon 7d sensors.

As good as the DSLRs handles those situations, don't throw away the traditional video cameras yet, because there still things such as zoom, audio quality, and a deep depth of focus that you still need a video camera for. The processional and recessional are still times where the zoom of a traditional video camera comes in handy as you shoot the bridesmaids are walking toward you, and can maintain a tight shot, by zooming out as they approach you, and quickly zoom to the next bridesmaid. This can't be done on a DSLR. We have also found, the audio using our senheiser lavelier cordless mics, are just much better and easier with a traditional video camera. We use the Canon xf300, which is a $5,000 camera, which gives you full HD 1080x1920 resolution and with the canon lenses, just out performs any video camera for that price range.

As with any upgrade with technology, there is always a learning curve, and certainly shooting with DSLRs can be very tricky if you don't know what you are doing. It certainly takes a lot more attention as you have to manually focus every shot and make sure all your settings are correct, but we believe the payoff is worth it. As I had a bride tell me the other day when she watch the first video we did with the DSLRs, "your video made me cry, and I didn't even know anyone in the wedding". We feel we now have the best of both worlds, and are excited shoot weddings with both of these cameras at Tampa Bays Wedding Venues.

Celebrations of Tampa Bay provides Photography, Video, and DJ services specializing in weddings. Contact us at (813) 657-2238.

Website: http://www.CelebrationsofTampaBay.com