Jump to content

What's the best DSLR for Green Screen work??


joeyd
 Share

Recommended Posts

EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
Just out of interest, why do you want to use an SLR? If you're green screening you won't need low light sensitivity or shallow DOF, will you? In that situation I'd stick an external recorder into the EX3, personally, it's still a great tool. You'll get plenty of resolution (more than an SLR) in I-frame 422.

I've had to deal with tons of 5Dii green screen that keyed fine for most purposes, if delivery in 720p. 420 suffers mostly in the red channel, as long as your green doesn't border pure red you should be alright. 422 is preferable though, of course. If your current tool works, perhaps don't change it...

Get an SLR still though, they're awesome for everything else ;)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators
Well for under $1000 you are looking at what has the best codec & cleanest detail, and that is the GH2 with the hack. The GH1 has 4-2-2 but only in MJPEG mode at 720/30p. I'd say rather than chase 4-2-2 (which you cannot get for your price range in 1080p on a large sensor) the GH2 will make your job the easiest in post because of the high bitrates and clean resolution.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I shot this pop video with Canon 5Dmk2 and 550D - this is the Making of Video .....so you can see the green screen

huge green screen on a custom built set , all worked really well no issues in post., MTV had the video on heavy rotation....job done!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtkbNHe5vSc&feature=player_embedded
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators
I wish these guys would write it down!!

He says it is awful but he doesn't say why. He doesn't reveal his techniques either. Could easily be user error. I just can't tell.

He says the slightest shadow on an unevenly lit green screen broke the keying.

So effectively if green is in shadow, it isn't green on the GH2 any more. Hmm. Don't believe that for a second.

I'm trying to give him benefit of the doubt but he says things like this:

[color=#333333][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3][left][background=rgb(235, 235, 235)]I've actually been reducing the red channel for noise reduction purposes the last two days (you can do that in the white balance adjustments on the GH2), and have discovered outrageous things like ISO 3200 that is indistinguishable from ISO 800.[/background][/left][/size][/font][/color]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I do VFX/CG Animation for a living. I have no idea why he wouldn't be able to get a good key off a GH2 versus a 7D. That doesn't make any sense. Maybe someone with a GH2 can do some tests?

Anyway baring that, I'll say that yes, for your budget the GH2 is probably the right camera. Not that I've ever had to key GH2 footage. I've mostly dealt with RED and Canon 5D/7D footage. The biggest issue for me when keying DSLR footage (and the biggest difference between that and the RED) is the compression in the details and across color gradations. Since the hacked GH2 can give you much finer details due to less compression, it's going to be the better camera for green screen work in your budget. That said, I've never had a shot that couldn't be dealt with in some way. You can always use multiple keys for different areas of the shot, garbage masks and if worse comes to worse, you always just hand roto. While working on commercials, a lot of times they don't have a technical director on set and they shoot stuff without knowing exactly what to do. Or sometimes, you just don't know because you've never done anything like that. In those cases, hind sight is always 20/20 but you end up learning a lot in the process. If you wanted to avoid all the pit falls and be as safe and practical as you possibly could, you'd just shoot on a RED or similar high end camera and be done with it. But, being as it is that you are on a budget, I think you'll be just fine with a hacked GH2. As far as Canon cameras go, I personally wouldn't choose a 7D. Not even for anything else to be quite frank. I know a ton of people who have 7D's and they always look soft and smeared. Keying hair is a real problem on the 7D because of this. If you are stuck on Canon cameras, I think you are better off saving your money and getting something like a t3i or similar and just selling it later or. You can spend the money you saved on the 7D and get a nice lens. ;-) In my eyes the step up in quality from a t3i to 7D is a lot less noticeable then going up to a 5DII since the t2/3/4i all have essentially the same APS-C sensor as a 7D. But again, as long as you are not expecting ILM quality green screen keying, you should be just fine. Later when you have the money to make a larger budget film, you can just rent a RED or something similar.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not a DSLR, but for green screen work at good price hardly can find something better than the Blackmagic Cinema Camera:
-12Bit CinemaDNG RAW for great color information
- 2.5K resolution for better compositing because the size.

Is really a great postproduction camera ;)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to be totally against using Canon DSLR's for VFX shots. The problem I've run into is that the rolling shutter is pretty bad. But, as long as you don't intend to do any 3D tracking (planer tracking isn't as much of an issue) you should be fine. 3D tracking is for when you want to insert a fully rendered CG element like a monster or car or something into a moving, live action shot and you want it to track with perspective changes. If the shot has a lot of distorted angles due to rolling shutter, the tracking will fail or produce bogus results. So, just keep that in mind when you are shooting. If you do intend to do that, then just avoid any hand held shots to keep the movement down to a minimum. An added bonus of the T3i is Magic Lantern. I've never used it myself but I have a thing for focus assist with peaking and it looks pretty cool.

About lenses: I don't think this should be as big of a concern to green screen as it would be to just the style of your film. I mean, do you want to shoot wide or medium or closeup or... All of the above? those are the things that will dictate what lens to use. There are the obvious concerns with sharpness and it's effect on green screen but really, if you are that concerned, only a very expensive cinema lens will do. Since you are on a $1000 budget, I'd say to just find some cheap primes. They are usually shaper then a zoom lens.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok- yes its only going to be a very basic green screen shoot- presenter links with a teleprompter device and a basic static background. Medium shot of presenter in studio.

Has anyone ever connected a telepromptet device to their dslr for a shoot?

Last question- im trying to decide on t3i or t4i. Obviously i can get magic lantern on t3i and not t4i- is this enough reason to go for t3i...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras
    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
    EOSHD Dynamic Range Enhancer for H.264/H.265
×
×
  • Create New...