The DSLR Cinematography Guide

What you need to know to make beautiful, inexpensive movies using a DSLR.

Now available as an updated, expanded eBook — and still 100% free. Subscribe here to receive the free PDF!

If you find this guide helpful, please buy your DSLR gear from the Amazon and B&H Photo links here.

Introduction

That “movie mode” hidden in the menu system of your new DSLR? It’s not just a novelty feature. It’s nothing short of a revolutionary, democratizing, disruptive moviemaking technology, as important as the invention of color film, 16mm, or HDTV. Not convinced? I’ve written more about how the DSLR is affecting the future of not only cinematography but also photography, as well as how their low-light sensitivity enables a whole new generation of international filmmakers to tell their story. However, the proof is in the pudding, so here are ten examples of stunning DSLR cinematography. Zacuto‘s Great Camera Shootout 2010 is another great demonstration of what DSLRs are capable of when compared to (much more expensive) 35mm film cameras.

As for my own DSLR qualifications, I recently shot two episodes of the WBP Labs/Babelgum show RADAR on a Nikon D90; several behind-the-scenes videos for Focus Features on a Canon 5d Mark II; some other DSLR footage I can’t yet talk about publicly; and I’ve lensed plenty of pre-DSLR projects (e.g. The West Side, or a music video I shot when I was 19).

Digital cinematography is changing so rapidly these days that a printed book on the subject will likely be outdated by the time it reaches store shelves; this is especially true when it comes to the rapid release cycle of DSLRs. Up-to-date information can be found on online forums, but forums lack the organizing principles of a book, and as a result it can take a ludicrously long time to piece together reliable information (I spent months forum-surfing to assemble my own camera package). Thus, this guide: I hope it saves readers money they would’ve otherwise spent on an out-of-date book, and I hope it saves forums from so many newbie — sorry, “n00b” — questions.

DSLRs (often called HDSLRs or VDSLRs now) are a great enabler on the “no film school” front, as they are priced to own and allow aspiring filmmakers to follow the “buy a camera and learn” lesson plan. But as with any creative tool, a DSLR is only as good as the person using it — because, while these cameras offer a world of advantages, they also come with a considerable set of drawbacks. However, these drawbacks are worth dealing with in order to get the kind of amazing images possible with an imaging sensor that has twenty to thirty times more surface area than that of a similarly priced, dedicated video camera. To emphasize: these cameras are not designed to shoot movies. Their primary function remains to shoot still photos, but it just so happens that they shoot amazing video very inexpensively, and for that they are worth tinkering with, hacking, and jumping through a number of hoops to use. And make no mistake: to modify these still cameras to behave like “real” movie cameras, there are a lot of hoops to jump through (thus the length of this guide), but you will be rewarded by using a camera that many of us could only dream of a few years ago, for cheaper than any of us imagined.

This guide assumes some basic knowledge of moving images, such as exposure, shutter speed, focal length, and frame rate. It focuses on the technical challenges unique to DSLR cinematography — it won’t teach you how to light scenes, stage camera movements, or cook a full English breakfast. It will, however, give you a huge jump start in figuring out how to make beautiful, inexpensive movies using a DSLR.

I can only take credit for a small percentage of the knowledge here. The vast majority of it comes from terrific user forums like DV Info, Cinema5d, DVXuser, REDuser, and Creative COW; news sites like FreshDV, Pro Video Coalition, and Planet5D; and noted DSLR users like Philip Bloom, Dan Chung, Vincent LaForet, Jon Fairhurst, Stu Maschwitz, and Shane Hurlbut (not to mention firmware luminary Tramm Hudson). I’ve tried to credit and link to others wherever possible, but ultimately this is one person’s opinion. I’ve taken a lot of findings from the forums and aforementioned users, combined them with my own experiences, and distilled everything down into one time-saving guide. Plenty of people will disagree with some of what I say here, so please make the forums your first stop after reading this guide. Let me repeat: if you have questions, take them to the forums — you’ll get a faster response and benefit from the wisdom of the crowd. Finally, take into account the crucial fact that this guide is free! It’s saving a lot of people a lot of time, and it costs nothing, so with that in mind, please keep your comments and suggestions constructive.

The guide is organized in order of basic-to-advanced, meaning you can read it from start to finish if you’re new to DSLR cinematography, or jump around using the pull-down table of contents (top right) if you’re a seasoned vet. Without further ado, click “Next” to get started!

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225 COMMENTS

John on 06.28.10 @ 9:39PM

Ryan,
Thanks for all the great info on your site. Just made a donation…keep up the excellent work!

John

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- Ryan on 06.28.10 @ 9:58PM
  
  Thanks very much, John! I’ve got a new and improved PDF in the works, will send it out when it’s good to go.
  
  Reply
new movies free on 07.7.10 @ 12:06PM

grrr! i want to get this page downloaded into my iphone so i can show my friend, but i cant find a way.. will anyone tell me how please??

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Kelly on 07.17.10 @ 6:16PM

The Sock-Loupe is my #1 aid in shooting DSLR. Composition, focus and exposure is spot on.

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fort lauderdale wedding photography on 07.28.10 @ 3:56PM

I have found you on cinema5d. Thanks for putting this together! Lot to learn! :)

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the pixelvandal on 09.7.10 @ 9:14PM

Great work! As someone who has worked as both an educator & a filmmaker my hat goes off to you.
You have done an excellent job of covering the topics ‘everyone wants to know about’ in a very objective manner.
Your links are great & the fact that you update is such a bonus (as frequently these online ‘guides’ do not receive the proper attention).
I have donated & will continue to point others to this great resource (and tell them to donate too)!

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Clayton Combe on 09.14.10 @ 8:02PM

Was the silhouette of the DSLR rig on the cover borrowed from my site? http://www.tonmanproductions.com

Just curious haha…I photoshopped that from Zacuto’s SI-2K rig image.

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- Koo on 09.14.10 @ 8:18PM
  
  Certainly looks like it! I worked with a designer on the eBook, so I can’t speculate as to the source :)
  
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Michaelauknz on 09.15.10 @ 3:53AM

Hi, Currently living in New Zealand where knowledge and experience is limited – the local trade video mag even refuses to provide content about dslr content …so your Cinematography Guide is the Bible here now…hahha

Thanks for the time and effort taken,, you will grow quickly

The more you give away the more you get..

Mike

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ChelseaWzx on 09.23.10 @ 12:38AM

Hi! Ryan.
I’m reading your book this days.It is actually the most useful guide for DSLR video shooting i have read so far.How Amazing!
It’s a nice teacher to me and i just got my camera last month.
Thanks for what you have done !
-Wzx

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Mike on 09.29.10 @ 1:13PM

Hey Ryan,

Thanks for this. Do you have links to specific RADAR eps that were shot with the D90?

Thanks!

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- Koo on 09.29.10 @ 1:48PM
  
  I believe the entire first two seasons were shot on the D90.
  
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Peter 100 on 10.3.10 @ 12:31PM

Hi Koo,
thank you so much for your guide. Although I have had quite some background on moviemaking already, I read it with great interest. Nicely done. Comprehensive, full of very useful resources and bringing my focus to numerous issues I partially wasn’t even aware of.

Keep it up :)

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xlerate on 10.4.10 @ 2:29PM

This is an excellently compiled, vibrant guide.
Lacking an iPad or similar, I have printed it for easy reference.
Thank you for your work on this, it is a great resource!

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Danann Breathnach on 10.8.10 @ 2:40PM

Just been put onto your site. You’re definitely an unselfish bastard.
Should be proud of yourself, you’re becoming a great resource. I’ve become a fan in 2 days.
I’ll be an avid fan from now on.
Well done Koo.

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Mohan on 10.9.10 @ 8:56AM

Hi,

I have question regarding the statement on shutter speed (page 21). Here is what is says.
“There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to shutter speed, but if you’re not sure of what shutter speed to select, go with the setting that’s closest to half that of your current frame rate.”
Just above this statement, you say that if we have choosen 24fps, we should set an shutter speed of 1/48. So shouldn’t the stament say “”go with the setting that’s closest to twice that of your current frame rate”??? (twice insted of half). Please clarify.
Regards
Mohan

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- Koo on 10.12.10 @ 9:24PM
  
  Hey Mohan,
  
  I can see how that’s unclear. When I say “half that of your current frame rate,” what I mean is the shutter is open for half the amount of time of your frame rate. So if you’re shooting at 24fps, your camera is capturing a new image every 1/24th of a second, whereas your shutter is 1/48th of a second. Hope that helps.
  
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Shenna Adrien on 10.31.10 @ 4:22PM

I’d come to concur with you one this subject. Which is not something I usually do! I enjoy reading a post that will make people think. Also, thanks for allowing me to speak my mind!

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Shankar on 11.20.10 @ 9:16AM

Valuable resource. Awesome links to additional resources. Must have for anyone starting out in DSLR video.

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Hockey Digdho Whinoto on 11.23.10 @ 8:17PM

DSLR Video Creations is amazing, but its need more money for it, you’ll need a good lenses, stabilization gadget etc (or you think again to upgrade your HD Camera that you have)

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Glenn on 12.1.10 @ 3:57PM

Excellent guide, thank you! Someone may have already brought this up, but you say that a disadvantage of the T2i is the lack of manual white balance. However, the T2i does have manual white balance- I use it all the time. You take a picture of something white, and then use the menu to set the WB to that picture. It’s very easy and takes less than 5 seconds.

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lensx99 on 12.12.10 @ 6:44PM

hey really nice ebook.

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Gerardo on 12.19.10 @ 3:41PM

Hello there, it’s great we can found on the internet sites like no film school, suddenly, i’ve realized that in fact. i’ve learned more in the current year looking on the internet than in the whole time in my student years, when you get older, knowledge becomes a personal decision, and no film school bursts this decision, i’ve a question about hdsl footage, i’ve learned that if i shoot (i’m a t2i owner) with a flattened pictue style i’ve got more freedom to control the image in post, but i was wondering if the image sacrifies values such as contrast and saturation to increase the image quality? for example, if a clip it’s a 300mb size file, and so to speak, 100 mb represents the values of contrast and saturation, if i remove those values from being compressed, those 100mb are added to the video stream increasing it’s image quality? i would like to be informed in that, thanks a lot, and keep the great work, this are times for being a cinematogarpher.

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Peter Woodbridge on 12.23.10 @ 12:06PM

Great guide for people getting into and learning more about shooting dslr style. Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to put this together!

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Zul on 01.4.11 @ 6:16PM

Thanks for your effort.

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Rudolf on 01.18.11 @ 2:33AM

Many thanks for the DSLR guide. Unfortunately English text is a bit hard to read for me. Good free application programs: you find long, long lists of free, opensource and other recommended programs in the download section of the Swiss and the German Websites: http://www.pctipp.ch, http://www.heise.de, http://www.computerbild.de. Cheers!

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fehl on 02.5.11 @ 7:32AM

Nice guide and a pleasure to look at!
I just wanted you to tell that the battery section is a little outdated. There are now batteries with proper electronic …they also can get charged in the original canon charger.

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Amadeus Oertel on 02.13.11 @ 12:58PM

Hey Koo.
This is a really awesome guide!
But I think you should add an important thing about stuck pixels.
I just got my new Canon 60D and had one stuck pixel in video mode
(one you could see really clear!).
After I used the manual sensor cleaning option for 30 seconds it was magically gone!
As far as I could read in the internet this worked for a lot of people.

So everybody should try this before sending their cameras back!
Keep up the excellent work!

All the best,
Amadeus

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Ed Gfeller on 02.22.11 @ 12:03PM

Hi Koo:
I like your DSLR guide. I have a Lumix GH1, and I’m sorry you don’t have much experience with it. I’ve read Kurt Lancaster’s book which is great, but mostly slanted toward Canon. By-the-way, all my other cameras are Canons. The best thing I found for my GH1 is David Busch’s Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1. David is a still photographer, so most of the book is devoted to stills. However, the GH1 menus are largely the same. What I like about the book, is the explanations of how various menu functions work. His practical advice on focusing, exposure, etc is just as valuable when shooting video. I haven’t had any issues with the camera overheating – I shot a 45 minute interview (continuously) without any issues. While the product guide states that 1920×1080 is only available at 24fps, my FCP clip properties claim that I have 1920×1080 at 30 fps clips in the timeline. I recently got a 20 mm aspherical fixed focal length Panasonic lens that opens to 1.7. I don’t think I’ll ever use anything else except for specific issues. I also like the color space: my XHA1S has a 4-2-0 sampling, while the GH1 is 4-2-2. So green screen is much easier in post. I think the greatest thing about DSLRs is the fact that you can take the basic camera and act like a tourist and film incognito, or you can rig it up to the size of a Hollywood camera and impress your customer.
I’m curious to hear what you have to say about the GH1, and I guess the GH2 is just around the corner.
Best regards,
Ed Gfeller

Reply
- Koo on 02.22.11 @ 12:16PM
  
  Glad to hear the GH1 is working out for you, Ed. I was interested in the camera until Panasonic defeated the higher bitrate hack, and now that the GH2 is out — and looking great — the GH1 is yesterday’s news. Definitely interested in the GH2, though.
  
  Reply