Bigger Camera, Better Quality?
Ever since I’ve gotten into producing videos and films, owning a massive camera has always seemed to be the pinnacle of any filmmaking kit. Let’s be honest, a large camera with loads of buttons is impressive to look at, isn’t it?
But having been in the game for a substantial number of years now, I can’t see myself buying one anytime soon. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re amazing! But, I also think there is a time and a place for them and our bracket of work isn’t always going to be suitable for a camera of this size and expense.
Typically, the likes of the Sony FS7, Canon C100 and RED cameras are used on set for big-budget productions such as TV shows, films and commercials. Due to the nature of these machines, they take time to set up and rejig for various scenes. This is perfectly fine if you are on a set, filming a scripted scene that has been well thought out. But with what we do, so much of what we capture is real life and we may only have a second to get the right shot - this means we rarely have time to allow for things like taking the camera off a tripod and moving it onto a Steadicam. Does this mean we’re skimping on quality? Absolutely not.
So, why do I think small cameras are so great?
Firstly, for content that is being distributed on social media, by the time Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn have compressed the video - the average viewer won’t be able to tell the difference something shot on a big camera or a little one. The colours may be a bit better, but does that warrant the expense? It’s what you do in the edit that makes great content stand out in my opinion, not necessarily a slightly sharper picture.
Over the past 18 months I have also massively fallen in love with using a gimbal and there’s no way I’d be able to achieve the same shots that I currently do with a big, heavy camera. If I wanted to I’d need a slider, or a large Steadicam - both more expenses. I’m also someone that switches from filming to photographing a lot of the time and the great thing about my A7 III is that I can do this in less than 5 seconds - something the likes of the FS7 can’t do at all.
Make no mistake about it though, these cameras are definitely not cheap. With Sony releasing the A7S III at £3,799 for just the body, they still retail at a pretty hefty whack. When you factor in lenses, tripods, lighting… You’re going to be close to £10,000.
When it comes to cameras, I think the preference will always come down to the person using them. There are some incredible operators out there using solely big cameras, but equally, there are some stunning videos created on significantly smaller devices. One of my favourite creators at the moment is James Matthews - he shoots on a setup similarly to ours and the films he creates are fantastic. Just watch this behind the scenes video he made where you can see his equipment in use:
To any aspiring filmmakers, I’d strongly recommend watching some more of James’ content. Alike us, he keeps it simple with the equipment and pushes his creative boundaries to the absolute limit. It’s all about what you can do with what you’ve got.
My goal with FOSTER Studios has always been to ensure we provide equal quality to businesses and budgets of all sizes. Investing in an expensive camera now would come with complications. Prices would have to go up in order to recoup the cost, resulting in smaller businesses potentially losing out on video production that we can currently offer at an affordable rate. It also just doesn’t make sense when 100% of our work is viewed digitally.
There are, of course, areas where a more expensive type of camera does excel. Colour profiles, broadcast capabilities and ultimately the way you can manipulate footage to achieve a certain style are all factors that justify the price. But, for us at least, we’ll be sticking with something a little smaller.