Directions Unit- Practice with DSLR video recording.

Today I attended a workshop where our technician Fergus was teaching us how to effectively use a Canon 7D DSLR camera to record pieces of footage with depths of field and edited focusing. I was personally very interested in learning to use these cameras, as I have had experiences using DSLR cameras before in the past and have found them to be very practical pieces of equipment with many benefits.
The things about these cameras that appeal to me are their small size and the high quality. The downsides are that the DSLRs can only record up to 15 minutes of footage, meaning there would have to be several re-shoots in order for me to collect all the footage I would need to create my 4 minute film. I should be able to accommodate for this problem however with simple preparation, such as purchasing additional SD cards for the camera, and preparing additional batteries so that I can gather as much footage as possible. Should it come to it, I should be able to simply have more shoot-days if I am to begin filming a substantial amount of time before the projects deadline.
All in all, I believe it would be a much better idea for me to simply weight up the pros and cons of using a Canon 7D for my film.

Pros-

• Lightweight and easy to carry around.
• High Quality.
• Easy to use.
• Uses easily affordable media to save to (SD Cards).

Cons-

• Only 15 minutes of record ability.
• Less stability on uneven surfaces or in windy conditions due to it's light-weight.

The pro that stands out to me most is the fact that the Canon is a much smaller device than the Sony cameras I normally use, and so I will easily be able to transport the device from set to set and still have the ability to carry other pieces of equipment too, such as lighting, props and perhaps a jib etc.

I have found todays workshop to be very enlightening, and using a Canon 7D camera to record my 4 minute film is something I shall seriously consider.