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May 2012

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by Jim Kumorek

If you weren’t aware already, there’s been a bit of a revolution occurring in the world of videography. Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras, which until recently could only shoot still photographs, have been given the ability to shoot video clips. And the concept has taken the videography world by storm, with many videographers starting to shoot exclusively with DSLRs. But are these cameras really suitable for all videography needs, and what place might they have in church media ministries?

In this review we’re taking a look at one of Canon’s latest video-enabled DSLR cam- eras, the EOS 60D. It boasts an 18-mega-pixel sensor capable of shooting photos at 5184x3456 pixels, or 17.28-inches by 11.52-inches when printed at 300 DPI. For video, the camera shoots full HD at 1920x1080 pixels, 29.97 (30) fps or 23.976 (24) fps. It will also shoot 720P (1280x720) at 59.94 (60) fps.

The camera records to class 6 or higher SDHC cards, which are very inexpensive and easy to find. In fact, my laptop has an SDHC reader built in to it. For video, the H.264 codec is used to create QuickTime movie files.

Getting to know the EOS 60D

The EOS 60D has the little APC-S sensor, which is smaller than a normal 35mm cam- era frame. Some DSLRs are available with full-frame sensors—the EOS 5D Mark II, for example, has a full-frame sensor, but at a steeper price.

The EOS 60D has some nice features beyond the typical camera settings. A histogram can be brought up to help you set exposure, and an electronic level display enables you to get your camera positioned perfectly level. I really appreciate this perk—I rarely manage to get the camera perfectly level on the tripod, and end up having to rotate the photo in post to fix it.

As with most DSLR cameras, the EOS 60D has interchangeable lenses, allowing the entire line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses (as well as compatible lenses from other manufacturers) to be used with it. And this is one of the intriguing aspects of using a DSLR for video—the wide range of lens selection, at a fraction of the cost of cinematic lenses for regular video cam- eras, enables you to obtain some amazing shots that just aren’t feasible in the typical video camera a church can afford.

For this review, I used the EOS 60D with a Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens; a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens; a Canon EF 18-35mm f2.8L lens; and a Tamron 60mm f2.0 1:1 macro lens.

For photography, the EOS 60D is excellent. The photos I’ve shot are gorgeous, and even higher ISO settings were reasonably noise-free. Of course, the lens has a lot to do with image quality—the better the glass, the better the image. If you want the best images, opt for buying just the EOS 60D camera body and put a prime lens on it.

Image quality and other impressions

So, how does EOS 60D’s video image quality look? In a word: fantastic. The clarity and crispness that you expect from DSLR still photos are all present in the video it produces. And with the ability to go down to f/2.8 on most of my lenses, getting a cinematic shallow depth of field was easy, shallower than the depth of field that I can get with my Canon XF300 video camera. With the Tamron macro lens, I can actually get a depth of field as little as a couple of millimeters—not generally useful for church ministry videography, but it enables you to get some amazing specialty close-ups. Imagine creating some video clips in support of a sermon series on creation, capturing intricate details of plants and insects.

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Jim Kumorek is the owner of Spreading Flames Media, providing video/media production and writing services to the A/V/L, technology, architectural and hospitality industries. He has led audio, video and lighting teams in churches as both staff and a volunteer for over 10 years. He can be contacted at james@spreadingflamesmedia.com.