We've recently received a few emails, DM's on twitter and vimeo comments asking about what gear we use. I've been holding back on doing a techy post on this for a while but now I think it's time that I answer some of your questions on the bliggity blog… two specifically.
1. "What cameras do you use?" - We shoot exclusively on Canon HDSLR's. More specifically the Canon 5D MKII and Canon 7D. You might be saying to yourself, "but Mac you crazy guy, those cameras were designed for taking photos!". And to that I'd say Yes you are correct, however the built in video options give us the ability to achieve an extremely beautiful filmic look. These cameras allow us to approach shooting weddings in a whole new way. Instead of shooting a wedding with a traditional camcorder and fixed lens, we are able to film with multiple lenses to achieve the look we want in any given scene. I won't go into too much techy jargon but these cameras are amazing tools and we love using them.
2. "What lenses do you shoot with?" - Our 'go to' lenses that we shoot with most often are the Canon 35mm 1.4L and the Canon 50mm 1.2L. We LOVE these lenses. These lenses have very low apertures which gives us the option of a very shallow depth of field. We can really compress the subject we are filming and direct the audiences eye, a huge tool in storytelling. Now you again might be saying to yourself "but Mac, you nut job, why not use zooms?" We prefer shooting with prime lenses so we can get the most out of the lens. Most zooms have a higher aperture and don't allow us to take as much advantage of the compression. Also, the sharpness, colour and contrast of L series primes is unmatched in our opinion. Shooting with primes allows us to think more about what we're shooting. Instead of zooming in to whatever focal length we need, we think about what lens we need for every situation or setup. Ultimately this has made us better cinematographers and storytellers.
Those are some brief answers about the gear we use. If you want to know more about our gear and our philosophy behind using it, please feel free to leave comments on the blog, Facebook, @replies/DM's on twitter, or email us with any techy questions you have. Once in a while I'll post more "Techy Stuff" blogs to answer your questions.
And now I leave you with the song of the day... take a listen here, it very well may blow your mind.
