Neither BBC nor Sky will not be rushing to commission or produce full programmes using video-enabled DSLR cameras despite the revelation that the Canon 5D Mark II was used for the season six finale of US import House.

In an interview two weeks ago on social networking site Twitter, House director Greg Yaitanes revealed that he loved the “shallow depth of field” provided by the camera, which swayed his decision to use it to shoot an entire episode of one of the world’s most popular dramas.

DSLR video footage does not currently meet the BBC’s exacting HD standards, but chief technology officer John Linwood is not ruling out using it under the right circumstances. “I might rule something out because it’s
inferior quality or it’s too expensive, but I’m not going to rule it out on a point of principle,” he told Broadcast.

“It’s about the right camera for the right situation. There will never be one generic camera for the whole of the BBC.”

DSLR video content has recently been used on BBC2’s The Battle For North America, which utilised a Panasonic Lumix GH1 as a B-camera, and on a news report on Burma’s Kachin Army, which was shot using a Canon
5D Mark II.

A spokesperson for Sky, when asked whether the broadcaster would consider producing or commissioning DSLR shot programmes in either SD or HD, said:

“Each HD delivery would have to be done on a case-by-case basis as there are many variants of camera and sensor. We would need to understand the shooting and production practices involved. We’re continually reviewing our technical delivery guidelines and will be further evaluating such cameras.”

Topics