My DVX 200 vs my Canon 5D MkIII

[mabou]

Hi all,

 

I am frustrated.

 

I am a proud owner of the new DVX 200. I also own the AJPX-270 and previously owned the HVX-100.

 

I've been shooting almost exclusively with DSLR for the past three years. A year ago I decided to buy an ENG camera and bought the 270. Although it was like I could breathe again by using a real video camera rather than a cobbled together and difficult to use DSLR, I was SHOCKED at the amount of grain that was present in the 270. I did side by side comparisons in a variety of locations and the 5D out performed the 270 in every way (in terms of image clarity and grain). I shot film-rec, spent weeks researching and experimenting with scene file customizations... literally tried everything I could, and the 5D was cleaner across the board.

 

After extensive research and finding a lot of people complaining about the 270's grain, I decided to jump onto the HVX 200 and sell the 270.

 

Today I did many side by side comparisons with the 200 and the 270 and I have to say that the 200 is MUCH cleaner than the 270... in some locations the difference is startling with the 200 being the clear winner.

 

THAT SAID, the 200's image is still really grainy compared to the 5D. Especially in mid tones or where there is a shadow line. The 5D is sharp as hell and the 200 looks like sand.

 

So I have to ask... WHY is the image from a mid-level DSLR so much better (in terms of grain) than a dedicated video camera?

 

I guess my next option is to start the exhaustive research to try to find the right recipe in the 200 to minimize the grain... but shouldn't the default setting right from the camera already give us a solid general-use image? I'm really confused as to why a DSLR has so much less grain.... help?

Edited November 6, 2015 by mabou

[Aapo Lettinen]

larger pixels = lower noise floor is the basic answer. dslr:s have other disadvantages in most uses, nowadays it is good to have both so you can shoot low light stuff with more sensitive camera (dslr for example) and most of the other material with a dedicated video camera which is faster and easier to use for that purpose