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The logistics of organising a user report in a real live scenario can be problematic for both user and manufacturer. The user, in this case the cameraman, needs to be focusing on the job in hand and doesn’t always have the opportunity to experiment with techniques or utilise all the equipment functions available. He or she sometimes can’t even manage to document all of the findings within the time frame and the general pressure of work. Clearly, a real live test is always going to have more value to all parties concerned. So how do you get round this problem and how can you get the best of both worlds when testing a lens for example?
Autofocus lenses are commonly used on location in the professional DSLR market, in particular for news and sports and they are accepted as an essential tool. The take-up within the Broadcast sector is somewhat different for a number of reasons, not least being the opportunity to actually test one! We wanted cameramen and decision makers to be able to test these lenses and make a judgement, without the pressure of a live shoot, but still with some semblance of reality.
We came up with the idea of an event involving karting and a skidpan. This provided many elements that were both real and live and yet gave cameramen plenty of time to trial the lens without the normal shoot pressures. And, of course, they could film their contemporaries racing or skidding round the track! The idea evolved from discussions with James French of The Guild of Television Cameramen (GTC) and it was decided to stage it as a sponsored event in conjunction with the GTC’s AGM held on the 10th of May 2011. In terms of participants alone this proved to be very successful and the GTC had its largest ever AGM attendance! James, incidentally, is a freelance TV cameraman who had also never had the opportunity to test AF in the Outside Broadcast environment.
Two lenses were chosen for the event, the Canon DigiSuper 100 AF and the Canon DigiSuper 27 AF. These long lenses were shipped in from Spain and the cameras and other equipment were very kindly supplied by Presteigne Charter. For the record, the logistics involved in organizing such an event should never be underestimated!
There were over 50 attendees who trialled the lenses, many of them OB cameramen and DoPs, as well as a number of cameramen involved in drama. A selection of these attendees were interviewed on video and some of their comments, many of them extremely positive.
There are some general issues with any autofocus system, whether it is digital still or HD video. Contrast and poor light conditions can cause problems. The technology also dictates: none of today's autofocus broadcast lenses provide end stops – a useful way of manually determining the focus position. Interestingly, on the day, this did not seem to be a big issue and only one of the cameramen interviewed, mentioned it. It is also important to ensure that the camera being used has the correct software in order for the correct communication and functionality of the combination to realise the optimum performance of the complete system.
Autofocus field lenses are more expensive and, of course, costs have to be justified. This may impact on decision making by production teams who may prefer to choose an alternative camera, without appreciating that much tighter and more exciting shots are possible with autofocus.
Not surprisingly, there also does appear to be a resistance to the technology by cameramen. Focusing has always been a skill that requires considerable dedication, together with a lot of training and experience, and some may feel that these skills are being devalued because of cheaper solutions and pressure on budgets. Consequently, autofocus may be perceived as a threat to cameramen’s livelihoods. For the outside broadcast sports market, however, none of these fears should be a concern, simply because camera operators need to use high end equipment which requires expertise supported by knowledge and, forgive the pun, a successful track record.
During the event, the overall reaction to the Canon autofocus lenses was extremely positive. Here are just a few comments and reactions from cameramen and DoPs on the day:
“It was brilliant and very liberating but there is a learning curve, for example, I found myself framing for that little box in the middle, which is terribly dangerous but probably another 20 minutes would get that issue sorted out.” John Hoare, Technical Coordinator.
“Positioning and focusing the viewfinder focus point indicator box is quick and easy. It would be nice if the box could be made even smaller.” James French, Freelance TV Cameraman.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the speed and how fast it reacts. We tried a test where somebody walked out in front of us and it goes very fast to it. I found it was best to use it in the part time mode so that at least I can override at that particular time and get the best shot I can.” Drew Hartley, Freelance TV Cameraman.
“Absolutely sensational! It really seems to work exactly as you would want autofocus to do, really fast, really grabby. There are certain camera positions where autofocus would be absolutely invaluable.” Paul Holman, Freelance TV Cameraman.
It could be argued that as Canon was sponsoring and part hosting this event that any criticism may have been toned down. However, there is no disguising the fact that most participants recognised that AF lenses are an important additional tool to the cameraman’s armoury. In addition, it was acknowledged that when shooting in HD, focus was extremely critical and that AF was a potential solution to alleviating this problem in some situations.
There definitely seemed to be a preference for part time mode. One technique – depending on the type of shoot – is for the cameraman to simply release the button and go into manual focus whenever he or she senses something might enter the foreground and interfere with the main subject. It was felt there were definitely applications in the OB sports where AF could capture more exciting shots, for example, head-on in athletics. It was also recognised there were possible applications within drama, where focus was critical and a potential cost saving could be achieved. Perhaps the most significant outcome of the event was the recognition that essential and specific skills needed to be developed to operate AF successfully.
Photographs courtesy of Roger Richards
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