It’s no surprise this video went viral. It presents the truth on your face! This video demonstrates that the camera is just a tool, and the single most important component of a camera, is the 12 inches behind it (which is your brain). All filmmakers — watch this video!

A camera is just a tool

How many times did you hear this slogan? Well, this video proves the point of it, but in a very….cinematic way. Filmmaker Ermia Ramez shot this beautiful video on his Sony A7IV ($1,998 on Amazon) . The video has a tricky title: ”How this tiny Camera has SAME quality as ARRI ALEXA?!”, but the title doesn’t do good with it, since this video needs a better title as it’s a gem for filmmakers. This video tried to convince you that a fancy spec list is just a list, and it has nothing to do with the quality of the final result which depends on your creativity, lighting, acting, and other parameters other than the tech spec of the camera.

Dynamic range, bitrate, codec: Forget about them

The video focuses on one of the most talked about factors that define a cinema camera, which is the DR (Dynamic Range). It shows that measuring the DR is tricky, and depends on who measured it, and in what methods. Ramez also gives examples of beautiful movies that were crafted with a camera that has only 10 stops of DR. Ramez talks about other parameters like codecs, ISO, bitrate, and more, just to enter an undefined circulation of knowledge that leads to technical conclusions that fancy specs have nothing to do with the look & feel of the final art form. Indeed, we saw mega projects that were screened at IMAX theater that were shot on prosumer cameras, like The Creator. However, enough talking, let’s explore his video below:

Shane Hurlbut ASC as a pioneer

Shane Hurlbut, ASC is recognized as the first DP that utilized DSLR in Hollywood productions. One of his famous and most unique projects is “Act of Valor” which was shot on the Canon 5D mark II ($1,899.99 on Amazon) . He helped to start the DSLR revolution. This excellent action Navy SEAL feature was shot for two years entirely on a consumer DSLR camera. Hurlbut wanted to see if it holds the big screen including the huge canvas (IMAX), and it did. Everybody in the industry thought that he was crazy to film that movie with a DSLR, but it did, and by that, he opened the gate for other brave cinematographers. As a reminder, check out the trailer below:

Remember — shot entirely on the Canon 5D Mark II (do you remember the specs of this camera:-)). BTW, Are you still looking to purchase a cinema camera above $10,000?