Cinematographer Alex Buono is one of the early pioneers of using HD-DSLRs to capture video for television. A longtime user of the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D digital SLRs and, more recently, the Canon C300 digital cinema camera, Buono serves as director of photography for Saturday Night Live and has shot dozens of spots for the show using those three cameras. One of Buono’s best-known clips is SNL’s iconic opening title sequence, virtually all of which was recorded on the streets of New York City at night with a Canon 5D Mark II. In an interview with PDN, Buono shares some of his lighting tips on how to get the most out the HD video you shoot with a DSLR.
1. Think Small (but Not Too Small) Photographers who shoot with digital SLRs for their still photo work actually have an advantage over traditional cinematographers because they’re already accustomed to doing more with less, particularly when it comes to lighting. The main reason is the unique ability of the latest DSLRs to shoot in low light at high ISOs with very little noise.
“In the past, ISO 400 was about the max you could get out of any camera [for video] and the idea of lighting a scene at ISO 1600 sounded like science fiction,” Buono says. “It’s just remarkably different now. The ability to go outside and shoot in ambient conditions at night at high ISOs really changes how you light a scene.”
In the past, a typical night exterior set-up for Buono might have required large lighting instruments—12K HMIs or 20K Fresnels—powered by massive generators to provide the enormous amount of energy those lights require. Nowadays, with the ability to shoot at high ISOs, Buono is able to approach the same night exterior with much smaller lights, such as a 1.8K ArriMax HMI, which requires a fraction of the energy and can be run on house power.
He finds that his lighting package can often be reduced to battery-powered LED lights and Kino Flos. Even when a large soft source is required, the Kino Flo VistaBeam 600 provides plenty of light yet can still be plugged into a wall socket.
“Lighting with house-powered instruments saves money and allows me to be more mobile,” he says. “I can work so much faster, my crew is smaller because the lights are smaller and I don’t need the extensive genie-cable runs.”
HD-DSLR shooters should be wary, however, of believing that because their cameras can produce good results at high ISOs, they can get away with shooting video using no lighting at all.
“The number one misconception is that you don’t need to light your shot anymore. That is not true. I’m absolutely approaching lighting from conceptually the same way I always have. I’m still using key lights, fill lights, backlights, etc. The difference is the units tend to be smaller, require less power and are less expensive.”
2. Consider Color Temperatures While being able to shoot high-def video at high ISOs at night opens up opportunities, it also presents unique challenges, particularly when it comes to color temperature, which is often a mixed palette.
“With traditional film lighting, the instruments have perfectly matching color temperatures. Tungsten lights are all 3200 degrees; HMI lights are all 5600 degrees. That’s it. On the other hand, shooting night exteriors at high ISOs under ambient lighting, there is such a mix of color temperatures: warm tungsten headlights clashing with cyan metal-halide street lights and green fluorescent store fronts … there’s so much color contrast in the real world.”
Because of this swarm of color, HD-DSLR shooters may need to gel their lights to match the “natural” ambient riot of hues. “I find myself adding colored gels much more often than in the past,” Buono notes, adding that he often chooses gels that simulate the yellowy look of sodium vapor lamps or cool fluorescents.
3. LED and Beyond One of the biggest innovations for HD-DSLRs is the advent of small, battery-powered devices that provide flicker-free, continuous LED light. (As an example, check out our write-up on the Litepanels Croma in “Objects of Desire” from the July 2012 issue.)
“Prior to LED lighting, there was a dearth of usable battery-powered lights for video,” Buono says. “We used to have these funky battery-belts that could get you a 30-minute blast of light, but that was it.”
Now, with a device such as the Litepanels MicroPro ($315) mounted on a DSLR, you can get 50 foot-candles of light at four to five feet. “It’s amazing. You can run and gun with just an on-camera light.”
Though LED lighting devices—Manfrotto, Polaroid and several other brands also sell LED panel-style lighting—can be expensive, Buono says they’re a must-have for anyone shooting video with a DSLR.
For documentary or newsgathering work, he recommends the 1x1 Bi-Color production light ($2,330) from Litepanels. “It’s such a powerful tool,” he says. “It can be tungsten, it can be daylight, it can be soft, it can be hard, you can turn it into a big soft light: It’s pretty versatile.”
Though he calls Litepanels a “phenomenal advancement,” he says powerful devices such as the Kino Flo Celeb 200 ($2,631), are “the next step in LEDs.
“[The Celeb 200] has such a range of adjustability of color temperature, it eliminates having to carry all these gels around. It’s incredibly versatile, fully dimmable and still packs quite a punch.”
4. Light Modifiers for Still Photography Also Work for Video Just because a light-modifying tool was designed for still photography, doesn’t mean it won’t work for video. That’s what Buono learned when he was looking to get a classic beauty look for a fake perfume commercial for SNL.
The commercial spoof, for a phony perfume called “Red Flag,” featured comedian Kristen Wiig in a red dress, and Buono wanted to make her look as glamorous as possible. His first instinct was to use a Briese light—a high-end, German-made soft light—but was wary of the fairly expensive rental rate (up to $1,000 a day). As an alternative, Buono’s gaffer, Sean Sheridan, suggested using a seven-foot Westcott Silver Parabolic Umbrella, a modifier designed for the still photography market.
“My gaffer shows up with it and says ‘Trust me. I’ll use a large-filament tungsten bulb and it’ll look great.’ And he was right. We got these gorgeous close-ups of Kristen and it was all done with this umbrella. It’s incredibly lightweight and fast, and you can own it for a hundred bucks.”
5. When in Doubt, Block It Out While traditionally it’s sometimes a struggle simply to get enough ambient light for a scene, when working at high ISOs with an HD-DSLR, you will often, ironically, find yourself in situations where there’s too much ambient light.
“Shooting at high ISOs [with an HD-DSLR] you end up spending less money on lighting and more money on grip equipment to control spill from existing ambient light,” he says. “For example, you may need to black-out the color-wash spilling from street lights that you would never have seen shooting at a lower ISO.”
He adds that while not having enough light usually isn’t a major issue, excess color from ambient light will be. “We may have plenty of light for exposure but we’re going to have all this color bleeding all over the place, so the ‘gripping’ will usually be more complicated and you have to prepare for that.”
His advice when it comes to ambient light: When in doubt, block it out and then add the lights you want to help get a consistent color temperature in a scene.
6. The Right Tools for the Right Situation While shooting with a digital SLR lets you be more mobile and, arguably, more flexible, it doesn’t mean you can or should shoot everything with a stripped down “run-and-gun” lighting setup. The benefit of cameras like the 5D Mark II, 7D and now the C300 is that you can do more with less, but you still need to come prepared.
“In the past, the weight and the size of the camera and the size and expense of the lighting was cost prohibitive, but those barriers have been removed. You can now practically light every situation without using a ton of gear but that doesn’t mean you throw out all of the old tools. If I’m in a traditional situation, I may still approach it in a traditional way,” Buono says.
“There’s something about the look of a studio 10K light with that giant piece of Fresnel glass in front of it. You’re never going to get that look out of the latest and greatest LED. Sometimes, the old-school thing is the right way to go.”
7. Scout Your Location for Lighting Speaking of preparation, Buono says it’s vital to scout a location not just for blocking the action, but, more critically, for how the scene will be lit.
“Carefully scouting a scene will save you a lot of money. You have to participate in the location scouting and you have to pay attention to what time of the day the shoot is going to happen. The sun is going to do more for you than any light could ever do. The sun and a piece of foam core is a lighting package. There are a lot of scenes where we’ve location scouted and planned our schedule around the sun’s position so that all I need is a 4 x 4 bounce card. I’ve also rejected locations because the sun’s position will actually hurt us more than help us.”
The same goes for indoor shoots, particularly in large venues where you think you might have to hang lights.
“Sometimes you can’t rig because the location is a hundred years old and the walls are too ornate; other times you just don’t have time to rig.”
If that’s the case, Buono suggests being prepared to bounce as much light as possible. “I’ve had a lot of success lighting large-scale locations just by aiming a Molebeam at a wall 50 feet away and getting this natural bounce that lights the whole scene.”
In one case, Buono had to shoot in an antique ballroom. Its ceiling was made of Tiffany glass, so hanging lights was out of the question. Instead, he floated Airstar’s The Cloud over the set—a 12 x 12-foot screen filled with helium that resembles a large air mattress. Once it was floating over the ballroom, Buono blasted “a cheap 5K light into it, which gave the whole scene this gorgeous, toppy glow.”
The ability of an HD-DSLR to shoot at high ISOs lets you get away with bouncing light much more than in the past.
“You bounce into a dark-brown, wood-paneled wall and most of the time there’s not enough light coming back off of it for exposure. But if you’re shooting at 800 to 3200 ISO, it becomes this incredibly natural, soft key light. If you can’t rig a light in the right position, just bounce something.”
We have tons of love for great directors — but often, when you're marveling at an especially lovely shot, you're partly admiring the work of the cinematographer who lit it and shot it. Often, the same cinematographer has worked on many of your favorite movies. Here are 10 great painters of science fiction films.
1. Peter Suchitzky (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, all of David Cronenberg's recent films, Mars Attacks!, Red Planet, After Earth)Note: We tried to credit people only for films where they were listed as the sole cinematographer or Director of Photography. Apologies if we accidentally credited someone with a film that had multiple cinematographers.
On lighting the Luke/Vader lightsaber fight: " There was another set in which a sword fight was to take place between two of the characters. When I looked at that set it struck me as being rather like a model for a stage set. In other words, it looked unfinished. It certainly had no walls at all; it was a series of ramps and discs and blackness. I was extremely concerned about that set and I thought about it a lot, about how I was going to make it work and look believable and look dramatic. Then I decided to light the whole thing from underneath, as the floors had been made translucent. In the black areas I placed Brutes and had shafts of light penetrating the darkness. Then the whole set was filled with steam, which made it photographically very impressive, but physically very uncomfortable, since it was like working in a Turkish bath. We were quite high up in the stage and we all suffered for quite a number of weeks, but it was one of those sets which made me fell uneasy before I entered into the shooting of it because it looked so unreal, so unworldly and unlike anything I had ever done before. I was concerned about it looking dull, in fact, because although there seemed to be plenty of material in the set, it was all either on the floor or on the ceiling. The fact is that unless one goes for extreme angles (and you usually can't do that right through a long sequence), the camera is pointing straight ahead and not up or down. There was nothing for the eye to look at straight ahead except blackness, because all the set elements were on the floor or the ceiling. I was concerned about the scene looking interesting and about the eye having something to look at—but, in the end, I think we succeeded in overcoming those problems—all of us working together."
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2. Douglas Slocombe (Rollerball, the Indiana Jones original trilogy)
The great Ealing Studios cinematographer recently turned 100. He shot the India sequences ofClose Encounters of the Third Kind, and then was rehired to work on the first three Indiana Jones movies. Harrison Ford recently recalled that Slocombe "never used a light meter – he just held up his hand and observed the shadow his thumb made on the palm."
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3. Roger Pratt (Brazil, Batman, Twelve Monkeys, two Harry Potter films)
Says Pratt, "Terry Gilliam is one of the most creative people that I’ve ever met. Although he’s not a normal person in some ways! To work with him is an education in what’s possible and what the possibilities are to create something really beautiful and interesting."
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4. Gilbert Taylor (Dr. Strangelove, Star Wars, The Omen, Flash Gordon)
He wasn't George Lucas' first choice for Star Wars cinematographer, but he arguably did a lot to make those effects-heavy sequences work so well. Not to mention the Tunisia sequences. Here he is talking about lighting the attack on the Death Star. On the Tunisia filming, he told an interviewer that the filming was hampered by the first rain Tunisia had seen in three years: "You couldn’t really see where the land ended and the sky began... It was all a gray mess, and the robots were just a blur. I thought the look of the film should be absolutely clean; also, I was mindful that there was an enormous amount of process work to be done in America after we finished shooting in England, and I knew a crisp result would help." He clashed with Lucas over how crisply to light the scenes, but the studio wound up backing Taylor. He adds, "I wanted to give [Star Wars] a unique visual style that would distinguish it from other films in the science-fiction genre"
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5. Guillermo Navarro (All of Guillermo del Toro's movies, I Am Number Four, Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Night at the Museum)
The Oscar-winning cinematographer told an interviewer a while back: "I want to design and create images as opposed to working on a contemporary piece where realities exist right outside your window and all you have to do is register them... I believe in [Guillermo del Toro] as a filmmaker. He is a very visual director and someone that understands the contribution that cinematographers offer is important not only for the creative process, but as a film language."
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6. Claudio Miranda (Oblivion, Life of Pi, Tron Legacy, Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
On why he was hired for Life of Pi, the movie he won an Oscar for: "I believe I was hired because Ang [Lee] liked Tron and Benjamin Button. It’s a combination of those two films that he wanted to instill Life of Pi with: the 3D of Tron and digital not-looking-so-electronic onBenjamin Button." And read this interview where he talks about how they lit Oblivion using pure projection in many shots, and avoided the problem of excessive bluescreen on sets.
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7. Wally Pfister (All of Christopher Nolan's films, plus the underrated Scotland, PA)
Pfister is soon to be directing his first movie, Transcendence, but he's best known for working on all of Christopher Nolan's movies. Talking about his collaborations with Nolan to Moviefone, he said: "You analyze the script and what's going on in that scene, what the actors are doing, and you say, "Okay, what is the best way to bring forth this emotion in what I'm doing?" You know, is it with lighting? Is it with camera movement? And then it becomes discussions with the director, and Chris and I have fantastic conversations about 'what does it mean to be moving in? What does it mean to be moving left or right? What does it mean to be completely static with the camera? Should we go long lens? What does that mean?' So that's where it is my turn to get involved in the storytelling in visual terms, and that's what they pay me for, really, at this level is, to be the visual translator of the film, of the director's vision."
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8. Dariusz Wolski (The Crow, Dark City, Prometheus, Pirates of the Caribbean)
He got his start with the Bangles' "Eternal Flame" music video, and went on to create moody, distinctive, dark visuals. On his collaboration with Ridley Scott, he said: "The more you get into the visual effects world, people rely on it but in the wrong way. They put up a green screen and say they'll make their minds up later. Any time something requires more thinking, building a set, they say let's just throw up a green screen. Then they're stuck with shots that just look artificial. Also, because you can, you sometimes go to the point where it's unbelievable - you can create some impossible stuff behind them. Ridley still comes from 'whatever I can see, that's what I photograph'. That's inspiring, because no matter how good the visual effects are, the creative process is basically castrated because you're doign half of the job and the rest is being done later. If you're making a film in a real set, in real places, there's a certain logic to it, you can put a light in a certain place. There's a lot you don't see, and that's what beautiful about it."
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9. Andrew Lesnie (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, I Am Legend, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Last Airbender, Babe)
On the differences between the first two Lord of the Rings movies: "For The Fellowship of the Ring, I was very conscious of modeling with light, applying a black-and-white philosophy in using the tonal scale to create separation, rather than [doing so] through color. For The Two Towers, I decided that the light should be less controlled. I was able to follow the travails of each group and decide what was appropriate for the mood at any particular moment. Middle-Earth is descending into a very dark time, and the characters are battling to find light at the end of the tunnel, so the film needed to be more realistic and aggressive than The Fellowship of the Ring. The overall feel is less magical, and the story has become fractured and splintered."
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10. Geoffrey Unsworth (2001: A Space Odyssey, Zardoz, Superman and Superman II)
Unsworth was the man George Lucas actually wanted to hire for Star Wars, but he wasn't available. Those sweeping camera shots in the first Superman movie? Those are totally Unsworth's creations. In 2001, Unsworth and Kubrick developed a system of studying the gray tones of black and white polaroids to figure out the right lighting for each scene.
Creating compelling home videos takes practice, and we've put some tips together to get you started. They'll help you record more watchable movies that you and your family can enjoy for years to come.
1) Go light on the zoom. Overuse of zoom is a common problem, and can result in video that looks amateurish, or even worse, can make people dizzy. If you need to zoom in and out, take it slow and steady, and don't zoom out again too soon. And you may want to avoid the use of digital zoom — it's pretty much only good for giving you a closeup of some dancing pixels. While optical zoom won't get you as close to your subject, you'll appreciate the higher video quality when you review your recordings.
2) Frame your shots well. Fill the frame with your subject, and don't be afraid to place him or her slightly off-center. For example, when filming kids at the pool, it tends to be more visually interesting to capture the children talking, laughing, or diving a bit to the left or right of center.
Framing your subject off to one side lets you capture more of the environment and atmosphere in your shot.
3) Use wide shots sparingly. You may want to rely on a wide sweeping shot of the setting to establish location, but after that, get a little more specific. Focusing on small details, like red lanterns hung on a Chinatown street or a single sun-bleached boat on a tropical beach, can do more to convey atmosphere than wide, general shots of a busy street or a long stretch of beach.
4) Shoot from several different vantage points. Recording an entire Little League game from the bleachers could be a bit dull to watch later. Footage captured from beside first base, the top of the bleachers, and the dugout can result in a much more interesting mix of shots, and can heighten the drama of important moments. Also, use the most effective shooting angle: kneel down to get on the same level as your subject, when appropriate, or climb up high to survey a scene.
Being on the same level as your subject, especially children, creates a much different effect than towering above them while recording.
5) Avoid backlighting. Just because we can see people's faces when they're backlit doesn't mean the camera can. Too often, backlit shots result in uncomfortably bright light haloing a dark figure with no visible features so you miss out on the great facial expressions of loved ones. You can improve a backlit situation by moving to one side or another. Some camcorders even have a feature that lets you reduce the effects of backlighting.
Backlighting makes a big difference in the appearance and tone of your recording.
6) Unless you plan on editing, record only the important moments. If you're going to edit your footage, go ahead and record every single second of your cousin's wedding. If not, then remember that footage of the DJ testing the mike or of waiters going in and out of the kitchen may have historical merit, but offer little viewing enjoyment.
7) If you have a widescreen TV, record in widescreen. Many of today's digital camcorders offer a 16:9 widescreen recording mode. This lets you record footage that matches a widescreen TV, without stretching or distorting the picture. You may want to take advantage of this option if you have an HDTV at home. (However, if you're recording footage to send to fond grandparents who still have their trusty RCA from the 70's, you may want to switch back to the standard screen shape.)
Shooting video that matches your widescreen TV allows you to capture more of the action.
8) Don't overuse special effects. It's cool that you can "solarize" your footage or make it sepia-toned, or try any number of other fun recording settings. But steer clear of the fun features when you're filming important scenes. After all, if you decide later that part of the video really should have been shot in black-and-white, there's easy-to-use movie editing software (sometimes free with a computer) that'll let you make that change. Record the wedding in full color and then test out effects later on. This way, you'll be able to preserve your original footage while you experiment with artistic effects and edits.
General suggestions for shooting
And now let's take a look at a few general tips which can improve picture quality and make using your camcorder more convenient.
9) Try out a tripod. Shaky handheld shots are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to bad home movies. Although many camcorders come with various image stabilization technologies, these in-camera features can only do so much to correct handshake. Shooting from a flat surface or, better still, a tripod, is a good way to remedy this problem. And you may be surprised by how affordable and portable small video tripods can be.
10) Keep plenty of memory cards, tapes, or discs on hand. Running out of recording space in the middle of filming is no fun, so you'll want to make sure you have more media available. Be sure to pick up extra discs, tapes or memory cards, even if your camcorder also comes with built-in memory. And if you're traveling, don't count on buying extra media at your destination — many tourist spots sell a limited variety of memory cards, tapes, and discs with heavy mark-up.
If you do start to run out of space, and don't have spare media on hand, you can switch to LP (long-play) mode. This isn't something you'll want to do often, since it saves you space on your media at the expense of image quality. But if your child's football game goes into overtime, for example, you may want to switch to LP mode so you can record more of the final moments.
11) Keep a spare battery around. Backup battery power is just as important as keeping extra tapes or discs on hand. Some spare batteries offer longer recording times than the battery that came in the manufacturer's box, so be sure to check out your options before you buy.
12) Back up your video. Tapes and discs can store your footage for years, but if something happens to them, you're out of luck — there go Junior's first steps or that fabulous vacation in the Rockies. So please remember to back up your video — either to additional discs or to an external hard drive. We recommend against using your computer's hard drive to store everything long-term, because uncompressed digital video takes up a lot of space — approximately 1 gigabyte for every 5 minutes of footage — and because computer hard drives are susceptible to eventual failure. Check out our article on watching, sharing, and editing your home movies for more tips on ways to save your video.
In the first major U.S. retrospective of the modernist architect’s work, the ruler of right angles goes rustic, comes with curves.
Walk into the entrance gallery of the MoMA’s long-anticipated Le Corbusier: An Atlas of Modern Landscapes and you might think you’ve stumbled into the wrong exhibition. The room contains a smattering of watercolor impressions and sketches of the Jura mountainscape, the westerly region of Switzerland where Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, Le Corbusier-to-be, was born and lived through young adulthood.
Neither modern nor signed, the works suggest a rustic Art Nouveau, called “style sapin, in which fir trees and mountain slopes are rendered as ornamental geometric patterns--by an incredibly perceptive talent, perhaps already seduced by rules and order as much as by the unruly appeal of nature. “In Le Corbusier’s oeuvre, landscape is both a manifest and a latent preoccupation,“ co-curator and architectural historian Jean-Louis Cohen tells Co.Design. The young Jeanneret painted and sketched during hikes, crossing valleys and exploring the organic forms of his bucolic country and the mysteries they might contain. The swirl of a river jetty and the conical silhouettes of pines would catch his eye. This is neither the despotic architect of the right angle nor the totalitarian urbanist--those associations came later for Le Corbusier--but the artist and Renaissance man behind the roundest of glasses, producer of beautiful objects and buildings.
The show soon moves onto the clean-lined architecture, though smartly not before the early organic Le Corbusier landscape--the one with a few rough edges--has been established. As the first expansive retrospective of Le Corbusier’s work in the U.S., the exhibition serves the important function of firmly grounding a fresh, relatively novel reading of the architect’s built and unbuilt projects through “the field of landscape.” While persistent criticism has condemned Le Corbusier for some of the worst catastrophes (and none of the triumphs) of post-war city planning, the impressive and impression-changing exhibition, four years in the making, presents a convincing case for the architect’s sensitive, experiential approach to landscape. It challenges us to see, or wonder, how this fascination with nature informed his later work, of the most designed and manufactured kind.
At times, particularly in the earlier phases of the exhibition, the landscape thesis comes across elegantly. But as the show progresses, the connection of Le Corbusier’s work with the idea of landscape, however modern, loses focus. The taut planes and the filmstrip windows of the Purist villas were conceived as machines for viewing the surrounding terrain. House of the machine age, such as the Villa Savoye near Paris or the Villa Le Lac in Switzerland (the house Le Corbusier designed for his mother), were attuned to the places in which they were set. Is it fair to consider architecture that looks outside as design driven by the landscape?
The sheer number of items on display--and the eclectic tastes and motivations they reveal--are a testament to Le Corbusier’s powers of polemic. They also reveal his commitment to engaging promiscuously with movements, ideas, and things, often in ways that belie the straightforward timeline.
Unless you pay faithful attention to the wall cards, which unspool the curator’s narrative, the landscape motif quickly recedes into the background. But perhaps that’s exactly what it’s intended to do--as it did for Le Corbusier. His vast panorama of work is best examined slowly and deliberately, which means pausing to bend over an architectural model to inspect its proportions and liberating spaces. It means enjoying the landscape, and this one is surely among the most far-reaching bodies of work produced by an architect and one of the finest architectural exhibitions produced by the MoMA.
Le Corbusier: An Atlas of Modern Landscapes runs through September 23 at the MoMA.
Reproduces minute details of the subject with the sharp depiction performance of NIKKOR lenses and high pixel count of the D5200 — Nikon DX-format CMOS sensor [NEW]
The D5200 employs newly developed Nikon DX-format CMOS sensor with 24.1 effective megapixels. Combined with the sharp depiction of NIKKOR lenses, the high resolution renders details of the subject minutely and delivers images with great definition and depth. The sensor also supports wide ISO sensitivity range, high-speed readout during live view and Full HD movie recording.
Renders even delicate detail in skin tone, eyelashes and hair — high-performance image-processing engine EXPEED 3 that maintains superior gradation
The D5200 comes equipped with image-processing engine EXPEED 3, equivalent to that of higher-end models such as the D4. It processes multiple tasks in parallel at high speed while maintaining high precision to bring out the full potential of the 24.1 megapixels for both still images and movies. The image processing of the EXPEED 3 is excellent at color reproduction, gradation processing and image quality at high sensitivity. It reproduces human skin tone, eyelashes and hair more faithfully. Furthermore, from image processing and card recording to image playback and image transfer, EXPEED 3 manages massive amounts of data at high speed. Even with high ISO noise reduction and Active D-Lighting, continuous shooting speed is not sacrificed, realizing comfortable shooting. This also contributes to energy saving.
High image quality of the D5200 realized by the high pixel count of 24.1 effective megapixels, image-processing engine EXPEED 3 and NIKKOR lenses
Effective for shooting in low-lit situations such as interiors or night scenes and for moving subjects — ISO sensitivity range up to 6400
The D5200's wide ISO sensitivity range is from ISO 100 to 6400, expandable to Hi 1 (ISO 12800 equivalent) and Hi 2 (ISO 25600 equivalent). The camera reduces noise effectively even at high ISO sensitivity setting while maintaining definition as much as possible to deliver sharp images. Setting high ISO sensitivity enables you to shoot at faster shutter speeds and capture pictures without worrying about image degradation caused by camera shake even in low-light situations or when shooting a moving subject. This superior high-sensitivity performance is also effective for D-Movie and you can record beautiful movies without large-scale lighting equipment even when light is scarce.
Shot at ISO 3200
Shot at ISO 1600
Wide ISO sensitivity range from ISO 100 to 6400 at normal setting
Reproduces brightness in highlights and shadowy areas as you see them — Active D-Lighting with improved image quality
Active D-Lighting is effective for shooting, for example, a dark room including outside scenery seen through a window, high-contrast scenes such as at the seaside under strong sunlight, and backlit situations. It preserves details in both highlights and shadowy areas in such situations, maintaining moderate contrast to reproduce brightness as you see it. Select the preferred setting from "auto", "extra high", "high", "normal", "low" or "off". The D5200 employs a new image-processing system that causes less shift of color even when the strength level is increased. Image-processing time is shortened by highly accurate and high-speed real-time processing. And color reproduction is further enhanced with new image-processing engine EXPEED 3. Unlike HDR (High Dynamic Range), Active D-Lighting does not require the process of combining images, therefore it is effective for shooting moving subjects such as people.
Extra high
Off
Delivers beautiful images even in high-contrast scenes — HDR (High Dynamic Range)
Two images taken with one shutter release at varying exposure are combined to produce a single image that has a wider dynamic range (range of contrast to reproduce tonal gradation) with less loss of detail in highlights and shadows. The result is images with less noise and rich tonal gradation throughout the entire frame including shadows and highlights even in high-contrast shooting scenes. HDR mode is selectable from "auto", "extra high", "high", "normal", "low" and "off". The exposure differential of the two images up to 3 EV and the smoothness of the edge where the two exposures meet are automatically set according to the strength level. Effective for stationary subjects such as landscapes or still lifes.
Note: It is recommended to use a tripod.
Overexposed
Underexposed
HDR
NIKKOR
To draw out the full potential of the D5200's approx. 24 megapixels and render high-definition images, using a high optical performance lens with superior resolution is of vital importance. NIKKOR lenses are Nikon digital SLR cameras' genuine interchangeable lenses and are highly praised by many photo enthusiasts and professional photographers. Employing an array of Nikon's original advanced technologies, NIKKOR lenses feature high optical performance and superior rendering performance, and support high image quality by getting the most out of the D5200's high pixel count in both still images and movies through the wide and diverse lineup.
Nikon's original technologies
-Nikon's original Vibration Reduction function (VR) that realizes an easy-to-see viewfinder image, comfortable shooting and images with reduced blur for both stills and movies
Image blur caused by camera shake tends to occur when shooting in low-lit situations, telephoto shooting and close-up shooting. Nikon built the Vibration Reduction function (VR) into the lens to reduce the effects of camera shake. Different from a blur-reduction function built into the camera body, this ensures a stable viewfinder image during shooting for precise focusing and comfortable confirmation of composition. The VR function, optimized for the characteristics of each lens, is effective for not only still image shooting but also movie recording using live view.
Nikon's originally developed SWM (Silent Wave Motor = ultrasonic motor) for AF drive is an autofocus motor that converts "traveling waves" into rotational energy to drive optics for autofocus. AF-S lenses that incorporate the SWM achieve quiet AF operation.
-Nano Crystal Coat provides clear images with minimal ghost or flare
This is an antireflective coating that originated from Nikon's work in semiconductor manufacturing technology. Ghost effects caused by red light, which were incredibly difficult to prevent with conventional coating, and ghost and flare effects caused by light entering the lens diagonally are effectively reduced to provide clear images.
-ED glass effectively minimizes chromatic aberration at high magnification
Nikon-developed ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass minimizes prism-caused color dispersion. For lenses using normal optical glass, the longer the focal length, the more difficult it is to correct the chromatic aberration that causes color fringing. Nikon's ED glass effectively compensates for this kind of chromatic aberration.
-Aspherical lens for effective distortion correction
This type of lens utilizes non-spherical surfaces to correct certain types of lens aberration. These elements are particularly useful for correcting the distortion in wide-angle lenses.
Ease of use
Compact and lightweight body with three color variations and enhanced holding
The D5200's compact and lightweight body of approx. 505 g (1 lb 1.8 oz)* is easy to carry around. A sub-grip is newly employed on the lower left of the front of the camera to improve holding in combination with the thumb pad on the upper right of the rear of the camera. You can shoot sharp images using 24.1 effective megapixels, without blur caused by camera shake. The color of the body can be chosen from black, red and bronze.
*Body only.
Dimensions (W x H x D): approx. 129 x 98 x 78 mm/5.1 x 3.9 x 3.1 in.
Weight: approx. 555 g/1 lb 3.6 oz (including battery, SD memory card, excluding body cap), approx. 505 g/1 lb 1.8 oz (body only)
Selectable body colors
Black
Red
Bronze
Sub-grip and thumb pad improve holding
Front
Rear
Easier and more intuitive to operate — newly designed GUI
The D5200 incorporates an easier and more fluid new GUI, utilizing graphic-processing performance enhanced by EXPEED 3. For the info display design, you can choose from two options — Classic or Graphic. Background color can be selected from black, blue and brown. A new design is also employed for each setting display.
In optical viewfinder shooting
-Classic
Black
Blue
Brown
-Graphic
Black
Blue
Brown
In live view shooting
-Graphic
Information edit button
Pressing the information edit button when shooting information is displayed gives you direct access to the menu of the setting you would like to adjust.
Information edit button
In optical viewfinder shooting
Info display
Setting menu display
In live view shooting
Info display
Setting menu display
WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter (optional) that enables wireless transmission of images to a smart device, and remote shooting
By attaching the optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter to the D5200's USB connector, two-way communication between the camera and a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet computer with Wi-Fi communication function is possible. With the remote shooting function that enables release of the shutter from a distance, you can use your smart device as a remote live view monitor, to confirm the best angle and shoot. Images can be transmitted wirelessly and you can easily upload them to SNS or attach them to a mail. The WU-1a is compatible with smart devices using the iOS or Android™.
Note: This function requires installing of Wireless Mobile Adapter Utility to the smart device prior to use.
Wireless Mobile Adapter Utility
Wireless Mobile Adapter Utility is software enabling download of images from a camera to a smart device or operation of a camera from a smart device for taking an image by attaching the WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter.
Note: Can be downloaded from the application store of each smart device (free).
Comfortable remote control without worrying about obstacles in the way — WR-R10/WR-T10 Wireless Remote Controllers (optional) that achieve multiple camera control [NEW]
WR-R10/WR-T10 Wireless Remote Controllers expand the flexibility of remote control. Unlike remote controls using infrared light, it is possible to release the shutter even if there are obstacles such as a tree in the way. The communication distance for a combination of the WR-R10 with WR-T10 is approx. 20 m (66 ft). You can control a single or multiple cameras with the WR-R10 attached using the WR-T10 as a transmitter*. With the WR-R10/WR-T10, you can enjoy a variety of shooting, such as attaching different lenses to the cameras, changing angles for each camera, or shooting still images and movies simultaneously by switching channels.
*WR-T10 and WR-R10(s) have to be set to the same channel and paired in advance to achieve simultaneous release. (For further information, please refer to the user's manual of the WR-R10/WR-T10.)
Comfortable remote shooting is assured even if there are people or objects between the remote controller and camera.
Examples of use
Controlling multiple cameras with one WR-T10 (Simultaneous release)
The shutters on all cameras can be released simultaneously by pressing the WR-T10's shutter-release button all the way down.
Specifications of the WR-R10/WR-T10
WR-R10
WR-T10
Product images
Compatible cameras
D4*1, D3 series*1, D800 series*1, D700*1, D600, D300 series*1, D7000, D5200, D5100, D3200, D3100, etc., D-SLR cameras that employ a ten-pin remote terminal*1 or accessory terminal
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Channels
5 (2.425 GHz), 10 (2.450 GHz), 15 (2.475 GHz)
Range (line of sight)
Approx. 50 m (164 ft) at height of about 1.2 m (4 ft) between WR-R10s*2
Approx. 20 m (66 ft) at height of about 1.2 m (4 ft) from WR-T10 to WR-R10
Pairing
Unlimited
Controllable functions
Live view*3, movie*3, continuous shooting, shutter-release button (half/full pressing available), possible to activate a function assigned to an Fn button*4
*1Requires WR-A10 WR adapter. Cameras other than the D4 or D800 series that employ a ten-pin remote terminal, including F-SLRs, are capable of using the controller for half/full pressing of the shutter-release button only (except D1, D1H, D1X, D100 [+MB-D100])
*2Only available when master D-SLR camera employs a ten-pin remote terminal.
*3Available only with the D4, D800 series, D600, D5200 and D3200.
*4Available only with the D4, D800 series and D5200.
Note: Depending on the camera, there may be a limitation to the accessories that can be attached simultaneously with the WR-R10 Wireless Remote Controller. Attempting to forcibly attach accessories can damage the camera or accessory.
Versatile playback functions
The D5200 gives you a variety of playback display options that take advantage of the large 7.5-cm (3-in.) monitor. The number of images displayed at one time can be selected from 1, 4, 9 and 72, and calendar display arranges images in chronological order. You can also display histograms of a magnified area of an image and check the focus using playback zoom of face.
72-thumbnail display
Calendar display
Histogram display for magnified area
Playback zoom of face
Transmits taken images from the camera to a computer wirelessly to expand your photographic creativity — Eye-Fi card (on the market) compatible
The D5200 can transmit taken image data (JPEG) from the camera to a computer wirelessly. You can also transmit images to online photo sharing and storage services such as "NIKON IMAGE SPACE" and a computer automatically.
Note: The D5200 can turn Eye-Fi cards on and off, but may not support other Eye-Fi functions. Direct any inquiries to the manufacturer. Eye-Fi cards are for use only in the country of purchase (As of October, 2012). Observe all local laws concerning the use of wireless devices.
Embeds location information on an image — GP-1 GPS Unit (optional)
The D5200 is compatible with the Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit that is able to embed location information on an image. Latitude, longitude and altitude of a shooting location are recorded as Exif data. Images with location information can be displayed on a GeoTag workspace of ViewNX 2 (supplied with the D5200). What's more, Nikon's image sharing and storage website NIKON IMAGE SPACE, online image sharing services and commercially available digital mapping software are all there to enhance your photographic enjoyment.
The D5200 supports SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity) and UHS-I. Combined with the enhanced speed of the image-processing engine EXPEED 3, it processes and writes image data of 24.1 megapixels at high speed. In high-speed continuous shooting, this allows the shooting of 100 frames in JPEG (fine/Medium)*.
*With an 8 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-I card (SDSDXPA-008G). Results will vary with card type, camera settings, and scene recorded. The maximum number of exposures that can be stored in memory buffer at ISO 100; number drops when long-exposure noise reduction or auto distortion control is on.
Long-life battery due to energy-saving design — EN-EL14 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
The D5200's superior energy-saving design allows you to shoot approx. 500 shots per charge* with the EN-EL14 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery.
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Being on the same level as your subject, especially children, creates a much different effect than towering above them while recording.
