DSLR for lighting reference

[Takicat]

I'm new here so I apologize if this has been discussed already or in another thread.
I'm looking for a DSLR that would be a good matchup with the Red to check lighting.
The project I'm involved in doesn't always allow for a proper monitor setup and I'm looking to shoot stills as a reference.
Recommendations?

[Florian Stadler]

DSLR= very expensive & sophisticated through the lens light meter. Yes, it's a go. You can create an action in photoshop that will create the matched frame size of the Red sensor and a rough LUT-style look...

[Takicat]

I'm looking for a specific camera recommendation. Canon vs. Nikon for example.

Takicat

[Florian Stadler]

I have a Nikon D70. It's a couple years old though so there might be faster, better, cheaper out there...

Look at the sensor size and compare it to Red's sensor size. Should not be smaller, but close.

Do you have any lenses already? Stick with a RAW DSLR of that company...

[Jason Sinclair]

d40 canon or the new sony i think is a perfect match size wise
The us model for d40 is xti rebel i think.- just check sensor size is near to red's.

[Rubancam]

i would either buy 40D full frame Canon with good LCD display, If you are going to
use the built in display as reference it is 3" LCD. Also Nikon D300 is a good choice but it is not full frame.
If you are doing indoor shoot, you may need a tripod for the still camera. With 200/320 ASA settings you may get only 1/8 or less shutter speed which when hand held will result in shaky image which clearly you do not want to use as reference file. Just a thought.

[Harrison Diamond]

The Canon 40D isn't 'full frame' 35mm still (a la Vistavision) but is a so-called 1.6x crop APS-C sensor camera.
Personally, I find the LCD screen on the Canon 40D and the other recent bodies using that 3" 230,000 dot panel to be extremely poor. It does not render colors or contrast to the level of accuracy I require, and it is not good at being able to check fine detail.
The Nikon D300 actually has a larger sensor than the 40D, approx. 24mmx16mm rather than approx. 22mmx15mm. For what it's worth, the D300 is closer to the full size of the Red One's sensor in the upcoming 2.40:1 mode.
Where the D300 differs more radically from the 40D is that its LCD screen is a much more color accurate 3.0" 922,000 dot panel with full VGA resolution (640x480) rather than the 320x240 of the 40D's LCD, and it also offers HDMI out from the camera in Live View and image playback at 720P/1080i.

[Luis de la Cerda]

I have used my 20D as reference to expose film with great success. You just need to compensate for small differences in exposure parameters such as 400 vs 500 iso, 1/48th vs 1/50th, F- vs T-stop. If you do your maths correctly, your DSLR stills will match the exposed film almost perfectly, which is a good thing when your client wants to see something while the film's at the lab :)

PS. Remember to expose your histogram to the right when shooting film! Protect your shadows.

[NateWeaver]

I find my Canon 20D creates frames very similar to the Red. I find the CMOS sensor of Canon DSLRs matches the look of the Red much closer than the CCDs in many Nikons.

I think the sensor sizes are about the same, as well...so focal length meta embedded in the Canon frames can be used in tech scouts, etc.

[Chris Nuzzaco]

It can be a bit dicey using older DSLR's as references for the Red One, remember, the dynamic ranges and sensitivities may not match up right...

Use caution, carry a spot meter and do pre-production tests ;)