At our studio SMASH Virtual in Chicago, one of the most common questions we deal with is "What cameras can I use for virtual production?"
This list is a reference of cameras we've used and compatibility issues that we've seen. The biggest one being genlock--used for frame sync, this signal is critical but not universal. What happens if I try shooting without genlock?
Camera |
Genlock |
Notes |
Further Reading |
| Arri Alexa Mini/Classic | No* | Frame sync done through timecode, must be enabled in settings | Arri Sync Whitepaper |
| Arri Alexa 35/Amira/Mini LF | Yes | Standard tri-level sync, must be enabled in settings | Arri Sync Whitepaper |
| Sony Venice 1/FX9 | Yes | Camera is picky about signals, only accept I or PsF sync signals. Must be enabled in settings | Manual page 92 |
| Sony Venice 2 | Yes | Must be enabled in settings | Manual page 88 |
| Sony FX3/6 | No | No ability to frame sync | |
| RED DSMC3 (Raptor/Komodo) | Yes | Sync is automatic, works if sync signal is a multiple of the frame rate too. | |
| RED DSMC1/2 | Yes | Must be enabled in settings. | Manual page 154 |
| Blackmagic Ursa Series/Pyxis | Yes | Sync port is shared with timecode port, so sync must be removed to re-jam timecode. | Manual page 202 |
| Blackmagic pocket series | No | No ability to frame sync | |
| DSLR cameras (A7S/R, Fuji GFX, etc) | No | No ability to frame sync |
What happens if I try shooting without genlock?
Unfortunately, the sync police will be notified and shut down your project immediately. Sorry- we don't make the rules, we just obey them.
Kidding! The real answer is, in the best case scenario, you will get a "smeary" look as the image on screen changes while the shutter is open. While this bothers some more than others, it's never good practice and is a dead giveaway something was done incorrectly.
Shot from "The Peripheral." Note the smeary, double-exposed reflections in the window. Some screens were not genlocked.
In the worst case scenario, you can get artifacts like banding, sawtooth lines, and flicker on the LED wall. Due to the nature of how LED screens refresh, it's possible to see these artifacts even when genlocked, but when the cameras shutter is controllable, you have more control over where these artifacts are in the frame.
If you absolutely must use a camera that can't be sync'd, you can manually phase the LED wall (in units of degrees or milliseconds) so that it happens to align with the cameras shutter. This is temporary, however, and only lasts a few minutes.