Since the 1990s, more and more films have been shot on digital video and videotape rather than film stock. Some of them are independent, low-budget productions, while others are major studio productions. Since the mid-2010s, most films have been captured and distributed digitally. Among the 200 highest grossing theatrically released films each year, a majority of films were shot on digital video for the first time in 2013, in 2014 over 80% were shot digitally, and by 2016 over 90% of films were shot digitally.
Notable firsts
First major studio film shot primarily on digital video: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) First film shot digitally in Official Competition at Cannes Film Festival: Russian Ark (2002) First nominees for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography shot mainly on digital video: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire (2008) First winner of the Academy Award for Best Cinematography shot mainly on digital video: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) First winner of the Academy Award for Best Cinematography shot entirely on digital video: Avatar (2009) First film shot with the Red One Camera: Che (2008) First film shot with the Red One MX, and first film projected in 4K theatrical distribution: The Social Network (2010) First film to be shot mainly with the Arri Alexa: Anonymous (2011) First film to be shot mainly with the Red Epic Dragon and in 6K resolution: Gone Girl (2014) First film shot mainly with the Arri Alexa 65: The Revenant (2015) First film shot mainly with digital IMAX cameras: Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) First film shot mainly with the Red Weapon Vista Vision and in 8K resolution: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
List of films The movies listed are shot mainly digitally. The list includes films released before 2012.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;" ! width="35" |Year !Title !Cinematographer !Camera type !width=140|Lens type !Notes |- |2011 |Setup |Mike Gunther |Red One
|2011 |Catch .44 |Aaron Harvey |Red One MX |Hawk V-LiteV-Plus Lenses
|2011 |Albert Nobbs |Michael McDonough |Red One MX
|2011 |Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close |Chris Menges |Arri Alexa
|2011 |11-11-11 |Joseph White |Arri Alexa
|2011 |The Wholly Family |Nicola Pecorini |Arri Alexa
|2011 |Once Upon a Time in Anatolia |Gökhan Tiryaki |Sony CineAlta F35
|2011 |Wild Bill |George Richmond |Arri Alexa
|2011 |Twixt |Mihai Mălaimare Jr. |Sony HDW-F900 | |Also shot using Red digital cameras |- |2011 |This Is 40 |Phedon Papamichael |Arri Alexa
|2011 |The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo |Jeff Cronenweth |Red One MX, Red Epic MX |Zeiss Master Prime |Red Epic was used to shoot scenes in both the US and Sweden. The film was also the first to employ a workflow higher than 4K resolution from production to presentation. |- |2011 |The Darkest Hour |Scott Kevan |Sony CineAlta F35
|2011 |Final Destination 5 |Brian Pearson |Arri Alexa
|2011 |Young Adult |Eric Steelberg |Arri Alexa
|2011 |The Muppets |Don Burgess |Red One MX, Red Epic MX |Zeiss Ultra Prime
|2011 |Hugo |Robert Richardson |Arri Alexa | |Winner of the 2011 Academy Award for Best Cinematography |- |2011 |Immortals |Brendan Galvin |Panavision Genesis
|2011 |Jack and Jill |Dean Cundey |Arri Alexa |Cooke S4
|2011 |A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas |Michael Barrett |Panavision Genesis
|2011 |The Three Musketeers |Glen MacPherson |Arri Alexa
|2011 |Vicky and the Treasure of the Gods |Christian Rein |Arri Alexa
|2011 |Rampart |Bobby Bukowski |Arri Alexa
|2011 |Killer Joe |Caleb Deschanel |Arri Alexa
|2011 |Headshot |Chankit Chamnivikaipong |Red One MX
|2011 |Dolphin Tale |Karl Walter Lindenlaub |Red One MX
|2011 |Our Idiot Brother |Yaron Orbach |Red One MX
|2011 |Anonymous |Anna Foerster |Arri Alexa | |The first feature-length film to be shot with Alexa |- |2011 |Contagion |Steven Soderbergh |Red One MX |Red Pro Prime
|2011 |Margin Call |Frank DeMarco |Red One MX
|2011 |The Inbetweeners Movie |Ben Wheeler |Arri Alexa
|2011 |The Devil's Double |Sam McCurdy |Red One MX
|2011 |Drive |Newton Thomas Sigel |Arri Alexa
|2011 |In Time |Roger Deakins |Arri Alexa
|2011 |Captain America: The First Avenger |Shelly Johnson |Panavision Genesis | |Underwater sequences and epilogue shot with Arri Alexa |- |2011 |Zookeeper |Michael Barrett |Panavision Genesis
|2011 |Horrible Bosses |David Hennings |Panavision Genesis
|2011 |Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star |Michael Barrett |Panavision Genesis
|2011 |Bellflower |Joel Hodge |Custom based on Silicon Imaging SI-2K
|2011 |Melancholia |Manuel Alberto Claro |Arri Alexa | ||Phantom HD Camera used for high-speed photography |- |2011 |Mr. Popper's Penguins |Florian Ballhaus |Arri Alexa
|2011 |Transformers: Dark of the Moon |Amir Mokri |Sony CineAlta F35 | |Most non-action scenes/close-ups shot with 35mm film |- |2011 |Return of the Moonwalker |Mike Maria |Red Epic MX
|2011 |Pina |Hélène LouvartJörg Widmer |Sony HDC-1500
|2011 |Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides |Dariusz Wolski |Red One MX
|2011 |Prom |Byron Shah |Arri Alexa
|2011 |TT3D: Closer to the Edge |Thomas Kürzl |Red One MX
|2011 |The Lincoln Lawyer |Lukas Ettlin |Red One MX
|2011 |Shark Night 3D |Gary Capo |Fusion Camera System, Sony CineAlta F35
|2011 |Sanctum |Jules O'Loughlin |Fusion Camera System
|2011 |Drive Angry |Brian Pearson |Red One MX, Silicon Imaging SI-2K
|2011 |Cedar Rapids |Chuy Chávez |Arriflex D-21
|2011 |Like Crazy |John Guleserian |Canon EOS 7D
|2011 |The Future |Nikolai von Graevenitz |Red One M
|2011 |Sick Boy |Sean C. Cunningham |Canon EOS 7D | |Canon EOS L-Series lenses, StickyPod, Redrock Micro "Captain Stubling" rig and Lensbaby Muse |- |2011 |Sound of My Voice |Rachel Morrison |Canon EOS 7D
|2010 |Tron: Legacy |Claudio Miranda |Sony CineAlta F35 | |Phantom HD Camera used for high-speed photography |- |2010 |Blue Valentine |Andrij Parekh |Red One M |Cooke S4 |Present-day scenes shot on Red, flashback scenes shot on 16mm |- |2010 |Red State |David Klein |Red One MX, Canon EOS 7D | |Canon 7D used only for 'running with camera' shots |- |2010 |Winter's Bone |Michael McDonough |Red One M |Zeiss Master Prime
|2010 |Sarah's Key |Pascal Ridao |Red One M |Cooke S4
|2010 |Jackass 3D |Dimitry Elyashkevich |Red One M
|2010 |Hubble 3D |James Neihouse |IMAX Cargo Bay 3-D Camera
|2010 |The Devil's Rock |Paul Campion |Red One M
|2010 |Fair Game |Doug Liman |Red One M
|2010 |Resident Evil: Afterlife |Glen MacPherson |Fusion Camera System
|2010 |The Social Network |Jeff Cronenweth |Red One MX |Zeiss Master Prime |First film to feature a 2K pipeline, from production to presentation. |- |2010 |127 Hours |Anthony Dod MantleEnrique Chediak |Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EOS 7D, Silicon Imaging SI-2K
|2010 |Machete |Jimmy Lindsey |Panavision Genesis
|2010 |Certified Copy |Luca Bigazzi |Red One M
|2010 |Casino Jack |Adam Swica |Red One M
|2010 |Date Night |Dean Semler |Panavision Genesis
|2010 |The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader |Dante Spinotti |Sony CineAlta F23
|2010 |Rosario |Carlo Mendoza |Arri Alexa | |First Filipino film to be shot with the Arri Alexa |- |2010 |Yogi Bear |Peter James |Fusion Camera System
|2010 |Step Up 3D |Ken Seng |Fusion Camera System
|2010 |Death at a Funeral |Rogier Stoffers |Panavision Genesis
|2010 |Film Socialisme |Fabrice AragnoPaul Grivas |Sony PMW-EX1, Sony HDR-TG1E, JVC Everio, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Samsung NV24HD, Archos 404 Camcorder
|2010 |Killers |Russell Carpenter |Arriflex D-21
|2010 |Grown Ups |Theo van de Sande |Panavision Genesis
|2010 |Rabbit Hole |Frank G. DeMarco |Red One M
|2010 |Rubber |Quentin Dupieux |Canon EOS 5D Mark II
|2010 |Twelve |Steven Fierberg |Red One M
|2010 |Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City |Kazushige Tanaka |Sony CineAlta F23, Sony CineAlta SRW-9000 |Zeiss DigiPrime, Fujinon E-Series Zoom Lenses
|2009 |Avatar |Mauro Fiore |Fusion Camera System |Fujinon 6.3-101mm T2 and 7-35mm T1.8 |First 100% digitally photographed film to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography |- |2009 |The Informant! |Steven Soderbergh |Red One M |Red Pro prime
|2009 |Survival of the Dead |Adam Swica |Red One M
|2009 |Youth in Revolt |Chuy Chávez |Sony CineAlta F35
|2009 |The Box |Steven Poster |Panavision Genesis
|2009 |Zombieland |Michael Bonvillain |Panavision Genesis
|2009 |The Final Destination |Glen MacPherson |Sony CineAlta F23, Sony HDC-F950
|2009 |District 9 |Trent Opaloch |Red One M
|2009 |The Secret in Their Eyes |Félix Monti |Red One M
|2009 |Valhalla Rising |Morten Søborg |Red One M
|2009 |Public Enemies |Dante Spinotti |Sony CineAlta F23 | |Some car interiors during chases shot on Sony XDCAM EX-1 |- |2009 |The Girlfriend Experience |Steven Soderbergh |Red One M |Panavision C-series anamorphic
|2009 |Gamer |Ekkehart Pollack |Red One M
|2009 |Oxhide II |Liu Jiayin |Sony Digital Betacam
|2009 |Antichrist |Anthony Dod Mantle |Red One M | |Phantom HD Camera used for high-speed photography |- |2009 |S. Darko |Chris Fisher |Red One M
|2009 |Surviving Evil |Mike Downie |Thomson Viper
|2009 |Tetro |Mihai Mălaimare Jr. |Sony CineAlta F900
|2009 |Crank: High Voltage |Brandon Trost |Canon XH-A1 | |Fifteen Canon HF10 were used as Crash-Cams |- |2009 |The Book of Eli |Don Burgess |Red One M |Panavision Primo
|2009 |Knowing |Simon Duggan |Red One M
|2009 |Achchamundu! Achchamundu! |Arthur Wilson |Red One M
|2009 |Like You Know It All |Kim Hoon-kwang |Sony PMW-EX1
|2009 |My Bloody Valentine 3D |Brian Pearson |Red One M, Silicon Imaging SI-2K
|2009 |Leaves of Grass |Roberto Schaefer |Red One M
|2009 |Neighbor |Marc Jeff Schirmer |Red One M
|2008 |The Spirit |Bill Pope |Panavision Genesis | |Phantom HD Camera used for high-speed photography |- |2008 |The Curious Case of Benjamin Button |Claudio Miranda |Thomson Viper |Zeiss DigiPrime |Among the first two predominantly digitally photographed films, along with Slumdog Millionaire, to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography |- |2008 |Slumdog Millionaire |Anthony Dod Mantle |Silicon Imaging SI-2K | |The first predominantly digitally photographed film to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Shot on multiple formats, including 35mm and digital stills. |- |2008 |Rachel Getting Married |Declan Quinn |Sony CineAlta F23
|2008 |You Don't Mess With The Zohan |Michael Barrett |Panavision Genesis
|2008 |Chemical Wedding |Brian Herlihy |Thomson Viper
|2008 |Che: Part Two |Steven Soderbergh |Red One M |Red Pro prime
|2008 |Che: Part One |Steven Soderbergh |Red One M |Red Pro prime |The first feature-length film shot with Red One cameras |- |2008 |Get Smart |Dean Semler |Panavision Genesis
|2008 |Speed Racer |David Tattersall |Sony CineAlta F23 |Zeiss DigiPrime
|2008 |Three Monkeys |Gökhan Tiryaki |Sony CineAlta F900
|2008 |Deception |Dante Spinotti |Panavision Genesis
|2008 |21 |Russell Carpenter |Panavision Genesis
|2008 |Journey to the Center of the Earth |Chuck Shuman |Fusion Camera System
|2008 |Cloverfield |Michael Bonvillain |Sony CineAlta F23 | |Segments, other shots include the Panasonic HVX-200, as well as the Thomson Viper |- |2008 |RocknRolla |David Higgs |Arriflex D-20
|2008 |The Bank Job |Michael Coulter |Arriflex D-21
|2008 |Yesterday Was a Lie |Jason Cochard |Sony CineAlta F900
|2007 |Before the Devil Knows You're Dead |Ron Fortunato |Panavision Genesis
|2007 |A Thousand Years of Good Prayers |Patrick Lindenmaier |Sony HDW-F900R |Fujinon
|2007 |Reign Over Me |Russ Alsobrook |Panavision Genesis
|2007 |Youth Without Youth |Mihai Mălaimare Jr. |Sony CineAlta F900
|2007 |Zodiac |Harris Savides |Thomson Viper |Zeiss DigiPrime
|2007 |Balls of Fury |Thomas E. Ackerman |Panavision Genesis
|2007 |Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story |Uta Briesewitz |Panavision Genesis
|2007 |Superbad |Russ Alsobrook |Panavision Genesis
|2007 |I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry |Dean Semler |Panavision Genesis
|2007 |Next