View single post by Brad Neal

Posted: Fri Jul 20th, 2012 15:37

Joined:	Tue Jul 17th, 2012
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I own a video production company, and tend to lean old-school as well, when it comes to my video gear. I still use the large (and very, very expensive) cameras. We did just purchase a Panasonic HPX-250 hand-held (remarkable images, by the way), and have only toyed with the video capabilities now available on the DSLR's. My experience was pretty much inline with most of the other comments mentioned in this thread... clunky feeling, forget auto-focus, hard to see the image on the tiny LCD, etc...

But having said that, in the right hands, and properly equipped, DSLR's are capable of producing stunning footage, and have been used in some of Hollywood's latest and greatest current releases - namely; The Avengers, Captain America, Iron man 2, and many others. You do have to tool them up, but once you get the hang of it, they deliver cinema-quality footage at a fraction of the cost.

Canon has pretty much taken the lead in this category with their 5D MK II, so I'm sure that's why Nikon has been so aggressive with pushing the video quality of their newer releases. But I can assure that DSLR's are all the rage with indi shooters, and as mentioned above, even the big boys in Hollywood.

So as for still photographers being lured to a particular DSLR because of the video capabilities, well, it probably ain't gonna happen. But Cinematographers are all over them.

Also, both Panasonic and Sony have developed DSLR-like video cameras that are more ergonomically suited for video, but they are really just DSLR's in a different chassis.

It's all about being able to use 35mm prime lenses and the larger sensors that is driving the DSLR movie market.

-Brad