Photography Workshop
April 16, 2011 - Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Tom Carlisle, Photographer
What About Video?
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The technology is changing quickly
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For me, this creates a classic problem of not knowing when to buy in order to avoid near term obsolescence.
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The basic options are camcorders and video-enabled still photography cameras, including DSLRs that shoot high definition (HD) video or HDSLRs.
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There are many pros and cons to camcorders vs video-enabled still cameras including both price and capability differences.
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HDSLRs are said to be more "cinema like" because they have big sensors and in the case of the Nikon D3s, very good low light capabilities.
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For nature photographers that already have a DSLR and some lenses, it makes sense to get an HDSLR camera body in order to use your existing lenses... but you might want to start with a high-end point and shoot with 720p video capability.
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There are also a range of capabilities and prices among the HDSLRs.
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Resolution... 1080p (full HD) vs 720p
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Nikon has only one 1080p video HDSLR, Canon has several. Many serious pros with roots in video think that 1080p is a must... but in fact, 720p is pretty darn good.
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Frame rates and standards vary widely
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Output file types vary widely
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Sensor size and type varies
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LCD screen size and brightness (Special viewfinders are available)
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There are NO HDSLRs with auto-zoom capability like a camcorder (but is that a problem? ...look at most cinema and documentary work and they seldom zoom and only do limited pans.)
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There are only one or two HDSLRs with functional autofocus during video operation. (Accessory focusing rings are available.)
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Video requires additional software and puts demands on your hardware that may require upgrades. (Processor speed, RAM and hard disk capacity.)