Three Simple Things
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 12:10AM Recently I was asked by a major DLSR manufacturer what features I would like to see in their movie capture mode. I pledged to restrict my reply to things that I presumed (in my ignorance) could be accomplished in firmware. Here’s what I sent:
- Choice of frame rate. Ideally we would be able to choose any frame rate from 1 to 30, with special cases for the NTSC speeds for 30 and 24 (which are 29.97 and 23.976 fps, respectively). But the “most wanted” frame rates are 29.97, 23.976 and 25 fps. 60 fps would be nice to have for slow motion, even if it had to be 720p.
But 23.976 is the most important frame rate to support. It is worth mentioning that Getty Images now only accepts footage shot in 24p!
- Manual control, ideally using familiar camera controls, of aperture, shutter, and ISO.
To recap
- There is one additional feature that is probably slightly less accessible, but is nevertheless an important issue to explore. I have no problem with manually focusing while in video mode, but the challenge is that the rear LCD display, glorious though it may be, is not sufficient for gauging focus at 1080p. An edge-enhancement focus assist option of the kind found on many HD video cameras would be ideal. I quite like the one on the Sony EX1—it displays a colored outline on sharp edges.
- 24p
- Manual exposure
- Focus assist
My Amex awaits!
I hope they’re listening. I keep holding up the boombox, but I don’t see much movement in the window.
I’ve also mentioned to anyone who will listen that it’s time for video cameras to respond to this DSLR excitement. There’s much more than the mere ability to record video that defines a video camera. Some big challenges lurk here though. A Sony EX1, with its amazing, filmmaker-friendly features but miniscule sensor makes a luxurious DSLR like the 5D MkII seem downright affordable, even with its L-series kit lens included. Remember that only Panasonic has shown a video-focussed SLR-esque camera. As a SLR replcement, its predecessor, the Lumix DMC-G1, has been criticised for being too big. As a video camera it borders on being too small, although that is easily fixed. The Micro Four Thirds sensor is almost as big as the RED One’s, and Panasonic knows how to make video cameras for filmmakers. The G1 with lens is cheaper than the Nikon D90. No word on price for the video variant.
A week from tomorrow RED will blow us all away with their latest announcements and the future will seem both closer than ever, and farther away as well.
In the meantime, these video SLRs could be an aweful lot of fun—if they’d just do three simple things.
Reader Comments (11)
Amen brother.
If I was to add anything, I'd probably ask for lightly or completely un-compressed footage which may/may not be possible with the current memory specs. This may already be happening, apologies if I'm out of date.
I know that Ikonoskop had to make their own memory to accommodate recording uncompressed footage, however would any of the HDV, ProRes or other compression techniques be viable within the available bandwidth?
Once again, apologies if Stu has already posted on the compression techniques of these DSLR videos.
I would also add live HDMI output for monitoring and uncompressed capturing.
If the DSLR manufacturer you mentioned is Nikon I would have requested a movie quality that is worth to be implemented in a DSLR not this poor 15mbits/s D-movie. Since you didn't request this I guess it was Canon who asked.
Very nice to hear there's SOME talk going on about this!
I'm anxiously waiting your "DSLR manufacturer" 's response... Yeah, we could have some fun while we wait for next year's releases...
Stu,
Your list is the trop three, no doubt. Some of the other things I'd ask for is:
Dual card slots that recorded seamlessly.
Better audio (from inputs to quality)
smooth iris control instead of clicks
Just my three that are of less importance than your three.
Bryan
Stu,
Realistically, Scarlet won't be available for a year. At present neither the current Canon 5D MarkII nor the Nikon D90 are there yet.
Any guess on when/what will be available to filmmakers in the SLR/video world before Scarlet comes out?
Thanks for the post.
Hey Greg, I have a D90 here, what do you mean with "not there?
I meant not yet up to Stu's hopes for a camera truly ready for indie filmmaking: 24P, manual controls, no jello, etc., which finds both 5D and D90 both lacking right now.
Lovely. I didn't see anything I didn't like. Cinematic depth of field. Sharp resolution. Pretty colours. The world is looking better in video every day. Scarlet should watch out.
Maybe one shot with skew (the passing subway train?)...but it didn't bother me at all. No one would notice except techno geeks, and in this case, dare I say, it almost has the appearance of a cool effect.
Stu said:
The Micro Four Thirds sensor is almost as big as the RED One's…
According to the http://prolost.blogspot.com/2008/08/sensor-size-cheat-sheet.html" REL="nofollow">Cheat Sheet, the 4/3 system is just about as tall, but far narrower than the RED One's Mysterium sensor, unless I'm missing something…
(This has been known to happen)
Stu:
I know you have the LX3 and shot outside. I think the 720p results are damn good even without the DOF benefits. Does the 24fps make this more film like? This is a link to a concert grab of the Avett Brothers that I posted on You Tube from the LX3. Notice the great low light performance. Also Dynamic B&W is a great option.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBjxut91QJ8