Hi all, i wrote an article a while back on digital cameras with Video capability.
Finally getting a camera shop to give me a go of their DSLR (Nikon D5000) i must say i am disappointed yet relieved, how so?
Well i am disappointed with the D5000, now while the D5000 does take an exceptional image the feel of the camera is very cheap (then again so is the price), also i managed to have a go at the “HD” video capture on the camera, not nice let me tell you, it is clunky, no auto focus, which means that you need to manually focus as you record, now if you are a professional you probably wouldn’t have to much issue with that, but these cameras are not aimed at the professional market so for a novice to use this feature is a nightmare.
So why am i relieved? Well i am now very certain that these features are gimmicks, especially on the D5000, i saw a novice using the video (a friend of myne) and they were just frustrated, asked if they would buy the camera, they said they wouldn’t buy it based on the video, and would opt for the more robust D90 (which has no video function). I have to agree, so coming back to my conclusions, if you want to take video —– BUY A VIDEO CAMERA. Don’t fall for the marketing guys gimmick.
For years we have purchased an exact tool for an exact job, but today it seems that we are hunting down manufacturers to make an all in one product that can produce a high quality result. Take for instance the mobile phone. Who ever thought we would want to take a photo with a phone or for that matter take video as well? and even with the production of 5 Mpxl cameras on-board some high end phones, we still want more. Far be it for me to say WAKE UP, but unfortunately people in general want smaller, lighter products that can fill their every need, thus the evolution of the mobile phone come still camera, video camera, internet device etc. etc.. the problem is they are still really poor in their quality. Other than a couple of cutsie type photos of family and some small events, or some teenage prankster trying to make his mark on youtube these type of devices fall very short of the mark.
So what does this have to do with our very much loved DSLR cameras? For a few years now some of the lower end manufacturers have attempted to integrate video with their still cameras resulting in slightly better footage than mobile phones, and to be frank most have failed miserably, with a couple of exceptions, for example i purchased for my wife a Sanyo Xact Vision Waterproof Video Camera that records to a memory card, it also can go under water to 1.5mtrs which makes it perfect for our family video, it also has a 6 mpxl still camera also which takes some pretty good pictures , again perfect for the family album, but in all this it is still pretty average.
Welcome to the stage Nikon and a couple of other larger manufacturers. Nikon and their competitors have now attempted to do what no other manufacturer to this point has done, to produce a high quality DSLR with HD movie feature. But is it needed or for that matter necessary? I spoke to a very good friend of mine who is a cameraman for the ABC and if anyone would have a clue he would, according to him this technology has been a revolution for journalists who can snap their stills and be able to produce better than mobile phone quality footage for their news companies who use the internet as a driving media for their stories. But like all things the proof is in the eating or seeing in this case.
So how do some of these cameras perform?
lets look at one of them the Nikon D5000, now I have posted a video I found on youtube (which there are plenty of) you can make your own call on what you think the quality is like, however when you weigh it all up , if you want high quality anything, buy the product that is manufactured for that purpose. I personally do not think the footage is too bad, but it falls far short of footage that can be produced on pro-sumer Video cameras from 5 years ago (in my opinion) in fact my personally bought Xacti Vision which cost around $400.00 produces footage that is every bit as good as the nikon D5000. Now when it comes to the images that is a different story, the D5000 takes some stunning images, as this is the purpose it was built for, which brings me to think that Nikon has used the HD video as a gimmick.
So for around $800~$1200 you can purchase the D5000 Body, which isn’t too bad considering I bought my D100 for $5000 when they first came out. You get a great still camera that if need be can produce up to 1080p HD video footage, it is not a bad combination but still in my mind bit of a gimmick. I can see the benefits for it, but for the extra that it cost the likes of nikon and Canon to incorporate this feature, they could have made the D5000 a full image sensor, so the average photographer could have an even better DSLR at an affordable cost (again only my opinion)
I would love to hear your opinions on this so leave a comment.
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