I think that the main thing here is that Nikon's gone and done it, and others will probably follow. It doesn't really matter if you use it or not, or whether it's as good as a separate camcorder. It's there, and you can use it if you want, and it's better than not having this function when you need it. Everything's going multifunction, and if it's purist you want, just stick to film. It's also been said quite a few times, a normal camcorder can't achieve many of the things that this DSLR can do with video (lenses, DOF, etc). It's the first to have it, so there are bound to be some quirks or limitations. Having no AF for video is probably good, since DSLRs live view AF is slow as hell. The fact that it records in motion jpeg, instead of the smaller/better AVCHD or HDV format is a bummer, since these would save a lot of space. The verdict is still out on the video quality, at least until some real sample movies are made.
AVCHD or HDV is not better. It might be smaller, yes, and having that option as well would have been nice. But this camera is not geared toward shooting Billy's 5th birthday party. This is clearly Nikon targeting the indie filmmakers out there. They know indie filmmakers want to shoot 24p. They know we want full frame, interchangeable lenses, real mechanical focus and zoom. They know we want a less compressed recording format that we can actually cut without creating and intermediate file. They also know that sound isn't a huge issue for us because most of the time we record that with a separate recorder where an audio guy can ride the levels without getting in the way of the camera operator.
These guys really did their homework.This is camera geared toward indie photographers and filmmakers.
AVCHD (if implemented properly) and HDV are actually better than motion jpeg (lots of ugly jpeg artifacts, since it's based on jpeg). You can get 24p in AVCHD, no problem, as well as 25p, 30p, and 60i. It's going to be a bit hard to focus this thing since you've only got the live view to look at, and hidef means that just being a bit off focus is much more obvious in the final production. Oh, and HDV doesn't require an intermediate file. I know, I edit it daily, and it's quite easy to edit. AVCHD, well, yes, unless you have a pretty good computer, but since consumers (and marketers) want tapeless media, it's AVCHD or bust. Really, how many pro or semi-pro or even slightly higher-than-consumer hidef camcorders use motion jpeg as opposed to HDV/AVCHD? Again, the implementation of hi-def movie recording on a DSLR is good, since it allows a lot of things not possible before with a normal video camera. But I still feel that it's half-baked, first-gen, etc (it is, and it can be a lot better). It has possibilities and the potential to mature, especially since the "movie on DSLR" thing has been started.
"I'm a college student looking for a new laptop, but almost all of my media I receive digitally. I'm looking for a laptop, not a netbook, without an optical drive, and budget sensitive. The optical drive will just be a waste of space, when I can have thinner laptop. What's out there?"
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I think that the main thing here is that Nikon's gone and done it, and others will probably follow. It doesn't really matter if you use it or not, or whether it's as good as a separate camcorder. It's there, and you can use it if you want, and it's better than not having this function when you need it. Everything's going multifunction, and if it's purist you want, just stick to film. It's also been said quite a few times, a normal camcorder can't achieve many of the things that this DSLR can do with video (lenses, DOF, etc).
It's the first to have it, so there are bound to be some quirks or limitations. Having no AF for video is probably good, since DSLRs live view AF is slow as hell. The fact that it records in motion jpeg, instead of the smaller/better AVCHD or HDV format is a bummer, since these would save a lot of space.
The verdict is still out on the video quality, at least until some real sample movies are made.
AVCHD or HDV is not better. It might be smaller, yes, and having that option as well would have been nice. But this camera is not geared toward shooting Billy's 5th birthday party. This is clearly Nikon targeting the indie filmmakers out there. They know indie filmmakers want to shoot 24p. They know we want full frame, interchangeable lenses, real mechanical focus and zoom. They know we want a less compressed recording format that we can actually cut without creating and intermediate file. They also know that sound isn't a huge issue for us because most of the time we record that with a separate recorder where an audio guy can ride the levels without getting in the way of the camera operator.
These guys really did their homework.This is camera geared toward indie photographers and filmmakers.
AVCHD (if implemented properly) and HDV are actually better than motion jpeg (lots of ugly jpeg artifacts, since it's based on jpeg). You can get 24p in AVCHD, no problem, as well as 25p, 30p, and 60i. It's going to be a bit hard to focus this thing since you've only got the live view to look at, and hidef means that just being a bit off focus is much more obvious in the final production.
Oh, and HDV doesn't require an intermediate file. I know, I edit it daily, and it's quite easy to edit. AVCHD, well, yes, unless you have a pretty good computer, but since consumers (and marketers) want tapeless media, it's AVCHD or bust. Really, how many pro or semi-pro or even slightly higher-than-consumer hidef camcorders use motion jpeg as opposed to HDV/AVCHD?
Again, the implementation of hi-def movie recording on a DSLR is good, since it allows a lot of things not possible before with a normal video camera. But I still feel that it's half-baked, first-gen, etc (it is, and it can be a lot better). It has possibilities and the potential to mature, especially since the "movie on DSLR" thing has been started.