That's true, all the serious large sensor cinema cameras use autofocus lenses, like...... um........ um...... oh wait they all use manual focus and/or anamorphic lenses. It's ok, they still have fast autofocus in video mode on the Panasonic GH-1 for professionals like you, so us amateurs can use the gimmicky cameras :)
Great lenses like the Zeiss ZE range or other adapted manual focus lenses open a world of possibilities to cinematographers longing for an affordable large sensor digital video camera.
You actually bring up a valid point. Photographically, these are priced and aimed at the consumer, but the video mode is going to be very difficult for an amateur to get much out of. I just don't think they do well for anything but carefully planned shots--but they do incredibly well for that.
I am happy for you that you are terrific at manual focus. However, as Chispito pointed out, these cameras are priced and aimed toward the consumer who may not be quite as amazing as you with manual focus. They are marketed toward end users who are stepping up from a P&S digital camera and they just want to be able to take video. For the targeted user, video without a good autofocus is truly a gimmick.
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Unless they've fixed the autofocus problems, the video mode in a DSLR is still nothing but a gimmick.
@Yogi
That's true, all the serious large sensor cinema cameras use autofocus lenses, like...... um........ um...... oh wait they all use manual focus and/or anamorphic lenses. It's ok, they still have fast autofocus in video mode on the Panasonic GH-1 for professionals like you, so us amateurs can use the gimmicky cameras :)
Great lenses like the Zeiss ZE range or other adapted manual focus lenses open a world of possibilities to cinematographers longing for an affordable large sensor digital video camera.
@Yogi
You actually bring up a valid point. Photographically, these are priced and aimed at the consumer, but the video mode is going to be very difficult for an amateur to get much out of. I just don't think they do well for anything but carefully planned shots--but they do incredibly well for that.
@Yogi
I don't know what you consider to be a problem, but the T2i does autofocus in movie mode.
@DanKennedy
I am happy for you that you are terrific at manual focus. However, as Chispito pointed out, these cameras are priced and aimed toward the consumer who may not be quite as amazing as you with manual focus. They are marketed toward end users who are stepping up from a P&S digital camera and they just want to be able to take video. For the targeted user, video without a good autofocus is truly a gimmick.
@Jack
I never said that it doesn't do autofocus. The problem is that, on DSLRs that have autofocus in video mode, it's not very good.