Morning,
Somewhere in my stack of “reference” print articles is a piece written a few years back specifically for photographers. It suggests ways in which they can expand their business by shooting video. Well now, videographers are turning the tables as traditional still cameras become more innovative and feature-laden.
Take, for instance, the Canon 5D Mark II. It was the first digital camera used for an official U.S. Presidential still photo portrait (Pete Souza, 2008). It now has a number of video credits including the opening title sequence of the 35th season of NBC’s Saturday Night Live and the entire seventh season of House, on Fox TV. You can find a review of the Canon 5D here.
For purists, the thought of using still cameras for video might run a bit against the grain. In fact, the use of DSLRs for video capture has provoked a lot of discussion and debate in VideoUniversity.com’s Members-only forum. Here’s a bit of the discussion surrounding the use of Canon DSLRs for a wedding video:
“It’s one of those stupid cameras that is way more hassle than they are worth… Panny 150s get the job done and to be honest…most brides could give a s***.” – Tom
“Now I’m not saying shooting with the Panny 150 makes you a square. I still love my XH-A1s and yes…I still use them on shoots. However the way the industry is going I don’t think they will be a good choice as long as, say, the PD-150/170s were in their era. … I challenge you to buy, say, a 60D and a cheap 50 1.8 and just shoot some stuff around the house. Then go back to the Pannys. The difference will be astounding. The onset of DSLR filmmaking is a testament to the draw these little cams have. I’m hopelessly in the trance myself.” – Glen
“When I’m shooting seminars or anything long form like that, I’m right back on the video cams. I think that both worlds can peacefully coexist. But, for me right now this (DSLRs) is the best tool for my business for weddings. Hands down.” -“ Bill
“I think if used properly, DSLR is just a much more powerful tool. I can easily bump up the aperture to f/5.0 and ISO to capture reaction shots. It’s a matter of using a finger and a dial. I love walking into a job with 4 cameras in a case that used to only hold two HMC-150s and still have some room for LED lights and batteries and mics. No more multiple trips to the car!” – Brian
“One thing I am sure of, when someone shoots DSLR and becomes accomplished at it, it will set him apart from the other filmmakers/videographers in his market. And one thing for sure, when other “easier” to use DSLR/Video cameras hit the market, we will be miles ahead because of what we learned from shooting with these cameras manually.” – Shane
Camera Reviews
You can find a number of camcorder reviews, including several on DSLRs such as the Canon 5D and the Rebel T2i in our list of Camcorder Reviews By Users.
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