D300s Video

[glenn_losack]

<p>I am certainly very disappointed with the video on this amazing DSLR camera.<br>

i am known for single shot photography not VIDEOS and i did not experiment with the camera at all.<br>

i own the D300 also.<br>

I clicked LV hit the center button and mostly saw blurry imaging unless it was at a certain distance .<br>

a very amateurish feature!<br>

it doesnt auto focus, most videos are blurry. but some pass muster.<br>

i am wondering if there is something im missing here. The inability to auto focus makes this IMHO a wasted feature.<br>

Am i right in assuming that as long as it is held steady still and at a fixed ( not shiftable ) distance it will do the job<br>

if it looks in focus in the finder. BUT shifting my position any closer or farther from the subject louses everything up.<br>

It seems hit and miss, trial and error. Is there a trick to always get clear focusing?<br>

what else do i do that im not doing?</p>

<p>thanks</p>

 

[ShunCheung]

<p>On Nikon DSLRs, the AF system is underneath the mirror. When you use live view/video, the mirror is up and the regular AF system cannot be used. Instead, you need to hold down on the AF-ON button to engage contrast-detective AF, which is much slower to work.</p>

<p>Moreover, the typical tripod head system for still photography is not suitable for videography. You need a smooth fluid head to have nice video panning.</p>

<p>That is why I keep on saying that video is nice to have on DSLR for occasional usage. However, for serious videography, the current DSLRs have a long long way to improve.</p>

[ricardovaste]

<p>Your points are pretty clear and pointed out by post reviews. I think camera companies feel just too much pressure to put video in at the moment, even when it isn't a very straight forward thing to use - seems pretty clumsy. Saying that, if you're good with video you can get the results out of it. I spoke to a professional video shooter this week who was throwing praise on his 5D mk2 which i get the impression he uses pretty much exclusively now. He uses mainly manual lenses too, by the sounds of it. I'm in the process of converting a 58/1.2 Rokkor for him...</p>

[markjordan]

<p>My personal opinion is that DSLRs should not have video in them. Keep that in the video camera market. I can carry a DSLR and a pocket size HD video camera with no problem, and most people can.<br>

As well I too have a D300s and was wonder just what Glenn was.</p>

[ricardovaste]

<p>Mark, how about if you could have a dSLR that shoots HD video without any functional problems like those mentioned? I think it's clear still and video photography are going to merge eventually, it's just early days at the moment. Useful for the odd occation, but not enjoyable or easy to use like it should be. Personally, I'm interested to see what Sony will with regard to video in their dSLRs (they're yet to release one with it in) as they do have all the knowledge regarding video. If we go even further into the future, I wonder when electronic viewfinders will rival optical? That will be an important day for video.</p>

<p>I only shoot still, but my partner shoots video so my excuse for taking any interest is for her benefit ;)</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>In its early stage, any new technology is going to look poor. Back in the late 1980's auto focus was slow and you were much better off focusing manually for the most part. Back in 1999 I saw the 2.7MP Nikon D1. The Nikon rep I talked to showed me some large prints. My wife and I laughed at it (behind his back, of course) because straight lines were like staircases because the pixels were so big, and the D1 sold for $5500. Of course I continued to use film for a few more years before switching completely to digital.</p>

<p>I would say 5 year from now, people will have a very different perspective on DSLR video.</p>

[phil_burt]

<p>There are some blogs of photographers that use D90 for video and the results are absolutely beautiful. I do believe that the ones I have looked at are done by video type professionals. If I can remember one I will post a link for it.<br>

Shun, I read an article here lately where they believe that the DSLR will go towards becoming shutterless. They spoke about some cameras that are that way now.<br>

Just curious?<br>

phil b<br>

benton, ky</p>

 

[cc_chang2]

<blockquote>

<p>I clicked LV hit the center button and mostly saw blurry imaging unless it was at a certain distance . a very amateurish feature!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>As Shun said, you need to reengage the AF when in your in Lv for the camera to re-focus.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The inability to auto focus makes this IMHO a wasted feature.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It depends on what and how you shoot. For most of the pro, who set up their shots before filming, this is not an issue because they do not change focus during filming. If you watch movies or films shot by the pros, you may notice that as the scene changes from shots to shots, the FOV may change, depending on the lens that was used, but the object of interest does not usually move. In fact the pro will tell you that constant zooming and focus change are two traits that most associated with non-professional videos. Having said that AF does come in handy when you need to film a moving object, say a toddler or a pet. You may select a wide angle lens with enough DOF to help maintain focus. I do have a GH1 that AF during filming. The problem there is that when the camera hunts for focus, you loose the focus on your subject and this can be equally frustrating. Despite this, I will not buy another dSLR without video because video just add so much more to your ability to document your memory and you do not have to carry another device.</p>

[cc_chang2]

<blockquote>

<p>If I can remember one I will post a link for it</p>

</blockquote>

<p>a nice video that was shot by the D90 ...</p>

<p>http://vimeo.com/4122465</p>

<p> </p>

[glenn_losack]

<p>CC Chang<br>

and everyone thank you so much<br>

at the bowling alley- this video you included<br>

how does the camera go into focus when the ball is thrown ( i.e the ball seems to go from a blur to focused/sharp )<br>

what makes that happen? what button was pressed to make that happen<br>

does anyone have experience with</p>

<h1 id="product-name">PURE Digital <strong>Flip</strong> UltraHD <strong>Camcorder</strong> </h1>

<p><strong>i have and it seems to do a marvelous job<br /> </strong> <br>

i think the flip HD do a better job than the DSLR D300S<br>

unless im doing something wrong im going to buy one<br>

am i throwing money out<br>

or is it better than the video on the D300s</p>

 

[cc_chang2]

<p>the author of those video is clearly a professional videographer, and they MF the lens all the time. Pro do not like AF b/c the AF can sometimes focus on the wrong object. he apparently MF to follow the ball. He also did a lot of focus pull — focus on one object and then focus on another to shift the center of attention, and this can best be done by MF. Some of the shots may be out of focus and this is the another filming techniques that is hard for me to learn — editing. One can edit out those split second shots that out of focus.</p>

<p>The major advantages of using the dSLR to shoot videos are : (1) larger sensor = low noise at low light, and (2) Shallow DOFs to give you that cinematic look. In some applications a flip, or an iPhone, is the tool of choice. If you look at that guy's other D90 videos, in which he tested its ability to shoot indoors with available light, you can compare that to any camcorder that you have and ask how they compare. Those shot by D90 have very low noise with vibrant colors.</p>

<p>However if you don't need to shoot at low light, don't care about shallow DOF, dont mind carrying another device, then a dedicated camcorder may be a better choice.</p>

<p> </p>

[mag_miksch]

<p>what button was pressed to make that happen? ^^<br>

In pro level film or video there is often a second camera guy just for focussing. eg. a scene needs focus at point (a) and later on point (b), the 2 according focus-ring positions on the lens are marked with tapes and at the given time the second guy adjusts the focus-ring from mark for (a) to mark for (b). <br>

Regards<br>

Martin</p>

[kevin_swan1]

<p>The thing is, DSLR video is very attractive because it enables the high production-value "look" of far more expensive video productions, at a fraction of the price. The reason is due to the relative enormity of a DSLR imaging sensor, compared to the sensor size of video-capable compact point-and-shoots (or even dedicated consumer-level camcorders, for that matter). Also, the availability of wide-aperture lenses (again, compared to conventional camcorders) enables dramatically superior low-light video, and that coveted super-shallow depth of field that suggests a far higher production value than is justified.</p>

<p>The drawback, as others have noted, is the focusing. I'm sure DSLR manufacturers are working on it, but in the meantime, your best bet is to get comfortable manually-focusing on the fly. This is actually how pros do it all the time - they're just much better at it than we are. The problem isn't that DLSR video is too primitive to use, it's that it's too ADVANCED. It behaves more like a pro-video setup than an amateur one, and that throws amateurs for a loop. With practice, you can get far better video from a DSLR than from a little point and shoot (or a camcorder), but it takes a lot more effort.</p>

[ArthurRichardson]

<p>Pardon me for being blunt, but did you really really look at all the features and shortcomings of the D300s before you bought it, or did you just buy it only to find out that it didn't do magic?</p>

[cc_chang2]

<blockquote>

<p>The problem isn't that DLSR video is too primitive to use, it's that it's too ADVANCED. It behaves more like a pro-video setup than an amateur one, and that throws amateurs for a loop.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>While I agree that the Pro MF all the time and this is the preferred way of focusing for the pro, at this point the lack of AF during filming on Nikon's dSLRs should be considered a deficiency. The Panasonic m4/3 cameras can do that with ease. The new G2 from Panasonic has a touch screen, which allows you to touch different areas in the scene to change the focus point during video. Once the focus is maintained, the focus will be locked even as the object moves around. If this works as well as it claims, it may put Nikon and Canon's video-able dSLRs far behind in the area of AF. </p>

<p>Another issue with D300s is the compression method as it uses, the low quality m-JPEG, which is inefficient in reducing the file size and creates considerable visual artifacts. </p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Video on current Nikon DSLRs is definitely not too advanced. The lack of useful AF and no easy control of aperture/shutter speed are major and fundamental issues.</p>