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Nikon's D90 Through the Eyes of a Video Pro
Nikon's D90 Through the Eyes of a Video Pro - Page 2
Okay, I'll stop beating the D90 up because there is some good here. Frankly, the price-per-pixel ratio is outstanding if you're looking to buy a fun DSLR. This is a great place for students and other first-timers to start. If you want to make movies, I'm sorry but you're still going to have to cough up significant dough for a decent image. If, on the other hand you, I don't know, blog for a living or something, this is the camera for you. Imagine being at a Comic-Con, snapping off high-res photos of Erik Larson signing your buddy's issue of Savage Dragon #2 (the cross-over with the ninja turtles? Classic.), when they suddenly unveil whatever terrible project J.J. Abrahams is going to tackle next. Switch over to video, roll off a couple megs of HD-quality video and snap back to stills in the time it takes ol' J.J. to put his foot in his mouth (Really? You planned an ending for Lost? Really?) I can't see Joe-consumer getting much use out of the video because he can, after all, just buy a video camera if he'd prefer. He'll get quality images, more battery life and never have to cough up several grand for a good lens. We started with Nikon's touting that the D90 "exceeds demands of passionate photographers." More accurately, it pre-supposes the demands of photographers and gets it wrong. In time, the technology will no doubt reach the point that a camera like this will be worth buying for its video capabilities. If we view the D90 as the departure point for a new generation of tiny hand-held cameras, then it starts to have more value. Then again, don't we already have tiny affordable HD camcorders? It seems to me that particular revolution has already come and gone. I'm a big fan of the right tool for the right job so please: don't exceed my demands; just meet them. The D90 is a camera that bridges the gap between an SLR and HD video camera. Unfortunately, this is a bridge no one asked to have built. In video mode, the D90 simply cannot adapt. It's this rigidity that makes it an inferior choice for shooting quality video and that's the bottom line.
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Add Comment
6 User Comments 1 - Posted by
Shannz
on December 8, 2008 - 11:38 pm Thanks for the insightful article. I sure hope the little man who lives inside the D90 gets it right because video option on a Nikon dslr is one of the main reasons I'd buy it. Starving artists need multifaceted devices. :/ Luckily, I have the hands of a surgeon! You've given me lots to think about before making this purchase. 2 - Posted by
MosaicMarj
on December 17, 2008 - 10:05 am Great article. Really helpful. Very disappointing not to have more control over settings and I hear that once you set focus, you can't change it while shooting. However, the idea of carting around 2 cameras is exhausting and for those of us producing in a multimedia world, this is a good beginning.
3 - Posted by
Kurtis
on December 17, 2008 - 2:08 pm From the things I've heard so far, the Canon 5D Mk II looks a little more promising on the video front, FYI.
4 - Posted by
Martin
on March 6, 2009 - 2:10 pm Great article you wrote, very informative. I purchased the D90 last month and I think it's a great camera. This is a crazy industry that were in and were going to have to adapt no matter what. I am wedding photographer and for me to shoot stills plus cinema clips from the same camera is amazing. there is so much potential in the D90 that it boggles the mind. Remember when digital hit the scene in 2000, this is the same situation. All cameras will shoot stills and clips in the near future. I have the D3 and D700 which will be the last still only cameras I will buy. You either change with the times or be left behind. Red One video camera which cost about $17,000 body only has no autofocus and no audio. go figure? Here is a little info about the D90. This camera will work in movie mode with all white balance modes plus you can close down the apeture to F8. You can bring the D90 up to your body while in movie mode, just velcro a wait level finder with magnifier to the monitor. I have one from Hasselblad and it works great. I also use an external recorder which sync's up perfectly The Steadicam Merlin works great with this camera, really flies. Hope this was helpful. 5 - Posted by
Kurtis
on March 7, 2009 - 9:29 pm Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Martin. I agree that the ability to shoot video could be leveraged easily if you're willing to do it. For weddings it would still be hard to make a full-fledged video of the wedding since you have to be shooting stills, but it would be great to have some clips on there along with a Photo DVD or something... it's all in marketing your services creatively and getting the most you can out of your tools. :)
6 - Posted by
Ralph
on March 10, 2010 - 9:28 am As a video pro... I have some questions What is a HVX-100? You make no mention of audio capture with the D90... the horrid onboard mic with poor placement, lack of inputs, and that a re-foucs while rolling will make a nasty sound. You make no mention of the lack of auto focus... which is much more of an hinderance for run-and-gun than the stability issues you mention. With LiveView there is no need to ever hold the camera at "arms length". Another issue is the limit of a single clip to 2Gigs Poor article with little to no "real" info or field experience Add Comment To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields. |
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