I haven’t had much time to look into it but the Nikon D3s has in recent weeks finally become available from some retailers. It’s a very similar camera to the original D3, however it has a newer sensor with a higher ISO capability (comments I’ve read on noise performance are promising), and new HD 24fps video capabilities.
There is some vignetting (to be expected in such low light situations and likely very long lenses being used) but this video is really pretty remarkable when you consider how clean it looks. Makes me think twice about ever springing for a new video rig from Sony when it is so much more natural and convenient to shoot video with the same camera you use for stills….
Canon has opened up a fun contest for photographers and video enthusiasts. The idea is to show an interesting still image, and then capture with video the story behind it. At least that’s how I’m interpreting it! Vincent LaForet shows us how it’s done, though he likely used some type of production crew, cast and lighting setup for this demo. Many won’t have that luxury but still this is a great chance to show what you can do if you’re into story telling and cinematography. Grab your gear (or borrow some), get your friends and go for it!
DP Review is reporting that Nikon recently released a slew of firmware updates for their high-end DSLRs. The key thing about this particular set up updates is that it’s much more substantial in terms of the number of functions it affects, vs. a typical update.
White Balance and ISO Performance, Auto-focus performance, GPS support, long-exposure support, and several other areas have been tweaked. Definitely worth a download to keep your camera performing at its peak, and something I’ll be doing shortly for my D700….
The folks over at DP Review -a place I heartily recommend for product reviews and articles, but not so much for informed forum discussion (low signal:noise ratio)- have put together a nice overview of shooting HD video from a DSLR vs. traditional camcorders. The obvious ones are better low light performance (due to larger sensors on a DSLR) and more creativity with wide open apertures but there are other factors you’ll want to consider. There are pluses and minuses on both sides of the equation, so which type of camera is best for you will depend on what you’re shooting, where and which mediums your final output is destined for.
