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D90: I never thought Nikon would do it

Well well well, I have been expecting this, but not from Nikon! (I put my bets on Sony): A DSLR with a Movie Mode.

moviemenu.jpg


Now all that remains is for the mirror and the prism to disappear (and I suspect the first Micro four-thirds camera will also have a movie mode, hence it will combine all these attributes) and then we have broken all ties with the film SLR world.

In a way, this makes me happy (to see progress) but to be honest, I have become completely numbed these past years with the crazy rate at which new throw-away DSLR cameras are introduced, and the bewildering number of features they have. And I am a young technology geek!

I imagine that, if movies are your thing, this (or the later advancements of this feature) will make you very happy - imagine shooting movies with a 50mm f/1.2 lens, this must be brilliant.

On the other hand, I am strangely not tempted by this - in fact, the only thing that tempts my at this stage is medium- and panoramic-format film, which I am using now as regularly as my Canon 1D MkIIN.

What I find strange, is that many DSLRs will be sold which is a complete box of digital image and movie processing, but with this archaic moving mirror mechanism - such an odd transitionary phase we are currently at. I am afraid that Micro four-thirds has (in theory, at least, we've not seen any cameras) shown the way of the future for digital cameras. I also feel like we are, more than ever, in a period where a divide is growing (a good thing, in my opinion) between film and digital capture, with film being more dead than ever in the consumer category (now a Soccer Mom can capture movies of her son playing through an image-stabilised Nikon telephoto lens!) but on the other hand being revived by hobbyists and artists.

For some, it may be just to be different; to go against the crowd. For others, there is simply something calming and magical about making a good shot with an non-electrical larger-format camera. I embrace both mediums, but I am enjoying film more and more. My collection of Canon EF lenses will hopefully one day find a home on whatever technological marvel Canon brings out (which hopefully remains compatible with the EF lens mount!!) when they've disposed of the mirror and shutter assembly.

In the meantime, I am thoroughly enjoying my outdated digital camera :) I plan on testing Canon's durability claims for the 1-series, I am not planning to upgrade to one of these temporary, transitionary cameras. What I always find amusing, is that I have to put a *lot* of effort into making full usage of my now low-resolution sensor, and I use only the best L-series lenses. The slightest carelessness means that even 8.2MP is wasted, for in most of the frame, the sensor will not be out-resolved.

Luckily digital storage is cheap, because I find it amazing when I consider the countless billions of 20MP blurry snapshots that will be made in the next couple of years through cheap kit zoom lenses - they really should have abandoned the megapixel race, and I hope they will do so soon. When the next 50MP or whatever 1Ds Mk IV comes out, which will be diffraction-limited by most lenses close to wide-open (and, unfortunately, only the best canon-lenses could be called anything approaching "diffraction-limited" wide-open) somebody has to start saying, enough is enough. Now imagine 50MP in 1.6x crop camera with a plastic kit zoom lens. It will happen! I fear marketing will drive our "professional tools" into the same territory of madness that the current 12MP compact cameras experience - 50MP of tiny, blurry, artificially sharpened pixels stuffed into a 1.6x crop sensor.

Anyway, the implications of this movie mode may be huge. Especially when it gets to Pro-level DSLRs which cover sports and political events, etc.

I stand by the sidelines and look on in amusement at the great wheel of progress and corporate competitiveness, and continue trying to learn to work a Linhof :)

What are your thoughts?
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I imagine that, if movies are your thing, this (or the later advancements of this feature) will make you very happy - imagine shooting movies with a 50mm f/1.2 lens, this must be brilliant........

Now imagine 50MP in 1.6x crop camera with a plastic kit zoom lens. It will happen! I fear marketing will drive our "professional tools" into the same territory of madness that the current 12MP compact cameras experience - 50MP of tiny, blurry, artificially sharpened pixels stuffed into a 1.6x crop sensor.

Anyway, the implications of this movie mode may be huge. Especially when it gets to Pro-level DSLRs which cover sports and political events, etc.

I stand by the sidelines and look on in amusement at the great wheel of progress and corporate competitiveness, and continue trying to learn to work a Linhof :)

What are your thoughts?
David,

It's obvious to me, The Digic VII reality™, my idea, of course, relies on a camera vibrating tool to cause the 60 frames per second with 50mm 1.17 LL lens to be taken in a rotating spiral around the subject at bracketed focus points. The output will be focus stacked, time-sequenced 3D high resolution images with all the background objects editable in separate focus planes. All unwanted objects are cleanly removed by one click!

Asher
 
Ironically, I am sure there will be people who will use software to apply image alteration to one of the "slices" output by your idea, which produces output that "looks" like Fuji Velvia 50, Ilfor HP5, etc :)

Anyway, we are in for some wonderful technological treats, and I believe an ever-growing tide between the once-very-converged space of film and digital cameras.

I wonder if the manufacturers will get away with omitting "video mode" from the top pro models (EOS 1D, Nikon 3D equivalents in a couple of years) for those who really think it's a bad idea to combine video and still imaging in one device, or will competition between the companies force every DSLR to have every feature imaginable, and at comparable qualities, with the lower-end ones purposefully crippled...

I so wish somebody would have the balls to produce a modular 35mm camera (perhaps one supporting a square-ish sensor, mirror allowing) which is, from a photographic point of view, minimal but absolutely unbeatable (viewfinder, build, ergonomics, etc). The sensor should be modular, so the only thing you have to upgrade is the back. Leica had a chance, but they blew this - the M8 is still (to me) a sad and expensive joke - still waiting to see this "perpetually upgradeable" statement come true, and the (film-backed) R9 is beautiful, but when you attach the huge DMR brick to it, it becomes just another unergonomic hack. And they discontinued it! Sorry to those who own these two cameras, but I have had nothing but negative impressions of the digital imaging side of both of these cameras, and yes I've tried it myself.

I would have loved either if they got it right. But somebody needs to make a clear statement to go against the stream. This disposable-DSLR-consumerism-oneUpManShip stuff in the current DSLR world is getting really tiring, in my opinion.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I would have loved either if they got it right. But somebody needs to make a clear statement to go against the stream. This disposable-DSLR-consumerism-oneUpManShip stuff in the current DSLR world is getting really tiring, in my opinion.
David,

These cameras a made for a very small fraction of their retail cost. Canon get a new camera out in 3 months if they have to! The big thing is to keep pushing people onto buying more and expensive lenses.

The Canon 50D, however, does appear to be a very worthwhile camera. At last they seem to have not held back on the focus ability of a mid market camera. If this claim of the best focussing DSLR is substantiated, it is a revolutionary change. Enough with pixel count. Grabbing focus and ISO range top my list!

Asher
 
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