Well it’s been a year since I wrote the first “Future of DSLR Video” post and a lot has happened to the DSLR market.
Mainly I am referring to the release of canon’s new line of EOS cameras, the 7D and 1D, which are both capable of shooting stunning footage at 24-60fps (60 is at 720p though). The 5D is still a legit contender; though it feels slightly like a horse waiting to be put back in the race once the firmware update arrives giving it 24-60fps. Where you at canon??
Unfortunately, we are also still waiting with baited breath for the release of Red’s new line of cameras: the Scarlet/Epic. The pre-emptive hype has died down now but the potential seems well worth the wait. In the meantime, Canon’s new EOS DSLR’s are steadily kicking ass and becoming a professtional tool for shooting music videos, advertisements, web series, and even feature length movies. Vincent Laforet’s video “Nocturne” demonstrated the amazing light sensitivity of Canon’s new 1D Mark IV, which was shot at night in ambient light without any added external lighting.
Recently I have been presently surprised to see the 7D being used on webisodes and a few low budget features in the Los Angeles area. The fact that the 7D is affordable, shoots 24p and has a more forgiving Depth of Field then the 5D, makes it the prime candidate for the 2010 Underdog Award that I am just making up as you read this. The main drawback to the 7D is also one of it’s strengths: the smaller chip size. Granting it a easier-to-work-with depth of field but lowering it’s sensitivity to light.
So what are a few of my favorite accessories for the canon’s DSLR video arsenal? Red Rock Micro’s Captain Stubling is a solid portable rig that comes with a follow focus and minimal rails for a affordable price. Redrocks second version of the follow focus is a little gritty (Zacuto’s is smoother) but is well built for the price. The rails and handles feel sturdy and light.
Rode’s Videomic microphone is a inexpensive accessory that mounts onto the top of the camera and is great for run and gun shooting.
I’ll add some more of my favorites soon. In the meantime, let me know what you use!
After a certain southern California cable provider raised my rates yet again, I started researching good ways to find all the same tlevision programming through the Internet. Don’t get me wrong, I had already been using Hulu pretty heavily before. And Netflix’s Watch Instantly library keeps getting better every week.
To keep the cable TV company from stealing your soul, just download the Mediafox browser. This modified version of Mozilla Firefox Portable Edition has several media-related add-ons and custom bookmarks to manage the video, resulting in a near perfect “WebTV” Television-though-Internet experience. Download this handy browser here.
UPDATE: The download link has been removed. The author cannot legally distribute modified copies of Firefox without permission from Mozilla. Let us know when you’re able to legally release Mediafox!
The traditional design of high definition video cameras is quickly becoming outdated, to be replaced by new digital SLR still & video cameras, with a modular design. This not an entirely new idea. The Red Digital Cinema Company has been aiming with a similar goal in mind for the last few years and with the release of their Red One they were able to offer a camera capable of shooting at 4k resolution and using 35mm lenses for about $50,000 (inexpensive compared to similar high-end camera packages).
In late 2008, the Red Company announced that a new, truly modular DSMC (digital still and motion camera) is on the horizon that would blow the socks of the competitors, and pull back our wigs as filmmakers for a fraction of the price. Sometime in late 2009* (*This was a optimistic guess), the Epic and Scarlet cameras will hit the market and fully solidify these new types of digital video cameras as the standard for digital content creation.
In the meantime, while we are crossing out the days on the calendar for the Epic/Scarlet release, what are the competitors doing? Two other DSLR cameras that are capable of shooting high definition are currently available, and are quickly becoming recognized for their stunning visuals and “digital majesty.” They are the Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D90 (we have not used the latter…if you have tried this camera, let us know what you think).
The Canon 5D Mark II is a hot product right now and very hard to find. To accquire one, I recommend calling up B & H Photo as soon as they open (they get a daily shipment and are EST, so call early). This is exactly how we ordered ours, since it was back-ordered everywhere else, including their website. After getting the 5DMII, we decided to go all out and buy a full rig for the camera that included the Zacuto Filmmakers DSLR Kit, a Red Rock Micro Matte Box, four Canon lenses and tons of filters, flash cards, a car-pod, Ikan HDMI monitor, and a clown-car full of other tools and accessories (I probably put the owner of B&H’s kid through a year a schooling). Since our camera package is also based on a modular design we can switch in practically any camera, including the Red One, Epic and Scarlet.
As you may have noticed: We are now in the midst of a huge evolutional change in digital entertainment and Internet marketing–but this is only the beginning.
Advertising companies are no longer pulling in the same revenue from traditional media like magazines and newspapers that they once were, and are now allocating more of their future budgets towards other avenues. Furthermore, it appears that news in paper form is on its way to the extinction list like an ill-evolved DoDo bird, while Internet bandwidth continues to increase, drawing an increasing number of web publishers and consumers.
With this increase in bandwidth, video streaming is also becoming more ubiquitous and changing the way television content is being syndicated. No longer do you need hide in the shadows (and quite possibly breaking the law) streaming video or downloading movies, as so many larger networks now post more of their content online for free. Also, companies like Netflix and the iTunes Store make it so much easier to download movies to your computer or stream into your living room entertainment center, via services like Tivo or Xbox 360.
Flickr Photos