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(HD) In A Nutshell
For many, the concept of shooting motion pictures with a D-SLR was surprising at first, but in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of shooting video with a D-SLR is using interchangeable lenses, especially fast-aperture primes. (Video camcorders that offer interchangeable lenses, such as the Sony EX3 or the Canon XL H1, retail between $9,000 and $10,000.) Another big advantage in using a D-SLR to shoot video is the camera’s larger sensor. Sensors on video camcorders are typically 1⁄4 to 1/3 inches for CCDs or CMOS sensors compared to larger APS-C or 35mm full-frame-sized sensors that, among other benefits, give a shooter more dynamic range and color tones and far less low-light noise.
There are two ways that video can be displayed—either in progressive scan or interlaced. The letter “p” stands for progressive scan, which captures and displays all the lines of each frame in a moving image sequence as opposed to interlaced (“i”), which captures the odd lines and then the even lines of a frame alternately, which is now called a field. For the casual viewer, it’s often said that a progressive image has a more cinematic feel, while an interlaced image has a more immediate feel. In this regard, most narrative movies shot on video are captured in progressive mode (almost always 24 fps), while live sports and broadcast news are almost always shot in interlaced at 60i.
Regarding formats, Nikon, Canon and Panasonic all use the MPEG-4 (mp4), which is a compressed video format. Canon uses the QuickTime MOV H.264 file format, Nikon captures in the AVI M-JPEG, and Panasonic uses the popular AVCHD (also H.264). Because of the popularity of HD consumer camcorders, almost all nonlinear editing systems (Avid, Final Cut Pro and iMovie, Premiere, etc.) now can work with the various mp4 formats.
In terms of frame rates, the D-SLRs also differ based on the model. Nikon’s range shoots in 720p at 24 fps, while Canon’s 5D Mark II shoots a higher-resolution 1080p at 30 fps. The entry-level Rebel T1i shoots 720p at 30 fps, but when shooting at 1080p, it captures only at 20 fps due to the camera’s internal processing power. At 20 fps, the image quality will be noticeably jerkier and rough compared to 30 fps when panning on a shot or when there’s a lot of movement within the frame.
Camera accessory companies, such as Zacuto and Redrock Micro, are building rigs that can accommodate “film-style” shooting (items like baseplates, matte boxes and follow-focus units), and in the near future, we’re likely to see XLR inputs for professional shotgun mics. Feature films are now in development to be shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Because of this revolution, the future is limitless in creating a new dimension with your D-SLR.