» Posts Tagged ‘nikon’
Will Nikon Enter the Large Sensor Video Camera Market to Compete with Canon and Sony?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Nikon has been pushing video extremely hard with their latest DSLRs, the Nikon D4 and the Nikon D800, and at least in the case of the D800, they’ve got a worthy competitor on their hands. Somehow the D4 didn’t get the sharpness of the D800, but it still got full, clean HDMI that can be recorded using a number of external devices to get a better codec like ProRes. If you’re curious, that’s not a real photo to the left. It’s what would happen if the D800 and the C300 had a full frame 35mm video camera child. Far-fetched? Maybe not. More »
5D Mark III/D800 Hands-On Part 5: Mark II vs. Mark III vs. D800 - Candlelight Revisited
The candlelight test that got an enormous amount feedback has returned. After a bit of a delay between this one and the last one (thanks in part to the craziness that is NAB), I thought it would make sense to really level the playing field between the two cameras since the exposure for the D800 is slightly brighter at equivalent ISOs. I’ve also done a little bit of color correction and noise reduction, and the results are certainly interesting compared to the last video. The test is embedded below, but be sure to go to Vimeo and download it in 1080p for the highest possible quality. More »
The Battle of the Preamps: 5D Mark III vs. D800 Audio Recording
Audio recording internally to DSLRs has been mediocre at best. It’s great for scratch audio when you’re doing dual-system sound, but for the most part, it’s a real pain. I’ve been testing the 5D Mark III and the D800, but one of the tests I wasn’t able to do as thoroughly as I wanted was to test the internal audio recording of both cameras with a proper microphone. I know that many out there would ask why you’d ever plug directly into the DSLR without some other external preamp box, but sometimes (like at NAB), having the least amount of equipment that can fail is best. I met Dave Dugdale at NAB, and in this video he takes the time to test out both the Nikon D800 and the Canon 5D Mark III for the quality of their internal audio recordings. More »
5D Mark III/D800 Hands-On Part 4: Mark II vs. Mark III vs. D800 - Candlelight
Well it’s taking a bit longer to get these up than I’d hoped, but I think the evidence in this one is the most obvious of any test I’ve seen so far. This time the Canon 5D Mark II has been thrown into the mix, in addition to the 5D Mark III and the Nikon D800. We were in a room with large windows well into the night, and so there are a couple streetlights providing very basic illumination at the higher ISOs. Other than that the only light is the candle right in front of our model Sasha. More »
5D Mark III/D800 Hands-On Part 3: ISO Range Test
During pre-production for the narrative film that I am shooting as a companion piece to the 5D Mark III and D800 test, which is now on part 3, we decided to see the entire ISO range of both cameras and see how well they handled under and overexposure. I wanted to see how the internal codecs would stand up to this extreme test, so both cameras were set to the variable bitrate 28mbps codecs in the camera. The lenses were kept the same – the best of the best from both Canon and Nikon, the 70-200mm f/2.8, with the Canon being the newer version of that lens. More »
5D Mark III/D800 Hands-On Part 2: Initial Impressions (D800)
Monday we talked in-depth about the 5D Mark III, and today we’ve got the D800. Nikon definitely surprised a lot of people with this one, and it’s interesting that Canon didn’t really see them coming – or they are afraid to hurt their higher end sales (which could include a possible 4K camera priced below the C300). Either way, you can’t go wrong with clean 4:2:2 HDMI out of the Nikon D800, and still photographs which rival medium-format backs costing $20,000 or more. So let’s get down to it. More »
5D Mark III/D800 Hands-On Part 1: Initial Impressions (Mark III)
The thought occurred to me that the picture to the left is a little boring, and it would be far more interesting to have an animated GIF of sorts with both cameras turning to each other and butting lenses as if they were American football linemen. Kidding aside, I have been using both the Nikon D800 and the Canon 5D Mark III for a couple days now and I am coming to a few interesting conclusions that I need to explore in the coming days. I already talked about my testing plans before, but the idea is that since some of these edits will be time-intensive, the test will roll out in parts over the next couple weeks, culminating in a short film. More »
I’ve seen a lot of videos with footage from the 5D Mark III, but not as many with the D800. Most tests are either pretty outdoor scenes, or quick clips showing the improvements over the previous generation. These are certainly welcome, as they can help people decide on a pre-order or a purchase. For that reason, they are a necessary evil (or they can be a lot of fun for gear-heads). Part of writing in this community is having to wade through the dozens, if not hundreds of tests and videos, and it can obviously get a little tedious. More »
Rather than a new post for every single new video featuring Canon 5D Mark III or Nikon D800 footage, it made a lot of sense to do a weekend roundup of all of the videos we haven’t covered here yet. Some of you are tired of hearing about these cameras, so I really feel like this is the best of both worlds. We don’t have any major tests yet, as the cameras aren’t quite in people’s hands, but if you’re still holding off on a purchase there will be plenty of solid tests coming up in the next few weeks. More »
Lenses have been covered here a few times before – especially in the DSLR Cinematography Guide (and even a guest post by Matthew Duclos), but I thought this video put together by Caleb Pike over at DSLR Video Shooter was as thorough and brief as one could be on the subject of Nikon prime lenses. Even though Koo dislikes them for their backwards focusing, I happen to own quite a few of them and wouldn’t recommend any other type of lens to budget filmmakers. More »
Electronic Viewfinders have slowly been replacing traditional viewfinders for the past few years, but last year’s NAB saw an explosion in cameras with all-digital viewfinders – as well as standalone EVF products. Sony has been in the lead for the quality of the EVF on their cameras, specifically the NEX-7, A77, and A65. Panasonic is just behind with their GH2. But all of the EVFs on these cameras pale in comparison to MicroOLED’s technology. More »
Yes. You read that correctly. What was thought to be an impossibility only months ago – might soon become a reality. Clean, uncompressed, HDMI-out has been a holy grail for many DSLR filmmakers – particularly because the ability to record a much higher bitrate codec would solve many image issues. Interestingly enough, Nikon struck the first blow with the D4 and D800. It’s not likely that Canon will have clean HDMI in their next 5D, based on the 1DX not having it, and Canon’s worry about cannibalizing their video division. Panasonic also isn’t there yet – likely because of their own video division. But being able to enhance the current crop of Canon cameras and enable clean HDMI might be just around the corner. More »
Is the just-announced Nikon D800 the new Canon 5D Mark II? It’s full frame, it’s of a similar size and it’s of a similar price, but it offers a clean HDMI output, and it does 60p (at 720p). The question, I guess, is not how the D800 will fair against the 5D Mark II but how it will compare the Mark III — whenever we hear about that. Thanks to reader Paul, here’s the first (to my knowledge) short film shot on the new D800: More »
The new Nikon D4 isn’t the only new kid on the block — Nikon will also be releasing a second full-frame DSLR, the Nikon D800. As rumored, the D800 has a whopping 36 megapixel CMOS sensor (7360 x 4912 resolution), which may make the D800 not seem optimal for video (smaller photosites). However, the camera features full 1080p HD video at 30/24fps and 720p at 60fps. Similar to the D4, the D800 will also offer a clean HDMI output — except the D800 is half the price of the D4, coming in at $2,999. More »
So the just-announced Nikon D4 features an uncompressed HDMI output. This means you can take a wonderfully capable still camera, hook it up to an external recorder, and now you have an uncrippled video camera with a full-frame sensor. Pretty damn appealing! I found this 7-minute video on YouTube and haven’t seen any other information about it, so I’m not sure if external recorders were used, but go ahead and click “1080p” and enjoy the first Nikon D4 video: More »
The new full-frame Nikon D4, as rumored, brings with it a bevy of new video features. It will do 1080p at 30/25/24 frames-per-second, and up to 60 FPS at 720p. It will ship with a microphone input and dedicated headphone jack (both with adjustable levels), and supports the new XQD memory card format. And while the h.264 codec is only 24Mbps, to complain about the bitrate would be to ignore the biggest new feature: a clean, uncompressed HDMI output. Nikon has finally gotten serious about video. More »
Just a rumor… disclaimers apply… etc. The Nikon D4, which should compete with the Canon 1DX, is supposedly landing in January, with “improved” video (read: 1080p) and an uncompressed HDMI output. It’s also slated to be “only” 16 megapixels, which, along with its maximum ISO of 102,400 should make it a low-light beast. Is this the DSLR that has Nikon catching up or surpassing the video capabilities of offerings from Panasonic or Canon? More »
Take this rumor the way most rumors should be taken (with a grain, or many grains, of salt), but the Nikon D700′s successor/big brother, the D800, is rumored to debut in Japan this Thursday, November 24th for roughly $3,900. The camera will reportedly have 1080p at 30, 25, and 24p, moves up to 60p at 720p, and is supposed to shoot stills at 36 megapixels (!). If you were thinking about getting a pro HDSLR, you might want to wait a few days to find out if this spec sheet is real: More »
Nikon has announced a successor to its D5000 DSLR, the aptly-named D5100. The D5100 brings to the table a 16.2 Megapixel APS-C sensor, articulating 920k dot LCD screen, and most importantly steps up from the D5000′s limited movie mode (5 minutes of 720p) to the ability to shoot 20-minute shots of 1080p at 24/30fps in h.264. More »
It seems Nikon has finally caught up to Canon. They might even surpass their rival in the entry-level market when their just-announced D3100 debuts in September — that is, if the camera delivers on its specs, which are the most filmmaker-friendly of any Nikon DSLR to date. The $700 prosumer model adds all of the most-requested features missing from Nikon’s previous offerings. The D3100 ups the video resolution from 720p to 1080p, switches from a low-quality MJPEG codec to better h.264-based encoding (no word on bitrate yet), and tosses in a new feature Nikon claims is a “world’s first.” More »
.gif)
kicap: Is this only for new invention or any invention regardless new or in the p… Focus Forward Filmmaker Challenge Offering Largest Short Documentary Prize…
last_SHIFT: @Shawn, That is a great response. I really can't fathom the undying fa… 5D Mark III/D800 Hands-On Part 5: Mark II vs. Mark III vs. D800 - Candleli…
shaun wilson: If kickstarter expanded to being a world wide opportunity not just for US … Crowdinvesting is Now Legal in the U.S., but Kickstarter Isn't Interested …
James: I believe Kickstarter is smart, anyone who has followed finance even brief… Crowdinvesting is Now Legal in the U.S., but Kickstarter Isn't Interested …
Guillaume: Is it me or the video for the Largest Short Documentary contest ever has b… Focus Forward Filmmaker Challenge Offering Largest Short Documentary Prize…