Canon 5D Mark II being passed around the room for closer inspection
Photojournalism today is seeing great, nay, massive changes as there is a trend to include moving images as one of the tools in delivering news by photographers. We now see them wielding not only a still camera but also a high definition video camera as well.
Just lately, Nikon and Canon announced two new products, the Nikon D90 and the Canon 5D Mark II that not only capture single images but capture video. This means that photographers/videographers now have the option of bringing just one equipment instead of two. And yesterday, I had the great opportunity to witness the two cameras in action during a demo at the Philippine Daily Inquirer headoffice in Makati City.
Filipino Advertising Photographer John Chua taking a video with a pre-production model of the Canon 5D Mark II while DJ Clark talked about the Nikon D90's video capability. Notice the white square at the screen, it's the face detection feature of the camera in action.
Filipino advertising photographer John Chua makes a point to Philippine Daily Inquirer photojournalists. Foreground, a photographer checks the video on a pre-production model of the Canon 5D Mark II.
China based photojournalist DJ Clark, who was presenting his experiences in making parallel stories during the Olympic games for USA today, showed us the video feature of the Nikon D90. For Canon, Filipino advertising photographer John Chua brought with him a pre-production, on loan, 5D Mark II. But this is not a showdown. Just a display of their capabilities. While the D90 is already out in the market and there is substantial info about the camera, I would not focus so much on this. The 5D Mark II on the other hand will be available in a few months. In the Philippines, it will be available on the first week of December and will cost P128,000. Body only.
For more than a year, rumor boards have been abuzz with the latest news of the supposed 5D successor but these were usually just that, rumours. Finally, last month, Canon announced that they will be releasing the 5D Mark II and when compared with the Nikon D90’s video ability, it rises tall with its 30fps full 1080p HD movie recording compared with the 24fps, 720p of the latter.
The 920,000 pixels, 3.0 ” TFT LCD is just stunning. Its clear and crisp. Handling is just like it’s predecessor and video capture is similar with compact cameras, you just hold it and see via the LCD, albeit a bigger one. A red blinking light near the jog dial indicates it is ongoing. A white square moves around when it detects a face. While on video mode, just press the shutter, and you can have a still image in an instant and recording resumes after. A 4Gb CF card is only good for 12 minutes of video, at full frame.
As for the video? I was speechless! Projected at the wall, images, frame by frame, just breezed through. In full high definition. Traffic at the intersection of Makati and Ayala Avenues at night is clean and clear. The wind turbines of Bangui when seen from above is just gorgeous. And most of all, one that really blew me away, a macro footage of fighting ants was like watching a National Geographic Special with all those shallow depth of field. The minute details of the setae at their abdomens, the bumps and textures of the head and edges of its jaws were very evident. The flow was seamless. You wouldn’t think that the Canon 5D Mark II with a macro lens was used here!
The latest Canon and to some extent, Nikon cameras really are promising. It will open new possibilities not only in Photojournalism but probably in movie making too. Now, at a fraction of the cost, high definition video capture with selective focus capability will shake things up. And I think it’s time to really save up for one.
*All images above were taken with a mobile camera phone.
Similar Posts:
- None Found
Related Titles
- None Found
The latest Canon and to some extent, Nikon cameras really are promising. It will open new possibilities not only in Photojournalism but probably in movie making too. Now, at a fraction of the cost, high definition video capture with selective focus capability will shake things up. And I think it’s time to really save up for one.
Honestly I don’t see the point to do movies with a photo camera. It is clear the manufacturers don’t know what to do anymore to sell new cameras….
(While video cameras are becoming photo cameras.)
A photo camera as a mp3 player… any takers?
I guess I am getting old… I still use my cell phone primarily for calls and not to make pictures, video, play music , etc.
Photography and movie making are different fields and requires another set of skills.
What I expect is even more crap and junk on the internet… I am appealed at the quality of some “news” clip posted on the internet…
Citizen journalism … but then of the worst kind.
Sidney, current digital video cameras have the imperfect characteristic of having the sensor too close to the lens that selective focusing isn’t possible. These current breed of DSLRs solves this problem and really, budget film makers now have the option to have a cheaper unit against those very expensive devices.
For photojournalists, it will be very important as video with stills is making a presence in current works.
As for an MP3 player? Hmm, overkill or why not?
I’ve been following discussions about this new 5DMkII for several weeks now, and this HD video shooting capability has been almost always the main issue in those discussions. It seems to strongly divide people in two camps: those who like it and those who don’t.
I do understand folks who are into video shooting as well as still photography, because this camera is a great solution for them.
On the other hand, I really do not understand people who are primarily focused in still photography and don’t want to have video shooting possibility.
For me, it raises a question: Since when extra features has been a bad thing ???
I also use my cell phone primarily for making calls, but I don’t complain about Push-to-talk, Bluetooth, webapps or whatever other “useless” features it has. If I don’t find them useful – then I just don’t use ‘em.
Somebody may of course say, that he/she is not willing to pay features which are “useless” to him/her. This is often a good approach, but in this case, it’s simply not valid argument.
Why? Because that full HD video feature is not what one is paying for. I’m willing to say that price of 5DMkII would be exactly the same – with or without HD video feature. That’s because adding video shooting capabilities do not require any hardware changes. It already has a live view, so adding video feat is just a matter of software modification. Point-and-shoot cameras have proven this fact years ago.
Finally, I leave you with this question:
Would you rather buy a car without airbag?
…After all – You don’t want to use it…
Franco, you have valid arguments. Regarding the price, I also think that if you compare it with the 5D when it first went on sale, it’s much cheaper now.
Another thing, its all marketing ploy. The better and more features, the more people would buy it even though not all features are usable by the owner.
Indeed, Franco has very valid arguments…and he is right.
Are you a lawyer Franco?
Trackbacks
Leave your response!