On 16/04/2012 8:31 PM, Noons wrote:
http://www.avhub.com.au/index.php/Fe...hdv-d-slr.html

OMFG! Is there no end to idiocy?
Let me see he would a top of the line exchangeable lens video camera
produce an order of magnitude better results than this contraption, at
all levels?
Narh, of course not. And it wouldn't cost less, either...

There is a very fine line between broadcast quality Video and That which
can be produced with a DSLR capable of recording video.

The single biggest problem faced by DSLR vidcam operators is focus. No
DSLR has yet managed to auto focus on variable distance objects with any
degree of consistency. The current popular solution is to mount a DSLR
on rails and use a wheel with friction drive to manually focus with.

Once you go to that trouble, the temptation to kit up an outfit with
remote screen and very large hood capable of taking broadcast level
filters and provide shoulder mount capability is tempting to people who
think they can do the impossible.

Your example is where the madness begins. From there there is steadycam
holders costing up to $20,000 so you can have smooth vision on the run
and a whole spate of accessories meant to imitate real professional
cinematographers capabilities.

It's like a kid in a candy store. Not happy with changing fixed length
lenses for different scenes shot from a fixed position, old timers used
to build rails to run the camera along. Boys and their toy DSLRs today
expect to run along beside the object using a gyroscope (steadycam) rig
to smooth out the bumps. Maybe even use an overhead gantry.

I've got a model helicopter I mount a camera under (still or video). To
get enough power to hold everything aloft, I spent as much as a car
building the thing and no insurance company will cover it.

Why did I do this? So I could film a race from above and create Promos
and commercials for small resorts that couldn't afford the cost of a
real helicopter, pilot and film crew.

That outfit you point to is definitely functional overkill. It only
makes up for the functionality DSLRs don't have when it comes to
broadcast quality video. For what that gear probably cost, you could buy
a Pro level camcorder and get the added advantage of being able to shoot
60 fps and on at least one such camcorder I've seen, slow-motion too.

Noons, as long as there are idiots around, idiocy will prevail. The one
thing critical to all footage shot with these DSLRs is the need for
equally expensive editing equipment. It'll all be outdated soon anyway
and if the idiots have any money left, the idiocy will resume.

The interesting thing is that I've shot scenes on my iPhone that make me
just as much as if I'd used my camcorder! I glued a thread to the iPhone
and screw on a hood or filters. I've even flown it on the helicopter to
see what the results were like. For Utube stuff I can't see you'd need
much more!

Chloe