DSLR Movie capability

Which DSLRs have movie capability currently?

If there are none, what are the latest rumors about which company will
bring out the first one?

Please spare me the condescending pseudo-purist flaming about how a
DSLR was never intended to do that kind of thing, and that I should
get a good DSLR plus a good camcorder.

I want a really good camera for taking zillions of high-quality pics
of my three Grandaughters. Often, however, their antics demand action
and sound,.. so a minimal movie capability is really valuable on
occasion.

I have a Panasonic FZ-20 right now that works pretty well -- great
still pics and so so movies. It doesn't do all that well in low light
(typical indoors) situations.

The improvement I seek is to get a better capability for taking pics
of the little ladies in ambient light. A few weeks ago at the
youngest's birthday party I had to use a flash. The pics had that
"instamatic snapshot" feel to them that I really try to avoid. I'd
like a camera that has live preview, a powerful ability to shoot good
pics in relatively low light without flash, and somewhat of a movie
capability.

Thanks for any info.

Lew

In article .com, Lew
wrote:

Which DSLRs have movie capability currently?

the canon eos 1d mark iii can take short flickery movies at 10fps.

however, it shoots them as individual frames and you'd need to combine
them into an actual movie file on your computer.

Thanks for any info.

happy to help.

On Apr 14, 2:50 pm, "Lew" wrote:
Which DSLRs have movie capability currently?

If there are none, what are the latest rumors about which company will
bring out the first one?

Please spare me the condescending pseudo-purist flaming about how a
DSLR was never intended to do that kind of thing, and that I should
get a good DSLR plus a good camcorder.

I want a really good camera for taking zillions of high-quality pics
of my three Grandaughters. Often, however, their antics demand action
and sound,.. so a minimal movie capability is really valuable on
occasion.

I have a Panasonic FZ-20 right now that works pretty well -- great
still pics and so so movies. It doesn't do all that well in low light
(typical indoors) situations.

The improvement I seek is to get a better capability for taking pics
of the little ladies in ambient light. A few weeks ago at the
youngest's birthday party I had to use a flash. The pics had that
"instamatic snapshot" feel to them that I really try to avoid. I'd
like a camera that has live preview, a powerful ability to shoot good
pics in relatively low light without flash, and somewhat of a movie
capability.

Thanks for any info.

Lew


Okay, I'll spare you all "condescending pseudo-purist flaming".

Lew wrote:
Which DSLRs have movie capability currently?

If there are none, what are the latest rumors about which company will
bring out the first one?

Please spare me the condescending pseudo-purist flaming about how a
DSLR was never intended to do that kind of thing, and that I should
get a good DSLR plus a good camcorder.

I want a really good camera for taking zillions of high-quality pics
of my three Grandaughters. Often, however, their antics demand action
and sound,.. so a minimal movie capability is really valuable on
occasion.

I have a Panasonic FZ-20 right now that works pretty well -- great
still pics and so so movies. It doesn't do all that well in low light
(typical indoors) situations.

The improvement I seek is to get a better capability for taking pics
of the little ladies in ambient light. A few weeks ago at the
youngest's birthday party I had to use a flash. The pics had that
"instamatic snapshot" feel to them that I really try to avoid. I'd
like a camera that has live preview, a powerful ability to shoot good
pics in relatively low light without flash, and somewhat of a movie
capability.

Since an SLR has a mirror between the lens and the sensor, if you get
movies and preview it isn't a DSLR any more, is it? Not flaming, but
what is wrong with a good camera *and* a reasonable camcorder? Anything
less is something of a compromise.

"Lew" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
oups.com...
Which DSLRs have movie capability currently?

If there are none, what are the latest rumors about which company will
bring out the first one?

Please spare me the condescending pseudo-purist flaming about how a
DSLR was never intended to do that kind of thing, and that I should
get a good DSLR plus a good camcorder.

I want a really good camera for taking zillions of high-quality pics
of my three Grandaughters. Often, however, their antics demand action
and sound,.. so a minimal movie capability is really valuable on
occasion.

I have a Panasonic FZ-20 right now that works pretty well -- great
still pics and so so movies. It doesn't do all that well in low light
(typical indoors) situations.

The improvement I seek is to get a better capability for taking pics
of the little ladies in ambient light. A few weeks ago at the
youngest's birthday party I had to use a flash. The pics had that
"instamatic snapshot" feel to them that I really try to avoid. I'd
like a camera that has live preview, a powerful ability to shoot good
pics in relatively low light without flash, and somewhat of a movie
capability.

Thanks for any info.

Lew

Good low light performance requires a sensor with large photosites (pixels)
and with the current pixel numbers for still image cameras also a large
sensor. None of these larger sensors seems to have a video mode which the
smaller sensors used in digital compact cameras have. Even the Sony DSC - R1
which is not compact but belongs in that class which is using an APS size
CMOS sensor does not have a video mode.



In DSLR's a mirror directs the image from the lens to the viewfinder optics
unless the shutter is pressed - only then the mirror swings out of the way
and the image is projected on the sensor. The DSLR with built in live
preview is the Olympus E-330 but uses a second low resolution image sensor
for the live preview. The likelihood that any DSLR with a movie mode will
appear on the market in the foreseeable future is near zero.



You can improve flash picture quality with your FZ-20 a lot when using an
external flash. The socket is there. Either use a "soft box" or - if you
shoot in a room with a white ceiling, you can get natural looking lighting
by bouncing the external flash against the ceiling.



Even low cost digital video recorders (most using mini DV - tape) will do a
much better job in catching decent videos than any still camera. For a
standard resolution TV image only about 300 kPixels are needed, which allows
relatively large photo sites and acceptable low light performance (still
some noise) even for low cost video cameras. You usually have both zoom and
auto focus functionality during recording.

Lew wrote:
Which DSLRs have movie capability currently?

If there are none, what are the latest rumors about which company will
bring out the first one?

Please spare me the condescending pseudo-purist flaming about how a
DSLR was never intended to do that kind of thing, and that I should
get a good DSLR plus a good camcorder.

I want a really good camera for taking zillions of high-quality pics
of my three Grandaughters. Often, however, their antics demand action
and sound,.. so a minimal movie capability is really valuable on
occasion.

I have a Panasonic FZ-20 right now that works pretty well -- great
still pics and so so movies. It doesn't do all that well in low light
(typical indoors) situations.

The improvement I seek is to get a better capability for taking pics
of the little ladies in ambient light. A few weeks ago at the
youngest's birthday party I had to use a flash. The pics had that
"instamatic snapshot" feel to them that I really try to avoid. I'd
like a camera that has live preview, a powerful ability to shoot good
pics in relatively low light without flash, and somewhat of a movie
capability.

Thanks for any info.

Find a book on photographic lighting. _Any_ book on lighting. Pick up
a used just about any brand electronic flash and a Wein peanut slave and
practice.



--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

I have a Panasonic FZ-20 right now that works pretty well -- great
still pics and so so movies. It doesn't do all that well in low light
(typical indoors) situations.

The improvement I seek is to get a better capability for taking pics
of the little ladies in ambient light. A few weeks ago at the
youngest's birthday party I had to use a flash. The pics had that
"instamatic snapshot" feel to them that I really try to avoid. I'd
like a camera that has live preview, a powerful ability to shoot good
pics in relatively low light without flash, and somewhat of a movie
capability.

Finepix F31fd can do that better than any compact.

--
Dimitris M

"Lew" wrote in message
oups.com...
Which DSLRs have movie capability currently?

None

If there are none, what are the latest rumors about which company will
bring out the first one?

None

Please spare me the condescending pseudo-purist flaming about how a
DSLR was never intended to do that kind of thing, and that I should
get a good DSLR plus a good camcorder.

OK


--
Apteryx

"Lew" wrote in message
oups.com...
Which DSLRs have movie capability currently?

If there are none, what are the latest rumors about which company will
bring out the first one?

Please spare me the condescending pseudo-purist flaming about how a
DSLR was never intended to do that kind of thing, and that I should
get a good DSLR plus a good camcorder.

Okay but seeing as how no one else said it I will, DSLR by its design will
not do this unless it is completely redesigned. A HD camcorder will probably
get the closest as far as the video side of things is concerned. Oh and I
dont think you should get a DSLR, you will only ge disappointed that it will
fail before it has taken a zillion photos.

I want a really good camera for taking zillions of high-quality pics
of my three Grandaughters. Often, however, their antics demand action
and sound,.. so a minimal movie capability is really valuable on
occasion.

I have a Panasonic FZ-20 right now that works pretty well -- great
still pics and so so movies. It doesn't do all that well in low light
(typical indoors) situations.

The improvement I seek is to get a better capability for taking pics
of the little ladies in ambient light. A few weeks ago at the
youngest's birthday party I had to use a flash. The pics had that
"instamatic snapshot" feel to them that I really try to avoid. I'd
like a camera that has live preview, a powerful ability to shoot good
pics in relatively low light without flash, and somewhat of a movie
capability.

Thanks for any info.

Lew

On Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:50:12 -0700, Lew wrote:

Which DSLRs have movie capability currently?

If there are none, what are the latest rumors about which company will
bring out the first one?

Please spare me the condescending pseudo-purist flaming about how a
DSLR was never intended to do that kind of thing, and that I should
get a good DSLR plus a good camcorder.

I want a really good camera for taking zillions of high-quality pics
of my three Grandaughters. Often, however, their antics demand action
and sound,.. so a minimal movie capability is really valuable on
occasion.

I have a Panasonic FZ-20 right now that works pretty well -- great
still pics and so so movies. It doesn't do all that well in low light
(typical indoors) situations.

The improvement I seek is to get a better capability for taking pics
of the little ladies in ambient light. A few weeks ago at the
youngest's birthday party I had to use a flash. The pics had that
"instamatic snapshot" feel to them that I really try to avoid. I'd
like a camera that has live preview, a powerful ability to shoot good
pics in relatively low light without flash, and somewhat of a movie
capability.

Thanks for any info.

Lew

There are a number of EVF cameras which do movies and have most of the
features of a DSLR. I don't know how well they do in low light conditions.