Love the song Tasty by The Grift. Never heard of them before. I had to go check their site.

dirtybird1977

Video autofocus would add a lot more utility to this camera. For example if I attended a wristwatch trade show and wanted to should macro stills and videos of stationary watches, then this camera will probably work great and eliminate a need for two cameras. But the second I need to shoot something that is moving, a second camera becomes necessary. Autofocus would solve this problem.

Hopefully companies will come out with a more functional video solution within the next year. Until then I will be using a separate DSLR and HD video camera.

jpitsch

Huh, I liked the cat vid better than the first one. Sucks about having to manual focus. I guess Nikon forgot to mention that little detail when showing the D90 off to everyone.

howdytex

I so want that camera. Guess I gotta wait 5 more years for it to become affordable.

gerrylum

Now that's an honest an illuminating review. Thanks, Will.

I guess this is a sign of many blurry gadget reviews to come. Hopefully folks will take heed to your advice before unboxing, pantsing and hands-oning.

misterwho

Nice picture on it.

Somewhat related question, does anyone know if the 5D Mark II has autofocus in video mode?

MrTaco

i have a ducky like that

it flashes....

LoobyLoo352

At this stage in the game, shooting video with the DSLR's is more of a parlor trick than a truly useful feature. Sure you get truly amazing shots...if you can take the time to set them up. Give me a good high end camcorder, Adobe Premiere and After Effects and I'll be happy.

Wait...I already gots 2 out of 3...

smegz

:D You has cute kitty!!!!

Oh, and camera is way to expensive for me... next!

thehackerdude

@MrTaco: yes it does, though it's not as capable as true autofocus.

cpthook

haven't read up much on the D90 (does it shoot HD?) But no AF in video isn't much of a loss. When I shot shorts, I would normally lock down the AF anyways so that it would quit hunting during moving shots. The amateurs (that includes me) need to learn to plan their shots better, and then they can reap the benefits. For me... I would love nothing more than to be able to shoot video through a Canon 50mm F1.2L. Now you can even make "talking head" moments look exciting!

knyghtryda

@smegz: Unless you're using the 5d2...

cpthook

Cats make me happy...they don't even have to do much. :)

RE-L

:henri

When you say "correctly"? It works well. It is not as sharp as some other manual lenses, but people are using it for excellent flexible results without having to change lenses. Mainly it is just not as good in low-light as a cheap 50mm 1.4f for instance. So if you want glorious low light, you want one of those as well.

As for VR. It does work and translate into movie mode. And it does an excellent job of keeping a long shot (using up towards the 200-300mm ) range, steady whilst handholding, but only if your subject is the thing moving, not your frame.

If you try pan with it on for instance, following a moving subject, it's like shooting in quicksand at the long end, and even at 300mm introduces wobble when on a tripod.

It is designed to keep a still frame shot steady, not a moving panning video, steady.

timmytimetravel

Auto Focus during Live View is VERY slow... as in slower than compact cameras. So even if they had added it to the video mode, it wouldn't of been of any use.

By the time they'd put the rubber duck further away and it started to auto focus, the focus might of done / be almost done just as he moves it away again.

You can manually focus in a fraction of the time the auto focus would get it. But I agree even that is much too slow for many situations.

The D90 records in 24fps by the way, it's the 5D Mark II that does 30fps.

A few things I wish the D90 had for video...

Super fast auto focus
A flip out LCD screen
Mic & Headphone jacks

TailsNZ

does the 18-200 VR (or any other VR lens) work correctly in video mode?

henri

I would assume if you're dropping this many franklins on a new SLR you wouldn't shoot like a hockey mom anyways. Shooting like a filmmaker only means using effort and precision, something I would think comes naturally with the budget.

beardedkid

Love the duck! And perfect examples of short DOF (depth of field) "narrow focus" and how to control!

There is an entire forum now dedicated to working with the weakness of this camera to make the most of the strengths (35mm, shallow DOF (depth of field), low light capabilities, size and price. People there have been at it for 2 weeks dissecting the cameras abilities and working around issues.

The AE-L lock button for instance in this article that says it has to be held so it doesn't mess with your shutter and ISO creating exposure variations as you pan/move around. Can be addressed with a trick to lock the exposure with that button BEFORE entering Liveview d-movie mode, and even then the ability to use the manual aperture ring on your camera to control light/exposure! Therefore you don't need to hold the button while shooting!

[www.dvxuser.com]

and people are still posting excellent vids on [vimeo.com]

timmytimetravel

Looks fun, but you should have exposure locked with the AE-L button so that the exposure would stay consistent throughout the clip.

Wish the D90 had manual settings for setting ISO, shutter-speed during video, this would give better control over rolling-shutter artifacts.

Scaramanga

Do you still have the camera?

While it is neat to see all of the shallow DOF shots with the 35mm lenses, I think it would have been illustrative to take lens like the 50mm 1.8 and stop it down to 16 or 20. That should really make your manual focusing easier and be more forgiving for handheld video.

hockalees

Looks good to me. I can't wait to play with one....

TorkLugnutz

can i haz dee 90?

o0adam0o

I'm buying a D90.

I don't expect to ever use the video function for anything. No, I don't have any other sort of video camera.

The D90 is not a camera you buy for the video function. The 5D MK-2 is already better at it(this is comming from a Nikon fan boy/purist), and both being the first generation of video DSLRs, are hardly worth jumping on for video recording.

I'm certainly waiting for the second generation of Nikon SLRs with video function before even considering using it for that purpose. Hopefully Nikon will bump it up to full 1080, improve the autofocus and get a better microphone system, either built-in or external options. I'm betting hotshoe accessory like the new GPS unit.

They can fit that all into a D40 body, right?

D0rk

Canon 5D Mk II jellovision!

[vimeo.com]

timmytimetravel

re :

"
The 5D MK-2 is already better at it(this is coming from a Nikon fan boy/purist)
"
Coming from a canon boy who converted to a nikon boy for the d700 and following d90. I was already to switch my alliance in the future back to 5D MK-2 until I saw the non professional footage of it posted today showing it still has "jellovision" problems of the D90 :) And given low light capabilities is not about mega-pixels, but more sensor size then ... hmmmm...

Compression of course it the other thing. If the raw footage when vince posts it, does not have the jpeg compression artifacts of the d90, then that might still be a reason to switch. $1k to $2k700 reasons.? Maybe...

timmytimetravel

@smegz: I'd say it just takes some practice, and many people don't understand the benefits of picking up a $60 midrange monopod.

The only drawback of this generation of DSLRs with HD video is the lack of an autofocus function.

Migo

@MrTaco: cpthook is correct. It can use the Live Mode autofocus (contrast detection autofocus), which is not as good and slower...

daath

smegz, I do agree with you for most people, But I, actually am very excited about this camera. I am a professional director/dp. As a still camera it is perfect for location scouting and GPS aks makes it even better, and as the lenses will be very close to a motion picture camera set up in Super 35, as the sensor size is 23.6mm wide, and the frame width on super 35 is 24.89mm, not exact but VERY close so when planning a shot an 18mm lens used on the Nikon during a scout will be an 18mm lens on either the Arriflex or Panavision. The ability to shoot motion with the same camera, will be extremely useful for designing shots in advance as part of the creative process, but also great to show my "Keys" (the Grips and Gaffers), so dolly tracks can be laid down with very little explanation, and lights can be set outside of the frame, or a steadicam operator knows exactly how I want it framed. You can get the idea across with any cam corder or even a point and shoot in movie mode, but being precise in planning is way better, and match lensing is amazing. Minutes on a film set is money. I also love the adjustable ISO, for checking lighting (yes, I use a light meters), but it's nice to see exactly what I'm going to get and see if a corner needs a little light, or a window curtain needs a stronger kick. I know I am not a typical case, but I also see the opportunity for others to really try some creative things out in motion, with lots of lens choices, and control of depth of field, that you don't have with most camcorders.

rdreens

I noticed a little problem in these videos. Is it me or the image get skewed when shooting fast horizontally moving objects? Seems like the pixels in the frame are not captured simultaneously. there is a delay between the top and the bottom of the frame. Just like videos from a N95.

Ariel_Wollinger

Thanks to both of you.

Better than no autofocus though :D. The D90's video would probably drive me insane though, mainly when I want to just sit down and record a casual video...nothing fancy...but I have to sit there and tinker with the focus the whole time. I've been really interested in a 5D Mark II lately, but the D90 costs so much less and is pretty close feature wise. I was still leaning towards the 5D though, but I think that whole autofocus thing may seal the deal on which one I may potentially get...even if it isnt the 'good' autofocus.

MrTaco

No AF isn't a problem. Video shot with AF almost always looks horrible. INSTEAD, use a medium wide lens and stop it down slightly - that gives you the best combination of forgiving depth of field and handheld look - longer lenses handheld don't look so good if you're not a professional.

But no mic input = no directional mic, which is a real problem. You'll never get good sound from this setup.

xThadd

interesting, guess i better start saving up on the funds T.T

karmakid

@Ariel_Wollinger: Nope it's not just you. It's a problem called rolling shutter, and it effects every CMOS based video camera. Basically the camera captures from the top downwards. It does this 24 times a second, but still, the entire image isn't captured all in one go.

So when you move fast, things go a skew because by the time the camera captures the bottom of each frame, the object or what ever has already moved.

Having said all that, CamcorderInfo's Camcorder Of The Year last year was the Canon HV20, and that has the same rolling shutter issue. So as long as you know to work within the limits, you can get fantastic videos out of these things.

TailsNZ

Nice ducky. Thanks for not showing it in the bathtub...

Oh, real video cameras can shoot in multiple shutter speeds, even though they are going at 30fps too. Nikon just didn't include it in the D90 for whatever reason.

photophile

Anyone else find the combination of a duck, a knife, and the Giz logo slightly disturbing? ;)

I'm no pro by any means but I do like good gear. Problem is, I'm not serious or rich enough to afford the good stuff so this time around I settled on the Canon PowerShot G9, which does video just fine. I was leaning towards getting the Rebel XSi but the pricetag was a bit steep for something I don't get paid to do.

fsusmithc2

One thing you can do to reduce the focus problems is to shoot at a lower aperture. Of course that means you will need more light for proper exposure, but it will make the focus much more forgiving of movement. The shakeycam effect can be helped a lot by using a steadycam or cheap knockoff. Maybe someone will hack a motordrive for the zoom.

macrumpton

Correction: You cannot choose ISO for video clips. You can select aperture, and the camera will adjust ISO and shutter speed to get a proper exposure. You can use exposure compensation to adjust the definition of "proper exposure" but you have no control over ISO or shutter speed. The reason why there was more noise visible at the smaller aperture was because the camera was forced to use higher ISO. And to answer the question: Yes, the 5DII does have autofocus in video mode. But, like the D90, it just uses contrast detection which makes it way to slow to use in any serious fashion. Anybody who cares about their video content will be using manual focus.

QuimbyStoat