junksecret
Senior Member
I've read lots of posts complaining about the "limitations" of the D90's D-Movie mode, especially compared to current consumer digicams/camcorders. I find quite the reverse to be true.
As a preface, I was an agent in the Television/Film industry for 20+ years and while I suspect I have little talent for actual filmmaking, I've seen a great deal of it happen.
Shortcoming Misconception A - "the D90 doesn't even autofocus"
Films are routinely shot on 35mm motion picture cameras like the Arriflex or Panavision camera's which can be a bit spendy ($100,000 - $200,000 plus). These cameras don't autofocus, they are often operated by a camera operator who deals with camera movement and composition and a focus puller who focuses based on markings made on the lens to correspond with "marks" to be hit by the subjects.
Shortcoming misconception B - "you can't accurately focus when subject distance changes dramatically"
If you pay attention to a feature film you will see lots of shots with the camera moving with the subject. Dollies are routinely used to keep focal ranges relatively constant while maintaining shallow DOF.
Shortcoming misconception C - "how can it be serious, it can only shoot 5 min clips"
I'm not a film historian but I would be surprised if any mainstream motion picture ever had a 5 min. continuous shot. Shots are much more often measured in seconds rather than mins.
Shortcoming misconception D - "it doesn't even have stereo or an external mic".
Films routinely use quality sound recording equipment and the sound is then sync'ed to the motion in post-production/editing.
The fact that scenes can be shot and reshot, take after take, without the cost of film and processing is also monumental.
Is the D90 for $1,000 plus lenses a replacement for the 1/4 million dollar film cameras? Certainly not, but it is a far more creative tool given it's access to a gigantic sensor in digicam terms, it's access to superb quality lenses and their inherent DOF and creative flexability, than any current HD consumer digicam/camcorder.
I think all the consumer digicam/camcorders to this point have been the equivilent of P&S and THIS camera is the begining of the digital revolution in motion equivilent to an SLR.
I'm so excited to see what the current crop of young bright filmmakers will do with this camera. Once it gets in their hands it should change the shape of youtube and micro=filmmaking in ways I can barely imagine.
Oh and one last aside, perhaps the 5 min clip limit will spare us the boring soccer games and birthday parties which are much better served by the current crop of digicams and will bring us some truly creative and beautiful images (albeit moving), which is the reason we are here.
I can't wait.
Joe
--
'f8 and be there'
Nikon D40 + Nikkor 18~200VR + Nikkor 18~55
As a preface, I was an agent in the Television/Film industry for 20+ years and while I suspect I have little talent for actual filmmaking, I've seen a great deal of it happen.
Shortcoming Misconception A - "the D90 doesn't even autofocus"
Films are routinely shot on 35mm motion picture cameras like the Arriflex or Panavision camera's which can be a bit spendy ($100,000 - $200,000 plus). These cameras don't autofocus, they are often operated by a camera operator who deals with camera movement and composition and a focus puller who focuses based on markings made on the lens to correspond with "marks" to be hit by the subjects.
Shortcoming misconception B - "you can't accurately focus when subject distance changes dramatically"
If you pay attention to a feature film you will see lots of shots with the camera moving with the subject. Dollies are routinely used to keep focal ranges relatively constant while maintaining shallow DOF.
Shortcoming misconception C - "how can it be serious, it can only shoot 5 min clips"
I'm not a film historian but I would be surprised if any mainstream motion picture ever had a 5 min. continuous shot. Shots are much more often measured in seconds rather than mins.
Shortcoming misconception D - "it doesn't even have stereo or an external mic".
Films routinely use quality sound recording equipment and the sound is then sync'ed to the motion in post-production/editing.
The fact that scenes can be shot and reshot, take after take, without the cost of film and processing is also monumental.
Is the D90 for $1,000 plus lenses a replacement for the 1/4 million dollar film cameras? Certainly not, but it is a far more creative tool given it's access to a gigantic sensor in digicam terms, it's access to superb quality lenses and their inherent DOF and creative flexability, than any current HD consumer digicam/camcorder.
I think all the consumer digicam/camcorders to this point have been the equivilent of P&S and THIS camera is the begining of the digital revolution in motion equivilent to an SLR.
I'm so excited to see what the current crop of young bright filmmakers will do with this camera. Once it gets in their hands it should change the shape of youtube and micro=filmmaking in ways I can barely imagine.
Oh and one last aside, perhaps the 5 min clip limit will spare us the boring soccer games and birthday parties which are much better served by the current crop of digicams and will bring us some truly creative and beautiful images (albeit moving), which is the reason we are here.
I can't wait.
Joe
--
'f8 and be there'
Nikon D40 + Nikkor 18~200VR + Nikkor 18~55
You can mount (almost?) every lens conceived for the F system on that D40-like body. Awesome-o!
