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I bought a new camera :)

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acrystalball

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After going almost a year without buying any new gear (!), I went ahead and invested in a new camera, and surprisingly, its not one that I ever anticipated getting until about a week ago. I didn't buy a Leica M9 (which I dream about), or even a full frame Nikon.

I bought a D90. For its video capability.

Yes, I know there are camcorders that can do better, but I can't use my lenses on them. Yes, there is the Canon 5D II, but it is a LOT more expensive, and I don't have any Canon glass. So there was really only one option if I wanted to shoot video with a dslr -- the D90. Arriving tomorrow from B&H :).

I've been having such a good time shooting video on my iPhone that I decided to explore a little further. The nice plus about the D90 is that from the specs it looks like a really sweet still camera for the price. Of course there are tons of drawbacks to the video capability on this camera, but the idea of being able to use my zeiss glass to make video, even with its limitations, is pretty exciting to me.

I made it through my first semester of graduate school; next semester I'm going to be taking a video class, so I thought I better have something other than the iphone to use. Some folks at my school are kind of consternated that I'm not very interested in digital...so... in an effort to keep the wolves from the door I thought I would work with digital moving pictures, heh heh.

And the Fuji's still kickin', I'm delivering prints this afternoon, on my way to another shoot tonight! But like everyone else, I am dreaming of the day the FF Fuji is born.

I'm really convinced that hybrid still-video cameras are the wave of the future, and have decided to be an early adopter. I figure by the time I'm ready for something more sophisticated (or have the money to invest in the Canon), Nikon will have come out with something more advanced. So off onto a new adventure it is!

Happy Solstice my friends! Cheers~
Crystal

--
http://www.crystalkeesey.com
 
Hi Crystal,

Very cool. Video with shallow depth of field should be awesome (if you're into such things). I wouldn't worry about any wolves at the door. Heck, you love what you love. They are you, and you aren't them. They'll have to deal with it.

Have fun, and take care. And would love to see some shallow DOF video if you should ever post any.

Sincerely,
Huy

EDIT: P.S. Full-frame Fuji, with their great Dynamic Range? Oooooh Yah! Bring it on! :) Should satisfy me for a loong time. :)
 
Excellent! I think having a video option on an SLR is a pretty good deal, for those times you want video instead of stills. And the ability to work the camera with manual focus and zoom for video is pretty nice as well.

It may not be a Fujifilm, but let us know how your video experience works out. I suspect if your videos turn out half as good as your stills, the videos will be award winners!

Anthony
acrystalball said:
After going almost a year without buying any new gear (!), I went ahead and invested in a new camera, and surprisingly, its not one that I ever anticipated getting until about a week ago. I didn't buy a Leica M9 (which I dream about), or even a full frame Nikon.

I bought a D90. For its video capability.

Yes, I know there are camcorders that can do better, but I can't use my lenses on them. Yes, there is the Canon 5D II, but it is a LOT more expensive, and I don't have any Canon glass. So there was really only one option if I wanted to shoot video with a dslr -- the D90. Arriving tomorrow from B&H :).

I've been having such a good time shooting video on my iPhone that I decided to explore a little further. The nice plus about the D90 is that from the specs it looks like a really sweet still camera for the price. Of course there are tons of drawbacks to the video capability on this camera, but the idea of being able to use my zeiss glass to make video, even with its limitations, is pretty exciting to me.

I made it through my first semester of graduate school; next semester I'm going to be taking a video class, so I thought I better have something other than the iphone to use. Some folks at my school are kind of consternated that I'm not very interested in digital...so... in an effort to keep the wolves from the door I thought I would work with digital moving pictures, heh heh.

And the Fuji's still kickin', I'm delivering prints this afternoon, on my way to another shoot tonight! But like everyone else, I am dreaming of the day the FF Fuji is born.

I'm really convinced that hybrid still-video cameras are the wave of the future, and have decided to be an early adopter. I figure by the time I'm ready for something more sophisticated (or have the money to invest in the Canon), Nikon will have come out with something more advanced. So off onto a new adventure it is!

Happy Solstice my friends! Cheers~
Crystal

--
http://www.crystalkeesey.com
Click to expand...
--
check out my blog at http://anthonyonphotography.blogspot.com
 
-- Hi Crystal. The D90 is in itself a fine high ISO camers and one that should be of use to you in that capacity.
Are you attending classes at LCC or going the online route?

Looks like I will not be taking the VW Thing to Phoenix after all. The son has moved back to the portland area. If I ever get to Lassen County again I will let you guys know Im headed your way. Good luck & take care. Bob
1 cross
+3 nails
=4 given
Wise men still seek Him.

Visit my Galleries:
http://www.northland.smugmug.com

 
Crystal,

Congrats on the new camera. I guess it is time for all the loyal Fujistas to get our feet wet with Nikon files. I hope you enjoy the video features. Video is pretty big amongst railfan photographers. I generally find them to be boring. A lot of zooming and panning in nearly every scene. I would like to lock a lot of them in an auditorium and force them to watch old B&W movies with trains to see how it was done before zoom lenses became the norm.

I expect you will do much better than the average railfan videographer. Take the time to watch Casablanca with the old man on a quiet night when the kids are in bed. The lighting, the shadows for scenery and general cinematography in that move is something of an inspiration.

Ho, ho, ho!
--
Alan, in Montana
 
Robert Spencer said:
-- Hi Crystal. The D90 is in itself a fine high ISO camers and one that should be of use to you in that capacity.
Click to expand...
Yes! I'm looking forward to seeing in the dark :) I love shooting in the dark!
Robert Spencer said:
Are you attending classes at LCC or going the online route?
Click to expand...
I am actually attending classes over the mountains, at a Cal State University. The commute is about 100 miles of windy mountain roads.
Robert Spencer said:
Looks like I will not be taking the VW Thing to Phoenix after all. The son has moved back to the portland area. If I ever get to Lassen County again I will let you guys know Im headed your way. Good luck & take care. Bob
Click to expand...
I hope you do, you really do need to do a 395 roadtrip! And you are always welcome at our homestead :).
Robert Spencer said:
1 cross
+3 nails
=4 given
Wise men still seek Him.

Visit my Galleries:
http://www.northland.smugmug.com

Click to expand...
--
http://www.crystalkeesey.com
 
huyzer said:
Hi Crystal,

Very cool. Video with shallow depth of field should be awesome (if you're into such things). I wouldn't worry about any wolves at the door. Heck, you love what you love. They are you, and you aren't them. They'll have to deal with it.
Click to expand...
LOLOL yes, they accepted me so they definitely have to deal. My problem is that I'm a pleaser...oy.
huyzer said:
Have fun, and take care. And would love to see some shallow DOF video if you should ever post any.
Click to expand...
I will for sure, once I figure out how to make a good edit. That's going to be a big learning curve :).
huyzer said:
Sincerely,
Huy

EDIT: P.S. Full-frame Fuji, with their great Dynamic Range? Oooooh Yah! Bring it on! :) Should satisfy me for a loong time. :)
Click to expand...
Oh yeah me too. The stuff dreams are made of....

--
http://www.crystalkeesey.com
 
Hmmm, that movie came out while I was in High School so I was not allowed to attend. I guess I was never interested enough in Fellini to catch up later on. Perhaps I should rent it some evening.
--
Alan, in Montana
 
I went a different route!

Based on the premise that "video" isn't going to go away and customers expectations are going to change in time, I have just invested in a Sony 520. I did consider a DSLR body but the low light performance, full HD, 240Gb hard drive and night light infra red swung it in favour of a "real one"...12 & 8mp stills from it as well!! Hours of recording time from one battery..and that 1920 x 1080HD at 50 fps...or 25fps from just 1 lux...not forgetting the "steady shot"!!!

I can certainly recommend the Rode Stereo mic as an essential accessory..cheap for "broadcast quality" and trashes any built in mic..particularly in not picking up extraneous noise and handling and mechanical camera noise itself...

OK, it means I have to carry more kit..but in truth these cameras are so small they fit in the slot of just a DSLR body in the bag...and just for "going out for the day" it means I now have a pretty good compact still camera that works in virtually any light with a superb lens (Sony G), auto WB, touch screen focus and exposure and manual functions if I need them...!!

I think many are lured by the video now available on DSLR's, and I take the point about DOF, but weighing up the pro's and cons I think many would still be better served to buy a camcorder designed for the purpose?
 
Hey, be careful driving those mountains. Do they get snow? I'm sure your endeavor with video on the D90 will be a successful one.

I carry a point and shoot on my hip as a small backup cam that serves my wife as well. The little bugger bit the dust recently (dropped the darn thing) so I bought a Panasonic GF-1 that has a pretty good 720P video. It is actually a kick to use because the stills are not too bad. Not the higher ISO I would like but with the pancake lens it is a lot of fun.

Nice to see an update in what you are doing and I wish you and your family a healthy and happy holiday season and new year.

Bob
acrystalball said:
After going almost a year without buying any new gear (!), I went ahead and invested in a new camera, and surprisingly, its not one that I ever anticipated getting until about a week ago. I didn't buy a Leica M9 (which I dream about), or even a full frame Nikon.

I bought a D90. For its video capability.

Yes, I know there are camcorders that can do better, but I can't use my lenses on them. Yes, there is the Canon 5D II, but it is a LOT more expensive, and I don't have any Canon glass. So there was really only one option if I wanted to shoot video with a dslr -- the D90. Arriving tomorrow from B&H :).

I've been having such a good time shooting video on my iPhone that I decided to explore a little further. The nice plus about the D90 is that from the specs it looks like a really sweet still camera for the price. Of course there are tons of drawbacks to the video capability on this camera, but the idea of being able to use my zeiss glass to make video, even with its limitations, is pretty exciting to me.

I made it through my first semester of graduate school; next semester I'm going to be taking a video class, so I thought I better have something other than the iphone to use. Some folks at my school are kind of consternated that I'm not very interested in digital...so... in an effort to keep the wolves from the door I thought I would work with digital moving pictures, heh heh.

And the Fuji's still kickin', I'm delivering prints this afternoon, on my way to another shoot tonight! But like everyone else, I am dreaming of the day the FF Fuji is born.

I'm really convinced that hybrid still-video cameras are the wave of the future, and have decided to be an early adopter. I figure by the time I'm ready for something more sophisticated (or have the money to invest in the Canon), Nikon will have come out with something more advanced. So off onto a new adventure it is!

Happy Solstice my friends! Cheers~
Crystal

--
http://www.crystalkeesey.com
Click to expand...
 
I still get a kick out of shooting video. I'm on the east coast visiting the kids and grandkids and went to Radio City Music Hall with my son and granddaughter. Later that night at his house I took the Canon P&S I had with me and shot a short video of him and my granddaughter at the piano. Priceless.
--
Regards,

Tom
 
Very interesting Old Master, if my tests with the D90 don't pan out, I will seriously look at your Sony as the price is pretty much equivalent (when I factor in the MD80 grip, the extra battery, the 8mb card and the fluid base monopod I bought to go with it).

Have you tested the Sony in low light? I am curious how it compares to Nikon's DSLRs. Also, is there a full manual mode on the sony? I 've been reading that some of these camcorders are allowing for manual control & that's what I'd be mostly interested in, because I am mainly using the video to create "art" films, rather than produce work for clients. My main concern was being able to use the lenses.

As for HD quality, this article at Luminous Landscape convinced me it was still ok to shoot 720p HD instead of 1080i:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/video-primer.shtml

I think you are correct in that customers are going to demand more and more video stuff from photographers! I'm off to look at some clips from your Sony.
Happy Holidays!
Crystal
OldMaster said:
I went a different route!

Based on the premise that "video" isn't going to go away and customers expectations are going to change in time, I have just invested in a Sony 520. I did consider a DSLR body but the low light performance, full HD, 240Gb hard drive and night light infra red swung it in favour of a "real one"...12 & 8mp stills from it as well!! Hours of recording time from one battery..and that 1920 x 1080HD at 50 fps...or 25fps from just 1 lux...not forgetting the "steady shot"!!!
Click to expand...
OldMaster said:
I can certainly recommend the Rode Stereo mic as an essential accessory..cheap for "broadcast quality" and trashes any built in mic..particularly in not picking up extraneous noise and handling and mechanical camera noise itself...

OK, it means I have to carry more kit..but in truth these cameras are so small they fit in the slot of just a DSLR body in the bag...and just for "going out for the day" it means I now have a pretty good compact still camera that works in virtually any light with a superb lens (Sony G), auto WB, touch screen focus and exposure and manual functions if I need them...!!

I think many are lured by the video now available on DSLR's, and I take the point about DOF, but weighing up the pro's and cons I think many would still be better served to buy a camcorder designed for the purpose?
Click to expand...
--
http://www.crystalkeesey.com
 
Hi!

Yes you can virtually manual everything but not with the simplicity of a DSLR..the Sony has a single button/dial that switches modes from focus to WB to Exp..etc.

You can hit the options icon on the screen and it will allow you to touch focus/wb/exp by touching the screen itself..

To be honest, it gets it right most of the time in Auto..although the manual focus is a useful feature for side of frame focus points...

I understand the Canon/JVC prioritise a bit more towards manual use..

Not done any comparisons with DSLR video but it has a low light setting..and a no light setting!! (IR) for that Blair Witch effect! I am sure when pushed it must be noisier than a DSLR but I am not sure of the science yet..all I know is the Sony 520 comes out very well in review offering "superb" image quality in HD!!

Keep promising myself I will actually get out and use it more..hoping it becomes a draw for my wedding customers but presently Christmas and the UK's inability to deal with a small amount of snow is keeping me indoors!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!
 
Crystal,

With all due to respect to my elders, I have confused movies here. La Dolce Vita came out about a half decade BEFORE I got to High School. No wonder I did not go out to see it. Also, being from a small town in western Montana with a single screen I would doubt a foreign film was ever billed there.

Good luck with the video projects, though. I am sure you can draft some of the rambunctous off spring for gaffer and sound duties.
.
--
Alan, in Montana
 
Congrats on the new cam Crystal - and for making it unscathed through your first semester :) Partial conformity to the course by way of digital video - like it! Boundaries work fine when placed there by the artist themselves - seldom when placed there by others.

Here is a link to a video you might find interesting.I stumbled across it whilst researching the insanely good Nikkor 28/2.For me it falls into the "arty" category - but it also shows the potential of home-made equipment(rails).
http://www.vimeo.com/984577

Good luck with it all!! The whole forum is rooting for ya.

Regards Joe.

--
http://photobucket.com/JoeBrush
 
acrystalball said:
Very interesting Old Master, if my tests with the D90 don't pan out, I will seriously look at your Sony as the price is pretty much equivalent (when I factor in the MD80 grip, the extra battery, the 8mb card and the fluid base monopod I bought to go with it).

Have you tested the Sony in low light? I am curious how it compares to Nikon's DSLRs. Also, is there a full manual mode on the sony? I 've been reading that some of these camcorders are allowing for manual control & that's what I'd be mostly interested in, because I am mainly using the video to create "art" films, rather than produce work for clients. My main concern was being able to use the lenses.

As for HD quality, this article at Luminous Landscape convinced me it was still ok to shoot 720p HD instead of 1080i:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/video-primer.shtml

I think you are correct in that customers are going to demand more and more video stuff from photographers! I'm off to look at some clips from your Sony.
Happy Holidays!
Crystal
Click to expand...
I think you may be happier with the D90 or a D90 AND a dedicated video camera. :-) There are IMHO things you can do with DLSR HD Video you just can't get without a lot of hassle or a lot of money for the equivalent in video. Most of this comes down to interchangeable lenses and DOF but from an artistic standpoint, that and the additional settings on a DSLR make for some creative results.

On most prosumer video cameras the DOF is about the same as a wide angle lense with pretty much zero bokeh. When I purchased my Sony HDR SR11, I had to rethink everything I shot because you can't de-ephasize busy backgrounds for example. I love my HD video camera but I have to use a completely different mindset when using it and I have to forget my normal approach (that's good and bad). It also has a native 10MP JPEG output that is no where close to my S2. Something like the D90 is somewhat middle ground between these two extremes and allows you to do, and extend what you could normally do with your DLSR and make it move. We discussed this a few months back IIRC, glad to see the follow up. Ima gonna have to get me one!

Karbo

Passing the torch of knowledge is a genetic responsibility.

http://photo.karywall.net/
 
Crystal and the Fujifilm SLR Talk Gang, happy new year. Just got off the plane a few hours ago after spending a week in Hong Kong and nearby cities. Wonderful time and will post pictures eventually.

Wished I had a video DSLR there. Nice to see you moving in many different and exciting directions. It's a long commute to Sac State (which I assume is where you are attending), so drive carefully. Post some of your videos and give us a link to keep us inspired.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9476880@N02/
 
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