Most digital SLR cameras nowadays offer the possibility of recording video , almost always in High Definition. Photography and video converge on the same machine, thanks to the digital support that facilitates this union.
Although many photographers of the purist school prefer to use their camera exclusively to produce photos, leaving video tasks for cameras especially video, yes it is true that more and more users on foot are making video an important selection criteria when choosing your next camera. Surprisingly, the video recorded with the SLR cameras has been able to reach in a very short time quality levels similar or even higher than those of specialized video cameras. As an example, the last chapter of the archifamous television series House was recorded entirely with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.
In today's article I will explain the aspects that you have to take into account when assessing the video function in a digital SLR camera . If the video function is very important for you, these will be the criteria that you will have to take into account to get the election right.
VIDEOFLEX: TO WHET YOUR APPETITE
First, if you're not at all convinced that recording video with an SLR camera is a good idea, check out the video that I included at the end of the article I published last week on the Nikon D5100 . It is a short film recorded entirely with a SLR camera priced around 800 euros. As you have seen, the quality of the film is impressive. In fact, today there is a whole accessories industry around SLR cameras, an industry that consists of providing SLR cameras with cuffs, wider screens, robust tripods, external microphones, and all accessories that help the camera SLR do a good job of recording video [as can be seen in the following video].HD OR FULL HD VIDEO
For those who are not clear about these two terms, HD means High Definition . It is a video quality standard and offers a fairly decent video quality. Full HD is also another video quality standard but superior to HD . To give you an idea, HD quality divides the image into 720 horizontal lines while Full HD divides it into 1080 lines. Normally the more lines that result from this division, the higher the quality. Obviously these lines are not noticed with the naked eye.VIDEO LENGTH
The duration of the video is a very important issue. Some cameras at very affordable prices like the Nikon D3300 offer video recording function but limited to 10 minutes each video. Other cameras are more generous in this aspect and go beyond 10 minutes but as a general rule and to this day I have no news of any SLR camera whose video recordings exceed 30 minutes . That is the maximum time per recorded video that is allowed in all SLR cameras. The reason is that due to commercial, tax and tariff issues, if a camera records video of more than 30 minutes, it is considered a video camera and therefore that will increase its tariffs / taxes and therefore raise its price.FPS, FRAMES PER SECOND
As you well know, and if you don't know, I tell you, a video is really nothing more than a sequence of frames . Generally, most videos and film and television productions are recorded at a frequency of between 24 and 30 fps (frame per second). Usually. What is the use of this data? Well, the higher the fps value, the more natural the movement and action in the video will be. Instead, the smaller the fps, the more "choppy" the scene will seem. If this sounds like Chinese to you, it is best that you check it yourself by an example. On this page they offer an examplein which you can select the Fps and watch the video with that fps. You will see that the more you raise the fps value, the more natural is the movement of the secretary.EXTERNAL MICROPHONE
If you are seriously considering recording video with your SLR camera , or maybe setting up your first short film, you may want to consider the external microphone. The quality of the microphone built into the camera itself often leaves much to be desired, especially when we want to do something serious or professional. My recommendation is that, if you are interested in video, always choose a camera with an external microphone connection . The quality of a specialized external microphone will be much better, in addition, you will prevent the noise of the focus motor from being heard during the auto focus attempts of the lens.SPECIALIZED OBJECTIVE
There are specialized lenses in SLR video. They are ultra-quiet lenses that, no matter how much they move, zoom and focus, they produce no noise. On the other hand, a great advantage of the video reflex compared to normal video cameras is that in the SLR world we have large aperture / aperture lenses , which offer us an impressive effect of depth of change. Of course, these goals are usually rather expensive, so a normal goal could also accomplish the mission.DID I FORGET SOMETHING ..?
Have you already used the video of your SLR camera? What opinion do you deserve? Do you think there are more aspects to keep in mind that I have not mentioned above? I would appreciate a comment on the subject.