-
Best DSLR for live monitoring
I have not kept up with developments in the DSLR field the last few months, and I wonder whether anyone has introduced a camera which allows for full HD monitoring, via an external monitor, while recording.
Thanks!
Bob C
-
11 Replies
-
I don’t know about the others, but the GH2 has nice HDMI output. I use mine with a SmallHD DP6, which downsamples to 1280×720, but if you have a 1080p monitor, that’s what you’ll see.
Jason Jenkins
Flowmotion Media
Video production… with style!Check out my Mormon.org profile.
-
One Nikon model, can’t remember which, check Nikon’s web site. Though at this point you may be better off with the BMCC
Cheers,
M
Malcolm
http://www.malcolmproductions.com -
Those are excellent suggestions. Thank you. But I’d love to find something that has a larger sensor than my Canon 60D. I’m kind of surprised, given that one of the major selling points of DSLR video is the shallow DOF, that full-pixel monitor output has been neglected in so many otherwise great DSLRs.
The BMCC looks quite compelling, despite its relatively small sensor. But to make the BMCC work for interviews, I imagine I’d need to get a faster “interview lens” than my current 24-105mm f/4.
-
Both the forthcoming Sony A99 and the Panasonic GH3 will allow you to monitor and record at the same time. In addition, both will allow you to record uncompressed to an external recorder. Both of these cameras are getting great, early reviews and both are optimized for video production – headphone jack, audio level metering and control, etc. Sony and Panasonic are also releasing a power zoom series of lenses for these units – icing on the cake for those of us who shoot in a wide variety of situations. The Panasonic GH3 also has upped the game with seriously high bit rates and recording format choices of .mov, mp4 and AVCHD. Both cameras also offer full 1080p 60fps as well.
The Sony A99 is a full-frame unit but costs considerably more than the GH3.
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
-
Extremely intriguing, and as a result of your post, I will (1) look at these cameras when they come out; and (2) stop buying Canon glass for awhile. I don’t suppose either of these cameras can use Canon lenses, at least not with the full automation offered.
The big news is the full-res output, although the other features look interesting too. I know that autofocus evokes scorn among a lot of professionals, and with good reason; whenever I’ve tried it, autofocus has created more problems than it solves, e.g. searching for focus and ruining a take which would otherwise be usable, even if not perfectly focused. Paradoxically, the biggest reason I would use (the unavailable) autofocus on my Canon 60D is that it doesn’t output high-res to an external monitor while shooting. If the A99 or GH3 could output in high-res, I wouldn’t need the autofocus that they offer.
-
Bob – among full frame video-capable cameras, there are three with uncompressed 1080p HDMI output (in descending price order): the $3000 Nikon D800, the $2800 Sony A99 and the $2100 Nikon D600.
I have the $1299 GH3 on order, and looking forward to using its clean HDMI out and autofocus, but its sensor is smaller than your 60D’s, not larger.
Hope that’s helpful,
-
The terrain is shifting.
Sony has new gear on the way to shoot at 4K, around $8k USA, Canon as well, around $15k US.
The Nikon D800 and the D4 both do direct output, at 8 bit 4.2.2/SSD which monitor HDMI, in line pass through etc.
No Film School had a blog entry about Canon having direct HDMI out as well. I forget the version, one of the existing formats as I recall.
-
Here is the answer to my own question, at least for Canon users: 5D Mark III.
Canon just announced a firmware update (perhaps in response to Magic Lantern’s independent hack?) which provides full HDMI output from the 5D Mark III, in 4:2:2, no less (along with AF enhancement).
Here is URL for the press release:
and the most relevant part:
When shooting video, HDMI Output makes possible the recording of high-definition uncompressed video data (YCbCr 4:2:2, 8 bit) from the EOS 5D Mark III to an external recorder via the camera’s HDMI terminal. This, in turn, facilitates the editing of video data with minimal image degradation for greater on-site workflow efficiency during motion picture and video productions. Additionally, video being captured can be displayed on an external monitor, enabling real-time, on-site monitoring of high-definition video during shooting.
-
-
I take it that the BMCC has full HDMI out.
You make a good point, and I can’t wait to try the BMCC. But (to digress) I find it disappointing that a number of new cameras, including the BMCC, with incredible technical qualities, also have very poor ergonomics (at least for handholding). It isn’t as if the right way to do this is unknown. But a camera like the Aaton, very popular in its day, apparently hasn’t left a lasting impression on designers. Remember the ad which showed a cat resting on the cameraman’s shoulder? I know there are shoulder mount cameras out there, but all the action seems to be in the boxy models, which belong either on a tripod or in some sort of supporting cage.
rant-over.
Bob C
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up