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ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,832
2,034
Redondo Beach, California
OK, I'll ask it first: What about an XLR connector?

May not XLR but I hope some kind of audio input jack. Even a cheap (under $100) mic is 10 times better then any internal mic.

Other questions are (1) What really is "HD"? 720 is 1080? and (2) how is it compressed? or maybe (3) I read there is a mini HDMI connector. Maybe if we are very lucky the D90 might have option to send uncompressed video out via HDMI so it can be recorded on an external device. If so the D90 will be very popular
 

ksz

macrumors 68000
Oct 28, 2003
1,677
111
USA
A fair number of people are complaining about the HD Movie Mode, a feature I welcome. First they complained about Live View, fearing it would infuse dSLRs with the toyish-ness of point-and-shoots. Some of that same fear is being echoed by the introduction of a movie mode.

Nearly all videocams have a snapshot mode with ever increasing pixel counts. I see no reason why a convergence cannot be started from the other side as well.

For people like us who visit this forum, still imagery is more of a priority than video, but there are occasions where we would like to capture movement without carrying multiple gadgets.
 

cube

Suspended
Original poster
May 10, 2004
17,011
4,973
This is a big sensor by consumer camcorder standards.
 

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,832
2,034
Redondo Beach, California
This is a big sensor by consumer camcorder standards.

It's a big sensor by professional standards too. But then the other characteristics of the senor are more like consumer cameras. High end video cameras will have three sensors and a prism to split the colors. The D90 will have a mosaic filter and of course just one sensor. The high end video camera will have a real shutter. Will the D90 cycle the focal plan shutter at 24fps? I kind of doubt it.

One thing to remember is that cinematographers call the DX sized sensor "Full Frame" because their 35mm film cameras move the film vertically so the frames on movie film are rotated 90 degrees vs. the way it is done on 35mm still cameras. So the frame size on a 35mm movie camera is just about "DX". Like I said by professional standards the d90 has a large sensor. This could be the start of convergence at the high end
 

ksz

macrumors 68000
Oct 28, 2003
1,677
111
USA
^^^ They probably don't use the entire sensor for video. Some of the new Coolpix cameras have a high ISO mode, but with reduced pixel count. They achieve high light gathering ability by combining adjacent pixels into one.

So Nikon has at least 2 options for video:

1. Simply use 1920x1080 or 1440x720 innermost pixels.
2. Use more of the sensor area by combining adjacent pixels.
 

cube

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Original poster
May 10, 2004
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Yes, but maybe the sensor is binning at 4X the pixels of an HD frame, or rather not binning, as there are not many photosites left after 4X FullHD.
 

ksz

macrumors 68000
Oct 28, 2003
1,677
111
USA
^^^ I'm curious as to (a) whether they use 720p or 1080p, and (b) how they achieve it.
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,742
155
Honestly, as a D300 owner, I think if this were out when I bought my D300 I would have saved my moolah and bought the D90. And HD Movie Mode? Oh think of the.... never mind. :D

Seriously though, some will scream at me saying this somehow is up there with the D300, but I do believe it's worth all the consideration when trying to decide between the two.
 

seenew

macrumors 68000
Dec 1, 2005
1,569
1
Brooklyn
The snooty photog side of me is a little upset, the technophile side is giddy. This is a pretty sweet development. I'm guessing it'll cross brands next cycle. I bet Canon is pissed that they just released the 50d.


...or what if the 5D MkII has a movie mode? :p

I do get a little annoyed seeing everyone and their dog running around with d40's and 400d's snapping away with kit lenses and pop-up flashes, but I'm trying to get over it. :p I'm all for everyone having the latest technology, and of course if you've got the skill to really call yourself a photographer, then it shouldn't matter if other people have access to the tools. After all, paint and pencils are available to everyone, but not everyone is an artist. :)


Macro movies! Bokeh!
 

tip

macrumors 6502
Mar 9, 2006
347
0
^^^ I'm curious as to (a) whether they use 720p or 1080p, and (b) how they achieve it.

And with that note, I'm kinda curious on the sizes that these movie files might take up (yeah, probably variable). We might see higher sales of higher capacity SDHC cards. Who knows.
 

ksz

macrumors 68000
Oct 28, 2003
1,677
111
USA
^^^ I'm tempted to say they'll encode in AVCHD, but I haven't seen point-and-shoot digicams do this. Most digicams encode in Motion JPEG and go only up to VGA (640x480). The D90 should be officially announced later tonight (US time).
 

jake-g

macrumors member
Feb 28, 2008
60
1
Poor Canon. Nikon is just burying them. Well, that's not entirely true. The coolpix looks like a disaster.
 

mrgreen4242

macrumors 601
Feb 10, 2004
4,377
9
The GPS module is almost as exciting as the movie mode, imo. I wonder how long before the features (the video and the GPS as an optional attachment) make their way down into the lower end of the line. They both seem like features that would be more important to the "prosumer" SLR buyer than to the "true pro". But that's just me...

Video looks pretty decent from the demo, but MJPEG means it's not going to replace anyone's HV20 soon.
 

ksz

macrumors 68000
Oct 28, 2003
1,677
111
USA
1280x720 at 24 fps (mono sound and Motion JPEG) movie recording is not bad considering it's a feature that does not come at higher expense.

The press release hinted that the whole sensor is used and that movie mode has high sensitivity, which means they might be combining pixels. Have to dig into it some more.
 

seenew

macrumors 68000
Dec 1, 2005
1,569
1
Brooklyn
The video looked a bit "wavy" like some cellphone video does, at some parts.. And why didn't they show off an "SLR look" in the videos? You know, stuff beyond what you'd typically see from a camcorder. That's the reason I'd be interested in this.
 

Mac 13

macrumors member
Oct 30, 2007
54
0
Los Angeles,Ca
18 -105mm zoom On HD Video

I would like to see the zoom while recording, since the point and shoot makes noise while recording this one shouldn't this is cool. Can't wait what canon has next month. :cool:
 

nutmac

macrumors 603
Mar 30, 2004
6,147
7,606
1280x720 at 24 fps (mono sound and Motion JPEG) movie recording is not bad considering it's a feature that does not come at higher expense.

On the other hand, 5 minutes recording capacity at 720p (20 minutes for 640x424 and 320x160) reduces it to "nice to have from time-to-time" feature than a possible camcorder substitute.
 

macdaddy121

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2003
758
31
Georgia
On the other hand, 5 minutes recording capacity at 720p (20 minutes for 640x424 and 320x160) reduces it to "nice to have from time-to-time" feature than a possible camcorder substitute.

Is it a 5 minute capacity or 5 minute segments. I thought you could record up to 5 minutes at 1 time...
 

cube

Suspended
Original poster
May 10, 2004
17,011
4,973
Underwhelming.

- Not Full HD
- No autofocus in movie mode
- 5 minutes recording limit for HD. 20 minutes for low res (which I don't care about)
- Apparently, no mic input
- Motion JPEG + SDHC (instead of Compact Flash) is a poor combination
- 12-bit A/D conversion
- No AF fine tuning
 

nutmac

macrumors 603
Mar 30, 2004
6,147
7,606
Is it a 5 minute capacity or 5 minute segments. I thought you could record up to 5 minutes at 1 time...
Obviously, you can record multiple 5-minute video clips at 720p. That may be okay for short recordings, but if you are trying to capture your kid's performance or friend's wedding, 5 minute limitation will quickly become tiresome.

In addition, 24 fps can also be an issue for some. As much as I enjoy using 24p/30p mode on my Canon HF100 camcorder for "cinematic" look, there are times when I want 60i.
 

theBB

macrumors 68020
Jan 3, 2006
2,453
3
Underwhelming.

- Not Full HD
It does not matter. This is for vacations, memorializing embarrassing moments at a party or oh-my-god-four-cops-are-beating-this-handcuffed-guy type videos. There will be many other things that limit image quality. Besides I don't have a 64'' TV at home.

- No autofocus in movie mode
That seems like a big deal even for vacation videos.

- 5 minutes recording limit for HD. 20 minutes for low res (which I don't care about)
- Apparently, no mic input
Again, vacation video defense... :)
 
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