DSLR HD Video in Moving Image Arts
The future of Digital SLR cameras in Moving Image arts looks even more optimistic with two new announcements by Canon. The first is the new 550D digital SLR camera that offers 1080p HD video at up to 30fps and 720p at 60fps. This is a significant upgrade over the 550D and is also coupled with the ability to use an external mic. The full camera spec can be found here.
The second announcement is a new plugin for Final Cut that will make importing digital video from the EOS cameras much easier. At this point I am not yet 100% if the 500 and 550D cameras are supported but I am assuming if the 7D is supported the entry range cameras will also work.
The plugin entitled “EOS Movie Plugin-E1″ is being developed to provide an even smoother workflow for EOS MOVIE users who edit using Apple’s Final Cut Pro software suite.
The plug-in will enable the ‘log and transfer’ of video footage from Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR cameras – all of which offer full 1080p HD video recording. We are not sure at this point if the plugin will support the 500D or new 550D cameras.
The plug-in will convert EOS footage to Apple’s high quality ProRes 422 codec at approximately twice the speed of Apple’s standard conversion. Additionally, users will also be able to add timecode, reel names and metadata to footage quickly and easily – further enhancing the experience of EOS MOVIE users when editing their footage.
We will keep you posted on the release of the beta next month.
The key benefit of using a DSLR in Moving Image Arts isn’t just the ability to easy capture HD footage but they also offer all the power of still photography. This includes manual focus, interchangeable lens to over wide angle, macro and controlled DoF.
Although this example doesn’t feature any dialogue it does show the sheer power of DSLR cameras in low light situations.
