Canon are offering a cash back promotion on the Canon 550D camera to get a cash back of £50 along with the Canon 500D and 50D.
This brings the best UK prices down to under £600 now which is barely above the price from Hong Kong on Ebay and without the additional customs duty. I've taken the plunge and my Canon 550D is due for delivery this week so watch this space for a review of the video functions.
http://www.canon.co.uk/eosspringcashback/
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Canon 550D compared to Canon 500D for video
The recently released Canon 550D has a number of very important differences to the previous Canon 500D SLR for use for video work.
The main differences are the frame rates that it supports and that the Canon 550D now allows the use of an external microphone. The Canon 550D can shoot video at full HD 1080p at the same frame rates as the rest of the Canon lineup - whereas the Canon 500D could only shoot 1080p video at 20 frames per second. This was quite a limiting factor for the camera.
Overall despite the quite large price difference between the Canon 550D and 500D I would recommend the 550D as the preferred option for video work as it overcomes the crippled feature set of the Canon 500D.
The main differences are the frame rates that it supports and that the Canon 550D now allows the use of an external microphone. The Canon 550D can shoot video at full HD 1080p at the same frame rates as the rest of the Canon lineup - whereas the Canon 500D could only shoot 1080p video at 20 frames per second. This was quite a limiting factor for the camera.
Overall despite the quite large price difference between the Canon 550D and 500D I would recommend the 550D as the preferred option for video work as it overcomes the crippled feature set of the Canon 500D.
Friday, 2 April 2010
Differences comparison between DSLR Video and Camcorders
Which magazine have this month reviewed digital SLR cameras. One comment made in the article states "we've yet to see a DSLR that can match the video quality of a dedicated digital camcorder"
Are Which really expecting us to believe the quality of the Canon 5D2 camera is worse than a camcorder?
To do a comparions/review of DSLRs and HD/camcorders I've listed some of the advantages of each and hopefully will give a good understanding of why I believe DSLR video is the best quality option.
If however you are looking for ease of use and extended recording rather than absolute quality, low light use and creative options then a normal or HD camcorder could be your best option. For most other uses a DSLR would be a superior choice in my view.
Plus points for camcorders
Canon say "The EOS 550D combines exceptional still shooting with the ability to shoot Full HD (1080p) video. To satisfy your creativity the EOS 550D features full manual control and selectable frame rates. You can also shoot high speed 50/60fps movies at 720P for when the action is really fast. An HDMI connection allows High Definition playback of footage and images on any HDTV. Also with compatible TVs playback can be controlled using the TV’s remote control."
To do a comparions/review of DSLRs and HD/camcorders I've listed some of the advantages of each and hopefully will give a good understanding of why I believe DSLR video is the best quality option.
If however you are looking for ease of use and extended recording rather than absolute quality, low light use and creative options then a normal or HD camcorder could be your best option. For most other uses a DSLR would be a superior choice in my view.
Plus points for camcorders
- DSLR shooting is time limited to around 12 or 18 mins per clip. Camcorder limited to tape length, normally 90 mins. [very few videos require shots much longer than 18 mins]
- DSLR autofocus is limited and slow
- DSLR controls are more fiddly to use than camcorder although more recent DSLR are better
Plus for DSLR
- Huge range & quality of interchangeable lenses available - camcorder has fixed lens
- DSLR is far better at low light shots due to the size of the sensor
- Manual control on DSLR allows complete creative control over shooting settings
- Image quality is comparable with top end film making gear costing 20x as much
- Easy manual control over zoom and focus
- Variety of quality/size options eg 24, 25,30,50,60 frames per second, 640, 720p/1080p
- Can shoot high quality stills on the same device - only one camera needed not camera & camcorder
- Less likely to miss a video moment when out with camera
Canon say "The EOS 550D combines exceptional still shooting with the ability to shoot Full HD (1080p) video. To satisfy your creativity the EOS 550D features full manual control and selectable frame rates. You can also shoot high speed 50/60fps movies at 720P for when the action is really fast. An HDMI connection allows High Definition playback of footage and images on any HDTV. Also with compatible TVs playback can be controlled using the TV’s remote control."
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
More video shot on the Canon 5d Mark2 DSLR camera
This was shot with my nephew showing off his Christmas present of a Mentos rocket! The video was edited using Windows Movie Maker having converted the MOV to AVI using Neoscene
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Lightroom 3 Beta - Now supports video file management
Adobe Delivers Lightroom 3 Public Beta Update
Adobe today released an update to its Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta software, available immediately through Adobe Labs. Building on the success of the first Lightroom 3 beta, which was downloaded by more than 350,000 photographers, Lightroom 3 beta 2 incorporates feedback from the first iteration of the beta while offering users several new features and greatly improved performance throughout the application.
New features in this release include tethered shooting support for select Nikon and Canon cameras, the ability to import and manage video files from DSLR cameras for a streamlined workflow and additional behind-the-scenes architecture enhancements for faster importing and loading of images. The addition of luminance noise reduction to the color noise reduction options already available in the beta helps photographers achieve overall exceptional image quality from high ISO images. The import experience and watermarking functionality have also been modified to reflect feedback received from the Lightroom community during the first beta period.
The input from the photography community has been extremely valuable and Adobe would like to thank everyone who has participated in the beta program. Adobe encourages photographers to test this new selection of features and provide the product team with feedback so they can produce the highest quality final product.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom is the essential digital photography workflow solution, helping serious amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, perfect and showcase all their images in one intuitive application.
Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta 2 is available as a free download to anyone on a Macintosh or Windows platform and is available in 12 languages. Visit http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom3/ to learn more and download the second beta. Feedback can be submitted on the Lightroom forums: http://forums.adobe.com/community/labs/lightroom3/.
Adobe today released an update to its Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta software, available immediately through Adobe Labs. Building on the success of the first Lightroom 3 beta, which was downloaded by more than 350,000 photographers, Lightroom 3 beta 2 incorporates feedback from the first iteration of the beta while offering users several new features and greatly improved performance throughout the application.
New features in this release include tethered shooting support for select Nikon and Canon cameras, the ability to import and manage video files from DSLR cameras for a streamlined workflow and additional behind-the-scenes architecture enhancements for faster importing and loading of images. The addition of luminance noise reduction to the color noise reduction options already available in the beta helps photographers achieve overall exceptional image quality from high ISO images. The import experience and watermarking functionality have also been modified to reflect feedback received from the Lightroom community during the first beta period.
The input from the photography community has been extremely valuable and Adobe would like to thank everyone who has participated in the beta program. Adobe encourages photographers to test this new selection of features and provide the product team with feedback so they can produce the highest quality final product.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom is the essential digital photography workflow solution, helping serious amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, perfect and showcase all their images in one intuitive application.
Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta 2 is available as a free download to anyone on a Macintosh or Windows platform and is available in 12 languages. Visit http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom3/ to learn more and download the second beta. Feedback can be submitted on the Lightroom forums: http://forums.adobe.com/community/labs/lightroom3/.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Video of Seussical by STS at Hazlitt Theatre Maidstone
The musical Seussical was performed by Stage Theatre Society. This video was shot on the Canon 5D2 DSLR camera using firmware 1.1.0
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Canon 5D Mark 2 Firmware 2.0.3 Update - 24/25fps Video
Canon announce new firmware 2.0.3 for Canon 5DII Camera which brings 24 and 25fps to the camera in addition to the original 30fps.
Unfortunately the one thing that the new firmware doesn't add is the ability to shoot at 720p at 50/60 fps as the Canon 7D can do. This would help to enable longer clips on a CF card and to shoot slow motion video and looks like it will only be possible using a Canon 7D, 1D4 or 550D now.
To celebrate the launch of the new firmware Canon commissioned Richard Walch to shoot an extreme sports movie using it.
To celebrate the launch of the new firmware Canon commissioned Richard Walch to shoot an extreme sports movie using it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)