So is the DSLR craze just a fad?
 

When i got into the videography 'game' about 18 months ago i took out a small loan and bought myself a bread and butter Sony V1 + kit. Now i'm looking at buying a DSLR, i feel they have a lot to offer a semi-professional who's looking to gain a deeper understanding of videography/photographic techniques, not to mention the awesome images they are capable of producing. However, someone on this forum mentioned DSLR videography being a 'fad' that'll be short-lived.

You can't help but notice their popularity now'a days, especially in this part of the industry, so i was wondering what you all thought on the matter? I'll be getting one either way, but do you think they'll continue to have a firm place in the industry, as opposed to simply satisfying arty video/hobbyists?

I figure about another two year run for the DSLR. A lot like the 35mm adapter craze. Meantime, you can be developing your shallow focus skills with a DSLR. No one is yet marketing APC or even full size sensors yet in the video real (oops forgot about Scarlet) . And fast lenses are going to be tough to come by. But it is bound to happen. In meantime, the new Sony doesn't do the coveted 24p, and when Sony launches one that does, it will likely run about $ 4000. So you will still be wondering whether to go cheap with the T2i or pay a bunch for the the video versions-- and still be suffering in low light situations. Just my opinion...

If DSLR is a fad, then so is everything else.. Super 8mm, 16mm, Beta, VHS, Super VHS, Hi8, MiniDV.. ha ha. I've gone the DSLR route and I'm getting more inquiries and making more money. The people that don't like DSLR are just scared to learn something new, which is a good thing because it seperates us DSLR users from them.

they're good for getting in closer and aren't as intimidating. i think they are in a state of flux though. canon and nikon have just tiptoed into the video realm with their cameras. continuous autofocus needs to be added to canon dslrs. and the ergonomics are just okay, imo.

my other thought on the idea is that it doesn't matter what equipment you use (as long as it's not total crap)--it's how you use it.

I don't think the DSLR is a fad, at least not for the foreseeable future. You have to think about it from the point of view of the manufacturers. It doesn't make sense for them to build APS-C sized or full frame sensors for video-only applications, unless you are RED but have you looked at the prices they charge? It makes more sense for photography, and that is where these large sensors make the most sense, so no, the DSLR is not a fad. It will be with us for a very long time.

It's all about the benefits of a large sensor. The shallow depth of field and light gathering power a large sensor provides in skillful hands yield some very impressive results. It just so happened that this capability was first made available in DSLR cameras with added video capability. Those that mastered the handling of a DSLR produced some really nice looking footage. The ongoing key element is the large sensor. There are several large sensor video cameras that will be on the market very soon. If the price, features, handling and overall functionality meet the needs of video applications, there will be a natural migration to other form factors. But the essential element is a large sensor. Various camera body styles are secondary to that. Don't get to hung up on the term DSLR. That's going to become less definitive over the next year or so.

DSLR video is now and the future. here to stay!

-wedding videographer

Plus the fantastic lenses available for use with DSLRs.

I agree with others, I think this IS where technology is going and will continue to go as we progress forward. I just sold a pair of DVXs and have replaced them with GH1s.

Months ago I would have been firmly in the "fad" camp but on another forum the discussions about GH1s, Canons etc just got greater and greater showing real growth in this option.

I held onto SD as long as I could and when I decided to make the switch, this avenue looks like the most sense to me.

If you look at the technology in the GH1 you will see it's "breakthrough" in the use of "mirror-less" image capture. There hasn't been anything "breakthrough" in camcorders since they went digital. If the manufacturers are dumping their R&D money in one area, THEY expect that area to be where they are going to make their money. The areas they don't invest in, says a lot about how they feel about the life expectancy of that product.

That's just my opinion, of course YMMV.

re
 

I was shooting on a sony z5 and v1, i sold the v1 and got the t2i with all the jazz. Its pretty much all I use now, in low light and other positives it just urinates all over my V1. Its been the best move I have made in my year and half in the wedding business. And its opened a whole new wave of creativity for me in regards to guiding the viewers eye.

luke

Yes, DSLRs are a fad. However, it will only be a fad until camera manufacturers put the features that make DSLRs popular into a "real" video camera. I see those features as:

- Large sensor
- Shallow DOF
- Wide variety of interchangeable lenses (I'm talking hundreds, not just a couple)
- Affordable

Throw those into a form factor that's more suited to video, along with XLR mic connectors, manual audio control, larger viewfinder, etc. and you'll have the "DSLR killer".

Panasonic's AG-AF101 is a good start, but the price point ($6500) just isn't quite there yet. If that camera had a street price of $2500, we'd see DSLRs fade away real quick.

Whatever word you want to use, my reading on it is that the bottom line is that the way money is spent on video enabled DSLR cameras is changing. The market has been fueled by a couple key groups:
1) HD video acquisition for people with small budgets
2) HD video acquisition and shallow DOF with film-like images for low budget film makers
3) HD video acquisition and shallow DOF with film-like images for Medium and High budget film makers and TV
4) TV Producers with money to experiment

Arguably, the segment isn't going the way of the dodo bird but it probably will drop dramatically as large portions of groups 3), 4) and to some extent 2), abandon the use of them because there are alternatives that solve the problems that the original DSLRs approach has. The GH-1, as a second generation camera that attempts to solve those problems but still be a still camera, represents one market segment to which the money will flow as the (as yet) lone entry in the market that addresses some of the problems yet keeps the low price point.

Lacking a Canon entry in the new "pro FilmLike Sensor Camcorder" market, I think what people are really saying is that "The Money" is going to leave the DSLR market and move to the new cameras from Panasonic (AF-100, GH-1) and Sony (NEX-VG10 and "FilmLike"). Those that remain in the market are the low/no budget buyers and, by definition, aren't going to drive the market much...hence the doom and gloom.

I think of it like a barrel that's had water pouring into it and some leaking out. Whether it's full or not is irrelevant. The new cameras that address the problems will cause a reduction in the inflow as those more powerful market forces in 3) and 4) who are less sensitive to price, stop buying DSLRs and start buying "pro FilmLike" camcorders. The barrel rate of leak will increase as others in group 2) move to the less expensive "consumer FilmLike" camcorders (NEX-VG10 types). And so you are left with an industry fueled primarily by the original still photogs who need a little video in the same device, group 1) and bits of the others.

These things ebb and flow. But if "the money" leaves the market, current players won't have the revenue to reinvest in the market. The segment will cool down. Die? no. But I *could* be wrong. YMMV

Really nice insight Les.

One of the factors in the widespread adoption of large sensor video cameras will be when some of the big name cinematographers start using them. There are a lot of 'clubby' camp followers who can't or won't think for themselves. To them, it doesn't matter how much easier or harder a given camera is to use. It's all about social acceptance in the circles they imagine they are in. It's sad but very true.

A friend who is a very skilled DSLR shooter said, "It will be so nice to be able to show up at an event and shoot VIDEO of people who insist on posing for me because they think I'm a photographer because of the camera I'm using."