Moving Still

The SLR has been the accepted standard camera in professional photography for quite some time. Its versatility and durability has made the SLR ideal for a wide variety of shooting. In the past five to ten years the DSLR has become the camera of choice for some photographers. The switch to digital has been hesitant but more and more photographers are moving past the nostalgic film work and picking up a newer digital version of their old SLR. However, something new has taken over the world of photography. The idea of using a DSLR for video capture is now possible. Over the past few years two major players in the camera manufacturing industry, Canon and Nikon, have released professional DSLR bodies with HD video (720p and 1080p) capabilities. This has not only put a professional still camera in the hands of cinematographers, but also creating a new market for photojournalist to document their work.

Now instead of lugging around huge cameras and lenses along with various other equipment required to capture high quality video, professionals and amateurs alike are able to cary something a bit more confined with them... making having the right equipment at the right time more likely. These cameras are a big hit for photojournalists covering events due to their light weight and ability to shoot in more confined spaces. DSLR's with HD video are also big hits among travel journalists as well because they are so easy to travel the globe with. In addition, users aren't constricted by bulky MiniDV tapes and the time consuming task of capturing all that video in real time! They can simply pop their SD or CF into their computer, edit their piece and upload professional HD video footage to the web. But that is only the start of it. Since the first two models of HD video equipped DSLRs in 2009, photographers have been using their creativity and their conveniently sized cameras to capture shots that have never been done before.

I saw a remarkable example in a post on Chase Jarvis' blog today about a new Nissan commercial that really shows these cameras in action. Using a DSLR mounted in a miniature helicopter in conjunction with other methods, this talented group of photographers, designers, and artists were able to create something quite unique. See the making of video below followed by the finished product.







I have a Nikon D90, one of the first DSLRs to have HD video and am in the market for a Nikon D300s (Nikon's newest addition to it's video capturing arsenal) and I haven't used the video function as much as I would like. After watching this video I hope to push my creativity more and utilize such an amazing piece of photographic equipment. If you have any suggestions on cool ways to shoot video on a DSLR or have shot some video on one yourself, please feel free to comment. I always enjoy seeing and hearing ways that other photographers are utilizing their equipment to make some creative stuff!