Nikon D300s announced... still MJPEG

[Ger Griffin]

no, just 24p.
and canon have just 30p
and panasonic have 25p but you cant use new nikon lenses (afs) on it due to no aperture ring.
Its all very frustrating really for us pal users.
the 24p footage is ok on a 25p timeline. there is a slight slowdown so it couldnt be used for certain stuff. For instance it would be difficult to match externally recorded sound etc.
If you have the time to convert then ok.

Nikon have really dissapointed us at this stage. They need impress us on the next model. I think most people will wait for one more release before losing the loyalty they have to them.

[Emmanuel Plakiotis]

Nikon can develop the video DSLR, because it does not have a camcorder or pro video division. I think that the forthcoming 700X will cater most of the needs of pro video. IMO the most significant is full resolution HDMI out and higher framerates, even if the camera itself cannot record them. There are so many Non linear acquisition devices out there to suit everyone, that Nikon doesn't have to develop/charge for that technology.

Ideally:
full frame with pixel management for different aspect ratios
pixel interpolation for better Lo light and/or HDR
422 10bit HDMI OUT
sampling 24/25fps from 96/100fps
over/under cranking

Ok I know that more or less I described a scarlet, but Like Red, Nikon has a clean shot on the video market, and the Nikon badge has much more leverage in the world than the Red badge (not to mention customer support and service).

BTW, does anyone knows if the 300s has full resolution HDMI out? Read the specs from most news reports, but no one seems to care to note about this very important element.

[Ger Griffin]

I assume not. up to now menus couldnt be turned off when connected via HDMI.
I assume the same for this model.
Theyre not going to give us that too easily/cheaply.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

Originally Posted by Ger Griffin

Nikon have really dissapointed us at this stage. They need impress us on the next model. I think most people will wait for one more release before losing the loyalty they have to them.

Nikon rarely rushes in with new products. They bide their time and usually they get it right when a new model is released - as they did do with the D3, D3X and D700 trio. These alone, made a great deal of Pro stills photographers move back to Nikon.

Video add-ons to cameras such as in the latest models from Nikon, Pentax and Canon show that it is the way forward for the industry and has surprised even Canon & Nikon. However, it is early days and a great deal of things still need changing and improving on before either Canon or Nikon finally offer a fully-fledged DSLR with pro-level sound and manual options - enough at least, to entice a larger slice of the HD-DV market.

[Andrew Smith]

Certainly is a wonderful time to be needing to buy a new camera. Might wait another 6 months and see how things go.

Andrew

[Paulo Teixeira]

MJPEG really isn’t that bad as long as it’s implemented properly. The one on the GH1 looks spectacular for only 30MBPS. Just look at some of the footage on my Vimeo account. I just hope the D300’s version is closer to the quality of the GH1’s than the D90’s.

Still, at this stage it’s hard to tell how good it is since a lot of the first footage are very static.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

I'm looking forward to viewing the new Nikon D700s with full FX sensor compared to the D300s.

It looks like the latest DSLRs from Canon & Nikon are narrowing the gap between stills & video...although I still hate the juddery affect of vidos produced from the 5D, 7D, D90 and D300s. They all provide lovely sharp video files in high rez...but rarely are they smooth and so can be a headache to watch for long periods other than for short clips.

[Scott Brickert]

Hi Y'all,
I have a D300s in hand.


I can tell you these:


-In manual 'M' mode, I can set the aperture, shutter speed and ISO, both before and during shooting.


-the entire LiveView screen ports out via HDMI anytime the cable is attached and LV is selected. It's alot easier to focus manually from an Ikan V5600 than the on-cam LCD.


-so far neither HDMI nor the AV out support live audio monitoring (unless the V5600 does not pass through the HDMI-delivered audio to it's headphone port).

-At 720p24 the five minute time limit cannot be exceeded. Each shot counts down from 5:00 and stops when the time is up.

-Have not played with audio much, but can verify the settings of Auto, Hi, Med, Lo, Off, adjustable from LiveView prior to the shot.

-metering is done in Matrix Mode for video, regardless of the Still mode setting.

The manual devotes 5 pages to Video controls, out of a total of 198 pages covering operational details.

I'm working on a couple short pieces for YouTube.



Ask me your questions.


Happy Labor Day Weekend,

[Ger Griffin]

Nice rig Scott.

Scott, I thought there was no manual control of shutter speed.....?

[Scott Brickert]

Hello Ger,
I just double checked it.

In M mode, I set the shutter speed to 1/50, the aperture to 5.6, and the ISO to 200, then hit Record. All settings remained the same as recording commenced.

Then, while recording, I ran the shutter speed up to 1/8000, the aperture to f22, and the ISO up to 6400, and back down to 200.

The image on the LCD changed accordingly.

:)

[Ger Griffin]

Sorry Scott but Im going to have to correct you on that. I dont think the shutter speed is selectable. Thats the whole dissapointing part of the d300s and nikons 'failure' with it.

I'd be so happy to be proven wrong, it would save me selling my nikon lenses along with my d90 to move entirely over to the Canon 7d. As far as Im concerned Nikon missed an oportunity and Im tired of hanging around.

And you know whenI think of it. I dont even know why Im being loyal to Nikon . I already own a canon xha1 & hv20 and both cameras have been nothing short of excellent.

[Scott Brickert]

The play was called back for video review by the referees.

Upon further review, the numbers on the screen change, but nothing changes in the clip while shooting.

Also, I was working in M mode today, and the camera was adjusting to varying brightness levels in the frame, so Manual mode does not lock exposure in and of itself.

i had hoped Nikon was listening to the ongoing conversations regarding these cameras, but it turns out they are really still photographers and don't give videographers much respect or control to work with. They make it look like control when there isn't any.

[Ger Griffin]

yea its all very dissapointing really.

Rumours have it that the d700x/s will deliver. I might just hang around ONE more time. I do primiarily weddings at the moment and wont really need HD delivery until next season so basically whichever is the best camera available early next year will win it out for me.

But all is not lost for your D300s Scott. Its still a pretty amazing machine and in the right hands can produce some cracking stuff....
De l'autre côté de l'objectif - Nikon D300S on Vimeo

[Dan Chung]

Scott,

I have my D300s for test in hand too. Can you share how you are setting your audio up? are you just recording everything using the Zoom? looks like you are feeding the Zoom into the D300s.

If you are using manual audio control are you finding that even in the lowest setting it is sometimes peaking using mics like the Sennheiser MKE400 or feeding mic level from another device?

Dan

[Scott Brickert]

Hi Dan,
I set the Zoom on Auto, running the Line Out into the D300s. For a concert I set the D300s to Auto as well, then, out in the woods, I set it to Level 1. I'll be working on those projects in the next couple days and will post them on YouTube.

Ger,
I guess with your D90 you'be got some experience at events. Given the short recording time and lack of autofocus, weddings would be challenging for an HDSLR at this time in their development.

It's definitely a good question to ask...what will I miss out on by waiting?