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I have always been fascinated by this concept, being able to repurpose your still photography equipment  to capture great looking high definition video. I believe this will spark yet another shift in digital cinematography. The changes in video aquisition and workflow are going on all around us. The tapeless workflow will entirely overpower the old tape-based sysem. With DSLR cinematography adding to the mix of changes, this will bring with it great opportunities for those who see this convergent change as a vehicle to opportunity, and not as another thing to learn, or another workflow option to throw in the already large mix.

Film is all but gone, but lenses are forever

It reminds me of a conversation I had, in and around 2002. I was working for an entertainment company at the time, I'll keep the name anonyomous, and I was talking with one of the supervising marketing managers, a guy I really like and respect. We were speaking of the concept of digital cinematography and the future of it in the Hollywood world of cinema. I told him that I felt the old celluloid film-filled days were numbered, and that it was a cumbersome workflow that would inevitabley be replaced by a less volitale, digital workflow. I was surprised when he looked at me strangley, like I didn't come from the purist film-school farm he did. A bit arrogantly, he said, "Nope, film will never go away, the'll never achieve with digital what they can achieve with film."

I was taken back by this guy's statement, we kindly disagreed, but it made me think alot about this profession and industry. There is no time to be a purist in this industry, an elitist, change is happening at an accelerating rate, and you either embrace it, flow with it, and otherwise learn to live with it, or you simply wither and die, like an old Super VHS deck. Not only is film dying, but the theater experience is slowly fading. Distribution is a whole new ball game called Mr. World Wide Web, I wonder if my friend has heard of him.

Sure you can't always be an early adopter of new technology, but it at the same time, we can't be so blind as to not forsee the sea of constant change and movement in an ever-changing, format-frenzied, and overall crazy media world we all work and play in. The great thing about D-SLR cinematography is that lenses are a staple, an almost unchanging element in production, and this new technology let's you focus on actually buying a set of lenses that won't be out of date in 3-4 years like a Panasonic DVX100B.

So let's see this if this concept of DSLR video takes off. It would be nice to be able to use the Nikon D90 or the Canon 5D Mark II as a still and video camera for at least family events, who wants to lug around a video AND and a still camera these days?

Nikon D90 Samples and Specs

Below are some really cool tests of the HD video the Nikon shoots, it showcases the depth of field achievable with the 35mm lenses, and the low light capabilities.

Canon 5D Mark II Videos and Specifications

Conclusion

Welcome to convergence of the traditional and cutting edge. Digital SLR cinematography is indeed an intriguing concept worthy of serious consideration when deciding on a viable and affordable way to aquire HD imagery for creative shoots.

Below are some useful links if you are considering one of these amazing cameras.

• Canon 5D Mark II
• Canon 5D Mark II User Reviews