News Movie-mode DSLR patented

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/02/19/movie-mode_dslr_patented/1

Hiroshi Terada has filed a patent in the US for a series of technologies allowing digital SLR cameras to take video footage just like the point-n-shoots.

 

To be honest, I can't really see many DSLR owners bothering with taking movies on their cameras. If they're serious enough about pictures to own an SLR, they're probably serious enough about video to own a proper video camera.

 

It's just the next attempt at differentiation in a world when many dSLR models are essentially the same. I can't remember who was first with LivePreview (pointless rubbish) but that didn't stop everyone else from following them to restore the status quo of featuresets

 

Incidentally, rather than a "semi translucent mirror" which sounds like ghetto window tinting, I wonder if they're also working on some sort of l33t electro-chromatic "mirror" - a bit like an electromagnet (on / off) but a mirror instead. The tech exists but not sure what it would take to run it on this sort of small scale.

I would assume you could flip that signal on & off at 30fps...

 

how about feeding the viewfinder with the signal from the sensor?

 

That kinda defeats the point of having an SLR system; being able to see exactly what's coming in through the lens.

Surely any DSLR with live view is capable of shooting video? Just through the use of contrast detection auto focus.

 

A mirror with 70% transparency would make for a darker than usual viewfinder (a f/2 lens would look like a f/4 or f/5.6); it would also limit the amount of light hitting the CCD, so one would have to crank up the ISO settings in low light conditions - thusly increasing electronic noise.

One possible use for this tecnology is action photography in burst mode - a situation when every little bit of light matters, so losing 30% (about 1/2 f-stop!) of all the light hitting the sensor may not be the best way to go.

FYI: Movie cameras (real movie cameras, the likes of Arri and Panaflex) use a rotating mirror shutter to direct light to the viewfinder/video assist and the film, alternating at 24fps (tipically).

 

As a fairly long time digital SLR shooter (started with the D1H, currently on the EOS 20D) I, at first, would really like to get this feature that has been in the low end P&S for years now. However the more I think aout it the more I think I'd still rather just get a separate camera for shooting video. Incorporating continuous audio along with HD Video (anything less wouldn't be worth it) and the appropriate external lighting and mic connectors, plus accomodating more storage needs, etc. and I just don't think it's going to be practical. Most serious SLR shooters have a quality expectation that this method looks like it will compromise on too much.

 

Many DSLRs already have partially-silvered mirrors because they use the sensor data for focussing and at least several motion picture cameras (generally older types) use beamsplitters for both the video tap and viewfinder. I'm really not sure what the novelty of this is.

 

Viewfinders are just a window through the lens. You could do it to the monitor on the back I suppose, but that's going to suck down a lot of battery life.

 

Actually, I could see this being a fairly useful feature. My dSLR gets a LOT of use and once in a while I would like to be able to get a little video, but not so much that I'm going to lug around another piece of kit.

Yeah, it may be a gimmick, but for me at least it's a more useful gimmick than say a 10 Mp sensor.

 

*sigh*

This sounds like another brilliant idea to make a point-n-shoot out of a DSLR. LIke the titanic screen on the new Xsi/XTi that effectively removes the info LCD for the sake of a bigger preview screen (the only way that is acceptable is if the info remains)

This is like buying a 4 cylinder mustang....