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D-SLRs: State Of The Art, Part I

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The line between still and video fades out as Live View evolves into HD motion video

This Article Features Photo Zoom

CANON EOS 5D MARK II

• 1080 HD video (1920x1080 pixels) • 30 frames per second • .MOV format, MPEG-4 compression • Estimated Street Price: $2,699

Digital cameras have come a long way since we first began covering them in 1996. The serious limitation of the early days was resolution—the first 1-megapixel camera was a big deal. We’ve reached a point now where digital-imaging technology has met and surpassed the capabilities of film and is pushing into new territories that weren’t possible in the analog world. In this first of a two-part feature on the state of digital photography, we’ll look at one of the most significant advances to date that, combined for the first time with an interchangeable-lens system, may well change how photographers record, experience and even think about photography.

MOVING PICTURES
Compact digital cameras have provided Live View LCD monitors and movie capability for years, but only recently have these valuable features made their way into D-SLRs. Olympus introduced the first Live View D-SLR, the EVOLT E-330, early in 2024, and Canon and Nikon introduced the first models with movie capability, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Nikon D90, in fall 2024.

Why did it take so long? In part, because there was no tremendous demand. Serious still photographers—mostly longtime 35mm SLR users—had never had Live View or movie capability and were more concerned with features like image quality, operating speed and AF performance.

There also were a number of technological hurdles. The TTL metering and AF systems used in D-SLRs don’t work with the mirror in the up position, where it has to be if the image from the lens is to reach the sensor. The image sensor must be able to output image data quickly enough to produce a smooth live image. The sensor must be able to stay on for extended periods without overheating (which would increase image noise and possibly even damage the sensor). And the image processor has to have the power to drive Live View. HD movie recording requires even more processing power.

Nikon D90

• 720 HD video (1280x720 pixels) • 24 frames per second • .AVI format, Motion-JPEG compression • Estimated Street Price: $999

D-SLR image-sensor and processing technology now can handle Live View, and in a couple of cases, even HD movies. Three basic methods are used. The camera can skirt the TTL metering and focusing issues by using a second sensor for Live View, so the mirror doesn’t have to move out of the way for live viewing. Or, the camera can use the main sensor and temporarily disrupt the live image while the mirror flips down to enable focusing and metering. Or, the camera can employ a separate contrast-based AF system that works right off the sensor and meter off the sensor as well. Advanced sensor technology and noise-reduction systems help solve the heat problem and, while you won’t get as many shots per battery charge in Live View mode as in normal operation, most Live View D-SLRs will provide a goodly shooting capacity even in Live View mode.

As we write this, there are 20 D-SLRs with Live View modes, including the two with movie capability. While only two have tilting/rotating all-angle monitors (the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 and pro Olympus E-3; Sony’s DSLR-A300 and A350 have monitors that tilt up and down, but don’t swivel), all the D-SLRs with Live View have monitors with wide viewing angles (up to 176 degrees) that make it easier to shoot at odd angles.

Obviously, you’re not going to hold a big D-SLR out at arm’s length like a compact digital camera, but being able to compose images with your eye away from the viewfinder eyepiece is handy for odd-angle shooting—holding the camera above your head to shoot over a crowd and down low to get eye-level shots of kids and pets, for example.

The ability to preview the effects of exposure compensation, white balance and monochrome tonal mergers and filter effects are also useful. Live View is handy for manual focusing in dim light, especially when using a slow lens or a teleconverter. And Live View is terrific for tripod-mounted shooting like landscape and architectural photography, and studio photography. Many cameras let you activate gridlines in Live View mode to assist in keeping the horizon level and building lines vertical.

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