Nikon is listening.

[Car3o]

HI

Thanks for the question. Currently you cannot manually control the ISO and shutter speed but you can manually "lock" the exposure at the beginning of the capture and you can manually adjust the "Exposure Compensation" to control the exposure.

We've passed your (and others) requests on to our design group for consideration in a future update and product. Thanks

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Very good to hear. Lets just hope it's a future update and not only a future product. ;)

[NikonGuy]

Nice.

Did you contact them through their website?

[Car3o]

Yeah, I went to service and support on their site.

[gobias]

I sent them a request for manual control in video mode also (via FIRMWARE UPDATE, not a future product). Go to:

http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php?p_sid=dwPwLrVi

and click "ask a question"

the more the better!

[ando]

what would be really nice if Eye-Fi people start to think some day is to unlock the wireless cards to work with raw files and video files

d90 like d60 has custom menus for those cards (all cameras are compatible with them, these are just tweaks) but the eye-fi cards only transmit jpegs.... what a loss (of brain)
ever since they were released people kept asking for this... nothing so far.

[Matthew Bennett]

There's also the grim reality that the Japanese think in spans of 10-20 years into the future, and we are just the unlucky first step in an enormous marketing plan that will have us buying new product every other 'annum. It already seems to be working on me.

But what do I know..

I will definitely send an email Nikon's way.

My dream firmware update would ditch audio, somehow bam the bitrate up to at least 4mb/ps, improve the downsample, and of course manual controls (That part at least seems easy after reading all these threads).

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

shoot them an email, I would prioritize manual control, then bring up bitrate and downsample. I wouldnt even think of them ditching audio, as this is still AIMED at a consumer, audio is necessary. It's also could for an easy sync tracks for music videos, dialogue, etc.

[Matthew Bennett]

shoot them an email, I would prioritize manual control, then bring up bitrate and downsample. I wouldnt even think of them ditching audio, as this is still AIMED at a consumer, audio is necessary. It's also could for an easy sync tracks for music videos, dialogue, etc.


I just hate that 'at the lab' the engineers probably had a moment where they were all, "Okay we have to hit the target of 2mb/ps total bitrate.. plus we need audio too. Oh, okay, just lower the m-jpeg bitrate. But oh, the mjeg looks a bit macro-blocky noisy though.. oh, okay, just add some super-median to it and it will all be okay.."

(sorry that's terrible dialogue), but what I'm saying is that, I'd rather have the audio's bytes going into making the video look better than just having audio for audio's sake. It'd be cool if you could go 'video hq', and then it would prioritize the video..

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

I'm sure there is room in there for a higher bit rate while still maintaining the mono audio...

[PenGun]

I talked to a Nikon support guy in NY NY and he was very nice. He is another who will report interest upstairs.

My specific request was some way to turn off the overlay on the HDMI out. He seemed to think it would be easy to do but would not commit ... of course.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Lets get some more people to report about manual control in D-Movie mode! The more buzz they hear at Nikon, the faster/more likely we could get an update!!

http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin...p_sid=dwPwLrVi

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Wow, just got a response back from someone at Nikon, and he seems to think that if we want manual control, we should buy a camcorder instead. That is insane. Regardless, he said he would pass the info along to the appropriate department for consideration.

[kevm14]

Are they really embracing the future or did they put in a cheap feature to sell more cameras? They better embrace the future when they see how popular it already is and how much MORE popular it could be with a few minor changes. That said, I don't think Nikon should turn into a video camera company just like that...so where does that leave them when Sony and Canon put their video in? Probably hoping Nikon doesn't listen to all of us...

[ESTEBEVERDE]

Wow, just got a response back from someone at Nikon, and he seems to think that if we want manual control, we should buy a camcorder instead. That is insane. Regardless, he said he would pass the info along to the appropriate department for consideration.


Tell them to get their asses busy making one.

[f64manray]

Wow, just got a response back from someone at Nikon, and he seems to think that if we want manual control, we should buy a camcorder instead. That is insane. Regardless, he said he would pass the info along to the appropriate department for consideration.



I'm hoping the Nikon engineers have more vision than their support department. Who knows, maybe they just threw in the video feature and aren't even cognizant of how it compares to what's out there. Could that be? Did they just revolutionize video, and they don't even have the foggiest idea of what they did?

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Quite possibly...

[Car3o]

maybe the guy has just been flooded with emails about this and he's fed up.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

That would be one of the greatest things that could happen, I think. Let's hope their fed up, and that they make some changes!

[shaocaholica]

Theres nothing wrong with the "bitrate". Have a look at this M-JPEG encoded at the same bitrate as the D90:

http://finalpass.net/videos/MJPEG_test/MJPEG-720p-2MBps.mov

The quality "could" look a lot better at the same bitrate if they had a better encoder.

[murcott]

maybe the guy has just been flooded with emails about this and he's fed up.

The more u bug the more u get... Always works.

[Car3o]

that clip of the rocket can't really be a comparison. it was shot at a higher bitrate, scaled down and re-compressed with a lower bitrate. so it's like comparing apples to grapefruit

[Texanite]

Who knows, maybe they just threw in the video feature and aren't even cognizant of how it compares to what's out there. Could that be? Did they just revolutionize video, and they don't even have the foggiest idea of what they did?

I think that's absolutely possible and maybe even probable.

All digital cameras are including video and as technology progresses, so does the quality of the video. A family member of mine has a freaking Kodak Easyshare digital camera (http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=12431) that shoots 720p HD footage at 30fps. How could a more expensive camera aimed at a (relatively) low price point but higher than the Kodak NOT include video?

So then you have to wonder why a fully manual DSLR camera like the D90 have such a striking LACK of control over its video and come with an instruction manual that doesn't even explain how to use it? I don't think video was an afterthought, but I really feel like it was just included because everybody's doing it these days and offering decent looking HD video as another selling point. Looking at how it's implimented, it's obvious that they didn't include it for the likes of us. They included it for the average consumer who wouldn't even notice exposure shifts and changes in shutter speed. So yeah, I think you're right that they didn't even have the foggiest idea of what they were actually doing when they decided to include it.

[Thebes]

I've been a Nikon user for over a decade. I really don't think they understand what they've done with this camera. I think that, maybe, some people in their marketing department do understand. A lot of Nikon photographers are upset that this feature has been added to the D90, feeling that it somehow compromises the rest of the features to appeal to "soccer moms". I think that very few photographers think of this feature as more than an extra or some kind of gimmick.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Also a very valid point.

[shaocaholica]

that clip of the rocket can't really be a comparison. it was shot at a higher bitrate, scaled down and re-compressed with a lower bitrate. so it's like comparing apples to grapefruit

How is it different? Before the D90 encodes the MJPEG, it's doing all of its calculations on a ~4K 12bit uncompressed image off the sensor.

[cacophony]

I've been a Nikon user for over a decade. I really don't think they understand what they've done with this camera. I think that, maybe, some people in their marketing department do understand. A lot of Nikon photographers are upset that this feature has been added to the D90, feeling that it somehow compromises the rest of the features to appeal to "soccer moms". I think that very few photographers think of this feature as more than an extra or some kind of gimmick.

I think you're done a great job of representing the 3 or 4 people on the dpreview messageboards that feel that way :beer:

Being upset or feeling that it somehow compromises the rest of the camera is ludicrous. The video feature adds tremendous value to anyone with creative aspirations, and does absolutely nothing to get in the way of the photographic abilities of the camera.

There are plenty of actual legitimate reasons to be upset with a camera manufacturer. Catering to ignorance by engaging in megapixel wars is a great example.

[ESTEBEVERDE]

I'm hoping the Nikon engineers have more vision than their support department. Who knows, maybe they just threw in the video feature and aren't even cognizant of how it compares to what's out there. Could that be? Did they just revolutionize video, and they don't even have the foggiest idea of what they did?

Come on.

They are Japanee and crazy about the tech.

Of course they know.

Many of us have known that was coming.

Last time I posted about it someone said blah blah blah not fast enough.


Just like they said about High Dynamic Range. Pretty soon we will see each picture with almost mind boggling HDR and video won't be too far behind.

You know, Moore's Law and all.

[lisa hayse]

I agree.
Gimmick or Not, Nikon knows what they have done.
They are testing the Market and just collecting the reaction.

I am sure they didn't emphasize the Movie Mode because they know
it wasn't at it's 100 % full potential and doing so would need further R&D.

Once they see the feedback and all the positive reaction
they will have more confidence in investing on this new market with full steam.

They make great cameras that make great pictures and with competition growing
so fierce they can do all their study and engineering to bridge the picture world and
the video world because there will be a demand. A compact world we live in.
Everything is getting smaller and better.


After all companies strive to meet what customers want and it's all a RACE.


Remember the first video camera to have HD capability.
I belive it was the JVC GR-HD1 (http://resources.jvc.com/DocumentImages/00/00/00/72.JPG) .

It fell short and got eaten up by the competition because they weren't
quick enough to meet the customers needs.

Nikon has to step up and take advantage of this new market or be killed
by a competitor. Potential to capitolize on this speaks volumes.
Let's just hope they don't start charging an arm and a leg to get there.

Lisa

[Texanite]

I think you're done a great job of representing the 3 or 4 people on the dpreview messageboards that feel that way :beer:

Being upset or feeling that it somehow compromises the rest of the camera is ludicrous. The video feature adds tremendous value to anyone with creative aspirations,

I was reading about the D90 on the dpreview messageboards long before it was being discussed here. A majority of the posters there who mentioned video at all thought that video on the D90 was a bad thing. They didn't want it. The ones who did want it were upset that it wasn't going to have autofocus . It was not 3 or 4 people. Video was not a welcome addition to the spec sheet for this camera.

You may believe that video is a positive addition, but that does not mean that all the DSLR Nikon fans agree with you.
You may believe that the video feature adds tremendous value, but to believe that anyone with creative aspirations inherently believes or believed that when the specs for this camera were being discussed is absolutely incorrect.

[ando]

you're going offtopic like all dpreview's threads until they reach the age of 150

d90 without video is a very competitive dslr with a good price. video isn't the most important feature by far.
as long as adding new stuff doesn't affect at all the rest i don't see where the problem is.

don't make this thread useless just 'cause you have too much free time
seems to me most of the angry people here are neither photographers nor videographers. a photo dude would like a lot d90 as a dslr and a video dude will enjoy the video part. wishing for autofocus, xlr inputs or electronic zoom is just kids talk

[tigrr]

funny, I experienced the same conservative response on dpreviev regarding d90 video features.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1034&thread=29278164

I agree with Lisa, very nice post.. I think Nikon could make a big breakthrough in HD video market. The advantage of Nkon/Canon is that they have lots of PRO lens that can be reused for video.. Nikon also doesn have Video-product line that could be affected by introducing the full-manual-video-control D90, so the future of D-Movie seems very bright to me..

But I could be wrong.

[John Caballero]

I will be pestering the folks at the Nikon booth at Photo Plus Expo in New York starting October 23 thru the 25. Somebody there HAS to know more inside details about how the D90 works in terms of metering, shutter speed, etc. I will also make sure to get a good email address to send suggestions to. All you video guys that own a D90 now should go to the show and voice your opinions with Nikon. They may have some presentations about how to get the best of the DMovie. We will see.

[stoiqa]

"I've been a Nikon user for over a decade."

That`s why I use dpreview, to read the news only and this forum to write.

Being a decade Nikon user, doesn't necessarily make you an expert, your phrase just makes you sound grumpy and confused.Welcome to the real world,where we embrace "change"

[NikonGuy]

Come on people no sidetracking, keep writing to Nikon and ask for manual control in a firmware upgrade! :beer:

[kevm14]

A majority of the posters there who mentioned video at all thought that video on the D90 was a bad thing. They didn't want it.

It's all a moot point now. The camera is a still picture camera and acts like one, even in video mode. It is not compromised, not even a little bit. So when I keep hearing this, I get annoyed. And some people are still bad mouthing it for this "reason."

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

Come on people no sidetracking, keep writing to Nikon and ask for manual control in a firmware upgrade! :beer:

I wonder if they would get aggravated if the same person kept posting that request. I've already done it 3 times.

[Anhar Miah]

Whats their email?

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin...p_sid=dwPwLrVi

and click "ask a question" a tech will usually respond within the day saying he will forward the info to the appropriate department...Wish there was a more direct route.

[Car3o]

funnnnny imagine the one guy who has to read these questions and comments. actually, that'd be a bad ass job.

[ESTEBEVERDE]

You can call Nikon as well.

Call their customer service number and chat them up about the D90.

They will make a report. It get's higher priority than just an email.

It's best to do both.

[cacophony]

I was reading about the D90 on the dpreview messageboards long before it was being discussed here. A majority of the posters there who mentioned video at all thought that video on the D90 was a bad thing. They didn't want it.

As was I, and sorry, but your statement is just plain wrong. If you actually look at the D90 video threads on the D90 forum on dpreview you'll see that a majority of the users are excited by the feature. And the ones that have actually used it are ecstatic.

Here's the most recent video thread for example:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=29281916

Yes, everyone clearly thinks it's a bad thing! ROTFL!!!

[Anhar Miah]

http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin...p_sid=dwPwLrVi

and click "ask a question" a tech will usually respond within the day saying he will forward the info to the appropriate department...Wish there was a more direct route.

Bookmarked.

[murcott]

i also jst talked to a nikon rep @ vistek in canada. I actaully asked him when the D80 come out how long until a firmware update was available... He mentioned an update for the d80 was available a few months after release. He also said that most likely nikon will follow the same timeline for the D90 but doesnt guaranty it. "Its to early to tell.... be patient as the d90 not available everywhere yet."


maybe therse is hope... In the mean time ive canceled my pre-order. Im going to wait and see what happens... fingers crossed!!!!!

[Texanite]

As was I, and sorry, but your statement is just plain wrong. If you actually look at the D90 video threads on the D90 forum on dpreview you'll see that a majority of the users are excited by the feature. And the ones that have actually used it are ecstatic.

Here's the most recent video thread for example:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=29281916

Yes, everyone clearly thinks it's a bad thing! ROTFL!!!


My statement is not "just plain wrong". Read what you quoted from me. Past tense, bro. I'm not talking at all about current users who 'are ecstatic'.

[Thebes]

"I've been a Nikon user for over a decade."

That`s why I use dpreview, to read the news only and this forum to write.

Being a decade Nikon user, doesn't necessarily make you an expert, your phrase just makes you sound grumpy and confused.Welcome to the real world,where we embrace "change"

Actually, I've seen the same sentiments on Nikonians and photo.net, not from the majority of those commenting on the video mode, but from enough people that it could cause Nikon some concern. I'm not saying I'm a Nikon "expert", merely that I recognize that D-Movie is a very controversial feature among many dedicated Nikon users. I think it would be greaty if people who like D-Movie let Nikon know, because surely those who don't already have.

I embrace change too. Coming to video from a photo background, I see the D90 as a massive first step towards what I think video cameras should be.

[cacophony]

My statement is not "just plain wrong". Read what you quoted from me. Past tense, bro. I'm not talking at all about current users who 'are ecstatic'.

Oh, I get it. You're arguing that Nikon users were initially very upset to have the video feature, but now that's it out they're really happy to have it. Or maybe you're arguing that all the people that were initially unhappy with it are now choosing to not express their opinions now that the feature is out. Either way: LOL!