Boneheads ?

This interview with Chuck Westfall from Canon explains a lot about why HDSLRs were designed the way they were.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-10213645-39.html

Question: The age of the video SLR has begun. A lot of people in the high-end camera market are set in their ways, and video is a radical difference for a lot of them. How does that change the camera design, the marketing, and everything you have to do to sell a camera?

Westfall: Right now we're at an early stage for all this. Actually, the camera design itself has not changed that much--yet. If you look at a camera like the 5D Mark II, it's really been intentionally designed as a still camera first and foremost. The video feature is definitely a very important addition to the camera, but it really is an option as opposed to the main purpose. One of the things we're hoping to accomplish with this approach is to give our still photographers--the bread and butter of our business--the opportunity to try something different without necessarily taking them out of their comfort zone--in terms of the camera shape, size, layout. I'd say that a very key element, at least in terms of 5D Mark II, is that it does have the full-frame sensor. This has a big impact in image quality in terms of low noise and angle of view issues, but it also has tremendous importance to a still photographer in the respect that the look and feel of the movies is very similar in terms of perspective and angle of view and depth of field. The familiarity photographers already have developed in terms of what lenses they're going to pick can be carried forward.

We pretty rapidly went from "Wow, freaky, video!" to "How come it can't do all the things I want it to do?" For example, setting the aperture or locking it at a certain ISO--why are those features not there?

Westfall: In the beginning, we had to take into account that there are going to be a fair amount of users out there who are into the customization aspect, but the overall customer profile on this camera (the 5D Mark II) includes a lot of amateurs as well. Anything we can do to give those customers automation on the basics of video, including exposure, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO--those are things that will make it easier to produce high-quality footage without that much experience.

To be honest with you, one of the other issues is that adding the full range of manual controls on this camera makes it a much more complicated instrument. It's not necessarily that we're never going to do it, but it's generation 1.0. We'd like to get some market feedback, which we've already received now, before we start making any serious changes to the overall feature set or design.
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I don't blame people wanting simple things like 1/8" headphone jacks and stuff because I want those things too. But I also do product design so I understand Canon's perspective that every feature affects a lot of things: mechanical design, electrical design, PWB layout, embedded software, test, quality, etc.

But most people aren't engineers or are involved in product design so chances are they won't be familiar with the process and all the ramifications. Instead, they naturally expect more because things are so amazing these days and our expectations are so high. It reminds me of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXStPqhLmIk
 
Well

I see film a stuff that records and image

A stills camera is a box with a shutter release

A movie camera is a box with shutter release and frame advance

While im not an engineer in product design it would seem simpler to make something decent and simple rather that does the job properly rather than the jewels we see now that dont actually work that well - thats the bonehead bit IMO

And once we get onto the design of the jewels, the extra gizmos often the design is boneheaded

An example; I like to use a DSLR in a waterhousing , I like AF, what I dont like is the fact that the lenses focus on the drips on the housing

A feature like limiting focus travel would be far more useful than what we see in todays DSLRs

S
 
If we decide to use our brains a little harder it is obvious to understand that this is a developing technology. It started with point and shoot cameras now is evolving into bigger sensors and cmos at that. At this point whoever is not happy with what we have available then go out and buy a "real" video camera. There are plenty out there that would do the job. Oh, but we have to deal with adapters if we want the shallow DOF this little cameras are giving! Oh, but the Red One is too expensive! Well tough. Thats what we have available right now. When Canon and Panasonic or anybody else further develop the technology we will have better cameras. When Scarlet comes out the "promise" is that you will have better choice. But today what we have is what we have and it is pretty good until it gets better. That is reality 1.0.
 
I think it goes without saying the success of the video mode of the Canon 5D Mark II was a big surprise to Canon, who included it as an afterthought. But it's pretty obvious this is going to be their most successful 'video' camera in years...

Noah
 
While the cam may have been a suprise it is still a semi pro DSLR, if I were on the design team, or given a tester I would have instantly asked 'where is manual' ?

Ive never operated any DSLR (stills) in any other way - I dont even know what Tv or P do

That ommission IMO was boneheaded

a second machine with no sound monitor or levels is equally boneheaded or worse

especially as the interest was clear by that point

S
 
I think it goes without saying the success of the video mode of the Canon 5D Mark II was a big surprise to Canon, who included it as an afterthought.
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Sorry but the big guys don't do anything by "accident" or afterthought, there is too much money and reputation at stake. No matter what they say they knew the impact this new technology was going to have. That's for sure.
 
it could have been an after (the d90) thought
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Video was part of the small point and shoot digital cameras long before the D90. It is just evolving into the big sensor cameras as we speak. It was just a natural process for this camera companies to keep their sales going.
 
indeed but the possibility of plonking a 14 or a 400 or an f1.2 on a sub $5k camera opened some minds in the way that the G9 compact did not
 
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