Potentially switching from gh2 to D800

S

Stephen Michael

Member
Hi all - I'm a NYC based shooter currently using the gh2 for everything from narrative work, to documentary, to event video (and everything else in between). I mostly use glass with nikon mount and an adapter for the ability to adjust aperture manually. I love the camera to death and it has helped me do good work, but while at B&H today I couldn't help but pickup the D800 and fiddle around with it. I LOVE its form factor/size, the clean HDMI, the fact that I can use my existing nikon glass without an adapter, and the fact that it's an extraordinary stills camera as well.

I know it will do well in a controlled narrative setting, so I guess my question is really does anyone plan to/has anyone already used the D800 for event/corporate video/run n' gun documentary work? And if so, good experiences? Bad?

thanks everyone!
Stephen
 
In the few months that I have been using my D800, I have found it to be a magnificent camera for stills and a very good camera for video, especially if you have a collection of Nikon glass. Actually, you can shoot some stunning footage, but if you rely on autofocus, it may disappoint. Even under ideal conditions, it will microhunt just enough to be visible in the final footage. I usually shoot in manual focus, but yesterday I used my D800 on a Merlin 2 Steadycam with an 85mm f/1.4G lens, shooting a subject walking down the street - both the subject and camera in constant motion. I tried all of the autofocus modes including face priority and subject detect and also tried stopping down the aperture to increase the depth of field. Most of the time, the subject was in perfect focus, but often the camera would briefly overshoot when reacquiring the target. Perhaps I am doing something wrong, but the resulting footage was not acceptable unless I want to use little snippets.

I also locked the D800 with a 200mm f/2 lens down on a tripod and had the subject walk directly towards the camera. Same problem, so I ending up using manual focus. Auto-exposure in live view/movie mode seems to be pretty quirky. There are definitely some AF and AE issues that I hope will be addressed in a firmware update.
 
Tavarino thanks for your response. Luckily I have never shot using autofocus and I don't think I ever plan to! Do you have any samples of D800 footage that you would be willing to share? thanks!
 
BobbyMurcerFan said:
IMHO, you answered the ? before you asked it, LOL!
Click to expand...

Not sure I understand your humble opinion. Perhaps you assume I was shooting with an aperture of 1.4 which I mentioned in the post only to indicate which of the several Nikon 85mm Nikon lenses I was using, a common courtesy in the DSLR world where the focusing speed and accuracy of the lens can depend greatly on the specific lens model since it contains the focusing motor. For the Steadycam shot, I was using mostly f/8.
 
@Tavarino
Well, i think its a little "mean"... but what BobbyMurcerFan what "LOL'in" about was using an 85.
A bit of a zoom, even on a full frame.
When your using a steady cam, you need to consider using wide lenses. Without a FULL professional rig, careful distance measuring, and possibly a remote follow focus unit. Using an 85 is next to impossible to keep focus.
With that said, im sure there are people that can pull that off easily, im not one of them.
If i where you. Stick with a 28-70 f2.8, or the kit lens for that matter. Then do a few tests and see which "Zoom" range your comfortable with.

On a side note. The benefit of using a crop cam, over the full frame is that your f-stop is also multiplied. Im not fully versed on this so dont just take my word, but:
The idea is, that with a crop camera you multiply the lens specs, ALL OF THEM.
For example, you have a 35mm f2, which means on a D7000 you have a 35mm lens X 1.5 crop sensor = 52.5mm f2. However, you dont stop there...and this is where it can get a bit confusing.
YOU also multiply the f-stop. So that f2 is actually f3 with regards to depth of field, BUT YOU STILL are getting f2 worth of light.
Thats why a full frame depth of field looks so much more pronounced, then on APS-C camera's DOF.
So, you can see some benefits with using APS-C type cameras over full frames for heavy movement work.
Its even more on the GH2, which means when im using my steady-cam with kit lens 14mm f3.5 i've got like a few meters/yards to move between.

You can always attach a string to the steady-cam (belt works too), place a marker at the end of it (Neon paper tab/folded sticky)...and have that drag along so that you always maintain a constant distance to your talent.
 
The easiest way to put it is that larger sensors beget a more shallow depth of field than smaller sensors.

And daihard nailed it with the steadicam and 85 remark.

As far as autofocus is concerned...they put the feature on there because they had to...but it should NEVER be used. Especially in anything professional.
 
To me it seems smart to have both cameras especially at their price points. They are quite different cameras with different strengths and weaknesses and one might be better for a specific job than the other.
 
FWIW I found the AF useless on my HVX200A (at 24/p) as well. The advantage it did have over the D800 for steadicam however was almost unlimited DOF at almost any f-stop in the mid range. Which of course was the key disadvantage otherwise as well...
 
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