p.4 #6 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
The question is interesting, in some ways, but it is hardly different from asking about a range of other features that might or might not be either crucially important or totally useless to various photographers. For example, how about the "direct print" button? Live view? Ability to shoot in black and white? ISOs lower than 100?
I'm not really criticizing the question, just suggesting a bit of context. I think it is interesting that the video feature is crucially important to a few and unimportant to so many, including me.
I answered the basic question earlier, but here is a slightly more involved version. I think I tried the video feature exactly once - while going through the manual to see how it worked. Other than that I never use it, though occasionally I think about how it might be smart to grab some video of some subjects I photograph. (A friend who is a well-regarded still photographer does this, and is under contract with a major TV network to supply some of the resulting footage for one of their programs.)
While I don't use it, a) I recognize that a number of people find the feature useful, b) it seems, from all I hear, that it can produce some truly high quality output, subject to a few functional limitations, and c) its inclusion has not handicapped me as a still photographer using this gear at all.
p.4 #7 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
My DLSRs (D30, 1Ds2) don't have Video capability. I recently got a SONY RX 100. But I have not even tried Video. So, it is highly unlikely that I would frequently use the Video with a DSLR in the future. But I don't mind having the feature for just in case.
p.4 #8 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
As already said it doesnt add anything to the cost so why not
Am starting to do more video of wildlife on my 7D , the quality of the footage I can get is amazing
I still mainly take stills but once Ive got the shots I have a go at getting some video
A dedicated camcorder is still the best tool for general video as a DSLR needs a tripod and focusing is tricky
but the quality is better than camcorder footage and I can use all my lenses as well
p.4 #9 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
I love the video from my 5D II, the quality is amazing. Unfortunately, I hate the effort involved in converting it to a finished, viewable product. So my videos generally sit around on various old computers and hard drives, collecting dust.
p.4 #10 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
A friend of mine is a wildlife photographer, and had zero interest in video. Nearly a year after buying his latest camera, he witnessed some unusual behavior in an animal, and decided to flip his camera into video mode and capture it.
This mirrors my experience. I shoot birds almost exclusively (with the 7D) and realized after a few weeks with the camera that there are behaviors that I can capture with video that still photographs simply can't convey. From that point on I have been always on the lookout for opportunities for motion capture during my photo shooting sessions, and I'm glad I only have to carry one camera for both purposes.
Bottom line: I will never buy a DSLR that doesn't have video capability.
p.4 #11 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
BluesWest wrote:
This mirrors my experience. I shoot birds almost exclusively (with the 7D) and realized after a few weeks with the camera that there are behaviors that I can capture with video that still photographs simply can't convey. From that point on I have been always on the lookout for opportunities for motion capture during my photo shooting sessions, and I'm glad I only have to carry one camera for both purposes.
Bottom line: I will never buy a DSLR that doesn't have video capability.
John
indeed
and just as some things are worse in video than in stills, there are plenty of things just don't have the same impact or reveal the same things when shot as stills instead of video, broaden your horizons and explore, rather than rant or at least just don't bother with it but don't rant and bash the fact that it exists as an option
p.4 #14 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
EB-1 wrote:
The 5D III doesn't do video AF?
EBH
Well it does but it's the same AF that you are used to from liveview so it's not exactly going to be tracking anything.
It's not all that easy to make AF work out well shooting on large sensors though unless you stopped down to like f/18 or something since it looks distracting to see AF doing its job during video, consumer camcorders got away with it because of very tiny sensors and huge DOF. To this day, almost all serious and films are shoot using manual focus.
That said, for some things, some state of the art video AF would help, especially if used judiciously even just as a quick aid before re-locking in etc. I think the new panasonic and new sony will probably pull this off a lot better.
p.4 #16 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
The T4i does auto focus for video.
That is why Canon brought out the new STM lenses. The new C100 will also offer auto focus with STM lenses after a firmware update in eth spring.
For film making, people use manual focus and "pull" focus. On camcoders, auto focus is very common. So auto focus helps to bridge those two realms, and push the DSLR into the realm where usually you would have to go to a camcorder.
I bought the T4i for it's video capabilities. the face tracking on the touch screen is great for video.
I think we are likely to see one more combo still & video body yet, a 3DC or a 7DC. There has to be a higher level Canon than the T4i that uses auto focus, STM, and the touch screen. I would expect it this fall, but it might get pushed back to teh spring by a 40MP sensor camera to respond to Nikon.
The 5D3 is really not optomized for video like the 1DC and C100 are. It is a more still image centric camera. The T4i is a little closer to a video camera, but of course it is an entry level "do everything" camera. It could use a few key tweaks for good video (auto exposure in video mode hasno way to set the maximum ISO, so you could be shooting at ISO 6400 in mid-day, etc.)
p.4 #17 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
My interest in video came only with my 5d2, I was never interested in video before. I began by inserting small video clips in my slideshows and this is really adding a lot to the slideshows and it is easy to do. I can really encourage everyone to try this. Then I accepted to do some small projects and it was fascinating but also time consuming, there is a lot to learn and you need some new stuff (by the way: when using fluid video heads I noticed that they were excellent for shooting stills ).
So I think that the video capability can be a very fascinating addition, try it
Claude
p.4 #20 · How important is video in a DSLR to you ?
I think I recall some of the same attitude regarding Live View a few years ago...I like live view and the video option makes me $$$. So I'm happy with both.
I recently got a SONY RX 100. But I have not even tried Video. So, it is highly unlikely that I would frequently use the Video with a DSLR in the future. But I don't mind having the feature for just in case. 
