Query for parents out there: stills, or video and stills?

[Birma]

I've put this in "off topic" as it is about video as much as anything, but I want the view of photography buffs, and I know there are a lot of parents out there as well. So, on to my query.

I'm relatively new to parenting, just 11 months in, but I really value capturing memories of my daughter as she grows up. I love the photos I have taken, and I will continue to take these. However, I am starting to wonder, as she becomes more mobile, if video footage would add something that I will otherwise miss with just stills. I am interested in your views, especially those who have video footage of their kids - do you ever get around to watching it? Does it add to the memories?

This is obviously a very personal thing, but I would be interested in your views none the less. One of the major reasons is that I don't currently have any way of capturing good video, and I'm therefore thinking of investing in a HD camcorder. This will remove budget for more camera "stuff" so it's a tough decision . If I'm going to have video it has got to be HD and reasonable quality otherwise not worth it IMHO.

(Obvioulsy a D90 or 5Dmk2 would be ideal, but I have discounted switching brand as I don't want to start all over again, and the mk2 is way out of price range anyway. I don't think Sony will come up with a video capable DLSR soon this year and I can't wait too long - she's almost walking!)

[Javelin]

For us video wasn't a big deal. we grew up with super 8 cameras pointed at us and those never get played 9screen projector.. burned out lamps. melted films.. ) but the albums are still looked at fairly often. I know things are easier now with tape and digital but I still don't see them being used among my younger friends so I would say that it's important to have video.. but it's really important to have good stills ..

[KevinBarrett]

When I have kids I don't intend to be capturing their every move, or even their big important ones, on video. This comes out of a fear of being one of those parents who is too busy recording their kids' childhood to really see it first hand, or to participate it in. I do, however, want my kids to have a video camera available to play with, in order to encourage their creativity.

[Dr. Harout]

Birma, heed my words: do have a separate video camcorder
Stills, you'll always look at, videos are for occasions. But both are for memories.
Sometimes you can capture moments on still shots, explaining and expressing the situation way better than a video would, but sometimes you'll wish and/or will enjoy those moments in your life...
As you become older and older you will stick to memories more and more (hoping and wishing that someone will not loose his memory in that age).
Decisive moments can be caught by two cameras (still and video) at the same time, you will shoot with your alpha while your wife will record the event on video. And that would be just great.
I had once a Nikon coolpix 8800 which took short videos too. You can't imagine how many wonderful shots I've lost (the opportunity, I mean) while taking videos. Thus I decided I would not lean on a camera for having a video capability.
Happy shooting my friend.

[Dr. Harout]

Video (banned term) alert! Video (banned term) alert! Video is the wave of the future on dSLRs, friend. Obviously the market is demanding video as today we are seeing HD video even on full frame cameras!

-Sonolta

I'm not a video (banned term), on the contrary. But why not have a decent video camera separately, a really good one, I mean.

[Dusty]

I'm with Doc on this one. I have 4 girls, and I wouldn't want to miss those video clips we have. I don't need HD, as I grew up w/ std TV, and in our house it was B&W until 1974!

Photos are great, but how do you capture your 4 year old going a near perfect imitation of Hanna Montana in pics? Mine don't have sound! And dancing, ice skating, and anything anything like that can't have real justice done to it in stills. Oh, you can capture some great stills, but they don't show the whole story.

And since Granny has a VCR but no computer, it's an easy dupe and mail to cut her in on the action, too.

You won't regret the video cam.

Dusty

[Birma]

Thanks to everyone for their input, it is much appreciated - all food for thought.

[Dusty]

LOL..Almost ALL new TV's sold today are HD and widescreen format.

Photos are great, but how do you capture your 4 year old going a near perfect imitation of Hanna Montana in pics?

Easy, you shoot HD video and pix with the same machine.

Mine don't have sound!

I have an antique 8 mm Brownie I can sell you, maybe it's all you need.

And dancing, ice skating, and anything anything like that can't have real justice done to it in stills.

Sure it can...and with video on your camera you can shoot both.

Oh, you can capture some great stills, but they don't show the whole story.

Really...I suppose that's why video on your camera is a great thing.

And since Granny has a VCR but no computer, it's an easy dupe and mail to cut her in on the action, too.

LOL...Get real, you will be hard pressed to even find a stand alone vhs machine for sale these days. No at best buy, no at circuit city, no at walmart, no at kmart, etc, etc, etc...I know this because I just had to ship my last hifi VHS machine to my father to do some dubiing because not one new stand alone vhs unit was available for sale in his entire city. Video to computer or DVD is where it's at these days...

-Sonolta

Where do I begin. My TV is old, but works fine, and I have no need to update to HD. My video camera is not HD, is about 5 years old and works fine. Some of the video in DSLR implementations have no or poor sound, so again, how do I capture the Hanna Montana impressions?

Did I say Granny was buying a VCR? No I said she HAS one. If you got your head far enough out of your reactionary ass, you might be able to read clearly. As far as buying a VCR, buy the VCR/DVD combo if you want to still have a VCR.
http://www.walmart.com/browse/DVD-Playe ... avId=62055" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anything else I can help you with?

Dusty

[David Kilpatrick]

Neither the D90 nor the 5D MkII would be ideal for capturing a child performing. They both need very careful planning and setting up, including practicing using follow manual focus (and your lens absolutely must have a large, reliable manual focus control). Some kind of lighting is useful to. Kids move round too much for anyone but a very experienced user to tackle with an HD movie DSLR. I was talking to Canon about this yesterday, and I will get a 5D MkII back for a couple of weeks when the weather is good, with the right choice of lenses, to try some planned filming. Users so far have been adapting lenses with 'stops' so they can set two focus distances, and getting their subjects to do things like walking to a mark on the floor - exactly the same way Hollywood always did it. Some are even using a focus-puller, a second operator working the manual focus while the photographer films and the subject moves, to a rehearsed script. Then again you get 'on the hoof' shooting with a wide angle and the photographer doing the focusing by moving - just pull away from the subject or chase them, it would work with a kid, but you would need to learn this technique. Most experienced ENG camera operators already know it, so they have been able to take to the concept of a 'fixed focus' HD-DSLR as a usable tool.

What I've got for filming the sort of thing you refer to is very cheap, works well, goes in your pocket, and can do decent sound (unless it is quiet when you first press the button - then it overamplifies the mic) - the Kodak Zi6. 720p HD filming, no zooming, no need to worry about focus, saves on SD cards, costs less than a decent 8 megapixel pocket digital still camera.

David

[David Kilpatrick]

Post a link to some of your movies you made with it.

I had written a detailed reply to Don's earlier response, but I've just wiped it. There is absolutely no point - it's like trying to explain to a yard dog why barking annoys people.

The best reply here was 'get a camcorder'. Don does not understand HD movie capable DSLRs, he has never even handled one. The quoted clips means nothing at all in the context of any ordinary user getting one of these for home or family use. I spent an hour today with Canon's UK head of PR and coming back to this garbage again is so depressing. I've been talking to countless intelligent, great people for the last two days and the last thing I need is Sonolta's repetitive behaviour patterns. The existing HD DSLRs are unsuitable for the task described, and they do not offer 'video and stills' without (terminal) interruption to video filming either. Plenty of camcorders offer useful still capture without needing to end of pause/resume video filming, and offer video filming with usable zooming, autofocus, video-friendly stabilisation, damped autoexposure - all missing from HDTV DSLRs.

David

[David Kilpatrick]

Get an HD-capable DSLR and come back with some foundation to your advice Don. Take a look at the latest HD camcorders and you won't use the word 'drag', they are tiny - some as small as a mobile phone, some shaped unlike a phone or a traditional camcorder (Sanyo has some particularly good ones).

DSLR video is wonderful, but for most users a compact digital with 1080p (arriving now, affordable) will be a far better solution if they stills and video at choice, or together.

David

[caporip]

going back to the original question i have four kids all teenagers now and have both video and pictures. Again its one of those no correct answer questions but i used the video more when they were all toddlers (first steps, school plays, christmas etc) but now just use photos (that is, when they let me......):-