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Why are DSLR's so slow to evolve with respect to video?

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homestar
Posts: 2124 - Karma: 4,197
I'm curious why Canon can get away with selling what is practically the same camera in every rendition of the rebel t*i series while still charging nearly the same price they were 5 years ago. It seems like consumer level DSLR's are starting to fall pretty far behind other cameras when it comes to resolution and frame rate. Even if they are primarily made for photography, what is stopping them from developing the video capabilities a little further?

We are at we the point where people are able to shoot 4k video with their cel phones and helmet cams but not on more expensive digital cameras.

There are sub-1000 dollar camcorders (HC-VX870) that can shoot in 4k and 1080p at 240fps while the t*i cameras can't even record good1080p at 30fps. This also makes me wonder why people are so quick to recommend t*i's on Newschoolers to people looking to film skiing. Are interchangeable lenses and a larger sensor worth shooting with a camera so outdated in nearly every other aspect?

/rant
Jan 25 2015 6:58PM
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rtl32
Posts: 679 - Karma: 1,161
With good video performance comes the need for an incredible amount of both processing power and data transfer. Shooting higher resolution and better video creates a shit ton of data and dslrs just aren't that good at managing it that much. I can shoot 6 fps shooting full 6000x4000 on my camera and when I shoot video it goes down to 1080x1920 because it's 30fps. That's 5 times more frames to not only process but then move, so it lowers the resolution because there is a limit to how many bytes it can manage in one second. If you make that 4k, that gets multiplied again and your output becomes tremendous. Additionally, dslrs dont compress nearly as badly as your phone that shoots 4k (worse than my camera shoots 1080 that is).
Jan 25 2015 10:16PM
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mvf
Posts: 786 - Karma: 1,581
^What he said.

This is the reason the GH4's video quality is slightly reduced in 1080@96fps vs 1080@60fps. It cannot capture the same quality of images (bitrate) at a higher frame rate.
Jan 26 2015 7:07AM
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homestar
Posts: 2124 - Karma: 4,197
Thanks, it makes more sense now. Why haven't they been able to improve the data transfer speed in the past 4-5 years though? Was the technology in the t2i just ahead of its time?
Jan 26 2015 2:21PM
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eheath
Posts: 61650 - Karma: 123,503
Canon just doesn't give a fuck about their consumer cameras, period. They are letting sony and panasonic take it over, their professional cameras (photo and video) are doing just fine.
Jan 26 2015 2:23PM
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rtl32
Posts: 679 - Karma: 1,161
homestarThanks, it makes more sense now. Why haven't they been able to improve the data transfer speed in the past 4-5 years though? Was the technology in the t2i just ahead of its time?

I don't think the t2i s ahead of it's time by any means but they did sum it up nicely for what it costs and that's why so many people use it.


I think it's a combination of what pussyfooter said and the fact that faster speeds means way higher prices and people who are looking for the things you're talking about usually have outgrown and moved on from the txi series. They could make their consumer products do shit faster, but their pro line already does that and the people who need the pro line specs go with the pro line.
Jan 26 2015 5:10PM
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