How hard would this be?

1. TDedmonSBP
   Member

   

   these days, camcorders are getting smaller and smaller, and their video quality is improving. The same is true of still cameras. The 5D MKII has gotten me thinking, if I had a flash memory HD camcorder that isn't incredibly important to me, and a DSLR with over ten Megapixels, how hard would it be to go all Dr. Jekyl on the thing and end up with a pretty basic camcorder that could use interchangeable lenses? Understandably it would be very complicated, but would it be impossible.

   I know a little about the way each of them work on the inside and I understand that the sensors are different, and my particular SLR doesn't have Live view so that would have to be brought over from the camcorder. I love tinkering with stuff and I think that it could be possible, I mean there are certainly plenty of small camcorders that could fit in the body...I realize how crazy a notion this is, but I just wanted to get some input on it. Also, I'm fairly certain you would lose the still camera function of the original SLR, do you agree?

   Thanks guys.

   Posted 2 years ago #

2. Tom Skowronski
   Staff

   

   I'm not sure how much Macguyver Skills this would take, but I could see it being done... How would you go about utilizing the camcorder? Would it be primarily storage? Because I think that you'd lose a lot of functions in both models.

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   Posted 2 years ago #

3. TDedmonSBP
   Member

   

   Yeah I think that would be the hardest part to me, would be leaving enough of the original camera in the body that you still get functional control over iris, shutter, etc. but still be able to fit the video capabilities inside. The more I think about it, this is getting closer and closer to impossible. Or at least pointless.

   Posted 2 years ago #

4. EarlC
   Moderator

   

   With the availability of quality equipment at reasonable prices, and the many options offered, why would you WANT to reinvent the wheel unless  you just, like Tom said, enjoy playing McGuyver?

   Posted 2 years ago #

5. TDedmonSBP
   Member

   

   Well, certainly I do enjoy McGuyvering things, but I have a fair amount of old or at least valueless (to me) video equipment laying around. So the thought came to possibly use the sensor and lens system from the DLSR and add to that the video cpabilities of a smaller, hanydam sort of thing. What you could possibly end up with is 3K lines of resolution, a DSLR that would shoot video without a 12 min clip buffer, and that recorded to any format I wish, not to mention variable frame rates. I know it wouldn't be the easiest or practical thing in the world to do, but it seems like fun nonetheless.

   Posted 2 years ago #

6. zoobie
   Member

   

   The price of this stuff falls 50% in 2 years. Pretty soon, it's worth a couple of hundred at best. You must have a lot of time on your hands.

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   Posted 2 years ago #

7. TDedmonSBP
   Member

   

   It's not a matter of money, it's a matter of being the type of person who likes to tinker. I like taking things apart and putting them back together. So to have a piece of equipment that you built and on which you knew every piece, and what it did, that would be pretty cool. Granted, I'm not really going to try this, I just wanted to know how hard people would think it would be.

   & no I don't have a lot of time on my hands, but that doesn't keep me from having ideas.

   Posted 2 years ago #

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