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I am looking for a camera (EVIL or DSLR) with an APS-C sensor which can take still pictures while filming. For some reasons the comparisons I looked at just didn't put a priority on this feature.

Does somebody has a hint for me?

Thank you

Chait
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Steve Eastwood
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    As far as I know, the answer is "none". The requirements are different, particularly as concerns shutter speed, even if you'd settle for low resolution. You could do frame extraction from a higher-rez cine/video camera like the Blackmagic, but that's not the same thing as getting a multi-megapixel still while shooting 1080p on a stills camera in video mode. –  Jul 02 '13 at 00:24
  • What is your specificity for the film? My Canon 500D can take a picture while filming, but there will be a blank few seconds in the film while the mirror flips down and up again and the picture is taken – Dreamager Jul 02 '13 at 00:32
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    There are reasons we do not put a priority to this. It simply does not work. A number of cameras allow you to press the shutter-release (hint: those cameras have a video-record button) and get an image while filming but there is no way to frame that shot since the field-of-view and aspect ratio differs and it causes the video to skip for about one second, losing continuity and audio. If you really need an image, a frame-grab is lower-res but unobtrusive to video. – Itai Jul 02 '13 at 01:08
  • well that was not exactly the answer I was hoping to get but thank you very much for it. Losing the continuity is an aspect I havent thought about. – Steve Eastwood Jul 02 '13 at 04:08
  • The Nikon 1 series does a full resolution shot while filming, but not an APS-C sensor – MikeW Jul 02 '13 at 06:16
  • Just for perspective. The Sanyo XACTI domestic market video cameras (models range from 640 x 480 MP4 up through 'full HD' in later versions, record to SD card have side by side still and video "shutter release" buttons. Press the still button while 'filming' and you get a normal still frame and the video features the still image for the duration of the time taken to acquire the still image. The result is about as seamless as you could reasonably hope for. In many cases a casual observer could watch the video and not be aware of the frozen picture while frame grabbing. – Russell McMahon Jul 02 '13 at 12:23
  • Sony should be able to do this well with their pellicle mirror SLTs', if they chose to. They don't. So far. – Russell McMahon Jul 02 '13 at 12:42
  • The technical challenges for this are many as sensors work in a different mode for video since the throughout required to whisk off 16+ MP frames at 24+ FPS. Most cameras read by skipping pixel or binning pixels and most often at less than full bit-depth, so getting a full-image during that process without interference will certainly require lots of work someone thinks it's worth it. – Itai Jul 03 '13 at 01:17

2 Answers2

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I have the 650D (Rebel T4i). and actually it was the Canon's try to make a DSLR which can record good videos too (Introducing focus while filming, stereo mics, new processor).

It can take pictures while filming actually but the things is that if you move while taking the picture or some object move, then the film will look like cut in middle when you take the picture. (The film will stop, the camera takes the picture, and then it will resume)

Miro Markaravanes
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You can do it on a 5D Mk III (not APS-C) though the movie will 'freeze' for a second while it happens. See this excerpt from page 230 of the manual:

Taking still photos during movie shooting

  • If you take a still photo during movie shooting, the movie will record a still moment lasting approx. 1 sec.
  • The captured still photo will be recorded to the card, and the movie shooting will resume automatically when the Live View image is displayed.
  • The movie and still photo will be recorded as separate files on the card.
Mike
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