Editor’s note (4/8/11): There is an update to this post after some reader comments helped give me some new ideas. Click here to jump below to the update.
With the introduction of iMovie for the iPad 2, it would seem that Apple thinks its wunderkind tablet has some serious multimedia chops.
I wondered – could such a device be used to edit video from journalists in the field?
Think about it – instead of lugging around a 4.5-pound (at a minimum) Macbook Pro a journalist in the field need only carry this thin slate weighing in at a comparatively svelte 1.33 pounds. Pack it with a relatively light, feature-rich DSLR such as a Nikon D7000, a Canon Rebel T2i, or even a Panasonic G2 or Olympus PEN camera and you’d have a pretty formidable multimedia punch in field, no?
It’s no secret that it’s already a decently capable field device for photos. Apple‘s camera connection kit for the iPad allows for easy importing of photos that you can then plug into many apps or send in e-mail attachments. The WordPress app used for this site lets me add photos from the iPad that I import from DSLR cameras. I can even edit them in Photoshop Express or Photogene and then upload to Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, or even an FTP site.
But can it provide the same workflow for the video shooters in the crowd? Will it blend? No wait, wrong site for that.
Since this blog originally started life as SLRvideoshooter.com, I figured it would only be appropriate to give a crazy idea like this a shot.
The challenge
I decided to try a variety of different cameras and systems in the hopes that one would work. I was armed with Apple‘s tech specs on iPad 2 video below (Thanks to our school’s Apple rep.), and did my best to get each camera to match this:
Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
iMovie for iPad startup screen.
The players in this game were the Nikon D7000 and D300s; the Canon Rebel T2i and 5D Mark II; and the Panasonic GF1 (a Micro Four-Thirds system camera). This represents a wide range of manufacturers, video codecs, resolutions and file formats to try on the iPad 2.
This is obviously not everything that’s out there, but if you have a camera you’d like me to try out, send me one and I’ll be happy to oblige! Or if you’ve tried one of your own, post the results in the comments below and I’ll add you to the roundup with credit.
Did any of these work? Let’s take a look.
Round 1: Nikon D7000 and D300s
These two camera represent Nikon’s state-of-the-art in APS-C cameras. The D7000 is arguably the best spec-ed video SLR on the market right now.
Though on paper the D300s and D7000 are similar cameras, they represent two different eras in Nikon’s video technology. The D300s was one of Nikon’s first-generation video SLR cameras, shooting at one specification, and one specification alone – 1280×720 at 24 frames per second. The files outputted by the camera are Motion JPEG-encoded AVI files.
The D7000 shoots at many different sizes and frame rates, though some were immediately no-gos because of resolution (the full HD setting, 1920×1080, choked the iPad 2 even before I got to the editing process). For the sake of matching as closely possible the specs provided by Apple, I decided to try 1280×720 at 30 frames per second. The D7000 outputs h.264-encoded MOV files.
Nikon footage in iMovie for the iPad2.
Both cameras outputted files that I was able to import and play on the iPad 2 (the D7000 had to stay at the lower 1280×720 resolution, whereas for the D300s that’s the only option) but when it came time to the editing, iMovie appeared to grab the movie files from the photos app without a problem, but couldn’t actually view them or edit them. You are greeted with a black editing screen. The D7000 footage actually managed to crash the app several times, without any sort of warning or error message.
I didn’t test Nikon’s “standard” definition because it records at a non-standard 640×424 – a 3:2 ratio suited to pictures, but that’s it. It’s not a common video standard, so trying to test it wouldn’t be of much benefit to most video shooters.
No dice here with Nikon. How did the Canons fare?
Round 2: Canon Rebel T2i and 5D Mark II
The Canon 5D Mark II and Rebel T2i are at opposite ends of the pricing spectrum, but I decided to try both in the same spirit as the Nikons above. The T2i represents about a year and a half (eons in digital equipment years) of research and development over the 5D Mark II, the original Canon video DSLR from 2008. While the 5D Mark II is certainly the more capable camera of the two, it doesn’t feature all of the video options found in the Rebel T2i. Both of the cameras (and the entire Canon lineup) encode footage as h.264 MOV files, just like the Nikon D7000.
Some DSLR footage in iMovie appears on the timeline, but is not playable.
The standard definition setting seemed to match the lower end of Apple‘s specifications for iPad 2 video, But in my tests, I ended up with the same results I got for the Nikon D7000 and D300s – it looked and squawked like editable video, up until importing it into iMovie, where it gave me a blank canvas and then crashed.
The Rebel T2i was a lost cause from the start – at 1280×720 and 640×480, its frame rate is 60 frames per second, too fast for the iPad 2 to even import correctly (and it didn’t – all I got was a bunch of gray boxes).
Supposedly iPad-friendly frame rates – 24 and 30 frames per second – are only available in 1920×1080 full HD mode, which the iPad 2, as in all other cases, was incapable of importing and playing.
The T2i is a capable camera, for sure, but poorly suited for this challenge.
When the iPad 2 can't play video, it shows up as gray boxes that you can't do anything with.
Round 3: Panasonic GF1
The “dark horse” entry into this challenge, the GF1 is here as a representative of the Micro Four-Thirds clan. This system has proven that it can hang in there with APS-C sensors quite easily – with the added bonus of exceptional video quality and fast video autofocus to boot.
In an ideal world, this type of camera would be the one to carry with an iPad 2 – DSLR quality in an exceptionally small package that is easy to use for even novice photographers. Reporters without photography experience that are easily intimidated by bulky SLR cameras can take to the mirrorless variety (championed, mostly, by Panasonic, Olympus and Sony) with a much smaller learning curve. The Olympus models can take an optional microphone mount, something I hope that Panasonic sees fit to introduce soon.
The GF1‘s run was at 1280×720 resolution at 30 frames per second. I used Motion JPEG for the codec as opposed to AVCHD for compatibility reasons …
Which didn’t really matter because the footage wasn’t compatible with iMovie anyway. See the entry about the Nikons, as the results were more or less the same here.
The growing pains of a new technology
So I failed in this attempt. But, to quote CNN‘s Victor Hernandez from a recent conference I attended, “(journalism) is about trying, it’s about failing, it’s about sharing.”
I don’t hold this out as a scientific comparison at all. Indeed, it’s possible that there’s a flaw in my methodology or technique here that’s causing it all to fail (if that’s the case, please tell me!). I just tried to get as many cameras as I could get my hands on to see if this was even possible.
I don’t think the cameras were at fault here. In all likelihood, it’s that the technology isn’t mature enough yet to handle such high quality (read: large, high-bitrate) video. DSLR video can bring even the fastest desktops grinding to a halt, so it’s probably too much to ask of an A5-powered tablet computer to handle. (UPDATE 4/8/11: It can very easily edit the video but it’s still not a success – see why below!)
But make no mistake – this is the future of editing in the field. It may not be the iPad 3 or even the iPad 4, but the potential for small package, big multimedia punch here is amazing. The editing-with-your-fingers thing seems weird now, but then again, so did the tablet computer back in 2009.
The speed of the photo workflow is already mostly there (see above about Photogene on the iPad). It’s only a matter of time before video gets the same treatment.
The folks at Apple already have a head start over the tablet competition. The platform is solid and the software is in place. All that seems necessary is a speed boost. Apple, are you listening?
UPDATE 4/8/11: I can edit video on it, but that’s all …
Without sound, D7000 footage actually loads in iMovie for the iPad 2.
So, armed with this new information, I decided to retry some of the cameras above with the audio disabled. 1920×1080 resolution is still out, but I was able to load on standard definition footage from the Canon 5D Mark II and 1280×720 HD footage from the Nikon D7000 and run it through the timeline smoothly. The Nikon D300s just wouldn’t load for some reason, and there was no option to disable audio on the Panasonic GF1.
This just blew my mind though – the A5 processor in the iPad 2 was more than smooth enough to edit the video. I was able to clip things together with relative ease. It even makes me wonder – if the iPad 2 is able to do this, why can’t most netbooks adequately handle HD video, especially on the Web? Is there something to Apple‘s claims of inefficiency on the part of Adobe Flash? Just maybe there is.
So why then, am I not eagerly posting video that I edited from the iPad 2? Because once I was done with the edits (I use the term loosely) on the video, I was unable to export the video. I tried four different options from the program – Camera Roll, Facebook, Vimeo and YouTube, all with the same result you see pictured here – that the video would error out. My guess? The export scripts are probably set to deal with iPad 2 footage and not some from external sources as crazy as DSLRs.
iMovie on the iPad 2 can't export DSLR video.
So the final verdict? Too early to call. Apple has real potential here – the processor seems fast enough for DSLR video. The software seems robust enough to edit it with a fair amount of precision. Any and all problems here seem solely because of the closed-nature of the device (which I’ve complained about before) – Apple is only letting video files shot on its devices fly on this iMovie thing, and yes, it brings a level of stability to the whole thing, but if I want to crash my iPad 2 editing DSLR video, that’s my business. Let me do it – open this piece of software up and remove these exporting and audio limitations. Make journalists drool over your device as they dream up new possibilities. Hell, think of the publicity potential of a feature film shot with a DSLR and edited on an iPad 2.
While I’d love to have an open file system on the iPad 2 (having a mass storage device I can use like a flash drive would be amazing) I’d look the other way for a while if I could just get this.
Loosen the reins on this, Apple, remove the limitations in the software. After running these tests and seeing the incredible performance, that’s all I believe is stopping me from accomplishing this goal.
Then I’ll really believe that this is a “magical” product.
canon 720p 60fps videos can be played in iPad 1 but not imported. If you copy the file to good reader it plays perfectly. I even have some videos imported trought the camera connection kit to the iPad, then synced to iPhoto, and synced back to the iPad, and it plays perfect in the photo app, I don’t know why. I’m trying to find a way to edit my 60d videos on iMovie on the go. I even jailbreaked my iPad 1 to be able to change the filename of the files in the photo app since by changing the mvi_####.mov filename to only numbers makes the iMovie app to recognize the files and put them on the timeline, but it cannot play them,
this renamed files was recognized by iMovie as 0,5 seconds length videos. And sometimes iMovie was even able to play the first 0,5 sec in the timeline.
I hope someone find a solution to this soon since I really want to be able to edit my Dslr videos on the iPad, I know the hardware are capable of doing it, maybe the guys at apple realize that a big number of iPad customers also use Dslr cameras and update the compatibility of the photo and iMovie app to allow them use the powerful hardware they make to edit the beautiful videos Dslr gives.
Thanks for the article, I found it because I have a twitter search feed saved on my flip board to find tweets with ” iPad Dslr video iMovie” words and yours was the first one to appears
Interesting – so close yet so far! I’m amazed you were able to get DSLR video to play at high resolution on an iPad1. I didn’t realize that iPad1 supported iMovie. The App store doesn’t have it listed there.
A couple of people mentioned that you can transcode things in a computer and then bring them in, but I’m looking to do this completely without the bulk of a computer, or the risk of jailbreaking an iPad.
Thanks for the insight on how you found me as well. I hope you have some more luck than I did with this experiment. Do let me know if you get it working.
Officially the iMovie app it’s not supported the on the iPad 1, but you can install it using the official iPhone configuration utility from apple. Without having to jailbreak.
This is the only reason I found to jailbreak my device. If apple fix the compatibility issues in the photo app or I don’t found a way to do it with the jailbreak I will come bak to the official firmware I think.
Thanks, let me know if you found something too,
Part of the puzzle may be the audio compression. If I’m remembering correctly, Nikon switched to PCM audio on the D7000. If the iPads only support AAC, then that’s going to be a problem. What’s the audio compression on the Canon side?
BINGO. That seems to be the problem. Canon is PCM as well. I tested the 5D Mark II at standard def with no audio recording and it imported and edited fine (if somewhat slow) on the iPad 2. The Panasonic GF1 has no option to turn off the audio, unfortunately, so I can’t test that.
The Nikon D300s didn’t work even with the sound off – it’s probably something funky in the encoding, but it’s entirely likely the D7000 will work. I’ll try it out tomorrow and update the post accordingly.
Jamie, you’re awesome.
I tried with no audio on my 60d in 1080, 720, and 480 def but iPhoto can’t play it neither. I trough that all the canon Dslrs use the same format.
I will try another time later if possible,
Maybe give it a whack with the Vimeo app: http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2011/03/vimeo-app-puts-free-hd-video-editing-on-your-iphone-or-ipad/
Vimeo has an app? I’ll have to give that a try. I’m wondering if the limitations with the audio codecs and such are based on the hardware or the software. I guess we’ll find out.
Though I’ve just had some progress with the D7000. Not a bad way to edit video, if we’re looking to the future here. I just wish I had audio and I could, you know, export?
Apparently they do. I have a feeling it’s a mix of hardware and software. The reason h.264 works better than Flash is hardware acceleration, and AAC is generally part of the h.264 package. You can brute force other codecs, but you tax the processor a lot more heavily. I have a feeling you COULD run it with other codecs, but I’m not sure Apple’s willing to open that up. Try downloading VLC, just to see if you can get the DSLR clips to play, because that’ll give you a definitive answer.
Oh, almost all the raw clips play fine on the iPad 2. It’s the iMovie part that’s gumming things up. The only raw clips that were giving me trouble were the 60fps ones and the 1920×1080 ones.
Very interesting article, thanks! This resonates well with my goal to be able to shoot video with Panasonic GF1 and edit it with ipad2 and then export to my webpage or flickr or wherever.
I hope you’ll find a solution as it would be awesome to remove the need for a bulky computer, especially when traveling!
Awesome posting on this blog!! Ive read it a few times with hopes that the end would be positive , although everytime we reach a roadblock. I even bought a gf2 yesterday hoping that it would work despite what this blog said. Although my lower sd video cameras work in imovie + ipad…..The dslr range dont
…..Oh well..
Keep up the great work and keep your eyes open !! We really appreciate your time with this one
-Quentin
Quentin,
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
Two questions, if you don’t mind:
What were your results when you tried the GF2 video on your iPad?
And how do you like the GF2 compared to the GF1? I’ve given it some serious thought but have held off hoping the GF3 will add a mic input to the mix.
-Wasim
I FOUND A WORKAROUND EVERYONE!! GET ANY DSLR VIDEO UP TO 720p/30fps to work!! W()()T!!!
Check my Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8-crriMQms
Wasim,
Sorry for the late reply….I really am new to blog and this sort of thing…Any how I returned the GF2 after it wouldnt work natively with my IPAD..I loved the compact size although and the light weight. Its very compact and descreet.
Days after returning it, Nikkon came out with a dslr with a flip screen [D5100]. I bought that instead because I mainly do vide0o editing…Fortunately, I found a workaround as well to get my videos on to the ipad…Im very happy about it now because I shoot and edit right on imovie natively without any problems
…..
Thanks for asking….
Hi Quentin,
Checked out the video. Thanks for posting it! I had two questions for you (I always seem to have two, right?)
Did your video have sound or was it turned off in the camera? I’ve been able to get footage in with the sound turned off and I’m able to edit it, but no more than that.
Were you able to export the video? I think the iPad has no idea what to do to export video of this quality, but does your step in converting the file on the iPad solve this problem? It sounds like it just might.
This is awesome – progress, right?! Maybe Apple can just natively support this stuff in the next update so the jailbreaking part isn’t necessary? One can dream.
Hey Wasim,
Thanks for watching the video I posted on how to import dslr video. The camera I used was NIKON d5100 & Canon sx30…both who output 720p with aac audio & wav audio [Wanted to do both to see if there would be a difference]. They were both turned on… They worked flawlessly once recompressed..[Which only took 1 minute on the IPAD 1]
You may have been able to import with sound turned off because it is a audio format unsupported, but once you do my method, it will work regardless of sound….Believe it or not, I tried using my method on 4.2.1 and it does not work…You must be on 4.3.2….Apple must have updated the codec usage and compliance in later firmware…
Your right, maybe Apple will allow this in future firmwares? Because 4.3.2 has shown wonders to me now with using dslr video.
As for exporting the video from imovie….”FLAWLESS!!!” yes…no issues at all, works great. Remember, My method, REEL DIRECTOR compresses the movie to ipad standard….so it goes from uncompressed dslr >>>>Ipad friendly….Imovie was made to work with “IMOVIE STANDARD” video
….
This is definitely progress TRULY…..ONly limit, you cannot do this on a standardized locked ipad, it must be jailbroken [WHICH ONLY TAKES 15 minutes] But still
……
Hope Ive helped, and sorry for the long write up
-Quentin
IOS 5 has it built in, stop wasting you time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJhjGbslTvU
It’s easy to import the video and play it back. However, the iPad (specifically, iMovie) won’t let you edit the DSLR video you import. That’s what we’re trying to work on a solution for, here.
Please, keep your comments here civil.
Pingback: Camera Connection Kit Ipad 2
While I can’t claim to own a DSLR yet, I have found a potential interim solution. If you have the camera connection kit, there is a app for the iPad called “movieconverter” that will transcode files from the imported photo stack.
I can’t speak for the scope of cameras that will work with but it did work with my Samsung PL210 point&shoot when shooting in 720p or less.
There are a few bad reviews but I find myself wondering if they wanted a tool that would allow them to edit videos from their iTunes library instead of video they shot themselves.
While it’s a little pricey for an app with little weight to the interface, it does solve the problem of needing to drag a laptop around with you.
I can confirm that movieconverter works, and as of today it’s free. I too am convinced the negative reviews were a result of user expectations.
I downloaded sample video files for an Olympus e-pl3 , imported via the connection Kit, converted using movieconverter and it worked great.
Also worked using my Kodak zi6 HD handheld movie cam
Thank you so much, Wasim. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until I read this post. Is there any update / verification on “movieconverter” app?
Actually, here’s an update. With iOS5 and iMovie 1.2.2 updates, I was able to transfer 1080p 24fps with sound from Canon 60D and use it in iMovie without any converting. This is awesome. I’m going to do some field recording on Monday and I’ll try to edit the clips in the field to see how this would change my workflow.
No way! I need to give this a shot again really soon. Let me know how it works out for you, Wan!
hey! i just came across this topic and found avid studio on the iPad 2 very cool! it lets you edit your materials way more freely than iMovie does.. for example audio delays, precise music editing etc. i also like the storyboard-based workflow of it.. you should try it.. it also uses the same APIs as iMovie does now. so NO CONVERINTG required. just the camera connection kit, 24, 25 or whatever framerate HD-video and your good!
have fun!
I just downloaded it the other day. Looks cool, but one of the big limitations (which is the same as iMovie) is that I can’t separate audio from video and just use the audio from a video. Such a simple task that neither Apple nor Avid seem to be able to do on the iPad.
Pingback: The iPad 2 vs. DSLR video, Round 2: It works now, but iMovie is no Final Cut Pro
i can’t decide if dslr camera or ipad 2 , because my father asking me if i want dslr camera , or if i want ipad 2 . can you pls . help me if dslr or ipad 2 , pls …
Well, the iPad 2 isn’t much of a camera, so I’d get a DSLR if pictures are your thing.