Digital BW, The Print

There was a thread some time ago where a few posters complained
that Canon went to the trouble to include HD video capture in the
5D Mk II.

The assumption, apparently, is that adding the video capability
to the 5D Mk II substantially increased the price of the body while
adding a feature that "still" shooters would never use.

Just comparing the 5D to the 5D Mk II, it looks like the price
went from ~$2000 to ~$2700 for the body - jumping from 12MP to
21MP in the process, substantially improved noise performance,
substantially improved LCD viewscreen, same overall weight.
Superficially, it doesn't seem like the MkII comes at a much
greater cost.

What provoked this email, though, was hearing that a *real*
motion picture professional recently commented that the 5D MkII
was ideal for video-capture which didn't quite call for rolling
out a whole crew.

The point being, by adding a capability to the camera, Canon
seems to have expanded the market beyond *just* "still" shooters.
By expanding the market, the increased cost of development to
Canon is likely to have been offset in increased sales.

Dana