I finally got to test out my newest gear in the environment that I’d spec’d it out for… a dark night club with a live band. And I am happy to say that I was very pleased with the results. The camera was a Canon 7D which is one of the latest hybrid digital SLRs that can record full 1080p in a variety of frame rates. The higher ISO settings of these latest cameras means we are now able to get video in conditions previously impossible with a consumer level camcorder. And the quality of the latest Canon hybrid DSLRs is even up to broadcast levels as was evident when the season finale of House was shot entirely on the 7D’s big brother the Canon 5D mark II.

Take a look at the video below and see what you think. Watch in 720p for the best quality. Full screen is nice also, but it still is not up to the quality of the original file at 1080p. YouTube turns any HD video you upload into 720p and appears to have lowered the bitrate as well. It’s quite good, but lacking the little extra crispness that is present in the source file.

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