Vincent Laforet's widely circulated HD video "Reverie,"—shot with a prototype of the Canon 5D Mark II last September—may have put the technology on the map, but the first true combo cam actually arrived less than a month earlier with the introduction of the Nikon D90. Since then, the tidal wave of hype over digital SLRs that can also shoot HD video has been tremendous, making this technology a "Player of the Year" for professional photographers.

But along with being just another sexy bell-and-whistle that manufacturers hope will help sell a lot of cameras in 2009 and beyond (at the time of this writing both Canon and Nikon had announced consumer DSLRs with HD movie functions), high-def combo cams have created some real-world opportunities for professional photographers.

"It allows a single individual to create video content with a high-end production value and look yet doesn't require a crew and equipment as was the case just six months ago," says Corey Rich, an adventure sports photographer who has quickly added HD video to his list of services.

Shortly after getting a D90, Rich shot a "test piece" with the camera's 720p HD video feature to show to clients. The piece was a video profile of his studio director which he created "just to get a feel for the camera."

That short test feature, which Rich says only took him about four hours to put together, has already netted him a job.

"I was meeting with a client and trying to explain to him about what this camera can do and I could tell there was a disconnect," Rich say. "So I pulled out my laptop and showed him this little movie and it was like a lightbulb went off in his head and he instantly got it."

The client immediately hired Rich to shoot both a print and TV ad for a ski resort.

"Now I'm not just getting paid to be a still photographer, I'm also getting paid to be a visual storyteller," he says. "Best of all, I've got a smile on my face because this is all super fun and exciting."

The situation has been similar for Smiley Pool, chief photographer and photo coach at the Houston Chronicle. Though there's been a shortage of Canon 5D Mark II cameras since the DSLR was launched last year, Pool purchased one recently and has already used it to shoot a freelance project that involved both stills and video. (The Houston Chronicle had planned to buy its photo staff 5D Mark IIs but then the budget was slashed and Pool had to purchase one using his own money.)

"It was a bit strange to unbox a camera on a Friday and use it for a freelance job that involved making a video by the following Monday," he says. "But that really indicates how quickly things are moving."

The project, which was for Education Week magazine, involved shooting photos and video for a story about a tenth-grader who is going to be the first one in his family to go to college. To capture sound, Pool popped a Sennheiser MKE 300 microphone onto the hotshoe of the camera.

While Pool had some basic video training and previously used a Canon HG10 camcorder on assignments in conjunction with a still camera, he likes the all-in-one feel of the 5D Mark II better. Along with the project for Education Week, he's used the camera to shoot both stills and video for a spot news story in Houston about a newborn baby who was found in a dryer.

"Here I am shooting video with a 400mm lens with a 2x extender on it to cover a police action. The opportunities that these hybrid cameras present are numerous. I don't think we really know where it's all going to lead.

Despite this sort of excitement, some photographers still aren't sure that shooting HD video with a camera like the 5D Mark II is something they'll ever want to incorporate into their workflow.

"It's an interesting feature but it requires a steeper learning curve than most people think," says wedding photographer Pete Quinn, who purchased a 5D Mark II but seldom uses the 1080p HD feature professionally.

"The features that make it attractive, such as the shallow depth of field you get from using camera lenses, also require more filmmaking skills than most photographers have," Quinn notes. "You really got to know what you're doing. Cinematographers are producing great stuff but for photographers, it may be more of a challenge."

PDN'S PLAYERS
Clients, Venues, Publishers and Innovators that Made an Impact on Photography This Year. PLAYER MEDIA Wall Street Journal Online New York, NY PLAYER GALLERY Randall Scott Gallery Brooklyn, NY PLAYER BOOK PUBLISHER Kehrer Verlag Heidelberg, Germany PLAYER CAMERAS Digital SLRs that Shoot HD Video	PLAYER PHILANTHROPIST The Annenberg Foundation / Wallis Annenberg Los Angeles, CA PLAYER COMMUNICATION Twitter PLAYER BLOG Big Picture and Friends PLAYER GALLERY Gallery 339 Philadelphia, PA PLAYER BOOK PUBLISHER Rizzoli New York, NY