Nikon have just shot their D5100 TV commercial on the D5100 itself.
A few years late to this game but at least they are doing it properly. No jumpsuited gimps in this one like the GH2 commercial shot on a 5D, just Ashton Kutcher… Oh wait.
But behind the camera was one of my favourite DPs of all time – Matthew Libatique, none other than Darron Aronofsky’s Director of Photography. He’s best known for DPing Black Swan and Requiem For A Dream – both modern classics.
The D5100 is not great since it doesn’t have the full manual control and live view exposure simulation that Canons have and no doubt Libatique would have noticed that, having shot a large part of the prep and some of the actual subway scenes of Black Swan on a Canon 7D and 5D Mark II.
Libatique was also on the radar back when the 5D Mark II’s 24p firmware update was being tested on Iron Man.
Here’s what the man himself had to say about the Nikon spot.
“As a cinematographer, I enjoy working with the latest gear to push the boundaries of what’s creatively possible with a camera. The D5100 is a consumer camera that delivers excellent HD video quality. It was fun working with it on a commercial shoot and it delivered on giving the piece a new look.”
Not exactly as interesting as his cinematography, but good marketing from Nikon.
Now if they can get the video mode itself right and not just the PR it will be a further step.
