above, the Canon 5D MK III tricked out with Sympla rails, matte box, shoulder support, follow focus, Small HD EVF, Zoom recorder, Rode NTG3. It is a load...
Video enabled DSLR cameras are the most cost effective way of producing beautiful, big budget looking video. But 3 years after they took over the market place the cameras still have shortcomings that have to be addressed before they can work their best.
Sound was the initial biggest issue,and the current line up of cameras largely take care of sound so the two biggest remaining issues are the cameras are difficult to focus and hard to hold.
A DSLR is ergonomically designed to hold against your face with two hands and shoot still photos with. If you are a little shaky that way it is ok because the shutter speed will likely compensate for the shake. Shooting video is an entirely different matter. You can’t hold the camera against your face so it is difficult to be steady. More importantly the cameras gather video using a rolling shutter and any shake can end up looking like jello. Auto focus that most of us rely on no longer works.
There are lots of supports and focus systems on the market that help correct those problems. Manfrotto enters the market this year with the Sympla system, a comprehensive group of supports and innovative focus assists.