vDSLRs are not smaller & lighter, nor cheaper.

When I started in the video biz, I had a 3-chip Sony M7 cabled to a separate VO8800 3/4 SP deck with 20-minute tapes and two batteries. It produced very pretty images. Today I carry a phone that shoots HD. My phone is smaller and lighter than the camcorders I started with.

But I am so very tired of vDSLR (HDSLR, EVIL, whatever) fanatics touting that one of the greatest features of the format is that they are so “run & gun” so “small & light” and yet offer so much capability. You mean like full HD output on a big screen, built in stereo audio, XLR inputs, audio metering, waveform, headphone outputs, multiple HD video outputs, on-shoulder balance, easy to toggle and adjust manual settings for focus, zoom, iris, shutter, gain and white balance while shooting? Able to shoot for hours at a time for live events? You know, those features, aside from “it looks pretty” that professionals need all the time?

Well, it turns out that the smaller & lighter vDSLRs can indeed offer many of those features, by throwing away the notion of smaller & lighter. So I wish people would stop touting it as a “you get smaller & lighter AND you get real pro camcorder features.”

Mystery Alaska

Can single-chip camcorder models priced less than $1,000 and bearing the bold “Full HD” logo do the job of prosumer and professional camcorders costing many times that price?

In this article I’ll take two high-end consumer HD camcorders into the field—specifically, the wilds of the Alaskan bush—to see what I can do with these little devices.

You may be pleasantly surprised by what I find.

WIP: Alaska Video / Camcorder Review

It’s tough keeping a blog going when you are busy with projects and one of those projects takes you up one of the loneliest highways— the Dalton Highway, up to Prudhoe Bay / Deadhorse, Alaska, where the oil is pumped for the Alaska Pipeline.

I was re-shooting an episode of IEBA’s Alaska outdoor adventure series, Wilderness Adventures Off The Beaten Path and shooting it in HD. That’s full HD, not HDV.  But using two different high-end consumer camcorders and writing about it for Event DV magazine. 

The Sounds of Inevatibility.

Agent Smith said:

“You hear that Mr. Anderson?
That— is the sound of inevitability…
It is the sound of your death…”

As I was unable to attend NAB in person, I read the same news as everyone else and there are clearly a few trends that it pays to notice because they will have a dramatic affect on production in the future. Whether or not you want to go this route, the sounds of inevitability are becoming louder.

The Tech-Store is Open.

Can you get a filtered matte box for your camcorder for under $500?
Yes. You can. Two of them in fact.

We’ve combed through the internet clutter and partnered with Amazon.com to build you a very simple store with links to the video gear you should be looking at. It’s not filled with junk. These are carefully selected items we think can help your productions- including a matte box with two filter holders for just $240.

The link is up in the right corner of the page: Tech-STORE. Check it out!

HDV Grows Up: Sony’s HVR-S270 and HVR-Z7

Sony recently unveiled its latest HDV camcorders to the world. This wasn’t just any ordinary product announcement; with the release of these new models, HDV arrived as a true professional video acquisition technology.

Just as MiniDV was a format that evolved into DVCAM and DVCPRO, and eventually DV itself became acceptable for broadcast, and even feature film production, HDV started as a “consumer” version of HD. But it has evolved dramatically in Sony’s latest models.

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TechThoughts could win. We need your help.

As the Bloggies itself says:

Honor. Prestige. Wealth. These are some of the things that a Bloggie won’t bring you. But that won’t stop the Web from voting…

So vote for TechThoughts.org, maybe as “Best-Kept Secret” or “Best New Weblog” or “Best Computer & Technology” or wherever you see fit.

There’s no physical award or big prize, but if advice or information here has helped you, then it costs you nothing to nominate TechThoughts.org for a Bloggie. Thanks for your support.

Thanks!

My Dream Camcorder… Part II

Since my September column in EventDV magazine about My Dream HD Camcorder, I’ve received great feedback about additional features we need.

I’ve also seen other camera operators like Will Holloway starting to talk about features of their dream camcorders.
It’s nice to see that we’re all of the same mind.
Maybe there’s something in the water.

In part two of my Dream Camcorder series, I’ll explore the reader feedback and some new features that should be found in a dream on-shoulder HD cam…