Last DSLR Joke (maybe)
March/25/14 10:40 Filed in: Video Cameras
Well, I was going to stop ridiculing DSLRs as video cameras, because I figure that's just about over - (the ability, in good conscience, to give them crap) since any day now DSLRs should fully morph into ‘real’ video cameras.
But then I open my e-mail this morning and I see this picture on the cover of Audiomedia. This is the kind of thing that kills me. DSLRs are so awesome!* But if you want to record decent quality video, you need an external recorder. And if you want to record decent quality audio, you need an external recorder. And if you want all this stuff to function together as a unit, you need some sort of rig.
Now admittedly, I'm going around with an Atomos Samurai hanging off of my camera rails, which has extended the life of my EX-1, so in a sense I don't have a leg to stand on. But I'm a big believer in fully functional camcorders, particularly in the real world of live and corporate and running gun.
I remember the days when ‘tape operator’ was a separate job because the recorder was so heavy it required a second person to carry and operate it. But for a long time now you have been able to get cameras with good optics, good codecs, a fully functional zoom lens, and reasonable ergonomics at a reasonable price. Heck, some of those BetaCam rigs used to cost more than a luxury car.
So this return to separate imaging devices with external video and audio recording devices cracks me up. I suppose if you are shooting Cine-style, it harkens back to shooting film with audio recording on a Nagra. But I mean seriously, that's as if you had a film camera, but had to have a separate film recorder external to the camera!
Don't get me wrong, I'm actually excited about where all this is headed. I love this point in a technology, where you see something new evolving, and you are not entirely sure what it is going to become.
So let me have my last 10 minutes of fun.
*Don't give me a hard time about this joking statement. I know, they are actually awesome.
But then I open my e-mail this morning and I see this picture on the cover of Audiomedia. This is the kind of thing that kills me. DSLRs are so awesome!* But if you want to record decent quality video, you need an external recorder. And if you want to record decent quality audio, you need an external recorder. And if you want all this stuff to function together as a unit, you need some sort of rig.
Now admittedly, I'm going around with an Atomos Samurai hanging off of my camera rails, which has extended the life of my EX-1, so in a sense I don't have a leg to stand on. But I'm a big believer in fully functional camcorders, particularly in the real world of live and corporate and running gun.
I remember the days when ‘tape operator’ was a separate job because the recorder was so heavy it required a second person to carry and operate it. But for a long time now you have been able to get cameras with good optics, good codecs, a fully functional zoom lens, and reasonable ergonomics at a reasonable price. Heck, some of those BetaCam rigs used to cost more than a luxury car.
So this return to separate imaging devices with external video and audio recording devices cracks me up. I suppose if you are shooting Cine-style, it harkens back to shooting film with audio recording on a Nagra. But I mean seriously, that's as if you had a film camera, but had to have a separate film recorder external to the camera!
Don't get me wrong, I'm actually excited about where all this is headed. I love this point in a technology, where you see something new evolving, and you are not entirely sure what it is going to become.
So let me have my last 10 minutes of fun.
*Don't give me a hard time about this joking statement. I know, they are actually awesome.
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