What great news! Craig Loper (a.k.a. Dad) has been talking to me about HDSLRs for a few years. At the time he first brought this to my attention, I would have to buy a Canon camera for about 8k for just the body. With an array of peripherals, and new lenses to switch over from Nikon, I wasn't unimpressed, I just couldn't justify making the jump over to a new system.
When the Nikon D7000 came out, I started to rigorously researching the camera. By this time the HDSLR market has revolutionized the industry! All kinds of accessories and manufactures jockeying for position, it feels like the "Wild West"!
All of this instantly made me think of my dear family friend, mentor and fellow photographer Larry Wilhelm. When MiniDV first came to market Larry and my Dad purchased a Canon XL-1, and I soon followed with a high-end Canon consumer MiniDV camera for personal projects, backup camera and tape deck for editing. Larry quickly came to the conclusion that small cameras will be the "wave of the future". This would mean more people in the industry, lower pay scale and smaller crews, this did not excite myself or Dad, to say the least. On the upside, this would create more affordable camera systems, with less hassle and faster setup and turnaround, enabling independent Producers and Cinematographers to create projects on their own with a fluid workflow from inception to fruition.
Some people say the HDSLR "movment" is a fad. Tell that to Zacuto, Nikon, Canon, Carl Zeiss, Kessler, Manfrotto, Gitzo, Redrock, Carry Speed, Dfocus, Jag35, etc.
These cameras are revolutionary because they are a perfect medium to what Larry, Dad and myself want. Extreme mobility that one person can manage, at a price that makes is okay to upgrade every few years, with movie making quality!
This is just the beginning for myself with these wonderful cameras, and I look forward to where they take me. http://vimeo.com/user6597006
Copy of the newsletter.
Damn I love being right, even if it takes 15 years for the future to come. But if I never get rich or famous I will still die a happy man, because you remembered what your crazy old uncle once told you.
ReplyDeleteYou are not only great at creating images, you have turned into a fine writer as well. Your equipment reviews are concise, informative and entertaining. Hope others follow your lead as these new developments in digital imaging continue to revolutionize the industry.
We are blessed to live in interesting times. Have fun with it all, and keep me posted on the best new stuff available. (There is still at least one good film inside of me still trying to get out.)
THANKS! Larry