I recently joined the DSLR video revolution (see my post: “converted in vegas”) and have been shooting full 1080p HD video on a Canon 7d. I’m loving the images and I’m putting up with the funky workarounds. (Note: these cameras were not designed for shooting video. Yes, they make great pictures, but there’s a bit of voodoo needed to make this technological alchemy work.)

When I called this a revolution, I wasn’t overstating the case. These relatively cheap “stills” cameras are attacking the establishment’s traditional video cameras and blowing them away with incredible results. Kinda like a video tea party.  You gotta love a good revolution, but I’m warning you, there’s a dark side and I’m here – as a lone voice crying out in this unmapped territory – to at least warn of the very real danger lurking seductively in the shadows.   Don’t blame me. You’ve been warned. [Read more →]

I’ve been in the market for a new HD video camera for some time now.  That’s why I played around with my schedule and bailed on a couple of days of billable work to go to Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters convention (NAB).  For those who have never gone to this annual toy-fest there’s really no way to describe it.  It’s the entire LV Convention Center (and the surrounding parking lots) filled with the latest TV and radio technical toys. It’s a porn show for geeks.  It’s the last place you’d expect a conversion to take place (unless of course we’re talking about converting a H.264 video file to an editable MOV file… but I digress).  Nevertheless, I was converted in Vegas, and when something of that magnitude happens, it can’t just stay in Vegas. [Read more →]