News from Here & There

James Caan to host webcam chat about how to get into "the biz"
Actor and Chairman of Openfilm, James Caan (Las Vegas, The Godfather, El Dorado) will be hosting a live online webcam chat to answer questions sent in from fans and filmmakers about everything from how to get into "the biz" to expert-level advice, and reflections and anecdotes about his career.
Thursday May 20, Noon - 1 pm PT. Register to watch here.

According to their About Us page, Openfilm is an independent film community company dedicated to developing, marketing and distributing great works.






What the hey?! - Canon pimps HDV video
Even though they've announced some cool solid-state professional camcorders, Canon obviously sees a continuing future for their HDV cameras. They just sent out a press-release about producer Randall Dark and his use of the Canon HDV camera, the XL H1S. Actually, it's an interesting little piece about using the camera, worth a read, though the last section: "The Advantage of Tape" is notable:
"We are in a transitional period with regard to recording media," Dark said. "I've spent 23 years shooting high definition and recording it to tape, and I can honestly say I have never had a problem with losing content on tape. I have, on occasion, risked my life to get images, and I'm not afraid to do that. What I am afraid of is losing content due to media failure.[emphasis added] I love the fact that the Canon XL H1S enables me to record to tape, which I can then transfer to my preferred brand of hard drives. I'm confident in those hard drives, and I also like having tape as a back-up. It's prudent to always protect your assets. There's a great opportunity today to do things cost-effectively by using both tape and hard drives if you understand how to use them efficiently together. I shoot with my XL H1S, transfer that tape footage to hard drives, and it makes my workflow unbelievably easy."
Anyone reading that might think Canon was warning them away from solid-state cameras. Heavens! This is what I would expect from a company that didn't have a solid-state camera coming out in less than a month, not from Canon who does.

It's a little puzzling; are they intentionally trying to confuse their customers? Was this written before they came out with the XF305, or is this the HDV division fighting with the solid-state division? Conspiracy theorists; have at it!

I'm not saying that HDV is a bad thing, or what they are saying is wrong, or even that they should be driving their customers away from HDV. I just find it interesting how difficult and confusing these transitions can be both for customers and for manufacturers, and this article, given it doesn't even mention their new cameras, I find especially puzzling.

Shootonline: Canon U.S.A. XL H1S High Definition Camcorder Chosen For Multiple Video Projects by Veteran Producer Randall Dark

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sony GV-D200 review

Image
Sony GV-D200 I've been using a Sony GV-D200 deck to transfer old Video8 and Hi8 tapes. Some of these tapes are over twenty years old, and no longer having a Hi8 camcorder that worked I was concerned that if I didn't do something about transferring them to a more modern format soon, I might never be able to. While Sony no longer make camcorders that use these tapes - that I know of - Sony does still sell the GV-D200 deck (or Video Walkman, as it's sometimes labelled.) They also offer the GV-D800, which is almost identical but adds a small LCD screen for about $120 more. I didn't think I'd need a screen since I was using this to capture to the computer, but you will need an external monitor when you first set it up. Physically, the device is small. At 5 7/8" wide, 5 3/8" deep and 2" high, it's the smallest video deck I've encountered. I used to have a Video8 deck that I thought was small; and it was twice as deep and twice as high. The t...
Read more

Response: Which iPhone to Get?

Image
In response to my iPhone musings, I got the following reader email which actually sums up a lot of my second and third thoughts too: You might have a point about the fancier camera, but otherwise I would buy the smaller model. Its screen is about the same size as that of my Nexus 4, and I don't feel at all like it limits me with a too-small screen. But I do sometimes stretch to get my thumb the reach to the other corner of the screen. It is plenty big for a phone. A phone is a pocket thing. (Well, in my case it lives an ancient REI soft sunglasses case that I have on my belt.) Ubiquitous, handy, convenient, almost always with me. Small is crucial for all of that. Certainly a large screen is cool, but you need a place to put it: don't break a fundamental feature of a pocket phone by getting too big. That is what your small tablet is for. I have my phone with me almost always. I have my Nexus 7 tablet with me nearly as much. The bigger screen is great, yet it fits in some...
Read more

Should you buy the Sony NEX-FS100 Kit Lens?

Image
The Sony NEX-FS100 is available in two configurations: B & H : NEX-FS100U Camcorder only $4,999 B & H : NEX-FS100U (with 18-200mm lens) $5,599 But what does that extra $600 get you? It get's you this: Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens for NEX Camera This lens is also available separately for $799.99, so at $200 off you'd think everyone would be jumping on it. But not so fast... In his article about switching from the Canon 5D Mark II to the Sony NEX-FS100 , Paul Antico  at Need Creative says of the kit lens: 7) Its 18-200 F3.6-6.3 kit lens absolutely sucks and should be avoided (thankfully, you can order it without one) [ 1 ] But is it that bad? At B & H 's site, 43 reviews give it an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars. That's not a bad rating, though many of these people are using it for stills, and the most common complaint noted is how large and heavy it is. Of course this feeling of size would be exacerbated when you put it on a tiny camera ...
Read more