Size doesn’t matter…when it comes to your camera
I still chuckle when I think of them. “That sure is big.” “I bet you hate carrying that around all day.” And the one I heard the most, “Are you here to take pictures for the newspaper?” Being a videographer for 15 years, I’ve gotten all sorts of reactions to the size of the camera I carry.
When I first started out in television, in 1997, people couldn’t believe how big the camera was. They were used to the little, handheld camcorders you could buy at Target or Best Buy. But, as I explained, to get high-quality video for television, you needed a bigger, better lens than that. Not to mention all of the processors and chips that make up the ‘guts’ of the camera.
Interestingly, in 2012, the curiosity and puzzled looks remain, but the reactions have come 180 degrees. “Is that it?” “Where’s the rest of the camera?” “Are you here to take pictures for the newspaper?” (Ok, I still get that one.) As chips and processors have gotten smaller, the size of the camera has been reduced as well. And the quality of the picture has gotten amazingly better, with the advent of HD.
The coolest of these developments, in my opinion, has been the blending of still photography and videography. Most DSLR cameras can now handle both still photos and video. They aren’t as small as the little compact cameras that most people use for their vacation pictures these days. But they are still quite lightweight, and very easy to handle. With a DSLR, you can get film quality, full HD video, from a camera that can be priced at less than $5000. It’s a drastic change from the $35,000 camera I used for television news. And the picture quality is phenomenal. Video from a DSLR has a soft, warm look to it, which can give your video a more personal, yet professional, feel. DSLR cameras also perform very well in lower light situations, so it’s not always necessary to bring in 10 different lights and a separate lighting crew for a shot (although that can still look pretty cool, if the project, and the budget, call for it!)
Canon 60D DSLR Camera
At StoryTeller, we have just started adding DSLR video to our projects, and I am very excited to get to use such a cool, cutting edge camera. My favorite so far has been the Canon 60D, both for ease of use and picture quality. And I love how easy it is to maneuver around during a shoot.
Of course, after my first camera, which weighed close to 17 pounds, anything would seem smaller. I guess size does matter after all.
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