Has the DSLR Movement killed the Prosumer camera market?

As tempting as a Scarlet is, its still impractical for a good bunch of us just starting out. I was able to fork out the $1700 by the skin of my teeth. I JUST got the 50mm 1.8. Maybe down the road the economy wont suck and a Scarlet will be easier for me to afford. Even still, the things looking like a beast. I like the 7D. It's small, extremely portable, and draws little to no attention to it, because everyone on the planet has a DSLR now. The files are easy to work with, and are almost overkill for my medium, which is Web right now. You can't beat it.

August 31st I was about to plunk down $1000 for a new camcorder and $800 for a Handy35 DOF adapter. I waited a few hours because my Canon-worshiping Ex was piping on and on about how the 7D is going to change the world. I waited, and I'm glad I did. Less than a month later I'm already pressing out great looking video with much less hassle, and was able to sell off my Nikon cam at the same time. All I need now is one camera to carry around, and a little HF10 that I already had if I want a quick angle change.

I love you Canon!
 
ZazaCast said:
Cheers Nathan! Now go grab your iPod and make a film.:happy:
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The funny thing is the video quality of an iPhone is probably better than the first feature I did with a VX-2000 8 years ago. :happy:

The handycam was rejected and then three years later "pro" guys were learning the PD-150 just like pro broadcast guys are currently using HVXs and EX1s now. All of these modern handycams share the same basic form factor the only thing that's changed is the acceptance of not using a shoulder-mounted camcorder to produce broadcast quality video. Clearly the handycam form-factor is shooting an awful lot of broadcasted video these days.

I think what burns most "pro" guys is the fact that someone with some skill can create something just as good as they can with such a little amount of money compared to the cost of what they own - rivaling their own "pro" set-up. I do consider myself a "pro" video guy but not in the "I'm better than everyone else," mindset.

If you have 10k invested in an HVX/letus set-up that some high school kid with talent and a little bit of saved money can rival in terms of image quality and production value - well that burns a little bit. But that's what makes this such a cool profession. It's always changing and it's always about the next great success story.
 
Well, I bought a 7D and I'm using it quite a lot for my own personal stuff, but no way I'm selling my EX1. The EX1, the HVX200 etc are proper cameras. The 5D, GH1 and 7D, as video cameras, are nothing more than niche cameras. When it comes to videography I agree with Barry. 95% of the time a DSLR will be the wrong tool for the job.
For all the people bragging about a $1,700 camera, don't forget to factor in for decent lenses, at least a decent zoom or two. I started filming with the Canon 18-55mm in the beginning and the images were horrible. I used a borrowed lens and the difference was night and day. The lens in question, the Canon EF 16-35mm f2.8L costs as much as the 7D itself.
The thing is, after adding enough lenses to have an useful range or at least a decent range that cameras like the EX1 and HVX200 would give you, you are not very far down from these cameras in terms of price. Unless you go with cheap glass, but the 7D seems to love good glass and good glass is expensive.
 
Are we seeing an evolution in cameras or an evolution in media? It seems like yesterday a gr8 deb8 was flaring around the use of HTML in forum posts. Now we embed HD video. You just can't talk about a "proper" camera without identifying the medium. The "Medium is the Massage" and the video medium has evolved before our very eyes. It's not a stretch to recognize the emergence of vDSLR driven media venues in which the 7D is a much more "proper" camera.
 
NoxNoctus said:
As tempting as a Scarlet is, its still impractical for a good bunch of us just starting out. I was able to fork out the $1700 by the skin of my teeth. I JUST got the 50mm 1.8. Maybe down the road the economy wont suck and a Scarlet will be easier for me to afford. Even still, the things looking like a beast. I like the 7D. It's small, extremely portable, and draws little to no attention to it, because everyone on the planet has a DSLR now. The files are easy to work with, and are almost overkill for my medium, which is Web right now. You can't beat it. ...
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:beer:
 
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