Is NAB 2018 cancelled?
- Thread starter alohype
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Matt Gottshalk
Resident Preditor
If it were to be cancelled, would anyone care?
Samuel H
Major Contributor
What I want for NAB 2018:
- BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera II: with the APS-C 4.6k sensor, recording RAW at 24fps. It would probably have to be bigger than the first pocket, but hopefully not bigger than an a7 III or a GH5s.
- Sony a7S III: with 4k 60fps, eye-detect PDAF in video mode, higher MPix (ideally 24 Mpix, but I could go for 18 Mpix if they still want to market it as a super-low-light monster*), maybe higher DR (the FS7 gets more DR out of its slog3 than the a7S II does, so, match it) and maybe internal 10-bit (but this last one is probably not going to happen).
*:
I see it more as a video-centric hybrid than as a super-low-light monster. Once you downsample to the same Mpix, the a7S II has basically no low-light advantage over the a7R III (link). And too low Mpix is an issue for a lot of people shooting both stills and video. Plus, the a9 sensor is a stacked one, I think they're using a common front end with different backsides for a9 and VENICE already, I could see another version of this for the a7S III (the a7 III sensor is 24 Mpix but not stacked, so, they went for a completely different design on this one).
- BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera II: with the APS-C 4.6k sensor, recording RAW at 24fps. It would probably have to be bigger than the first pocket, but hopefully not bigger than an a7 III or a GH5s.
- Sony a7S III: with 4k 60fps, eye-detect PDAF in video mode, higher MPix (ideally 24 Mpix, but I could go for 18 Mpix if they still want to market it as a super-low-light monster*), maybe higher DR (the FS7 gets more DR out of its slog3 than the a7S II does, so, match it) and maybe internal 10-bit (but this last one is probably not going to happen).
*:
I see it more as a video-centric hybrid than as a super-low-light monster. Once you downsample to the same Mpix, the a7S II has basically no low-light advantage over the a7R III (link). And too low Mpix is an issue for a lot of people shooting both stills and video. Plus, the a9 sensor is a stacked one, I think they're using a common front end with different backsides for a9 and VENICE already, I could see another version of this for the a7S III (the a7 III sensor is 24 Mpix but not stacked, so, they went for a completely different design on this one).
puredrifting
Major Contributor
Most new cameras we would be interested in will probably be introduced at Cine Gear. NAB seems to have ceded to being just a big show but not the place where cameras are introduced. Too much "noise", it seems like they get better coverage at Cine Gear.
...But sometimes there are press conferences held the Sunday before NAB starts and these can be pretty big announcements. ( Blackmagic, Panasonic, and Sony have all done this )
Run&Gun
Veteran
NAB isn't what it used to be. I'm not saying it's completely useless, but it doesn't have the importance that it still did a decade ago(or even five years ago). It's still a good place to go to actually lay your hands on some stuff and see it in person, but at the same time, so much stuff is "just announced" there and things you'd really like to put your hands on aren't gonna be available for at least several weeks to months afterwards, if at all. I know guys that still go so they can toy shop and write off a mini-vacation to Vegas. I've had a few friends trying to talk me into going again this year('14 was my last one), but it's just such a pain. Since I don't fly almost every week like I used to, I HATE having to fly at all, now, and don't even like driving by the airport. And you always seem to lose a lot of money in work whenever you go, too(at least that's the way it always seems to play out here). I think I "lost" three days of work the last time I went.
Thomas Smet
Veteran
It is important to remember that NAB is for broadcast (hence the B) and not cinematography. It was mostly designed for broadcasters and those working in TV and Radio to look at new gear, meet each other and discuss broadcasting topics like FCC regulations, new radio standards, broadcasting techniques and so forth. The gear was rarely about just cameras and typically covered everything from BNC adapters, satellite trucks, and other forms of Radioshack on steroids kind of gadgets. NAB was never really a camera show and it just made sense to use it as an avenue to launch new cameras since the people that kind of use cameras were there. Even then only a small niche of the attendees at NAB ever actually touch a camera in the broadcast world.
DSLRs also aren't really a staple of the broadcasting world and a kid shooting a short film doesn't really fall under the same umbrella as the typical NAB attendee. When a company like Sony did show off a new DSLR it was likely because they already had a huge booth there and figured what the heck lets throw it on the truck and show it off mainly for the free press. The A7S sold as much as it would have with or without NAB so a lot of companies are even starting to wonder if it is even worth it. Shows like NAB make sense for new startups that need to build up a name and recognition but for a company like Panasonic or Sony the people are paying very close attention to what new camera is coming out with or without NAB. Thats kind of why Apple pulled out. They were not going to gain any more sales showing off FCP at NAB when most of the world was already aware of FCP. In fact NAB was costing them ton of money. BMD made a huge visual presence at NAB recently because they were dipping their toes into a whole new market and wanted the recognition and free press. Hard to ignore their marketing tactic and how well it worked because now all of us talk about BMD cameras like a household name.
Like it or not but the indie film making community is a tiny blip of what all goes on at NAB. If any of you work in broadcast there are likely other cameras your boss is more focused on than a DSLR.
DSLRs also aren't really a staple of the broadcasting world and a kid shooting a short film doesn't really fall under the same umbrella as the typical NAB attendee. When a company like Sony did show off a new DSLR it was likely because they already had a huge booth there and figured what the heck lets throw it on the truck and show it off mainly for the free press. The A7S sold as much as it would have with or without NAB so a lot of companies are even starting to wonder if it is even worth it. Shows like NAB make sense for new startups that need to build up a name and recognition but for a company like Panasonic or Sony the people are paying very close attention to what new camera is coming out with or without NAB. Thats kind of why Apple pulled out. They were not going to gain any more sales showing off FCP at NAB when most of the world was already aware of FCP. In fact NAB was costing them ton of money. BMD made a huge visual presence at NAB recently because they were dipping their toes into a whole new market and wanted the recognition and free press. Hard to ignore their marketing tactic and how well it worked because now all of us talk about BMD cameras like a household name.
Like it or not but the indie film making community is a tiny blip of what all goes on at NAB. If any of you work in broadcast there are likely other cameras your boss is more focused on than a DSLR.
Mitch Gross
Veteran
I know of several major announcements that will be made at NAB which will be of great interest to people at DVXuser. Don't give up on early April just yet.
Run&Gun
Veteran
Yes, but with a 'but'. I'd say most of the seminars are related to broadcasting at the engineering and management levels. But the exhibit side has changed in the last several years from what we remember a decade ago. My background is broadcast/network and it's still 99% of my business, but a ton of what I saw at my last NAB was aimed at the "cine" side and a lot of that was aimed at the budget side of that. To me at least, it seems that "broadcasting" gear, in the sense that some of us know it and think about, is disappearing and everything seems to be shifting more towards the toy gear and "cine gear"(heck, just look at what B&H stocks and what is special order now vs. 5-10 years ago). I'm even seeing some networks moving to using small cameras and small "cine" cameras for live broadcasts(like in the booths, for certain events). Maybe I'm just remembering it wrong, but I feel like I saw a lot more cameras and lenses aimed at the "cine" market(whether that be the upper end with Alexa's or the low end with DSLR's) than I did broadcast and ENG cameras and lenses.
Just my observations and .02 from someone that straddles the line between and lives in both worlds of the broadcast/network ENG & live world and the "cine" feature piece/production world.
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puredrifting
Major Contributor
IMHO, everyone in our business should attend NAB at least once. If you've never been, by all means go, it can be a lot of fun and can be a good place to connect with manufacturers and meet up with old friends in the business you have not seen in a while. I've been 10-12 times since the late 1980s so I am done. Unless someone is paying me decent to large amounts of money to go, present, shoot or appear as a product user, I have no reason to fight the foot traffic, car traffic, airport traffic, logistically, it's a nightmare. Honestly, a lot of what you are told at booths turns out, upon further research, turns out to be inaccurate and rife with misinformation so take everything you hear with a grain of salt until you can fact check it. It's interesting how with the downturn in broadcasting, in general, in the age of the OTTs, NAB still seems to manage to pull the numbers. I much prefer to let the Erik Nasos and Johnny Behiris of the world stick mics into reps faces than do it myself, so much easier to attend on the Internet ;-)
stoneinapond
Veteran
Not this again....
Because despite everything, anamorphic footage has a unique look that no amount of cropping can reproduce.
Either you're into it, or not. Some still very much are.
Matt Gottshalk
Resident Preditor
Amen.
Run&Gun
Veteran
It's not JUST a "wider aspect ratio". It does give you a unique look(not talking about flare streaks and oval bokeh) that you can't get with just cropping an image(and throwing away resolution). I read an article a few years ago and it had a good example of why scenics look so good when shot in anamorphic, using 2x anamorphic as the example. It was something to the effect of shooting normal spherical you may shoot with a 25mm to be able to get the shot you want, but in 2x anamorphic you would shoot with a 50mm. So the vertical FoV is that of the 50mm, but horizontally it's the same as the 25mm so it's still a wide shot, but everything feels closer because you're shooting with a longer focal length lens. I'm sure there are some others on here, like Charles that can explain it better/more eloquently than me. And that have real world experience shooting with them and can add more insight.
I wish I could find the article, but there are numerous ones out there.
I wish I could find the article, but there are numerous ones out there.
Cary Knoop
Veteran
I would urge you to look into what anamorphic lenses actually do to an image, aspect ratio is just about the least interesting aspect of anamorphic video.