Resigned to the sideline

[lordybob]

With all the new cameras appearing at an astonishing rate, and the future of DSLR "rigs" being considered I have decided to not purchase anything yet.

The market has entered a "grey area" where it is advancing so fast that technologies are not being adopted well enough to stick. It seems like just last month that the 7D was the future of videography.

I am unhappy with the way Sony, Panasonic and Canon have started flooding the market with hype related models and new technologies. I used to rely on "new cameras" as well thought out investments, now I feel like the companies are trying to get me to buy the latest and greatest, just so that they can release another format in 6 months that I have to consider purchasing.

I don't want the video market to become an Apple store, with new crap thats the same, just bigger, coming out as fast as I can blink.

Is anyone annoyed with their purchases over the last 6 months and concerned with the longevity of their investments?

I

 

[Jay Birch]

I have a 5dII and 7D.... love them and have no regrets...

Even if I have to rebuy in 6 months to get even better video results, I still have fantastic still cameras that will hold price well for resale.... I'd say, at the very least, 75% of 5dII buyers don't user the video feature.

As for the pace of things..... it is the best time I can ever remember.... to moan about it is to miss the point. We are closing in on an age of (very) affordable, 35mm film quality... in a digital camera.

 

[Cassius]

Cameras are turning more and more into a commodity. I have no problem selling one and buying a new one regularly, but I also realize that I don't have to buy something just because it came out.

 

[Luis Caffesse]

Is anyone annoyed with their purchases over the last 6 months and concerned with the longevity of their investments?

It's the nature of the beast unfortunately. I'm not sure what your personal goal is with your gear - but I use mine to make my living. So my concern isn't so much with the longevity of my investment, but rather can I make back my investment on it.

my two cents would be - if you're making a living with gear the current crop of DSLRs are cheap enough that you can easily make back the cost well before something bigger/better/newer comes along that you might want.

If you're using your gear for your own personal projects then I would say that the current crop of DSLRs are cheap enough that you should get some fantastic results for the money you spend on them. Case in point, even if I do get an AF100 when it comes out, I would plan on keeping my 7D to use as a bcam with it.

The quality we're getting from all these cameras - basically since the release of the HVX200 and onwards - is fantastic, and they're never going to get worse. I guess what I'm saying is, I honestly think at this point you can't make a wrong choice.

If you have something to shoot - get the best thing you can and shoot.
If you don't, then wait.
But I would never hold off on shooting in hopes of waiting for the next great camera.
By the time you're in the middle of shooting something else will be coming out anyhow.

 

[Otis Grapsas]

The buyer could change this. Simple, only buy if there is a considerable advantage in resolution, a much better compression scheme, a much larger sensor or gloal shutter vs rolling shutter. 1/3" to 2/3", GOP to intraframe, 960x540 to 1920x1080 sensor, CMOS to equal resolution CCD. These are all upgrades one should consider. They typically cost a lot of money since they divide the camcorders into different classes, but they also produce a major improvement in the quality of the output.

Everything else is simply a way to keep the manufacturers busy.

Think of dSLRs. They are built around limitations that can sell the next model. First we get low res. Then no 24p. Then no manual control. Now we will solve these and possibly get the functionality of a normal camcorder, but still leave extreme rolling shutter, the consumer compression codec, line skipping alias, etc, so we can sell the next models.

 

[Robert Ruffo]

I will buy an Epic. It is expensive, yes, but way less than buying 20 other inter-rum cameras and putting them up on ebay, to finally get something that is as good as an Epic. I can have my ideal camera now.

Meanwhile, a Red is pretty close, and I'll get 100% of my money back toward Epic in their trade-in program.

But... We work A LOT. If we had less flow coming in I'd stick to our Ex1 + M2Encore combo. I don't mind lifting heavy weights and gleaning a few glass surfaces to avoid aliasing, get real 1080p, and avoid skew that is far worse than an EX1. Most importantly, our work is not automatically rejected by any networks, as DSLR footage is on almost all of them. Our Ex1 + adapter rig pays for itself in saved rentals every three months. Our Red, we figure, will do so in about 8. meanwhile, our image quality is prisitine, and no awful meetings with clients to explain why a particular shot is ruined by moire.