August 27, 2010, Newsletter Issue #151: The Future of Digital Video

Tip of the Week

The old cliche begins, "I have seen the future of..."


Today, you can use that cliche without irony. At least you can if you watched the debut of Saturday Night Live's new season. If you did, you saw the future of digital video. That's because the entire opening sequesnce was shot - not but video cameras - but with two Canon digital SLR's.


That's right: SNL's new opening sequence was shot using "still cameras." Canon's EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D digital SLR's captured the entire opening sequence in full HD video.


Nikon led the way by adding 720p HD video to it's D90 - a first for digital SLR's. This openeing up a new world of possibilities, because of the SLR's wide range of lenses and other optional equipment. Plus, digital SLR's are much smaller and lighter than professional video equipment.


But Canon has upped the ante with full 1080p HD video. The two Canon models can record up to 4 GB of video - about 12 minutes in HD or 24 minutes of standard definition. So noone will be filming any full-length movies with digital SLR's... yet.


But the addition of 1080p video to pro-level digital SLR's will mean a lot of serious shooters won't be buying new video cameras.


It's possible the future of digital video may be - eventually - no consumer-level video cameras at all...


 

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