Product Spotlight – Cameras that are Bad to the Bone
Q & A with Steve Weiss, Zacuto Director, Product Designer
Q: What do you think are some underrated pieces of equipment in the industry?
I think that the whole DSLR camera craze is the way of the future. They give us the shallow DOF we are looking for, but in an incredibly small package and unusually large imagers to boot. While they have their drawbacks in sound, portable audio recorders make for an easy solution. Other drawbacks are the form factor; these cameras are not really usable for video. That's where Zacuto comes in with its Gorilla kits and Z-Finder, turning these DSLR's into the proper form factor to shoot video. Realize that these are just the first versions of DSLR's, but with the coming Canon 7D we are seeing a second generation camera and it has 24p added which something that was lacking in the 5DMK2, as well as 60fps recording for beautiful slo-mo shooting.
Q: What hot new products will be unveiled soon that we should be on the lookout for and why?
With the 5DMK2 released just before NAB and the 7D in October, it's hard to imagine what we will have come NAB2010. I'm also very impressed with these consumer point and shoot cameras like the $200 Canon Powershot SD780, with its 12 megapixal photos and 720 30p HD video, see a video I shot with it: http://www.vimeo.com/6496404 It certainly opens up the ability for everyone to become a filmmaker.
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Green Production Tip
