In 2023, we don’t have to shoot video the identical approach we did with cameras just like the Canon 5D Mk II. However in some way or one other, we join a ton of equipment to cameras primarily meant for nonetheless shoots. After which, we proceed to shoot tons of movies with them. Why? Extra particularly, why haven’t we superior previous this? If you happen to’re questioning what’s unsuitable with it, you most likely haven’t shot for very lengthy. So permit us to enlighten you on the wonder that’s devoted camcorders.
There’s a elementary ergonomic distinction in relation to taking pictures with a camcorder vs taking pictures with a nonetheless digicam. Arguably, I’d say that the pure ergonomics of a camcorder are superior to devoted nonetheless cameras today.
With a devoted nonetheless digicam, a photographer must raise the digicam to their face after which bend their wrist to shoot. However with camcorders, photographers don’t bend their wrist in any respect. As a substitute, the shutter button is on their thumb sometimes. It’s a much more pure approach of holding an imaging-making gadget general.
This actually makes me marvel why video camcorders utilizing the Sony E, Leica L, Nikon Z, or Canon RF mount haven’t actually appeared. Particularly, I’m referencing the thought of small, handheld camcorders to file video akin to what corporations used to make round 10 years in the past or so. This makes me ever so unhappy that the Sony VG-900 didn’t survive. A camcorder like that might’ve been extremely able to making nice video for documentary-style shoots. Plenty of these are on YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, HBOMax, and many others. To be even slightly extra blunt, it will imply {that a} collection like these narrated by David Attenborough wouldn’t at all times have to make recreations. The explanation for it’s because the camcorder could be a lot smaller.
Digital camera producers say that 90% of the market is with video shooters. To that finish, I really marvel why they don’t make one thing like this. Why can’t Canon make one thing with RF mount throughout the VIXIA lineup of camcorders? It might make handheld taking pictures easy when utilizing the corporate’s L lenses or their smaller lenses.
If you happen to take into account all that we’re saying right here, then one could make the same argument for devoted nonetheless cameras. And right here’s the larger downside: all of the cameras are good. None of them are distinctive and actually distinctive apart from a number of from Leica, Canon, and Sony. They’ve bought variations that differentiate them. Nevertheless, photographers have lengthy discovered that cameras are all roughly made by the identical people. Sony offers almost all of the sensors. Tamron and Sigma make many of the glass for everybody. And it’s solely actually Canon that stands aside from everybody else.
As a result of all of them are so related, there is no such thing as a main competitors, and as an alternative, it’s usually falsely achieved. All of it stems again from when tsunamis destroyed tons of factories a few years in the past, and financial hardships made others shut their lens factories. So what’s perhaps 7 or 8 digicam corporations is definitely extra like 4 or so.
Ultimately, this downside will catch up within the video world too. Actually, when speaking to DPs, it already has. So the producers as an alternative want to start out making extra aggressive splits and never attempting to work with each other behind closed doorways. It’s time for actual, precise competitors. It most likely received’t occur, although.