Comments on: The big camera debate http://www.advancingthestory.com/2009/04/27/the-big-camera-debate/ Journalism in a Multimedia World Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:03:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: C.T. Kruger http://www.advancingthestory.com/2009/04/27/the-big-camera-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-361 C.T. Kruger Thu, 07 May 2009 13:51:31 +0000 http://advancingthestory.wordpress.com/?p=1306#comment-361 I am on a one year adventure using nothing but RST - Really Simple Technology - point & shoot cameras and software that came with the computer. While I'm learning videojournalism, I'd rather concentrate on the story than the technology. I am on a one year adventure using nothing but RST – Really Simple Technology – point & shoot cameras and software that came with the computer. While I’m learning videojournalism, I’d rather concentrate on the story than the technology.

]]> By: Steve http://www.advancingthestory.com/2009/04/27/the-big-camera-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-360 Steve Tue, 05 May 2009 22:33:01 +0000 http://advancingthestory.wordpress.com/?p=1306#comment-360 Interesting - I just wrote a post on this over at THE ONE MAN BAND REPORTER: http://theonemanbandreporter.blogspot.com/2009/05/do-people-take-one-man-band-reporters.html Interesting – I just wrote a post on this over at THE ONE MAN BAND REPORTER:
http://theonemanbandreporter.blogspot.com/2009/05/do-people-take-one-man-band-reporters.html

]]> By: Oscar Valenzuela http://www.advancingthestory.com/2009/04/27/the-big-camera-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-357 Oscar Valenzuela Tue, 05 May 2009 08:56:57 +0000 http://advancingthestory.wordpress.com/?p=1306#comment-357 Hey thanks for the link. I’m an old timer as far as TV news but a newbie at this blogosphere. I’m having a blast reading all of the posts and comments from friends, co-workers and everyone else out there. I think we’re onto something here ;]. Hey thanks for the link. I’m an old timer as far as TV news but a newbie at this blogosphere. I’m having a blast reading all of the posts and comments from friends, co-workers and everyone else out there. I think we’re onto something here ;].

]]> By: Links from the past week | News Videographer http://www.advancingthestory.com/2009/04/27/the-big-camera-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-356 Links from the past week | News Videographer Sun, 03 May 2009 22:05:17 +0000 http://advancingthestory.wordpress.com/?p=1306#comment-356 [...] TV photogs realizing the smaller, cheaper cameras can work too? [...] [...] TV photogs realizing the smaller, cheaper cameras can work too? [...]

]]> By: Eric R. Olson http://www.advancingthestory.com/2009/04/27/the-big-camera-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-359 Eric R. Olson Fri, 01 May 2009 13:42:45 +0000 http://advancingthestory.wordpress.com/?p=1306#comment-359 The argument for bigger cameras has less to do with weight and more to do with lenses. I own a $3000 camera with a decent lens but it doesn't even come close to the focal control that you can get with a $30,000 news camera. The argument for bigger cameras has less to do with weight and more to do with lenses. I own a $3000 camera with a decent lens but it doesn’t even come close to the focal control that you can get with a $30,000 news camera.

]]> By: Rich Harris http://www.advancingthestory.com/2009/04/27/the-big-camera-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-358 Rich Harris Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:21:41 +0000 http://advancingthestory.wordpress.com/?p=1306#comment-358 Sadly not - our budget only extends to the basic Flip Mino (640x480 resolution). But if we did have HD cameras we'd have to downsample to that resolution anyway, otherwise it would chew through our users' bandwidth (and ours!) - I would guess that 18 months from now the cameras and the bandwidth will be sufficiently cheap that it won't matter. That's the other great thing about these cameras - the tech is cheap enough that you can upgrade regularly, whereas if you invest in expensive gear you can't justify replacing it when a lighter camera with better battery life comes along. I'll be a happy man the day they make one with an external mic jack! They probably never imagined they'd be widely used as equipment for professional newsgatherers - hopefully they'll cotton on soon. Sadly not – our budget only extends to the basic Flip Mino (640×480 resolution). But if we did have HD cameras we’d have to downsample to that resolution anyway, otherwise it would chew through our users’ bandwidth (and ours!) – I would guess that 18 months from now the cameras and the bandwidth will be sufficiently cheap that it won’t matter.

That’s the other great thing about these cameras – the tech is cheap enough that you can upgrade regularly, whereas if you invest in expensive gear you can’t justify replacing it when a lighter camera with better battery life comes along.

I’ll be a happy man the day they make one with an external mic jack! They probably never imagined they’d be widely used as equipment for professional newsgatherers – hopefully they’ll cotton on soon.

]]> By: Deborah Potter http://www.advancingthestory.com/2009/04/27/the-big-camera-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-362 Deborah Potter Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:32:52 +0000 http://advancingthestory.wordpress.com/?p=1306#comment-362 Thanks for sharing the story, Rich. Your video quality is amazing--was that an HD Flip you were using? The relatively poor audio quality remains the biggest drawback to Flips and their ilk, but surely it won't be long before someone puts out a version with an external mic input. We're waiting! Thanks for sharing the story, Rich. Your video quality is amazing–was that an HD Flip you were using? The relatively poor audio quality remains the biggest drawback to Flips and their ilk, but surely it won’t be long before someone puts out a version with an external mic input. We’re waiting!

]]> By: Rich Harris http://www.advancingthestory.com/2009/04/27/the-big-camera-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-363 Rich Harris Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:34:03 +0000 http://advancingthestory.wordpress.com/?p=1306#comment-363 This is shameful self-promotion of the kind I'd ridicule in others, but I feel I can say a hearty 'Amen' to that. This story, of the G20 protests in London, was also shot on a Flip camera (and later edited using Blender, a piece of free and open source software): http://www.citywire.co.uk/personal/-/video/other/content.aspx?ID=335265 The really important thing was that we (me and a colleague who was liveblogging with a Blackberry) could get right in amongst the protesters, and speak to them without shoving a giant camera and mic in their faces, which not only gave us more physical agility (to move through dense crowds, climb over barricades etc) but made us more approachable. I don't believe we could have made this report with more expensive equipment. There is a minimum level of production value that viewers will accept, but we're fast approaching the point where you can exceed that level incredibly cheaply. This is shameful self-promotion of the kind I’d ridicule in others, but I feel I can say a hearty ‘Amen’ to that.

This story, of the G20 protests in London, was also shot on a Flip camera (and later edited using Blender, a piece of free and open source software):

http://www.citywire.co.uk/personal/-/video/other/content.aspx?ID=335265

The really important thing was that we (me and a colleague who was liveblogging with a Blackberry) could get right in amongst the protesters, and speak to them without shoving a giant camera and mic in their faces, which not only gave us more physical agility (to move through dense crowds, climb over barricades etc) but made us more approachable. I don’t believe we could have made this report with more expensive equipment.

There is a minimum level of production value that viewers will accept, but we’re fast approaching the point where you can exceed that level incredibly cheaply.

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