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Should Your Next Stills Camera Be A Video Cam?
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21 November 2007
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Travel Photography: Video AND Still?
Should Your Next Stills Camera Be A Video Cam?
If you own a point-and-shoot digital compact, you've probably already got one! Although this is not a widely used feature, most modern digital compact cameras incorporate a video recording capability. The reason it's not frequently used is because videos take up more storage space than still images and there's the problem of how to use the material afterwards. Currently most people find it more convenient to email photos and/or have them printed out. Of course, capturing that embarrassing moment at the office party and playing it back to all a few minutes later is always good for a laugh, but most of us delete our mini-movies as soon as we need more space on the card for our still shots.
But this may soon change. With the advent of better compression algorithms and increasing storage capability, not to mention more powerful processors and home PCs that have the capability to easily process and edit video, many more people may take up the home movie camera. No film or processing costs, cheaper digital projectors and the ability to mainline your masterwork straight onto your widescreen plasma or LCD television from your computer – it's a tempting option for many of us who previously gave up on movies as too difficult and too expensive.
Broadband will set you free
Broadband internet connections are growing at an exponential rate. For example, nearly half of all connections in the USA are now broadband, and the take-up is also skyrocketing in Australia. This means streaming video over the internet is far more practical now than it used to be, as is sending a couple of megs of your latest family movie to your relatives. What's more, the advent of YouTube.com, as with MySpace.com, Flickr.com and other image sharing sites means that your movies can have a worldwide audience! This is without doubt a fast-growing phenomenon which is not going to fade away: Google did not spend a couple of billion dollars on it for nothing…
However, it's important to remember that film, or rather, video has its own language. Just as there are "rules" of composition that can be, and frequently are, broken to good effect in stills photography, basic cinematographic techniques such as not crossing the centre line came about for a reason. Ever since Eisenstein revolutionised the editing process in the 1920's, the language of film has been developing until now we all speak it so fluently we rarely notice the techniques and skills used in the movies and TV programs we watch every day. But speaking and writing are two different things, and if we want to create effective videos we need to master both.
A still photograph is condensed reality
Not that I have any intention of giving up stills shooting. A photo is not just a frozen moment in time, it's also a condensed version of the whole reality surrounding that moment. Implied within it is the preceding instant, what happened next, what exists just outside the frame and so on – you get the picture. That's a pretty powerful communication tool, a superb means of getting your message or experience across to the people looking at your work.
I have always been fascinated by the film-making process (I still own a Bolex 16mm cine camera). But I believe stills and video imaging complement each other, and are both important ways to communicate our experiences to others. The great new development is that now we can all afford to experiment in these media and share our creations with our families, friends and other interested people all over the world. And it doesn't have to be a "normal" video. Instead of a static shot of that Blue Mountains view, why not send them a five second pan across it or a zoom out from a detail to the whole panorama?
The all-in-one camera is here now – and getting better
A friend of mine, David Dare Parker, a well-known photojournalist, once said to me that his ideal camera would produce broadcast quality video, take still images printable up to A4, and fit in the palm of his hand. Up to now, the big drawback has been the still image part of the equation, as the new video cameras are not only small, but capable of high definition imaging. However, we are now seeing (amongst others) a Canon video camera with 4 megapixel still capability, and the technology is rapidly improving, just as it has with phone cameras: David's dream is not far off, if it is not here already!
Nowadays my own photography is centred around my online business activities. Although for stock requirements I need to shoot good sized files, these are actually unnecessary for online use. As this is by far the major purpose for which the images are utilised, I'm looking very carefully at rationalising my equipment, and especially at the video/still option.
But I still occasionally find myself nostalgic for my Hasselblads …
Tony Page
Tony Page is a professional photographer, writer and web designer now living in Sydney, Australia. His commercial clients are currently distracting him from his latest venture, the "Travel Signposts" website (http://www.travelsignposts.com) which contains information, resource links and over 10,000 photos of European and Mediterranean tourist destinations to help plan a European tour or river cruise.
From my article in Beter Photography magazine, 2007
If you own a point-and-shoot digital compact, you've probably already got one! Although this is not a widely used feature, most modern digital compact cameras incorporate a video recording capability. The reason it's not frequently used is because videos take up more storage space than still images and there's the problem of how to use the material afterwards. Currently most people find it more convenient to email photos and/or have them printed out. Of course, capturing that embarrassing moment at the office party and playing it back to all a few minutes later is always good for a laugh, but most of us delete our mini-movies as soon as we need more space on the card for our still shots.
But this may soon change. With the advent of better compression algorithms and increasing storage capability, not to mention more powerful processors and home PCs that have the capability to easily process and edit video, many more people may take up the home movie camera. No film or processing costs, cheaper digital projectors and the ability to mainline your masterwork straight onto your widescreen plasma or LCD television from your computer – it's a tempting option for many of us who previously gave up on movies as too difficult and too expensive.
Broadband will set you free
Broadband internet connections are growing at an exponential rate. For example, nearly half of all connections in the USA are now broadband, and the take-up is also skyrocketing in Australia. This means streaming video over the internet is far more practical now than it used to be, as is sending a couple of megs of your latest family movie to your relatives. What's more, the advent of YouTube.com, as with MySpace.com, Flickr.com and other image sharing sites means that your movies can have a worldwide audience! This is without doubt a fast-growing phenomenon which is not going to fade away: Google did not spend a couple of billion dollars on it for nothing…
However, it's important to remember that film, or rather, video has its own language. Just as there are "rules" of composition that can be, and frequently are, broken to good effect in stills photography, basic cinematographic techniques such as not crossing the centre line came about for a reason. Ever since Eisenstein revolutionised the editing process in the 1920's, the language of film has been developing until now we all speak it so fluently we rarely notice the techniques and skills used in the movies and TV programs we watch every day. But speaking and writing are two different things, and if we want to create effective videos we need to master both.
A still photograph is condensed reality
Not that I have any intention of giving up stills shooting. A photo is not just a frozen moment in time, it's also a condensed version of the whole reality surrounding that moment. Implied within it is the preceding instant, what happened next, what exists just outside the frame and so on – you get the picture. That's a pretty powerful communication tool, a superb means of getting your message or experience across to the people looking at your work.
I have always been fascinated by the film-making process (I still own a Bolex 16mm cine camera). But I believe stills and video imaging complement each other, and are both important ways to communicate our experiences to others. The great new development is that now we can all afford to experiment in these media and share our creations with our families, friends and other interested people all over the world. And it doesn't have to be a "normal" video. Instead of a static shot of that Blue Mountains view, why not send them a five second pan across it or a zoom out from a detail to the whole panorama?
The all-in-one camera is here now – and getting better
A friend of mine, David Dare Parker, a well-known photojournalist, once said to me that his ideal camera would produce broadcast quality video, take still images printable up to A4, and fit in the palm of his hand. Up to now, the big drawback has been the still image part of the equation, as the new video cameras are not only small, but capable of high definition imaging. However, we are now seeing (amongst others) a Canon video camera with 4 megapixel still capability, and the technology is rapidly improving, just as it has with phone cameras: David's dream is not far off, if it is not here already!
Nowadays my own photography is centred around my online business activities. Although for stock requirements I need to shoot good sized files, these are actually unnecessary for online use. As this is by far the major purpose for which the images are utilised, I'm looking very carefully at rationalising my equipment, and especially at the video/still option.
But I still occasionally find myself nostalgic for my Hasselblads …
Tony Page
Tony Page is a professional photographer, writer and web designer now living in Sydney, Australia. His commercial clients are currently distracting him from his latest venture, the "Travel Signposts" website (http://www.travelsignposts.com) which contains information, resource links and over 10,000 photos of European and Mediterranean tourist destinations to help plan a European tour or river cruise.
From my article in Beter Photography magazine, 2007
