Camera Technology and Progress

For the longest time, RED was getting a lot of publicity for creating a cinematic camera package at a price to where the independent filmmaker could afford it. However, lately they have been faced with numerous delays of their newer camera systems and are becoming a better “hype and marketing” company than they are a camera company.

This has given other companies, such as Canon and Sony, time to bring affordable cinematic cameras into the picture. Canon is known very well for their EOS 5D and 7D DSLR cameras that have near-35mm equivalent senors, and recently Sony has showcased a prototype of their “RED killer” camera.

All this could be potentially bad for RED if they keep up their current ways. Being new to the scene with a new attitude and business model it gave them the edge, but the major companies aren’t allowing it to go on without a fight. This, however, is all very good for the consumer. There are numerous price points now that offer high quality cinematic video/film capture that will please everyone from family home movie makers to the hollywood feature filmmaker.

For under $1000 you can get a Canon t2i that films 1080p footage at 24fps. Between $1000 and $5000 you can get the Canon 5D/7D cameras as well as a few SSD-based Canon/JVC/Sony camcorders. Between $20k and $50k you can get the RED camera systems, and for over $100k you can get cinema-grade quality film and digital cameras/camcorders.

This all helps the technological advances for all cameras, not just for standalone ones, but for those integrated in other electronics, like cameras in your phones. Digital sensors are getting smaller and more efficient and cheaper. These little devices are capturing footage that’s leagues better than that hefty VHS camcorder you used to hoist up on your shoulder.

In conclusion, technology is advancing at such a fast pace, and with all the big players in the industry fighting to be the best, it will only benefit everyone in the long run.

About Me

My name is Damian Cardona. I moved down to Florida in the Summer of 2008 to pursue my film education. I graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor's in Film Science. I started up a small local production company with fellow graduates and are currently in the process of pre-production for a feature length movie will start shooting in March 2011.

I like to do everything and anything: watching/playing sports, traveling, camping, movies, photography, web design, and video games.