Tom Kaminski
June 15th, 2007, 07:41 PM
Have been a lurker here, trying to fill my vacant head with useful information. But now I'd like your thoughts on these two cameras from the following angles.
I own -- and am -- a nature video production company (www.avianvideocenter.com) that specializes in birds, particularly hummingbirds. Do lots of close-up, high shutter-speed shooting, and have been using the XL-1. Produce documentaries that I sell via e-tailers (e.g., Amazon.com) and brick & mortar retailers. Have been in business ~ 4 yrs.
A breakthrough recently occurred when DCI/Animal Planet, through a Culver City company, licensed some of the footage from one of my productions.
It would take me almost two months to bring in the money I was paid by DCI for the use of my footage. So naturally I want to get into that end of the business, too.
This obviously raises a lot of questions, chief among them: Do I really need to start shooting exclusively in hi-def, or will the type of SD video that the XL-2 produces be sufficient over the next 8-10 years in terms of stock footage? I recently concluded that it wouldn't, and that HD was the way to go. So I bought a Canon XH-A1 in May. Why the A1 and not an H1?
My knees, elbows and shoulders have been injected with cortisone several times over the past few years. I figured that I soon would be unable to carry the XL-H1 (OK, I'm 62), and would have to settle for the A1 with a 1.4X attached to the front. Also would have to start thinking about retirement (yecchhh).
During a visit yesterday with my friend Don DesJardin, however, I found that carrying his H1 with a Nikon 80-400mm lens and some other goodies on it posed no problem for my joints. Very surprising. If I'm reasonably careful, I can manage it.
But do I need it? What reading do you have on stock-film users in terms of their demand for hi-def footage vs good, clean, hi-res, 16x9 SD like the XL-2 can put out?
And is 4:3 dead in terms of both stock footage and retail OTC productions such as mine? Or will its death throws stretch out over several years?
What percentage of the market has purchased hi-def TVs, and what to the trends look like?
While we're at it, how are HDD and Blu-ray DVD players selling? Trends?
My programs are available on standard DVDs. I gather that the DVD wars are hurting sales of the HD-format players and keeping prices up. Efforts to affordably make and sell combo players appear to be languishing, except for one or two players who are asking 'way too much for their units.
So: what do you think? XL-2 or XL-H1? BTW, when I get this issue resolved, I'll be putting my A1 on the market. Terrific camera, but can't meet the telephoto requirements for the "close-up" nature shooting that I do at least, not as long as my joints permit me to carry the bigger cameras.
Why not attach a Brevis, M2 or another adapter to the A1, add a Sigma 100-300 lens and shoot on your merry way, you ask?
Dennis Wood was right up front with me: when shooting at high speeds -- 1/1200 - 1/15000 -- and panning or tilting to follow the subject, the sensors' grain patterns will show up in the image. Dennis, if I got that wrong, please correct me. At any rate, Dennis made it clear to me that this would not be a good option. Dang!
So we're back to my original question. Do I need a hi-def camera with interchangeable lenses, as in the XL-H1, or might the XL-2 do the trick for the next 8-10 years? Or even five?
Thank you.
Tom Kaminski
Rolling Hills Estates, CA
I own -- and am -- a nature video production company (www.avianvideocenter.com) that specializes in birds, particularly hummingbirds. Do lots of close-up, high shutter-speed shooting, and have been using the XL-1. Produce documentaries that I sell via e-tailers (e.g., Amazon.com) and brick & mortar retailers. Have been in business ~ 4 yrs.
A breakthrough recently occurred when DCI/Animal Planet, through a Culver City company, licensed some of the footage from one of my productions.
It would take me almost two months to bring in the money I was paid by DCI for the use of my footage. So naturally I want to get into that end of the business, too.
This obviously raises a lot of questions, chief among them: Do I really need to start shooting exclusively in hi-def, or will the type of SD video that the XL-2 produces be sufficient over the next 8-10 years in terms of stock footage? I recently concluded that it wouldn't, and that HD was the way to go. So I bought a Canon XH-A1 in May. Why the A1 and not an H1?
My knees, elbows and shoulders have been injected with cortisone several times over the past few years. I figured that I soon would be unable to carry the XL-H1 (OK, I'm 62), and would have to settle for the A1 with a 1.4X attached to the front. Also would have to start thinking about retirement (yecchhh).
During a visit yesterday with my friend Don DesJardin, however, I found that carrying his H1 with a Nikon 80-400mm lens and some other goodies on it posed no problem for my joints. Very surprising. If I'm reasonably careful, I can manage it.
But do I need it? What reading do you have on stock-film users in terms of their demand for hi-def footage vs good, clean, hi-res, 16x9 SD like the XL-2 can put out?
And is 4:3 dead in terms of both stock footage and retail OTC productions such as mine? Or will its death throws stretch out over several years?
What percentage of the market has purchased hi-def TVs, and what to the trends look like?
While we're at it, how are HDD and Blu-ray DVD players selling? Trends?
My programs are available on standard DVDs. I gather that the DVD wars are hurting sales of the HD-format players and keeping prices up. Efforts to affordably make and sell combo players appear to be languishing, except for one or two players who are asking 'way too much for their units.
So: what do you think? XL-2 or XL-H1? BTW, when I get this issue resolved, I'll be putting my A1 on the market. Terrific camera, but can't meet the telephoto requirements for the "close-up" nature shooting that I do at least, not as long as my joints permit me to carry the bigger cameras.
Why not attach a Brevis, M2 or another adapter to the A1, add a Sigma 100-300 lens and shoot on your merry way, you ask?
Dennis Wood was right up front with me: when shooting at high speeds -- 1/1200 - 1/15000 -- and panning or tilting to follow the subject, the sensors' grain patterns will show up in the image. Dennis, if I got that wrong, please correct me. At any rate, Dennis made it clear to me that this would not be a good option. Dang!
So we're back to my original question. Do I need a hi-def camera with interchangeable lenses, as in the XL-H1, or might the XL-2 do the trick for the next 8-10 years? Or even five?
Thank you.
Tom Kaminski
Rolling Hills Estates, CA