When RCA introduced the TK-76, the first broadcast-quality portable handheld video camera in 1976, the standard batteries included with the camera were Cine 60 nickel cadmiums (NiCd). Battery life for this power hog camera on a NiCd was about 20 minutes, which meant for a day of shooting it took a very heavy bag of expensive cells — each weighing several pounds.
The short history of video is full of working videographers who solve major problems in their craft and go on to build companies to share their inventions with others in the industry. Ross Lowell of Lowel Lighting and Anton Wilson of Anton-Bauer are two well-known examples working image-makers turned inventors. Now, add Bruce Sharpe to the list.
Rugged, durable memory storage drives are now essential for videographers working in harsh field conditions. They can be the difference between whether the video makes it home or not. How do you choose the right storage for the application?
Jim Domke was a photo-journalist back in the 1970s. When practices changed, rather than working from the trunk of his car to needing a portable gear bag, Jim devised a fabric bag to carry bodies and lenses.
There is a lot of confusion about what a pixel is. John Watkinson argues that it doesn’t matter because the resolution of a camera has little to do with the pixel count.
Is the rush of interest in Ultra HD a flash in the pan, or will we see complete broadcast chains from the camera to the home? If you attended NAB this year you would be forgiven for thinking that every broadcaster in the world will be moving to 4K in the next six months, such was the frenzy of new products. The move to 4K won’t happen that quickly, but Ultra HD transformations will happen in the very near future, and broadcasters and production companies should be investing sooner rather than later.