HDSLR's and the State of the Industry

If there is anyone out there who still reads this - you may be wondering why there has been nothing really new posted here in a LONG LONG time.

Well - in short that's because almost nothing new has happened in the state of Ultra Low Budget Digital Cinema.

WAIT WAIT WAIT you say - "Well they shot an episode of House on the 5D!" and "Shane Hurlbut gave a presentation!" and The GH-1 Firmware hack came out.

You may be right - all these things did happen. But Guess what? None of that is really news. It's what I call Hype. A Big FAT PHONY.

Here's the things I care about when it comes to making working with cameras:

1. Image Quality (the ability to tell story through images that speak of my mind and to my mind/eye)
2. Functionality - ease of operating conditions.
3. Ability to make a living shooting commercials and films.

Canon hasn't done a SINGLE thing to address number 1.
They decided it was okay to address number two with a firmware update for their flagship selling HDSLR camera the 5D2, but ignored the 7D despite the FACT that there is no technical obstruction to improving operability (i'm talking manual audio)
They've completely disrespected number 3 by releasing camera after camera that offer INCREMENTAL updates to parts one and two. This is why at this stage in the game:

I'VE COMPLETELY GIVEN UP SHOOTING ON CANON HDSLR'S UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

That's right. I've gone ROGUE...I mean ROUGE...I mean RED.

You heard me. I'm a Red FanBoy now. Because, despite all of the Smoke, mirrors, "delays", what have you - Red actually makes a camera that does everything I need NOW, and it does it SPECTACULARLY.

The only people who are worried about Scarlet are people who can't afford a Red One MX. And I've learned that if you can't afford the right tools, then you Rent them when you can make a profit with them.

Don't get me wrong -you can make some pretty pictures with an HDSLR, you can teach yourself cinematography, and you can even get paid if you're smart. BUT - I'm not willing to give everyone under the sun my Canon Camera for Free - because chances are if they aren't going to pay for a camera rental - they sure don't want to pay for my skills. Look at Craigslist - even the quality of Craigslist Jobs has gone down the toilet.

So - what does the future hold for me?

1. Shooting more with my Red MX.
2. Developing a low cost HD wireless transmitter system.
3. Testing a wide variety of lenses, and other accessories
4. Hopefully shooting with prototype GH-2, and AF-100 cameras.
5. Shooting with Epic

I can't hope to change Canon's mind about anything. They are so full of themselves that they put on a show in New York to try and illustrate that there is no Contender to their imaging equipment sales thrown. While they may have sold more units their products, and service, as well as attitude have UTTERLY failed to meet my criteria for a company that I knowingly and willingly support.

And - if you thought Canon was bad - look at Sony.

They are so witty they actually called their new HDSLR the A55 (Looks like ASS!!!) appropriate naming convention considering they made the same GIGANTIC BLUNDER that Canon made TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO WHEN THEY RELEASED THE 5DII. Great work guys - no one needs manual controls to achieve creativity. Just give me a lobotomy while you're at it.