> Lou Wirth wrote:
> I would never spend that kind of money on a
> shooting rig and that is not my bread and butter.
You are absolutely right, but it also depends on how much you already own. For example, a number of folks jumping on the Canon bandwagon already owned compatible still lenses. Some, like my DP friend, owned film gear that could be modified. So, for some, the cost isn't all that high.
The second factor is where does the product air? Most of my corporate marketing work has ended up mainly on the web. The image from these cameras is great for the web. When you compare this to the investment people have historically made in Sony F900s or Panasonic Varicams, this approach is much easier to justify, even if you spend a ton in accessories.
What I tend to see is shooters who are buying these cameras and rigs and then renting Varicam, F900, F35, RED or Alexa when they have a job big enough to justify it. Basically it has replaced the EX1, EX3, HVX200, HVX 170 for these customers. Any video camera you buy today has about a 2-year life as far as market viability is concerned.
I see this phenomena opening the video market to a whole new set of shooters. Namely still photographers who are becoming video Dir/DPs and film Dir/DPs who have never owned or embraced video cameras. Now these two groups have a vehicle with which they are comfortable.
The last - and maybe most important factor - is that these cameras have achieved "buzz" with agencies and clients. I'm seeing a lot of pressure by agencies for DPs to use the HDSLRs, often when it's not appropriate. The DPs often really have to push back in order to be able to use a more appropriate camera for the job.
- Oliver
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