Best, Worst, & meh' of 2008 (intro)

The Best, the Worst and the Meh'   sub-$10k cameras of 2008

Introduction:

It is 2009 and it is a new year for new cameras. 2008 was a great year for the camera geek (read: me), so before I start reviewing the 2009 cameras as they come out, I thought I'd take a look back down the rocky path of videography and talk about the players of the '08 video season.

If you are looking for a camera to buy for yourself, you first have to figure out how you will use the camera (aka what do you want your workflow to be), then find the camera that best fits you. But letting you figure it out all on your own is no fun (for me at least), so I'll start out with the factors that shape my world view of cameras.

First things first, there is no ONE camera that is BEST. There are cameras. Camera with a "S" at the end. Each user has different uses. Each camera excels in different situations. Thus the best camera for one person, isn't the best for the next.  

2nd: All of these cameras are good cameras. They all have good picture quality and in the hands of an experienced photographer will produce amazing results.

3rd: Tape, 4:3 and Standard-Def are history. Tapeless, 16:9, High-Def is where the industry is going.  Things are changing quickly (well it doesn't feel quick all the time) and you have to be on board not to be left behind.  

4th: Tape, 4:3 and Standard-Def aren't history. While many people would like to move past these shackles, the reality is that if you work for a wide array of clients these old standards are still in use and will be for a little while longer.  A camera that works with yesterdays formats and tomorrows formats works today.

5th: Remember in 1999 when we were only a couple dozen months away from the DTV transition? Back then there was the 720p vs. 1080i debate of which one was the better format. Well, a 'couple dozen' months turned into a decade and counting... In that time the debate ended, when 1080p dominated TVs, video game consoles and next-gen DVD players. If you want your video to look the best it can on 1080p TVs, the best it can on 1080i TVs and the best it can on 720p TVs, your camera should shoot 1080p.

6th: CCD = CMOS. There ARE differences between a CCD (charge-coupled device) and a CMOS (complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor), but their similarities out weight their differences. There is a large vocal crowd who readily points out that there are more negatives to CMOS than CCD. All things being equal I would agree that CCD-s are better than CMOS-s, but all things aren't equal. In many competing cameras on the market today, CMOS sensors have less noise, higher resolution and use less light than their CCD counterparts. Coke = Pepsi. CMOS = CCD. Honda = Toyota. CCD = CMOS. Case by case, one is better than the other, then the other is better than the one. In the end, they are the same.

(Now for all the CMOS haters out there, I think you need to watch "2001: A Space Odyssey" again. If you don't get off your high CCD horse, you're going to end up like the apes who refused to go up and touch the CMOS monolith that just came crashing into town.)

Coming up next: The winners, the losers and the meh'