Staff Writer's blog

To get to the Camera Department at the B&H SuperStore in midtown Manhattan you have to take the stairs or escalator up to the second floor. What greets you at the top of the steps is a wall-to-wall array of photo gear. Across the tops of the wraparound display cases are the signature signage of Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Leica, Panasonic, and others. But wait (a voice in your head says)... his is only the Used Department. The new cameras are located around the bend in a humongous area about 6 times larger. Welcome to B&H, the largest camera store on the planet.

Your initiation to the world of DJ mixing may be a click of the DJ Mouse away. The included Deckadance LE software puts almost every professional DJ tool within reach. I had just sprained my ankle before opening the box, yet I was able to create elaborate remixes even with one leg elevated! I'm not sure they would've "moved me" as easily if I were struggling to stand behind a more elaborate DJ rig.

The first thing that strikes you when you see Casio's new Exilim EX-G1 is its wedge-like shape. With few exceptions, most point-and-shoot cameras are as boxy as a '64 Chevy Impala. Not so Casio's Exilim EX-G1, which has lines reminiscent of the far sexier-looking '65 Chevy Impala, a car that to this day remains a true head-turner. (What a difference a year makes!)

Wires. Sometimes, they just get in the way, especially when working on a professional video production. Snaking hundreds of feet of cable around a shooting location can make it difficult for camera operators to move around, can be incredibly messy, and sometimes wires and cables can make capturing the shot you need incredibly difficult or even impossible.

The reality of batteries is that unless you have back-ups (or the option of plugging into AC), when they poop out, it's a wrap. Game over. And while it's a common practice (not to mention common sense) to have multiples of critical power supplies on hand when shooting on assignment, you never hear anybody complain about their batteries lasting too long. If anything you're more likely to hear praises to the Lord for sustaining the power supply through the last moments of the last scene. Fortunately, battery technologies continue to evolve rapidly and the benefits of these new technologies are evident in some of the newer batteries manufactured by Anton/Bauer and IDX.

Mixing video is an art. Cutting at exactly the right time to maximize impact, pacing the length of each shot, choosing the best footage or angles to show-- it's about finding the right cadence and rhythm for the audio and visuals.

Finding the right rhythm when mixing a live performance becomes even more critical, because you don't get any second chances.

You gotta' love the rapid pace at which technology is advancing. Prosumer video cameras today can be even better than some of the professional cameras of only a few years ago, and the line between prosumer and professional keeps blurring more and more each year.  Judging by the upcoming Sony HDR-AX2000 prosumer video camera, the accelerated pace of technological advancement shows no sign of slowing.