NAB Aftermath – The world might be going 3d, but it has already gone HDSLR!
NAB is absolutely monumental! If you never made it out there, you should!
The sheer size is hard too describe… By noon of the first day, people are getting massages in the endless corridors that intertwine the megalomonous halls that host vendors by the hundreds, all together adding up this year to about 1500… but that’s 1500 booths… which sometimes may have 2, 3 or even more brands in them… Some big some small, but I would risk saying there were millions of products for you to check out! Meaning that no matter how well organized you are, how well you plan your visit (which is definitely not my case), you still have no chance of checking out the majority of them… By the end of the first day everyone looks exhausted, overwhelmed and wondering how to tackle the 2nd day of product brain overload…
This isn’t my first NAB and although always excited to go, I never seem well prepared enough to deal with it…
It was however, my first time at NAB since I write a blog and I have to say the feeling was even more overwhelming! I never came back from NAB with such an anguished feeling that I should have done so much more… that I should have been so much better prepared… but that’s life… I can only hope to do better next year… So hopefully you won’t be expecting as intense of a review as I’ve done with other events, or I would still be in Vegas, gathering information…
It’s been a week and the 3 main things that echo in my head are: 3D, HDSLR and CS5.
The momentum building up towards 3D is scary! My gut tells me we will all have to deal with it sooner or later, in one form or another, while my soul cries; why?!
No 3D technology I’ve seen, seems to be completely ready for mainstream consumption! Looking at the camera rigs, is like looking at the past, but the problem is that it’s a reality of the future… Huge, clunky, heavy, dysfunctional, impractical… and all for the sake of straining your eyes, in a visual experience filled with problems…
I wonder why there was (and there’s still) so much resistance with HDSLRs and now someone else can say this is the way to go, after looking at these monstrous things…
Believe me, I’ve been trying really hard! So many films are only being green lit, only if they are shot in 3D… It seems like I have to be ready, if I wanna be a part of the game…
They keep comparing it to the “talkies”… but no one was coming out of theaters with their ears feeling funny, back then…
I met a few stereographers that opened my mind a bit more… even got me motivated to start doing some tests on my own. But the reality is that having to wear glasses to watch a film or TV, only feels unnatural and like going backwards, instead of moving forward…
The industry (dark) forces have never put such an obvious and biased effort to push a technology. You gotta be blind if you can’t see past what is put in front of your eyes… enough with 3D! For now at least…
HDSLRs! Like I said on one of my NAP POV Tour videos: “The world might be going 3d, but it has already gone HDSLR!”
There was almost no single booth without at least one HDSLR!!!!!!!!!!!!
So many vendors showcasing HDSLR products, accessories, necessary and superfluous add ons, it was simply mind spinningly blowing! But when I say HDSLRs here, I should really be saying Canon HD capable SLRs… you would spot an occasional GH1 to confirm the rule! The truth is that Canon is the only real player in this market (at least for now)! And the flaws of their magnificent products, have created a commercial paradise for all the smart developers that happened to be at the right place and time to jump on the first carriage. Proof is the amount of new vendors that are trying to follow! Trying to run fast enough, to be able to jump on the train that has already released the second steam horn and is about to reach the end of the platform… getting ready to build up to its cruising speed!
Don’t get me wrong, many more trains will depart from that same station and many more people will get aboard… but the first one isn’t stopping for anyone!!!
Redrock Micro and Zacuto have definitely taken half of the first carriage on their own! And doubtfully anyone will take their place in a near future, especially if they keep as active as they’ve been!
This brings me to one of the most exciting products I encountered! So exciting, it almost made it to my top 3 list of NAB. But since I already had HDSLR in there, it would feel kind of redundant… so here it is as my TOP HDSLR NAB product! The Redrock Micro Follow Focus system! And who better then Brian Valente himself to present it to you!
Definitely making it to my “me wantssss” list, but most importantly to my “me needzzzz” list!!!!
Not surprisingly, Zacuto’s presence was equally strong, displaying their new generation of view finders, showcasing a much more solid supporting system and a much needed anti-fogging lens coating!!!
The first big advantage I immediately see in these new supporting systems, is the opportunity to put a protective glass on my LCD, which I couldn’t before, because of the adhesive plastic frame. The upgrade is fairly priced and I couldn’t resist to return home without one!!!
They now come in several flavors and price points and you can expect an in-depth review here, soon!
The other exciting thing is seeing their rigs evolving! There was a new system that almost resembles the principles of a cage, but with so much more ergonomic functionality added.
Also very cool, was to see Jag35 right next to them, showing off their 35mm adapter line, but getting a lot of attention on their new lightweight cage and the only affordable HDSLR compatible LCD monitor in the market today!
By offering the only alternative in the market to the approximately $1000 HDSLRs monitors, Jag35′s $300 monitor comes at less then half the price point of other competing products. Sure you’re not expecting the same quality and feature set of a $1000 Marshal, but I’m sure it will fill the needs of many users and at least give them a chance of having a purchasable option.
The DFocus version 2 is also looking very interesting as a more portable, rod-less solution! Definitely products I want to look into in a near future!
Cinevate’s booth also caught my attention, not just for their already well known cool dolly rail system, but especially for a new view-finder prototype I spotted laying around on their counter!
Despite being only a prototype, the viewing experience was already pretty amazing!!!
Definitely not designed to be your most portable rig, I think it might be a great addition for bigger cinematography rigs!
The way you can use both your eyes to look into your LCD is pretty unique and very comfortable! Especially on long shoots!
Love to get my hands on one of these!!!
Another unexpected thing that really caught my eye, was the O’Grips, from O’connors. I was told their engineer has had them for a while and the idea of bringing them to the show spawned over night! They look very light, sturdy and incredibly versatile! If well priced I can see a big use and market for these!
Jumping to the world of software; CS5 was definitely stealing the show! It was virtually impossible to get a seat for one of their demos! Unless you were willing to wait for hours! Many people were just not leaving their seats, from presentation to presentation… the aisles got clogged whenever a presentation started, with so many people trying to get a glimpse of it…
If it wasn’t for the amazing and legendary Supermeet, I would have been completely left out of the loop…
Jason Levine graced us with another one of his high kicking presentations. Adobe is definitely thinking smartly!!! There’s so much cool and game changing stuff, I’ll probably have to do a few more posts about it… Just to give you a rough idea, I’m rethinking the whole post workflow of my feature, if CS5 delivers what they are promising!!! I’m anxiously waiting to get my hands on it!!!
The only other thing that stood out above Adobe’s buzz, was Davinci’s software version on the Mac for $995!!!
I have to confess this was one of the things I was most anxious to check out, on the show! This is a historical moment!
As I jungled my way through the endless booths, until I reached Blackmagic’s, I kept asking myself, what’s the catch??? There has to be one!!!! Well, and there is… Davinci does not support XML… so although priced to be in our world, it is just like a foreigner who doesn’t speak the language… a nightmare to import a project in… it supports EDLs… but that’s like saying, I speak speak Chinese, so I should be OK in Africa… But the great news is XML is on their minds and should be implemented sometime in the future… I’ll definitely be embarking on this boat… but until then…
Avid was also announcing a new version of their flagship editor, pushing their AMA technology, which also claims native support for all the new formats, like the infamous H.264 that our beloved cameras output… and finally unleashing their timelines with directly manipulatable clips, using your mouse or tablet… about F#$%! time!!! Maybe I’ll give it a go, now that they have finally accepted the “wheel”…
So much more to talk about I could keep writing ’til summer knocks… luckily for all of you, almost everyone and their aunt covered NAB, so you’ll have to keep piecing it together from here and there.
I recommend checking out Planet 5D, where you’ll find not only Mitch’s videos but links to many more and I also really enjoyed Tom Guilmette’s NAB Highlights.
Hope you enjoyed the RadRaven’s empirical perspective on NAB 2010!
T ; )~
