CES - Cameras, video & such...

Shoot me, shoot anything, point and shoot will ya? Digital cameras and their video cam counterparts are experiencing a big upheaval in their usability.  The 2011 CES was proof that things are changing for photo fans and professionals alike.  

I attended with the intention of seeing what was new. Features, add-ons, more mega pixels, what's happening photo-wise this year. Guess what? The standalone handheld digital camera is in trouble.  I saw evidence of it across the show floor. Companies were demonstrating cameras, but fewer "camera only" devices were touted by the exhibitors this year.  The convergence of devices that do more than just take pictures was evident. We all know what our smartphones are now capable of, more on that in a sec.  How's this for a stat -  Eighty (80) different tablet devices were introduced at CES. Knowing that the main weakness of the iPad is that it does not have a camera (forward or rear facing), camera features were included with many tablets as an entry point.  For example, the front runner in cool "all you can do" tablets was clearly the Motorola XOOM tablet. It has two digital cameras built in, a 5 mega pixel rear facing camera for Facebook and Twitter use, and a 2 mega pixel camera that faces the user for Skype.  Other manufacturers like RIM/Blackberry incorporated two cameras into their Playbook  tablet... soon to be a common feature I imagine.  Just look at the iPhone 4, it has two cameras that produce very nice results, plus an LED Flash!  Does the average user need more than that? Not just iPhones, many Droid devices feature very impressive cameras, things that as stand alone devices would easily serve you well.  Good zoom capabilities, autofocusing, time delay shutters, they have really come a long way.  I own a Nikon D90 SLR and love it.  I may now be past the point of needing a smaller camera to take with me that doesn't have a changeable lens option, why carry a mono-purpose camera-only device?  I cannot post my photos to Facebook and Twitter without a wireless feature or mobile phone service, so my gem shots languish on an SD card til I make the switch to mem card reader, hard drive, then upload to social media site.  Too many steps for 2011 dude!  The SLRs have add on capabilities, flash, a myriad of lenses, speed motor, external batteries, etc.  I think the days of having "just a camera" in your pocket are going to be behind us very shortly.

Tiffen Steadicam for iPhone.Photography also took center stage at Canon's both, where they showed off the industry's leading SLR bodies and lenses. My camp, the Nikon folks, had a sales office somewhere in the back of the South Hall that I never found [:( ], but nothing like what Canon brought. Canon had demo stations that attendees could engage, digital signage touting newest features, they came to impress and it worked. Polariod had a fun-inspired booth where you could use their latest cameras and yes, get the pictures to take home.  There's still something neat about watching the developing happen and keeping the picture in it's hardcopy format.  Kodak had several new products, a small video camera that was the size of a credit card, the Mini Video Camera.  No award for creativity on the naming of the product, it was neat to play with and it only retails for $70. An HD version is available for $129 They also had an underwater video camera, the Playsport, Kodak's first in that market. Perhaps trying to capture the growing action sports photo & video market, this should sell for under $150 I was told.  GoPro, the current choice for the active minded videographer, had their array of accessories to accompany their HD grade mini video cam, the HERO.  Have a look at what HERO does for yourself, rider, surfer, skydiver not included! See HERO videos What makes their offerings so appealing are the different mounts for the camera, from a helmet cam, chest cam strap to bolt on fixtures that allow for bicycle frame mounting of your HERO cam.  My final piece of impressive CES camera equipment was the Tiffen Smoothee, a balanced handle mechanism designed to allow for very reliably shake-free video.  Tiffen makes professional level Steadicam tool for movie and video use, now they've turned their attention to the casual iPhone or Flip Camera user.  Making anyone a "panning across the scene" expert, this tool helps you create videos that won't have your viewers running for the medicine cabinet.  I tried it on the show floor and it really was easy to load the iPhone into it's cradle and begin taking smooth videos.  It's price is $179-$199, depending on which Internet retailer you select.  A good tool for amateur video folks, like me!

Things have changed since CES 2009.  We have cameras and tiny video on our phones, and the use of both has expanded. Now  what we take as memories is commonly published in minutes to social sites.  The new tolls have it, the older ones remain at home in their cases or in a desk drawer...

-dm