Will we ever see DSLR Technology in the live event Industry?

SONY - DVCAM - DSR-450WSPL

I was thinking to myself the other day when I was on an event job doing the camera work. For years now Sony's DSR-450 DVCAM seem to be the norm most hire companies have them so if you need a another camera on a job you can easily get hold of one.

HD cameras have been around for quite a while now but you might be surprised to learn you  actually don't see many HD units being used in live events such as award shows and conferences etc.

There are a number of factors cost being a major if your using HD apart from the cameras and lenses being more expensive you need a HD Desk to mix the event.

It seems that a number of companies are waiting holding onto there DVCAM units and I can see why, they still perform great and when an event is live its more than likely just going to be shown on a few screens during the event or on an LCD Projector (which tend to non HD) the reason if you use a HD Projector is your client really want to pay the extra £1000 or so just for a nice 10k christie projector and £400 to hire a lens for it or will they be happy with the Sanyo XP variant at a fraction of the cost.

Another reason I think some hire companies are holding out is they are waiting to see what becomes the new event work horse camera that every other hire company has. That way you can get more units in if required on a job you will have accessories that would fit the hired in unit.

My Friend Mark op'ing on your average event, This was an awards show.

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Its a big investment for a company to make when buying new cameras it has to be right not only for the company but also for its clients no point in buying lots of nice cameras if you don't have the client base that can afford to hire it all.

I'm sure in the next 2 years we will see more HD units but what will we see? Its an exciting time in the world of cameras as well as going tapeless and new senors has  lead to the growth of DSLR video revolution. Stills cameras that can produce some amazing results that we only dreamed we would be able to achieve on film. Units such as the Canon 550D,7D,60D,5D seem to leading this field.

Canon 5d Mark II

Obviously we are not going to see these such cameras for event work but will we see something that that uses similar technology such as the new cameras that are coming out like the Panasonic AG-AF101. Its has uncompressed audio capture via its XLR inputs,HD-SDI output all thing that make it a more event friendly camera. Sure its not perfect for events but is this the start of something?

Panasonic AG-AF101

 

 

For events work a good zoom lens is essential something that has a x16+ will always make your job easier if your stuck at the back of the room and you need to get a Mid shot on the person at a lectern.

Lens gear giving you focus and iris control are always handy to have the accessories you need at your finger tips on your tripod arms.

I'm sure a number of company's will just be buying units like the Sony PMW-500 but it would be interesting to see if how the DSLR revolution will cross over/effect this part of the events industry.

Sony PVM-500