Solid state of affairs

Solid state acquisition seems to be gaining popularity all of the time for all levels of digital video from consumer to professional.  For those that are not sure what ’solid state’ means, basically there are no tapes – you record video and/or audio direct to a memory card or hard disk.  These are then quickly loaded on to an editing system without the need to trawl through tape.  There are many advantages such as less moving parts in the camera and faster work flow.

Just to show how fast things are moving, Sony are soon to be launching the PMW-EX3 – I’d only just finished reading all of the reviews on the EX1 and was looking forward to trying it out!

I have not used the XD CAM range of cameras yet but the strange thing is that I feel I already am converted to this new working method simply from what I’ve read – not for every application - film and other formats will have their place, but for the vast majority of corporate and documentary-style work, it certainly seems to be unbeatable.

The consumer video market has changed dramatically and I heard a piece on the radio that suggested that tape is pretty much dead and recommended investing in solid state if you’re looking to buy now.  The professional scene looks set to go the same way.

James