It146;s A Breeze

THERE used to be a time, barely a decade ago, when tourists carried all kinds of cameras: SLRs, disposables, point and shoot. Over the last few years, however, that trend is changing. Most tourists carry small video cams that weigh under 1000 gms, have long-lasting batteries and tapes the size of audio cassettes. Prices begin Rs 20,000 upwards. In the last year or so, digi cams have begun to take over the market. These weigh around 650 gms, fit into the palm of the hand, and cost around Rs 1 lakh.

On a recent trip to the Far East, my own Sony CCD-TRV49E looked like a dino-cam amidst the sea of bonsai cams that have begun to flood the market. These large, now almost clunky cameras are on their way out, even though they have some pretty nifty features. For example, the CCD TRV49E, with its 450X Digital Zoom and nightshot you can shoot in total darkness and get results like CNN had during the Gulf War, an in-built spot light and several cool looking visual effects, is real value for money. But trust me, in another six months, it will be a relic in the museum of Home Videos. And it isn8217;t just size, weight or cost that will edge these cameras out of the market. Take for example, my need to e-mail some of the video footage shot on these cams. It8217;s not impossible or difficult to do so, but on the other hand, it isn8217;t easy either. Today, the need is to plug your cam into your computer, quickly review the footage, capture it and hit the 8216;send8217; button.

Digital video, for non-professional use, is growing very rapidly. Technological advances have begun to support some incredible features and over a period of time 8212; my guess is less than 6 months 8212; they will be available at affordable prices as well. Take the Sony DCR-TRV30 which should hit the markets soon. It has a steady shot feature that results in smoother videos. The digital photo mode lets you shoot and store still-shots in a 4MB Memory Stick. And the Progressive Shutter System makes grabbing still pictures off a moving video simpler. Transferring these images to a PC for viewing, editing, e-mailing and printing is a breeze.

If you are looking for cams, wait until a digital one becomes affordable for you.

The author is Station Director, Radio City, 91 FM, Bangalore