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In Reply to: Digital vs analog video posted by Some Guy on June 26, 2003 at 10:21:43:
Thanks for the helpful post. One other question. Is hi-8 still a format that is available commercially? and are there hi-8 cameras with interchangeable lenses. Or is it worth waiting for the digital format to mature a little more? Norm
Follow Ups:
As far as I know, Hi8 is still available. Most of the versions left, however, are more aimed at the home user. The quality is still there, though.There are also some decent used camcorders out there. The Canon XL1 is the digital version of the original Hi8 version, the L1. Both have interchangeable lenses along the Canon line, although I'm pretty sure other companies have made compatible lenses as well. You'll have to do some research on that, but last time I checked there are a number of support pages by people who are still fans of the format.
As for waiting for digital to mature, I think it's decent enough right now for most purposes. What a lot of companies seem to be doing, though, is trying to get it to look less digital by taking away the harsh edges and such while still retaining the clarity. That and trying to make the conversion to HD in a few years time.
Honestly, I'd get out there and try a bunch of different cameras and see what best fits your purposes. I wouldn't be sold by just the tagline "digital" as that's been the most abused marketing gimmick of the past 20 years. Digital is just a means of processing the info: it doesn't automatically mean it's better than analog. There are so many other factors to consider that I honestly don't even care about it much anymore.
One other thing: after experiencing digital distortion, analog distortion seems like a soft and comfy blanket.
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