Why am I not impressed with NAB?

It is time for NAB once again. Lately it seems that NAB is beginning to feel like Christmas. Just as you think it is over for the year it comes back around faster than ever.

While I love new and innovative equipment as much as the next person, I am however becoming rather weary of the whole cycle.

New equipment sales these days are so focussed on heroin marketing tactics, that is to say that the manufacturers attempt to market new equipment in a way that makes you feel as if you won't progress or make more money if you haven't upgraded to the latest and greatest camera, that we have forgotten what making video is all about.

I'm not religious, yet I know I am sounding like an Arch Bishop at Christmas. But at the end of the day 90% of video camera users are not shooting for the Discovery Channel, or for a worldwide theatrical release. On forums all I read is that x codec is not good enough for this, y codec is not good enough for that. Some people find XDCAM totally superb, including Discovery Channel, while others say that they can see artefacts all over the place.

It is easy to get drawn into such discussions, and to do so is to forget that we all just want to make good video.

NAB fever though fuels the fire for more equipment. Granted, NAB is home to the release of far more useful products than cameras. New lighting technology is shown, new grip equipment is available etc, all very nice. But what happens is that maufacturers are locked into a cycle of having to release new products, that may or may not be truly ready, in time for NAB each year. Users on forums become obsessed with what might be shown, and once againend up on a cycle of waiting for next years NAB.

The equipment that you need to today is already available. Buy it when you need it. It will always be obsoleted.

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