Why are TV Cameras still HUGE and expensive?

[Dave Humphries]

Hi all,

I just found this on YouTube and, as this was once an industry I worked in, can vouch that this is a pretty accurate and thorough review of the considerations that go in to TV camera design and operations (vs say, DSLR).



Cheers,
Dave

[Manfred M]

Excellent video Dave. I knew about a lot of this through my previous work in independent video production. Much of what was discussed is also applicable to studio or on-location work, albeit with lower end gear. One can always add light in a studio or on location setting, but this is not always going to be possible in broadcast work.

The same comment goes for shooting location.In traditional film making, the director could put the camera where it was needed, so the extreme zoom range (and associated hardware to enable it to produce steady video) is not a requirement. The optical data links to the control room is also not needed as in traditional work, exposure correction and colour grading is handled in post.

The one minor area that he did not cover is the accrual of R&D / development / productionalization costs. Broadcast camera systems a leading edge products. Their output impacts a huge audience, so the technology tends to be leading edge. That tends to mean that the technology is expensive. There is a fairly limited market for these cameras (generally broadcast television), so the number of individual cameras and lenses that can absorb these costs is relatively small (thinking in the order of thousands of unit). The development and manufacturing costs have to be amortized over the units sold, so these high costs are going to have a very significant impact on the cost of a unit.

[xpatUSA]

Thanks, Dave, the video certainly answers the question!

I seem to recall that, when the Panasonic DMC-GH1 m4/3 first came out, some Swedish gentlemen made quite a long movie with just it and the 14-200mm kit (?) zoom but that video tells me that it must have quite a struggle ...

[DanK]

Very interesting. thanks for posting

[Panama Hat & Camera]

Dave,
I really liked this video. It answered some questions I had when I saw some reports on TV (about the zoom lens, for example).
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
Antonio