iCamera

[quote]Originally posted by eat@me:
<strong>Now that the applications surrounding the digital hub have been completed. The next device will a digital camera called iCamera. It will be a firewire based solution, like iPod, except there will be no need to write to miniDV tape but write video to the firewire HD. This will be a partnership with Canon/Sony and
announced at NAB in LV this spring.

iVideo and iCamera to complement iPhoto, FCP, iDVD like iTunes is to iPod.

Thoughts?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Currently hard discs are not large enough for video recording as such.

The thing is - you can put a ton of stuff on tapes, which are small and convinient. But a 10GB HD won't hold enough for people to take their camera with them on a trip.

But I will allow that it will be able to write directly to the iPod, or to the Mini-DV Tape.

And it will charge via firewire. Won't have any special effects.

The video camera will have a nice 10x optical zoom with a 200x digital (if it even has digital zoom), will be white, like the iPod, will be small (Like the Canon Elura2 ... <a href="http://www.canondv.com" target="_blank">www.canondv.com</a> ...) and will have an LCD flip screen on the side. The commands will be very, very simple.

The still camera will charge via firewire. The base model will come with no zoom and will hold the pics on a 5GB firewire HD. 2.2 megapixels.

The second model will have a 2x zoom, 2.2 MP and will use a 5GB HD.

The last model will have a 2x zoom, 3.3 MP and use a 10GB HD.

Andrew

I belive if they use MPEG-4 they can fit the video. We're not talking about people who want 3CCD with UWXGA resolution captures. I think if they offer 1500x1000 JPGS and 480 line MPEG-4 level compresion on the video for $499 They's have a winner.

Panasonic is releaseing a digital video recorder/digital camera/MP# player/voice recorder that's smaller than a business card for $450 US.

Everything is stored on SD cards. No hard drive.

I'm getting one of these an I pray it will work with my new Mac...

Too many players in this game, and Apple would have to team up with one of the big companies to build a camera to thier specs. I would put this one in the same arena that Jobs put the PDA.

[quote]Too many players in this game, and Apple would have to team up with one of the big companies to build a camera to thier specs. I would put this one in the same arena that Jobs put the PDA. <hr></blockquote>

There's something that people don't understand here. There may be lots of players in the game, but Apple can do better. The proof of this is the iPod. The PDA market is severely lacking right now- an Apple device would make a huge splash.

[quote]Originally posted by JCG:
<strong>Too many players in this game, and Apple would have to team up with one of the big companies to build a camera to thier specs. I would put this one in the same arena that Jobs put the PDA.</strong><hr></blockquote>

While I agree with the too many players comment I do find it strange that Steve Jobs has now made public notice of how 'todays' digital cameras are FAR FROM intuitive... For anyone keeping a score card, Steve has now done this in two MacWorld keynotes. NY01 and SF02

Now, he didn't come right out any say anything but his actions speak/spoke volumes. I wouldn't be shocked to one day see Steve on stage making reference to his past 'ISSUES' with the current line of digital cameras (the room breaks out in chuckles) and then say something like "Well the fine people in Apple Hardware have finally done something about it.... yadda yadda yadda"

Sure seems like he COULD be setting the stage with all of these "problems" he seems to have with using a camera... After all don't you think Steve would have been shown how to turn on a silly camera in a pre-show rehersal?

You gotta know they reherse some/most/all of those demos, you don't think they just do a keynote totally off the cuff do you?

Dave

[ 01-14-2002: Message edited by: DaveGee ]</p>

[quote]Originally posted by DaveGee:
<strong>

While I agree with the too many players comment I do find it strange that Steve Jobs has now made public notice of how 'todays' digital cameras are FAR FROM intuitive... For anyone keeping a score card, Steve has now done this in two MacWorld keynotes. NY01 and SF02

Now, he didn't come right out any say anything but his actions speak/spoke volumes. I wouldn't be shocked to one day see Steve on stage making reference to his past 'ISSUES' with the current line of digital cameras (the room breaks out in chuckles) and then say something like "Well the fine people in Apple Hardware have finally done something about it.... yadda yadda yadda"

Sure seems like he COULD be setting the stage with all of these "problems" he seems to have with using a camera... After all don't you think Steve would have been shown how to turn on a silly camera in a pre-show rehersal?

You gotta know they reherse some/most/all of those demos, you don't think they just do a keynote totally off the cuff do you?

Dave

[ 01-14-2002: Message edited by: DaveGee ]</strong><hr></blockquote>

Excellent points!

[quote]Originally posted by eat@me:
<strong>Now that the applications surrounding the digital hub have been completed. The next device will a digital camera called iCamera. It will be a firewire based solution, like iPod, except there will be no need to write to miniDV tape but write video to the firewire HD. This will be a partnership with Canon/Sony and
announced at NAB in LV this spring.

iVideo and iCamera to complement iPhoto, FCP, iDVD like iTunes is to iPod.

Thoughts?</strong><hr></blockquote>

FYI I ran into a new Digital Video camera the other day that writes directly to DVD! So - why bother with tape any more... i'll bet this is coming soon to most other vendors.

(I think this link will get you to the new machine: <a href="http://dvdcamstore.hitachi.com/kore/catalog/catalog.html" target="_blank">http://dvdcamstore.hitachi.com/kore/catalog/catalog.html</a> )

Ariel

The camera that writes to DVDs is not new -it's over a year old.

And it's not good quality. The quality is worse than MiniDV and it's slower to record and slower to playback. the ONLY benefit is that you can watch it directly in your DVD-Player...but you cna do that with the MiniDV and it will be better quality.

I'm not talking about a simple web-cam type video camera. I'mm talking about a Mini-DV camera. Apple will release nothing less.

Mini-DV is the standard for desktop video. And it runs perfectly with iMovie - iMovie is MADE for Mini-DV.

A still camera would be a seperate devices that would work with iPhoto, and could easily have a HD in it.

The thing that I want with an Apple Branded Video Camcorder:

Mini-DV
10x Optical Zoom (similar to the Canon Elura2)
Optical Image Stabilization
FireWire or FireWire 2 (that's a given though)
Long battery life, charged via firewire
Extra batteries
Small LCD screen


That's it. I don't need any "special effects" or features. On a low end 1CCD camera I don't need manual focus or exposure settings. That camera I just listed would easily sell for $400. Already they have mini-dv cameras with MORE than that for only $450. Apple would be smart to introduce a consume camera that gets rid of the bull shit. Especially from Sony, who releases consumer cameras with all this "night vision" and "special effects" that can be done BETTER in iMovie, without destroying your origonal footage.

Stripped down.

Andrew

It was a smart move for Apple to get out of the periphial business. The iPod is in a class of its own and I think Apple has more planned for it down the road.

Sony and Canon are competitors in the DV arena...I dont see them partnering. Right now, Sony's cameras are generally considered the best, but both are very good. I cant see Apple innovating anywhere in this market.

Basically, I think Apple qould be spreading themselves way too thin.

[quote]Originally posted by Keda:
<strong>It was a smart move for Apple to get out of the periphial business. The iPod is in a class of its own and I think Apple has more planned for it down the road.

Sony and Canon are competitors in the DV arena...I dont see them partnering. Right now, Sony's cameras are generally considered the best, but both are very good. I cant see Apple innovating anywhere in this market.

Basically, I think Apple qould be spreading themselves way too thin.</strong><hr></blockquote>

You're wrong about the cameras.

Canon is considered the best.

When you get past the XL-1 range (over $4000 cameras) sony is not nearly the best, and Panasonic and JVC are probably better than both Canon and Sony.


Sony has a perception of being hte best due to marketing of tiny "features" that don't do much aside from cluttering up the sides of the camera. They also sell more because they are "Sony" and people think that they are considered the best.


Similar to the way people think that P4s are the "best" cause they're the "fastest" in terms of Megahertz.

Andrew