It’s the end of the year and everyone’s doing year-end lists, so why not me? Here’s my top ten camera news and developments in 2012: 1. The end of film Film’s been having a tough time of it, but did anyone in 2011 think that 2012 would be the year that film would roll over and die? This was the year that Kodak went bankrupt, Fuji announced they would cease production of motion picture film, and the major film companies announced the timetable for moving toward 100% digital distribution. It was also the year that a James Bond movie was …

Canon went and shrunk the C300! The company just announced its baby brother, the C100, which looks very similar but is slightly smaller and is absent a feature or two. Most notable, perhaps, is the use of the AVCHD codec, and the LCD has been moved to the back of the camera from the detachable handle. But the C100 has the same sensor as the C300, and may produce a very similar image. All of those issues may be less important, however, than the price; at around $8,000 it will be half the price of the C300. To get the …

The Sony NEX-FS700 has been in the hands of a lucky few for the past month, but now it’s starting to arrive at U.S. stores and dealers. Quantities are constrained, but if you ordered one when it was first announced, you should have it in your hands soon. I got to see one in the flesh for the first time this week at Rule Boston Camera, where Sony Sales Support Engineer Tom Cubby gave a presentation and demonstration on the new cameras capabilities. I arrived late to the presentation, just as they were demoing the Super Slow-Mo feature, so I …

In this second part of an interview with Eric Austin of HeliVideo, Eric talks about camera control, future cameras, and the most amazing sequence he’s shot so far:   What camera control are you doing remotely? We have remote record-on, off from the ground, and we can also punch-in. The lens we are currently using on the Sony is actually the kit lens, usually the 18 to 55. Are you using that because of the image stabilization? Yes, in part. The gimbal is stabilized, and with the extra little stabilization in the lens it just takes out the little nicks …

The first day of NAB and it appears that this year Panasonic has nothing to say to indie filmmakers. Going in to the show, Canon and Sony had already pre-announced several new cameras, yet there had been nothing from Panasonic. And now the show has opened and Panasonic has only three things to talk about; the first is the AG-HPX600 2/3 CMOS P2 HD camcorder with 10-bit 4:2:2 AVC-Intra recording. At seven pounds, it’s described as the lightest professional shoulder camcorder, but it’s not really an indie filmmaker camera. They also announced the microP2 card and microP2 card adaptor. With …

Was it only last week that Sony announced the NEX-FS700, and had everyone wondering where this left the Canon C300? One week later and Canon has seemingly fired back a huge broadside, announcing not one, but two new cameras; the EOS-1D C, (a 4K video DSLR that Canon had pre-preannounced at the unveiling of the C300 late last year) and the C500, a true 4K version of the C300. Note that the C500 – like the C300 – will be available in two variants; one with an EF mount, and the other with a PL mount. For those who haven’t …

Just when you’d think speculation about NAB releases would be starting to appear, Sony goes and ruins the surprise by pre-announcing a camera two weeks before the show! The NEX-FS700 is the big brother of the NEX-FS100, and it appears that Sony intends to continue selling the FS100, with the FS700 “fitting in” between the $5k FS100 and the $14k PMW-F3. The FS700 resembles the body of the FS100, but the barrel that the lens is attached to is much larger, and adds a hump on the side to accommodate ND filters. It continues to support Sony’s E-mount. The FS700 …