Capturing special moments in professional video quality – now available to consumers

By Heinrich Pretorius, Canon Product Specialist at DCC

High-definition (HD) cameras today allow users to capture, share and record crystal clear images and videos in almost any condition, ultimately creating a rich multimedia album of the events that define their lives – wherever the special moments may happen.

For the first time, the world of professional-quality video equipment is brought within easy reach of consumers, at attractive price points. Until now, this kind of equipment was reserved for those working in specific creative industries, and was prohibitively expensive.

For example, some of the latest cameras feature technology innovations that have been brought together to create a lightweight and portable device capable of recording stunning, high-quality video and images that were previously only achievable with professional and semi-professional cameras.

We are also seeing the emergence of ‘compact megazoom’ cameras with full 1080 pixel high-definition video at 60 frames per second. These entry-level cameras featuring semi-professional functionality also include 20x optical zoom and increased ‘noise reduction’, allowing you to continue shooting perfect video even in very poorly lit conditions. Added to this, many of these cameras include enhanced auto-focus performance that has been increased by almost 50% in comparison to previous generations.

The big step-change in performance with the latest entry-level cameras comes from the underlying processor technology – meaning better balancing in the colours, whatever the light conditions, and softer transitions when zooming in and out.

In today’s socially connected world, we want to simultaneously experience and also share our most treasured moments. This is made possible by built-in connectivity and GPS functionality within many cameras.

Keeping in trend with Social Media, new features on select cameras allow for photos and videos to be instantly uploaded to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, blogs, email or any other platform by wirelessly tethering the camera to any Android or Apple device, and connecting the two devices with apps. Furthermore, GPS functionality allows you to automatically geo-tag your photos with location information.

So wherever you go, you can record a personalised ‘visual diary’ of life’s biggest events, sharing them with friends and family, as the vibrant resolution of high-definition images and videos brings them closer to the action.

New consumer technology like this brings out the creative side in us all. Our eyes keep a lookout for interesting perspectives and we try to freeze-frame interesting moments and scenes; and the latest cameras try to further stimulate our creativity with a vast array of effects and treatments.

Among these, the perspective-warping fisheye, miniature, and toy camera options add a new dimension to one’s photos. The Movie Digest mode captures a few seconds of action to produce artistic time-lapse mini-videos.

Even videos can be creatively altered giving users the ability to set different moods and effects with colour accent options.

From the high-quality capturing of videos and photos, to the ease of sharing via social networks, to the array of creative treatments, the latest generation of cameras have change the world of photography. With these innovations, a number of professional features are packed into a small, pocket-sized device – bringing to life and etching into permanence all of your favourite moments.