Does this mark the end of still photography?

[ROBERT TANGEN]

On this site's "Post Trip Reports" section, there is a great 4 minute video, labeled "Greenland." Maybe only Art Wolfe will be allowed to publish still photos with the humongous abilities of videos now availablr.

[Nick Gatel]

Not at all, especially for many of us. Video requires large memory (extra cards), more battery power, tripods and/or head gear, more set-up time, more post production time, etc., etc.

My camera will shoot 30 minutes of video at a time. Not worth the time or effort to me. Plus, often I don't even take the camera and taking a video camera is not worth it.

I like to view pictures. I also like to watch video. But at the end of the day I most enjoy a well written account.

[Peter S]

To me, Video, Stills and Words are very different. They can't replace each other.

I prefer stills.

[Bob Gross]

Try to shoot video, then do a frame grab, and try to make a quality 20×30 print to hang on the wall. I don't think that it can be done.

–B.G.–

[Serge Giachetti]

Video has become a lot more accessible (production, editing, publishing) as of late, so we're seeing a lot of cool stuff. I think still images resonate in a different way. How many iconic video clips can you think of off the top of your head? Iconic photographs?
IMO video is better suited for conveying narrative, stills for crystalizing and idea or feeling. Obviously a lot of gray area when looking at the potential of each medium, but I def wouldnt underestimate the power of the still. Just look at instagram, facebook or anywhere on the web. Its not just an issue of bandwidth, its about the immediacy of a photograph.

[Richard May]

I hesitated to post this at first. I got on my soap-box. This is a topic I love to think about so there's a bit of a ramble here.

< ramble >

You can't replace stills with movement.

Stills remind me of change by comparing what has been recorded with the present. The better I experience that which was captured in another time the more powerful the image becomes. Film reminds me of change by showing the continuity of this change through time. The more I connect with these fluid changes the more compelling a piece of film becomes.

As a photographer I am obviously drawn to stills. I love the way a good image allows me to re-live an instant. With each viewing, a masterful image will somehow be a different experience. I will discover new details or approach it with a different frame of mind that in turn can renew a given experience in my life. Just looking at childhood pictures and remembering when they were taken, by who, where I was, is a trip!

Film has a different quality to it. I admire, even envy a little, those who can master the art of creating a story the carries me from beginning to end. It is a very different experience. As a viewer I am led and carried from one moment inexorably to the next. It is a much more structured experience.

The two are very different.

< /ramble >

[Jason G]

"Try to shoot video, then do a frame grab, and try to make a quality 20×30 print to hang on the wall. I don't think that it can be done."

Bob, it can be done! Check out the new Canon EOS 1D C

[Dondo .]

Great video of what looks like a wonderful trip.

But can video replace stills?

No. Two very different mediums.

The best stills capture a moment of time that can, like haiku, give you a glimpse into eternity.

[Bob Gross]

Jason, I did not see them printing anything at 20×30 inches.

Edit: Good Grief! The camera body alone is $12K

–B.G.–

[Tom D.]

I'm a video enthusiast, but the fact is that people will always want to see pictures. Family, friends, etc. will always want pictures that they can see without sitting in front of a video. Mine sure do.

The ability to make good high definition video has been around for years now, but it hasn't slowed the still picture folks at all. Many do both, especially with the video quality being produced with DSLR and mirrorless cameras now. My Sony NEX-5 shoots just as good video as my $4000 video camera from 3 years ago. It doesn't have nearly as many manual controls, but it weighs a lot less.

[Ross Bleakney]

Two different things from a user standpoint, let along a producers standpoint. From a user's standpoint, I often prefer still photographs. I don't like fast forwarding through video trying to find the best moments. I prefer it if the author did that for me, or gave me a set of small pictures from which I can choose. Videos, on the other hand, are great for things that are moving (such as a person skiing or a waterfall).

[Franco Darioli]

Getting there but…
That Canon 1D C
As Bob pointed out it is about 14k and about 4lbs with a decent lens, say a 24-70mm F2.8
So not exactly affordable, in price and weight, for the average hiker.
As for the Pros, the prints examined in that video were A3 max (11×16) so large enough for some applications but not all.
Note also that 1Gb is only 15sec of video (at 24fps) so be prepared to spend a lot of money on 64gb cards….

[Bob Gross]

"64gb cards"

Yes, and each one of those gets you only 16 minutes of video.

Plus, it is a big jump from quality prints at 11×16 to get up to 20×30.

–B.G.–

[Franco Darioli]

Even better stills from video :
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/08/these-frames-shot-with-the-new-6k-red-dragon-camera-are-stunning/
(new today at Gizmodo)
RAW stills from a 6K sensor.
but again not for the LW thruhiker on a budget….

[Serge Giachetti]

well said, Richard May. Thanks for chiming in.

[Edward Jursek]

In an ever wired and hectic world I find solace in still photographs. In the hands of a skilled photographer a still image can convey a powerful narrative. I recently saw an old school slide show of 35mm pictures taken in the Rockies that were a mix of 70's family hiking pictures and landscapes that was amazing. It told a totally different story then a video or Super 8 film would have told. Stills give you a lot of room to fill in the narrative, and I fear we are losing that quality with too much video. It is bad enough people don't read books any more. The end of still photography would be a sad mile stone towards the end of imagination.

[Bob Gross]

"It is bad enough people don't read books any more."

They don't need to read books. They can find answers in Wikipedia. Everything else is on Facebook.

Not.

–B.G.–

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