High Definition? Yes!

So, you've just finished one part of the latest piece of animation you're producing and you pop out for a breather, and while you're there you just happen to run into the Administrator of the production house where you're doing this animation. You and he discuss setting up some training courses and he wants your advice on who to do them. You name some people and then casually mention that Sony has a new High-Definition camera out. 'Yes,' the administrator says, 'It just came in today. Would you like to see it?.' 'Sure,' you say blankly, and the two of you head-off down the street to Plaza Digital Cameras.

The administrator is greeted by the staff like an old friend. You're introduced. Names are exchanged. Business cards too. Then you get down to the nitty gritty. Checking out the Sony HDR-FX1.

It's neat. It has everything you want from a prosumer video camera, but the thing that blows you away - apart from the 16:9 screen and high definition recording, is the aperture toggle. On a shoot it is the little things that count. All the cameras you've used - all the dinky little prosumer ones anyway - place the aperture in a really stupid and out-of-the-way place. So, you have to stop to use it. Something that is annoying when you're shooting a doco. You've long ago forgone using automatic aperture settings. The HDR-FX1 has it exactly in the right place - or should that be left place, because it is ideally placed to be adjusted with the left hand.

Half-an-hour later, you've pretty much exhausted the possibilities of shooting everything in the shop. You want this camera. You want to see what it can do in a real environment. The administrator beats you to the punch. He asks to borrow the $7000 camera, that the store has had less than 12 hours, overnight. You're blown away when they say yes. You've learnt a valuable lesson. Ask. The worst they can do is say no.