can anyone look 2 years into the future and suggest what demand there will be for 16:9 documentaries? i'm wondering if the $1200(canadian) price tag for an anomorphic lens will be worth it. where will widescreen be in 2 years time? i'm not planning for a film transfer, should i? i'm headed to india in 30 days with a sony dsr pd 100a and will be there for 18 months. any help appreciated.

-- nagababa (tailslate@hotmail.com), October 13, 1999

Answers

Let me consult my magic 8 ball, I will return with an answer. Thank you. Love, Olai

-- Olai (sds@fd.com), October 14, 1999.

here in the u.s. we'll be switching to Hi Def by the year 2003. Hi Def of course is the new television format which is in 16:9. So the future is wide screen, someday our kids will laugh at us who watched a square (almost square) box for so many years. (no crystal ball needed, just the facts)

-- win edson (win7@earthlink.net), October 24, 1999.

The way I look at it is that the 16:9 lens will help us all keep our cameras rolling well into the future so that the HDTV clients can be relatively satisfied right along with the NTSC crowd. Prepping your investment for future compatibility is good common sense and you'll thank yourself for it in the long run when you find yourself not rushing out to buy 16x9 or HDTV gear at the last minute. Best of luck to you on your big trip.

John Brune http://www.geocities.com/~steadicamjr

-- John Brune (jbfine@fortwayne.infi.net), October 27, 1999.

If you are looking to produce anything for a European market, it' going to be a big issue in about 5-8 years as all TV will start to go to a 16:9 standard. This is already the case with digital and digital cable channels in the UK.

In the meantime, there is no point unless you actually prefer the 16:9 frame and want to use it so hold on.

I shoot now with a "super 35" head on - and consider two overlapping frames: one for academy, and within that a masked 16:9 image. I prefer the 16:9 ratio myself, but it's too much money.

-- Francoesque (Francoesque@hotmail.com), March 12, 2002.