I have noticed a disturbing trend, and I am here to quash it! Ever since Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras started showing up with a movie mode, people have felt the need to call them by a new name. The DSLR acronym was no longer descriptive enough, so shooters started adding on a “video,” “hybrid,” or “high definition” moniker to their camera to feel superior to the poor souls stuck with last year’s DSLR, which was limited to shooting sad, unmoving photos. Thus the acronyms VDSLR, HDSLR, and, confusingly enough, HDDSLR, have been bandied about far and wide. I’m here to stop this, or at least, give you the chance to vote on it once and for all!
It’s just been proposed at Cinema5d (one of my favorite forums, and a great place to go for DSLR info) that we should settle on “HDSLR.” No, I say! Just because it has a new feature does not mean you should call it something different. When they added audio recording did we all start calling them ADSLRs? Since they shoot video and audio now, shouldn’t they be HDADSLRs? What about the ones that have a built-in flash? HDAFDSLRs! Geotagging module? HDAFGDSLRs! Articulating screen? HDAFGASDSLRs!
Think about it this way: when they started putting cameras on cell phones, everyone was like, “it’s a cameraphone!” And then they added email and the web and it was a “smartphone,” and then they added applications and it was an “app phone.” Yet, despite all these wondrous features, Apple did not come out with a iSmartEmailAppTouchVideoCameraPhone. They just called it an iPhone, because, you know what? Every other phone out there has those features too now. It’s no different with DSLRs — soon every DSLR will have a movie mode (if they don’t already), and similar to the term “cameraphone” (R.I.P.), it will feel redundant to keep tacking on the feature to the name. We just call them phones, people. And they’re just DSLRs.
That’s my opinion. What’s yours?
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7 COMMENTS
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“The HDAFGASDSLR Cinematography Guide” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, but you got it.
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I find it hilarious that thus far, the least popular acronym is HDDSLR. Come to think of it, I found that the most annoying also.
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domi_v on 05.12.10 @ 5:41PM
I think for now HDSLR is relevant until they all shoot hd video. And like you said once that happens it’ll go back to DSLR just like “cameraphone” and “smartphone” are all going back to the term “cellphone” now.
1 pingbacks
- The hot new camera on the block: the HDAFGASDSLR « NoFilmSchool on 05.15.10 @ 2:17PM
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DSLR FTW.