As one of the first Photoshop instructors ever to be certified by Adobe, Steve Weinrebe has trained thousands of students that come to him from myriad professions for his hands-on style of teaching. Recently Steve authored the textbook, Adobe Photoshop & the Art of Photography: A Comprehensive Introduction (Cengage Delmar-Learning, 2008), so that college and high school photography students around the world can benefit from his method of teaching Photoshop. Steve's career as a professional photographer spans 30 years, and he recently joined the faculty of the Maine Media Workshops. Steve offers Photoshop training in Moorestown, New Jersey, and his Authorized Adobe Training Center, Imaging R & R, offers classes in Creative Suite software in Princeton, N.J.

In this interview with Bill Heuer, V.P. of Casio’s Digital Imaging Division, Steve discusses the new EX-F1 and the convergence of still photography and video.
 

Steve Weinrebe: Was there any sense at Casio that you were being revolutionary introducing a still camera with such amazing video functionality (300, 600, and 1200 fps for high speed, slow motion videography)?

Bill Heuer: Yes, basically our goal with the development of the EX-F1 was to use digital technology to do things that conventional cameras have not done.  Up to this point, most digital cameras in the market have just emulated what was done previously in film cameras with a few additional features.  Certainly high-speed capture allows users to capture images other cameras cannot capture.  High-speed video allows consumers the opportunity to see things they could not see before with the naked eye.
 

SW: With mini-HDMI out, accommodation for an external microphone, and a separate button for shooting video, to what degree do you think this camera will be sought after for its video functionality?

BH: We knew the camera was so unique that certain functions would appeal to different applications.  As it turns out many of the initial EX-F1 customers are drawn to the camera’s video functions particularly the ability to switch from 30 fps to 300 fps while videoing.  It has opened up so many different applications for motion analysis and training in sports and other fields.
 

SW: Other cameras shoot stills and video, but to what extent do you see the Exilim Pro EX-F1 as an evolutionary step in a camera's inclusion of the two technologies?

BH: Casio is a leader in the drive towards convergence of still and video. All of our point-and-shoot cameras, including the EX-S10, have a one-button video function, making it very easy for consumers to switch back and forth between still and video.  With the EX-F1 it is also easy to take a still image while shooting video.
 

SW: Software programs can create video from stills, and pull stills from video. With the high speed still capabilities of this camera, and the HD video capability as well, do you think the line is being blurred between still photography and video? Do you think that line will eventually disappear?

BH:  Yes we think in terms of the ultimate digital camera, not digital still or digital video cameras.
 

SW: The form factor of the camera is decidedly like a still camera, yet many video cameras with video form factors also offer still functionality. Where do you see the future of form factors going, with still cameras shooting video and video cameras shooting stills?

BH: Taking a sharp still image is more demanding than capturing a video image.  Therefore I believe the form factor consumers are most comfortable with to hold the camera still is the still camera form factor.  I believe people will still want to capture more memories 60%-70% as still images, while having the flexibility to capture certain events as video memories.  There are moments where a still image just does not capture the essence of the moment. For example, when a small child is learning to walk or say their first words.
 

SW: Journalists are being equipped with video cameras, from which stills are pulled for newspaper reproduction. Do you see the Exilim Pro EX-F1 as possibly tilting such professional tasks towards still cameras, instead of video cameras?

BH: Yes, because it is all about capturing a unique moment in time.  If the photographer is fortunate to capture the decisive moment, they will want a higher resolution image than can typically not be taken with video camera.
 

SW: Any thoughts in general about the future of convergence of still photography and video?

BH:  The convergence is already here.  We are the past the early adopter phase and are seeing the early majority adopters starting to embrace the technology.  More important to capturing video is finding new way to share videos.  Cameras like the S10 or Z80 can playback high quality video on very large flat screen TV.   We also have a YouTube mode in all our point-and-shoot cameras to make it easy to upload videos to share them publicly and privately.  Our key models now have i-tune compatibility making it very easy to drag and drop videos into Apple iPods and iPhones.  It is an exciting time to be in the camera business.

For more information, visit www.casio.com

Let us know if you found this article useful, and tell us what kinds of articles you'd like to see in upcoming issues. Send your comments and ideas to Lynne Eodice.