ABSTRACT
There are many myths about video cameras in general, and HD cameras in particular, regarding their vulnerability to the elements. Most of this is nonsense. If you think of the amount of electronics packed into a modern film camera, what makes an HD camera more susceptible to hazardous con-
ditions? Very little. There are a couple of cut-out switches in the camera to protect it from abuse. It will stop if the
humidity surrounding the tape record drum becomes too high, and it has to be very high indeed for
this to happen. A film camera would probably be equally in trouble. This safety trip is a wise precaution, for if the humidity surrounding the tape drum ever reaches a critical point the tape will, eventually, stick to the drum. You don’t want this to happen as it is not a field serviceable
condition. The camera is going to need a whole new tape drum and that is going to be very expensive. I have been associated with a long-term shoot where a Panavized Sony camera was up a Scottish mountain in a gale for some considerable time; sensible precautions were taken, exactly as you would with a film camera, and there was never the slightest suggestion that the camera was threatening to
shut down. There was a real chance that the crew would have to though! There is a heat overload cut-out switch as well; this is mainly to protect the computer processors
from overloading. I have never experienced or heard of this tripping out. I have been associated with
an HD shoot in the Moroccan desert where the temperature was 1108F in the shade – the cameras worked perfectly.
