ABSTRACT
In the 1990s, digital video and non-linear digital editing were introduced to the consumer market, giving a new generation of amateur and independent filmmakers a set of affordable tools that drastically lowered the costs associated with shooting and editing movies; at the time, these technologies were hailed as an important step toward the democratization of moviemaking. In the early 2000s, improvements in digital video technology ushered a new category of consumer grade cameras offering some professional features. These “prosumer”, cameras were aimed at amateur filmmakers who were willing to spend a bit more for some advanced functions, like improved optics, better color rendition, and the ability to capture video at a film-like 24 progressive frames per second. The continuing growth of DSLR filmmaking has also prompted the biggest names in cinema lens manufacturing, including Schneider, Cooke, and Zeiss, to introduce lines especially designed for these cameras, with the same superior optics, features, and construction as their professional grade counterparts.
