“I love my new acoustic electromagnetic induction guitar.”
– Professional musician confused about nomenclature.
What’s in a name? Sometimes nothing. But when it comes to photographic professionalism, using correct terms is just part of the job. I made up the quote above to illustrate this point. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if a professional musician didn’t know the name of his instrument? Well, it seems that an analogous situation is plaguing the photography world.
Throughout a recent article I wrote on multimedia and video I refer to “HD DSLRs,” as I have a number of times in this blog. Of course I’m referring to hybrid cameras that, like the Canon 5D Mark II, record both still and video. Sure you know what I’m talking about, but are you aware that this kind of camera is not called an “HD DSLR”? I haven’t known, which is a major oops.
It is called an “HDSLR,” and nothing else would make sense — at least, I’m pretty sure.
“It is a DSLR and not a HD DSLR!” is a brief, clear blog post on Canon5DTips in which “admin” shares his pet peeve about people incorrectly calling an “HDSLR” an “HD DSLR”; explains why it’s called an “HDSLR”; and asks us to “Pass the word.”
Passing the HDSLR Word
Here’s the heart of what “admin” explains:
• SLR = “single lens reflex” camera.
• DSLR = “digital single lens reflex” camera.
• HDSLR = “hybrid digital single lens reflex” camera, as in hybrid still-video capture.
• HD DSLR = a mistake that got introduced somewhere along the line, with “HD” representing “high definition,” which does not make sense because, as “admin” explains: #1. “DSLR already produced high definition images,” and #2, “[The name] does not say anything about the video capability of the camera.”
Makes perfect sense to me. So from now on I’m going to call it an “HDSLR,” and I’m going to ask you to do the same.
Not So HD Fast
I’d love to end this post here, with confidence, but I’ve been doing a bunch of poking around on the Web to confirm that “HDSLR” is as correct as I think. I’ve ended up pretty confused, only 99% sure “HDSLR” is right. Even if it is right I’m not sure what the “H” is stands for.
Why All the HD Confusion?
If you do a search on “HD DSLR” or “HD-DSLR” you will get a lot of results from a lot of professional sources. Many pros clearly think that an HDSLR is really called an “HD DSLR,” just as I did until Friday. I’m assuming that these people are just making a mistake, not giving the matter much thought. And yet, some of these sources are quite influential in the industry. I also can’t ignore the fact that six experts proofed my article filled with “HD DSLR,” and no one commented on this apparent error. Either it’s not an error or it’s one that is quickly getting accepted as either an alternate to “HDSLR,” or as the correct name itself. I suppose there’s a slight chance the two things refer to two different kinds of cameras, but I really doubt that.
I turned to PhotoCineNews to see what term this well-respected site’s authors are using. It was clear that the folks writing for PhotoCineNews know that an HDSLR is an HDSLR and not an HD DSLR. When writers don’t Continue reading “It’s Called an “HDSLR”, Not an “HD DSLR” — Really!, I think”
Tags: Canon5DTips, dpBestflow.org, Gail Mooney, HD, HD DSLR or HDSLR, It is a DSLR and not a HD DSLR!, Nomenclature, Photographic Termonolgy, Richard Anderson, The Proper Name for Hybrid Still-Video Cameras, Why It's Called an HDSLR
