IS THIS THE END OF THE TRIPOD?

In the XA10 review I waffled on about how good the powered stabiliser is on this superb small camera. With care really solid shots can be had hand held. This had previously been impossible and the tripod set the pro apart from the wannabe. Fully zoomed in at 20x there is visible movement but this can now be fixed on the desktop. After Effects 5.5 has a motion stabiliser that will take out the remaining shake (obviously with limits – staggering around after an ale or two won’t work). Have a look at the demo film on Adobe’s site : http://www.adobe.com/au/products/aftereffects.html

 Look at the shot where he’s following the girl along the embankment with the DSLR. Steadyish but the post After Effects shot is rock solid. Now post work will never replace good field work but the ability to grab the moment without setting up a tripod is brilliant now that you’ll know any reasonable shake can be rectified later.

 So what changes is the thought that you can now go for a shot that you would not have bothered with before because of the shake issue. This, like most new developments, is brilliant!  I’ll still be putting the tripod in the car for while yet but it’s good to know you may not need to run back to get it!