Hilarious Video Pokes Fun At The Canon DSLR Video ‘Revolution’

Hilarious Video Pokes Fun At The Canon DSLR Video ‘Revolution’

Even wonder what goes on in the boardrooms of our favorite camera manufacturers? For many users over the last few years, there’s been regular questioning over decisions that the Big Two (Canon and Nikon) have made. Long term fans have been almost universal in their derision of both companies, citing lack of innovation, lack of meeting true user need, and 'interesting' pricing strategy as some of the reasons. True or not, this video showing “behind the scenes” of the DSLR video revolution and a parody of Canon exec thinking is absolutely hilarious.

Andrew Reid, of EOSHD put up a review this week of the Samsung NX1 against the Canon C300. At the end of the review he drops an absolute bomb of a video he made on YouTube, combining a hilarious interview in Spanish with his own take of what’s being said in the subtitles he’s added. In it, he parodies the ‘board room discussion’ he imagines has taken place at Canon – from the start of the DSLR video revolution with Vincent Laforet (“this stills guy…shooting video…not sure why…”) “leaning out of a helicopter in a cute harness” and getting 10 million views with Reverie, through to today’s latest 50MP offerings.

If you’ve ever been excited for a Canon camera offering, then stared dumbfounded and felt short changed at what we’re actually getting – and the price we have to pay for it – you will probably find the video more than a little funny.

Obviously we laugh because of the hilarious context and setting that’s going on for this sort of discussion – it’s ridiculous. But at the same time, we laugh because just perhaps this has a modicum of truth behind it – we can almost picture this taking place in some exec’s head as they reason out what has happened since the start of the DSLR video revolution.

It’s interesting times for manufacturers of cameras. With Nikon coming out with ‘film making’ DSLR kits, and Canon slashing prices on it’s top end 4K 1DC leaving new 1DC owners fuming, it feels like the camera manufacturers are still working out exactly what we want (or need) against a back drop of incredibly rapidly changing technology. No easy task for sure, but considering this video ‘revolution’ is now 7+ years old, it seems to be taking a while for the dust to settle.

For many of us in the video world, DSLRs represent the best balance between price and punch. But the mirrorless 4K offerings like the GH4 are certainty taking off. RED has also been incredibly focused on their strategy – while their cameras are still outside of the realm of affordability for most smaller commercial video guys, renting them and passing that cost to the client is seen as almost the norm today. RED have really done an expert job of inventing a brand new camera company and delivering the goods, as well as giving client’s the perception that it will look “better if it’s shot on RED”.

I don’t have the answers, but I do know that – as a long time Canon shooter -  at 6am when I woke up and saw this video this morning, the bed was shaking violently as I was stifling laughter, trying to avoid waking up my wife, the neighbors and the rest of the neighborhood.

What do you guys think? Is this poking fun unfairly at Canon or do you think it hits home? What do you guys really want from your photo and video cameras and do you think the companies we spend our hard earned money with are giving us what we need? Share below

David Geffin's picture

David is a full time photographer, videographer and video editor based in New York City. Fashion, portraiture and street photography are his areas of focus. He enjoys stills and motion work in equal measure, with a firm belief that a strong photographic eye will continue to help inform and drive the world of motion work.

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31 Comments

Brilliant video, right on point. It's painfully obvious that camera manufacturers purposely remove features to try to up sale you. From Canon which hasn't done much to improve the video quality in their DSLR over 7 years - besides making a prohibitory expensive "cinema" lineup. - Balls, Canon did release no less than 10 cameras with the same bloody 18Mpx APS-C sensor. Sony isn't much better, withholding high quality codecs and mic jacks on their otherwise promising APS-C mirorless cameras.

Completely agree with your sentiment, Louis. I wouldn't be so harsh against Sony though, their newest offerings include XAVCS 50MB/s, even in the compact world. So I'd imagine this will be on their next APS-C.

Well, the a6000 was released a few months before the a5100 and the a6000 didn't get it at launch or never got a firmware update. I'd actually say the reason the a6000 never got it was so it didn't overshadow the a7s that was released at roughly the same time. And going down that rabbit hole, why is the a5100 capped at 6fps when it shares the sensor, shutter and processor of the a6000 which shoots 11fps?

Sure it'll be on their next top APS-C body, but that's precisely the problem. They're holding back features to get a reason to put out an update every year and force users into more expensive bodies up their lineup.

Though, I agree, Sony isn't on the as bad as Canon as they're actually innovating but they do seem to artificially hold features out.

Anyways, hats off to Fuji and recently Nikon for announcing that they'll be pushing firmware updates that improve features for a few years after a camera's release.

I laughed hard

Yes, this is true. But, we are the fools who keep buying their same old crap. As long as we buy the same junk, they will continue to screw us over.

very very good point

this video should be like an open letter to Canon. Where can I sign?

That's awesome. And now I want to know what he was really saying because it had to be the most hilarious story ever.

same lmao! that was funny as hell even without the subs

He is telling a story about a time when he was at the beach, that is what he is really saying lol

As someone who speaks Spanish, I was really confused by the video at first. What a funny idea.

Well, as far as i could understand, under that thick spanish accent was. That he was working at a restaurant once, in Sevilla. He had to clean some paella pans, but they were so dirty and dried out that he had the brilliant idea to put them in the sea, to clean them (maybe to wet the hard parts to remove), the next day when he went there to get them, the tide was high, that's when he starts to laugh, cause they were gone.
Somewhat they used a boat as far as i understood, but something went wrong with it aswell.
By the end, he says to the interviewer "we're both crying now" from laughter, and they laugh even harder.

Very funny! I stopped by buying at 5d Mk2.

Awesome video, thanks David!

You're welcome Marco, but we all really have Andrew Reid to thank - he was the one who made it :)

"...but considering this video ‘revolution’ is now 7+ years old..."

I'll take it you meant "DSLR" video revolution. The "video revolution" has been going on much longer than that.

"Is this poking fun unfairly at Canon or do you think it hits home?"
Although Canon is the target here, the mindset applies to both Canon and Nikon. And it's dead-on as far as I'm concerned.

"For many of us in the video world, DSLRs represent the best balance between price and punch. But the mirrorless 4K offerings like the GH4 are certainty taking off."

Actually, the mirrorless market is now where the DSLR market was for video. There's been a lateral shift. Not only the GH4, but the Sony A7s, as well as the new Samsung which is clawing it's way up the ranks, and several others. Fortunately most of the peripheral hardware works with the new gear, so it's easy enough to ditch the DSLR and move on. Unless Nikon makes serious DSLR video camera (Canon obviously has shafted it's users there) DSLR video is essentially dead. It's a mirrorless world now for affordable high quality video production.

This is, hands down, the funniest thing Fstoppers has ever, and will ever, post.

For your knowledge. The original is part of a spanish program called "el loco de la colina" from a regional tv (Andalucía) in Spain. The presenter is called Jesús Quintero and is a bohemian interviewer who, from time to time, likes to interview "weird people" so as to have fun and show the rest of us maybe the craziest people are the happiest.

The guy being "interviewed", the one with a few teeth, is called "Risitas" (a spanish slang nickname for somebody who laughs all the time), a local from Sevilla who used to go to his show to tell jokes and share good moments with everybody there (some of you said it's the best thing posted on fstoppers hehe, that's quite something) if you want to know what he says...well, he has a quite thick andalusian accent so you'd better know good Spanish, otherwise ask somebody spanish to translate it for you. Be sure youtube automatic subtitles system is never going to get good enough to subtitle this guy lol!

However, hearing his laugh is quite enough, just look for "risitas y cuñao" on youtube and enjoy yourself! :)

Jose... Triple enjoyment... The raucous laugh, the parody, and your intriguing background details. Thank you for taking time to write.

He nailed it. My first video shooting on the 60D was my cat!

This is awesome. I'm considering moving to Sony. Once they have a high quality 24-70 2.8 and a 70-200 2.8 in native FE mount, I'm switching over.

Ok, I'll say it... sorry, it is not funny at all to me. Nothing about it tickles my funny bone. Couldn't even get thru it. There were a couple of funny Hitler ones, but this one? Nope.

I have to agree. It wasn't funny to me. I watched it about half-way through and turned it off.

I bought my first camera when i was 19. A Canon 630 and a 50mm f1.8. The last "pro" Canon i bought that i was truly impressed with and eager to get my hands o was a 1Ds mk III. I did bought one more camera after that one, a 5Dmk II but was more out of necessity more than anything. Now 20 years later and after amassing a huge collection of Canon glass i sold almost everything last year and made the switch. Farewell Canon... It was good while it lasted...

What did you switch to?

Hasselblad and Phase One ;)

Damn I was hoping for another fuji story. Although i guess Hasselblad is pretty much fuji so i'll take it.

Not quite Ramon hahaha i'm from Portugal, and i understand spanish well, so...when he lost the damn paella pans in the sea i was laughing more at the real story than at the Canon subtitles hahaha because the canon part of things is becoming more and more sad haha

its not funny if you know spanish :c
I have to turn off the sound to get it

haha i kept getting distracted too and wanted to mute it but his laugh is what makes it even more entertaining :P

I think it hits home for both canon and nikon, you could literally flip a few words around and make this a nikon parody. I shoot nikon, and I could easily make this fit. Very funny but sad as well, because we buy into it.