High Def is for losers. This may not be entirely true but...
Seems as though everyone is jumping on the HD bandwagon just for the sake of HD and writing off standard definition as "old-news". Don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly impressed with well shot HD, it is amazing but...
I feel that many beginning filmmakers (other than myself) and cinematographers use the high quality HD picture as a crutch. I've seen tons of footage and film shorts shot with HD that look like complete garbage. Additionally, I have seen standard-def footage where I had to ask myself, "was that high-def?"... and it wasn't.
"... but isn't the industry going HD?". Of course they are. What you should ask yourself is "Do I really need to spend more cash to shoot HD if all I am doing is compressing my footage for internet viewing?". My answer is "probably not".
If you are going to film-out and have a professional distribution deal HD is probably a good place to start... but if this is the case, you probably wouldn't be reading a beginner's blog anyway.
Just a note: Though there are now HD cameras that shoot 24p in the $1K to $3k price range, there are some things to consider. Number one is "professional features" such as manual zoom and focus, XLR inputs for mics, fast shutter adjustment, etc. Also, the lens quality and diameter are crucial to the quality of the picture (not just more pixles).
When it comes down to it... who the hell cares! Shoot good SD and you can tell everyone it's HD and 99% of people you tell will believe you.
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