FAMILY FLICKS

Blackmagic has scored big by focusing on the pros and semipros, but there has long been a market for home moviemakers. Here’s the gear a typical American might have used to film the family vacation—and what it cost—in four eras.

1965 Kodak M2 COST: $46.50 ($420 in today’s dollars)

Kodak brought affordable moviemaking to the masses with its easy-to-load cartridges and “Super 8” film that captured a 50% larger picture than regular 8-millimeter.

1983 Sony Betamovie COST: $1,500 ($4,300 today)

The first consumer camcorder— combining a camera and recorder into a single unit— the Betamovie could capture 3.5 hours on the famously doomed Betamax format. Rival JVC soon won out with camcorders that used VHS tapes.

2012 GoPro HERO3 White COST: $199.99 ($250 today)

Started in 2002 by a surfer looking for better action shots, GoPro’s portable digital cameras were the hottest in America by 2013. But the company soon faded as smartphones rendered “pocket camcorders” obsolete.

2022 iPhone 13 Pro COST: $999

Need a Hollywoodquality camera? Check your pocket. More than half of American smartphone users own an iPhone, which Oscarwinning director Steven Soderbergh used to shoot the 2018 thriller Unsane.