How can I shoot my short film in a different aspect ratio?

What are the legistics of creating a camera that is able to shoot high definition video in a 4:3 aspect ratio?

• I understand that 16:9 is becoming the preferred aspect ratio, but for a lot of people who film action sports, like myself, 4:3 is a much better option because you can get a lot ...show more

• Answer:

  i suggest you stick with standard definition 4:3 for action sports. HD is only possible with consumer cameras because of extremely high temporal compression. AVCHD and MP4 both use a GOF of 8, meaning they throw out 7 of each successive 8 frames to enable the compression. so having more pixels per frame is no real advantage in this case unlike still photography. you would have the same identical issue with 4:3 HD. currently most display devices are built to ATSC standards, so 16:9 for 720 or 1080 line video is the official rule. i guess if you were making video to only be viewed on computers, then 600x800 pixel frame would work, but good luck finding any equipment supporting this. your niche market could only distribute by Youtube as broadcast, movie DVD and similar media would not allow it.