Tag Archives: digital

Fran 8k Camera Line is Announced!

Fran 8k Camera

The Spanish company Cinemartin known for their camera monitors is now officially launching the Fran 8k line of cameras in three flavors. The Fran 8k LT at an introductory price of €7,920 Euros or $9,000 USD which shoots 8k at 24p and up to 96fps in 2k resolution in either DNG RAW, PNG or ProRes while sporting a 37 mm x 27 mm (Diagonal 46.2 mm) sensor size slightly larger than a Full Frame 35mm. The LT version will not sport features like Programmability and image stabilization which the other higher cost models will support.

The cameras are built to order and require a 10% deposit when reserved. They are geared at the commercial and cinema markets which require the utmost image quality and 8k resolution on a very large sensor. The frame rates at 4k max out at 60p and at 2k max out at 120fps on the two higher-end models.  The introductory prices will only be available until 31st of December 2018. looking at the video samples released it is clear the quality of the image will be cinematic and contain extreme detail. The file sizes will also be enormous but that is to be expected with a frame size of 7920px * 3024px or 24Megapixels on the LT and 47MP on the Plus! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Slow Mo Quality!

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

We have gotten a few questions about the EOS 5D Mark IV when it comes to it’s 120fps 720p slow motion mode.  We covered it back in August but samples were hard to find back then; all that has changed and now we can rate and position the camera in our HSC Camera Guide ranking.  While it will not win any contests for resolution or frame rate we think it is a good all around camera with useful features for video enthusiasts.

The negatives like high price,  Moire & Aliasing prone slow mo resolution, huge inefficient 4k bit rates on an old codec, 1.74x crop in 4k recording and big system bulk still apply for this camera.  The Panasonic GH5 for instance destroys the 5D Mark IV in the video spec department but that is ok considering the 5D Mark IV is a stills workhorse with a full frame sensor first and an excellent AF and high ISO performance package. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Canon 5D Mark IV Slow Motion Samples!

Canon 5D Mark IV

For many the EOS 5D Mark IV was to be the resurrection of the DSLR camera as a video professional’s tool of choice. However just looking at the reactions online and the spec sheet itself it looks like Canon missed the mark by a mile in this aspect.  Several camera shortcomings like the codec, crop factor in 4k and lower resolution for higher frame rates come to mind.

The over four year wait which was about the same between the Mark II and Mark III models is extremely long for a product class that needs to evolve constantly in order to remain competitive. With Sony and Panasonic doing real innovation in the video space in a much smaller time frame usually 18 months, Canon needed a product that could withstand to scrutiny for a few years. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Canon 5D Mark IV disappoints with 120fps 720p!

Canon 5D Mark IV

We have been following the rumors on the next version of the Canon 5D with some subdued but hopeful enthusiasm. However, as many rumor sites now claim the final specs for the camera to be released next month probably at Photokina; it is clear that there is a big disconnect in performance from the common DSLRs in the Canon line and the mirror-less competitors from Sony and Panasonic.

There is a lot to like in the camera specs but also a lot of disappointing things for the video enthusiast or professional.   The camera has always been primarily a stills powerhouse and it is clear that this pedigree is maintained in the Mark 4. Auto Focus with dual pixel tracking support, pixel count and sensor should be heavily improved along with dynamic range as seen in the 80D and the impressive 1DX Mark II. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Photokina Expected Camera Announcements

Photokina 2016

We are just a couple of months away from Photokina 2016 which takes place from Sept 20-25th in Cologne Germany.  There are quite a few refresh expectations when it comes to cameras but there are also rumors of new announcements. As to what is solid and or dependable remains a mystery but rest assured there will be some good hardware presented.

For starters the updates to popular higher end camera lines in the Nikon, Canon, Sony and Panasonic lines should be announced with most of them sporting higher frame rates as specs. Continuous Phase Auto focus will continue to be a trend this year as more sensors support it. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panavision DXL Makes 8k 75fps possible!

Panavision DXL

Panavision the company that brought you the Genesis digital cinema camera which many credit for jump starting true digital cinematography for the big screen has done it again with the Panavision DXL.  An 8k 8192 x 4320 camera capable of recording higher frame rates at that resolution than what many 4k resolution options have still to achieve.

The company doesn’t offer a table or indication of slow motion high speed frame rates in the specs as the maximum frame rate they tout is 75fps at 8K 2.4:1 (8192 x 3456) which is slightly shorter in the vertical frame than the full capability which maxes at 60fps at the highest resolution. RED is heavily involved in the DXL by supplying the sensor, color science, REDCODE RAW Codec and many design cues. → Continue Reading Full Post ←