Tag Archives: Panasonic

Sony FS5 Offers Quality FHD Slow Motion!

FS5Sony

The newly announced Sony PXW-FS5 Professional camcorder is like a hybrid of the venerable FS700 of 2012 and last years darling the Sony FS7.   It however offers a lot in the way of portability with it’s small profile and a slow motion mode akin to that in the RX100 IV and RX10 II.    It seems to be a refined higher resolution mode of the FS700’s slow motion capabilities with better dynamic range and less artifacts to boot. Call it FS700 slowmo v2.0!

The camera comes with an HFR High Frame Rate mode akin to what was introduced in the lower end Sony line this year.  You get 120fps recording in full sensor full HD for 16 seconds, 240fps full sensor full HD for 8 seconds. Higher frame rates are as of now not known in duration or frame size quality but according to reps they should be a step up from the FS700 camera. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony A7S II Boosts Slow Motion Mode and 4k!

A7SII

Sony today has announced a pretty important pair of products the Sony A7s II and the Sony FS5 Pro Model. On the one hand video producers that adopted the Sony A7s last year due to it’s impressive dynamic range and extreme low light ability at up to ISO 409,600; were in a bind as recording 4k with the camera needed an external recorder in order to do it.  It also had no sensor image stabilization which is a very useful feature.  Not anymore the newly announced Sony A7s II has internal 4k with S-Log 3 flat profile mode and it also boosts last years 120fps at 720p to Full HD and full sensor readout 1080p at 120fps.   From the samples the quality seems impressive and artifact free, it will be a matter of looking at non Sony samples to see if the quality is that good in the 120fps FHD mode.

A7s II Main Features: → Continue Reading Full Post ←

GH4 VLog Mode Will Cost You $99!

GH4Vlog

Back from vacation break “thanks for hanging in there” and not much has happened, we expect big news from Apple tomorrow but in the camera world everything has been subdued when it comes to news.    The Panasonic GH4 did get some news as the camera will now get the chance to be upgraded with V-Log high dynamic range flat profile mode but it comes at a $99 USD cost.  As to why this cost was added it’s anybody’s guess but we think it may have to do with protecting their higher end camera line by making the barrier of entry a little harder for GH4 owners.   We find it to be not too expensive but kind of a disappointment as a very small minority of the  user base will actually upgrade. Most people will not grade their footage with LUTs to get the color and contrast back to a usable level and would rather opt for the already pretty good profiles like Cinelike D and Cinelike V that come standard with the GH4.

As to the impact for the VLog update on the Panasonic GH4  you can expect a very flat profile and an increase in Dynamic Range from 10 stops standard to 12 stops in this mode.  Those blown out skies and cut off shadows will get more chance to shine now. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Readers Questions August 2015!

HSCQA

Here are some of the most asked questions received from our readers in the past two months about slow motion gear , phones and other imaging devices:

Q) What will the iPhone 6s be able to do? → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic DVX200 Release Date Nears!

DVX200

There is a lot of expectation for the release of the Panasonic DVX200 4k camera. It has been proclaimed as a true professional tool that will last the test of time among other superlatives.  What intrest us most is that the camera will offer the ability to shoot 60p at 4k and 120fps at full 1080p HD.  While non of the frame rates are what we would call groundbreaking; they do serve the vast majority of the video production crowd with the most usable aspects of overcrank for sports and shooting techniques relying on fast panning motion and action shots.

While there is still a blackout of shots at 120fps there have been a few 4k released shots that show what the pre-production cameras are capable of.  The performance of the Micro 4/3 sensor and the built in Leica 13x f/2.8 – f/4.5 Lens seems to be very good.  The samples however show Dynamic range which is rated at 12 stops in the specs to be close to what a GH4 with VLOG can produce. Since these are pre production shots you cannot base the final image quality of the camera from these samples but the quality is there and it can only go up from here.  As for low light abilities it will remain to be seen but if you expect Sony A7s quality you are barking at the wrong tree. It should perform close or better than what the Lumix GH4 is able to do. The camera should be released sometime in October this year with a MSRP of $5000 USD. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Z E1 120fps HD and 4k in Tiny Package!

ZCamE1

The Kickstarter project Z  E1 has been funded over 4x their initial goal and now proceeds to build the cameras based on a Micro 4/3 sensor and an extremely small GoPro-like camera body that does 4k video and up to 120fps HD video in an upcoming  software update; the camera form factor is ideal for drone aerial photo and video. It promises professional video and photo quality with no compromises in an incredibly small body which would be close to what Olympus attempts with the Air A01 or DxO with the One. The camera does have a 2.5″ inch Screen on teh back but also relies on a 200-300ms response time over wifi which is short for little lag. The Interface is iOS and or Android and are already available for download on these platform stores for remote shooting.

ZCAM E1 Spec Sheet: → Continue Reading Full Post ←