Sony Xperia 5 is a Cheaper Xperia 1!

Sony Xperia 5

Sony continues to recycle the same features over their phone lineup with a slightly dumbed down Xperia 1 phone which is their flagship with the same camera arrangement, screen, and main features. The 1080p 960fps mode is still here with a duration of 0.1 seconds and at 720p of 0.2 seconds.  The resolution and quality are not real 1080p as we have discussed before and the reduced time makes it nearly unusable.

However, the feature many are calling a bad omen is the disappearance of the 3.5mm headphone jack.  The phone is slimmer and smaller than the Xperia 1 but shares the best traits at a lower price. For many, it will not be enough to counter the popularity of other phones that are more full-featured and offer a vast array of video modes. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Canon & Sony stagnate at 120fps!

Canon & Sony stagnate at 120fps

The recently announced Canon 90D, Canon EOS M6 II, Sony a6100 and Sony a6600 are cameras that refine everything that is already a current technology but bundle it in a lower price package with great performance. However, it is clear from the spec sheets that high frame rates have stagnated for the past few years in these camera lines with a maximum of 120fps at 1080p.

Sure some of them offer full-time autofocus in slow motion modes and face tracking which in the case of Sony is so good that you may not even match it if you had the best focus puller in the business hired for your shoot. But the frame rate war seems to be left to other camera lines and brands. Panasonic, for example, offers up to 180fps in their new S1H camera which should be in theory the best Panasonic mirrorless camera ever made and it should also allow for outstanding quality in 1080p 180fps. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k has 120fps!

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k

The folks at Blackmagic design are at it again when it comes to destroying spec sheets compared to price. The BMPCC 4k was already one of the best-reviewed and popular choice among budget filmmakers that needed excellent quality and dynamic range. At only $1,295 that camera was a smash hit but had only a four thirds (4/3) sensor which was not ideal in size and required speed booster adapters to get the needed depth of field to simulate an S35 image.

Now the BMPCC 6k  ($2,495.00) with EF Canon mount comes in with a  full APS-C sensor with dual ISO characteristics like before but with the added imager size and full electronic lens support for EF glass.  It would have been in our view ideal to use an electronic mount with shorter flange like the Sony Alpha or the new Canon RF mount so you could adapt even more lens combinations but they are catering to a large installed base of glass owners. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Canon G7 X III and G5 X II Released With 120fps Full HD!

Canon G7 X III and G5 X II Released With 120fps Full HD

The newly released Canon G7 X III and G5 X II Powershot cameras are finally upping the stagnant slow motion features of these lines to a very 2014 spec of 120fps Full HD.  Up to now Canon had capped the Full HD Performance at 60fps 1080p and a maximum of 120fps at 720p with a severe crop. There is no mention of a 240fps 720p spec which makes us believe that there is no 720p video option besides maybe a 30p mode.

Both cameras sport a 20.1MP 1″ inch Stacked CMOS sensor and DIGIC 8 Image Processor reminiscent of the Sony RX series. We estimate this might be the same Sony sensor employed but without the super slow motion capabilities of 480/500fps and 960/1000fps modes that have made that line of cameras a cut apart. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic S1H and OnePlus 7 Quick Take!

Panasonic S1H and OnePlus 7

Panasonic not to be outdone by sales rivals is pre-announcing the S1H camera to appease video-centric mirrorless users who want that extra edge.  It has a 6k mode which will allow for better stabilization and cropping/punching in on 4k timelines while giving the user bragging rights.  It has a 14 stop dynamic range spec which if we look at the sensor it is only on a couple of capture settings the rest is 12 bit.

There is also no mention of higher frame rates besides UHD 4k 60p which we presume will be 180fps 1080p max since this camera shares nearly the same internals as the other Panasonic S1 cameras. We do not expect this camera to have better slow motion video than the regular S1 even with its $4000 price tag.  The camera looks to be aimed at the mid-high end of the video market and allow it to record without limits which on the regular S1 is 29min. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Lumix G95 120fps Full HD and Why Its a Pass!

Lumix G95 Slow Motion

Let us start by saying that we are huge fans of the Lumix line by Panasonic and their cameras in general. The GH5 is still a powerhouse of a camera for serious video work and the 180fps FUll HD slow motion is better than many others before or since at that frame rate while at 120fps is as good as the best Sonys out there.  However, the recently announced Lumix G95 drops the ball in several fronts when it comes to really good video performance which has become a trademark for Panasonic.

The G95 has all the looks and character of a great hybrid camera but has a crippled video mode that may put off many buyers looking for the perfect intermediate camera. The 4k, for example, has a 1.25x crop on top of the nearly 2x crop of the micro 4/3 sensor. Making it a little larger than the area of a 1″ sensor. This will sacrifice video quality in the lack of supersampling and low light will suffer from the added megapixels. → Continue Reading Full Post ←