Tag Archives: 5 axis

Fuji X-T4 Slow Motion is the new king of APS-C!

Fuji X-T4 Slow Motion

At the end of February right before the Pandemic really got going worldwide and when the world seemed a lot simpler, Fuji surprised us with the launch of the Fuji X-T4 APS-C 1.5x crop sensor body.  It comes completely unexpected to the community of slow motion enthusiasts as the majority of cameras only support a maximum of 120fps with a few Panasonics doing 180p and only the GH5s doing 240fps 1080p.

What makes this camera different is the quality of the output at 240p which is far and above the king in the APS-C format and destroys the GH5s aliased image with a very good and detailed rendition of the scene with a codec strong enough to allow for enough detail and color to really push the format further than any EVIL mirrorless camera before it. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Nikon Z7 and Z6 Mirrorless Have 120fps Slow Motion!

Nikon Z7 and Z6 Mirrorless

The slumbering Nikon has awakened to the mirrorless present and future and has shown their cards in a very strong but not class-leading mirrorless product line.  The Nikon Z7 & Z6 are nearly identical bodies with changes in the sensor and AF. The more expensive and higher resolution Z7 screams pixels with a 45.7MP Full Frame sensor  ISO 64–25600 range which should be a direct replacement for D850 users. The other Z6 is a better low light camera geared more at wedding shooters and videographers at 24.5MP which should produce outstanding low light  ISO 50–204800 with ISO expansion.

There is a lot to like in these cameras like a real 5 axis (5 Stop) IBIS stabilizer on the full frame sensor which also works on adapted lenses and works with Nikkor VR lenses from DSLR cameras to increase the 3 stops to a real 5 stops hybrid stabilization feature. The video modes offer 4k at 24, 25 and 30p which is so 2014 as is the 120fps full HD 1080p slow motion mode.  AF also changes between models at 493 points on the Z7 and 273 on the Z6. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic EVA1 Firmware Update 2.02 Frame Rate Improvements!

Panasonic EVA1 Firmware 2.02

The new v2.02 firmware update for the Panasonic EVA1 includes improved bit rates at a variety of frame rates like:    2k- 422-Intra Frame Recording 200M/100M Max 120fps (equivalent to 400Mbps) Which may improve slow-motion quality considerably by allowing more data to be saved instead of scrapped.

For digital recorder owners, there is a lot to be excited about as the camera will now output RAW data at: 5.7K/30p Full sensor, 4K/60p Crop ,  2K/240p Sensor Crop.   Since the 240fps mode saved internally exhibited very severe aliasing, moire and line skipping; the fact that RAW is now a possibility should bring the camera’s capabilities up a notch and deliver excellent slow-motion quality. We hope to have some samples of the RAW recording on the EVA1 in a  future update. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Fuji X-H1 Aims to Compete in Pro Video!

Fuji X-H1

The Fuji X-H1 just announced does a lot of things right; It has a 200mbps 4k codec in UHD / DCI, 120fps Full HD which from the initial looks of it looks gorgeous and it finally has the 5-Axis Stabilizer on the sensor 5.5 stops worth that had eluded Fuji cameras for two years now.  It even has a new Eterna color profile which makes it easy to color correct without being too flat or too processed.

However, the X-H1 is based on the same 24MP X-Trans APS-C sensor found on the X-T2 which while overall good, it has problems with color moire and fine textures due to the processing on the unconventional RGB pattern which has 4 adjacent green pixels and differs quite a lot from Bayer sensors. See this article from PetaPixel comparing both technologies here.  But as far as video mode is concerned it looks to be a good contender to options like the GH5 and Sony 7 series. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic Camcorders CES 2018 WXF1K & VX1K

Panasonic Camcorders CES 2018

Panasonic besides formally announcing the GH5s Lumix camera at CES 2018, also introduced 3 new camcorders that will replace their current offerings, in what could be a dependable yearly occurrence.   Panasonic seems to avoid the fact that camcorder sales are probably as rare as Blackberry devices these days but whatever their motivations are, it seems Panasonic, Sony & Canon are keeping the flame alive.

With every introduction, Panasonic seems to improve steadily in image quality and features with continued innovation especially in the areas of HDR imaging and O.I.S Optical Image Stabilization which now sports a hybrid system that uses three technologies to create what might be the best stabilized camcorder ever produced. The demo is certainly impressive and should make every high zoom fan excited about the possibilities of this technology in higher end gear. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic EVA1 Ships Starts to Show Footage!

Panasonic EVA1

The Panasonic EVA1 camera has started to ship to pre-order owners and some footage has started to show on the web.  The camera seems to be very good at low ISOs and up to ISO 5000 it defends itself well. After that banding and heavy noise starts to become a problem.    One thing to keep in mind is that the 5.7k sensor is intended to supersample for 4k to deliver unbelievable detail levels while having a detrimental effect on super high ISO.   The dual native ISO settings of 800 on the low end and 2500 ISO on the high end help the camera achieve dependable noise free and extremely clean footage in those modes.

The camera can also shoot up to 240fps full HD and or 2k super slow motion video and use it’s improved sensor specs to reduce rolling shutter. The camera should be able to deliver excellent high frame rates in good light but it seems the slow-motion option offers lower quality in codec and also in noise control. We have no clue what is causing this but it is apparent from the samples that detail and quality take a hard hit in these modes. → Continue Reading Full Post ←