Our reader Andy Urtu alerted us to the firmware updates for the JVC prosumer camcorder line which add among other improvements the 120fps high speed video mode at full 1080p 1920*1080 resolution to the popular camera line. Thanks Andy!
The latest update of the Google Android Camera App on Android Marshmallow OS which is available on Nexus devices like the Google Nexus 5p and 6p has now a dedicated Slow motion mode built in the GUI menus.
The Slow motion mode on these devices used to be buried in the video options menu but now has a more prominent role in the Camera Menu that slides out. While support is limited to Google Nexus devices for now, it seems that Slow motion might be an increasingly important feature for smartphones.
NAB 2016 has turned out to be subdued in product announcements when it comes to cameras. Sure there are a few of not but nothing earth shattering for price conscious video enthusiasts. The Sony FS5 is still a great camera and the new firmware to be released in May-June 2016 will give it more features and power.
The New firmware update v2.0 will be free but if you want the high frame rate capabilities you will need an external recorder and $600 USD or $500 Euros. Also you will need an external recorder to handle the RAW output.
There seems to be a lot of interest as of late regarding the Panasonic GH4 successor. The GH5 as it is rumored to be called has to do a lot of things right in order to please current owners. For many the GH4 was the best Micro 4/3 camera ever produced; with crisp 4k video that seemed to push resolution so high that the Canon DSLRs stuck in 1080p land could only dream of.
The GH4 also introduced 96fps 1080p video which turned out to be better than 720p but hardly 1080p worthy. Furthermore it ignored recording audio in that mode which many cameras with higher frame rates like 120fps could keep the audio no problem.
Just announced is the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III or Sony RX10 III for short. It is no direct replacement for last year’s Sony RX10 II which at first glance looks very similar. They are essentially the same camera featuring the same video recording features. The real change comes with the incorporation of a monster zoom lens made by Carl Zeiss with a 24 -600mm FF equivalent compared to the now paltry 24-200mm FF equivalent of the RX10 II.
The lens is impressive for a super zoom camera capable of 25x zoom range. Wide end of 24mm has an aperture of f2.4 with the Tele end closing to f4 which is still pretty respectable for such reach. It has stabilization also which Sony claims 4.5 stops worth of handhold-ability which seems the best case scenario.
The Panasonic GH4 has been an incredible camera since it’s release. It has produced endless content for TV, the web and even some films. While slow motion tops at 96fps in this camera with limited resolution, it has a pretty strong 4k mode that has virtually no aliasing or moire artifacts.
The camera has not been left in the cold by Panasonic as firmware updates have been released with fair regularity including the V-Log update for extended dynamic range. However that update required a $100 software key to unlock that picture style. The Latest update announced as version 2.5 now has the following features added.