The newly announced Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL phones do impressive things with machine learning when it comes to their camera app. The ability to do resolution comparable 2X zoom to an optical lens by using exposure merging is genius. Their portrait mode is also the best ever made on a phone with incredible separation of background and foreground depth of field based on learning algorithms that can tackle hair transitions and other objects all with only a single lens.
When it comes to video however it is not as good as either the Samsung’s or Apple’s latest flagship phones. The pixel tops at 4k 30p and the slow motion while doing 240fps which matches the iPhone XS it is only 720p instead of 1080p. Google seems to have beefed up the phone for still images and selfies and left the video features on a secondary plane. The slow motion mode is essentially identical to last year’s Pixel 2 and 2 XL at 120fps 1080p and 240fps 720p.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Sony has decided to release the RX100 VA worldwide and it effectively replaces the RX100 V production line. The new camera will have a better EVF refresh, modern Autofocus with improved tracking and a larger buffer of 233 images. We considered the newly announced RX100 VI camera to be just a longer lens version of the RX100 V but with an increased price tag. That camera does have a touchscreen and the reach but the fans of the faster f1.8-f2.8 lens of the RX100 V now can get a more up to date version.
We favor the RX100 VA to all other RX100 cameras as the $999 price tag is more in line with the segment. If you already own an RX100 V camera there is no reason to get a VA version as there will not be any improvement to the slow-motion component which is already one of the best out there.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Nikon has either gone crazy or has analyzed a market that is actually alive and well when it comes to all in one prosumer compact cameras. The P900 was a best seller for several years in the segment with an 83x optical zoom formula of 24-2000mm equivalent. Now the new P1000 increases that range by 1000mm to do a previously ludicrous spec of 24 wide-angle to 3,000mm telephoto range or 125x optical zoom.
The sensor is tiny at 1/2.3″ the same as small compact cameras and just slightly larger than the typical phone sensor of 1/3″. This is what makes it possible for the camera to create such a zoom range without the lens being larger than a Napoleonic war artillery cannon. The video modes are decent with 4k 30p but the high-speed modes are lackluster which is a shame considering this camera could be used effectively for extreme wildlife shots in super slow motion.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Sony has released an altered version of the RX100 V camera for the Australian market which keeps all of the good features of the RX100 V camera but also changes it’s internals and software to allow for increased buffer space for images and video in HFR mode and allows the AF module to include the Fast Hybrid AF system with 315 focal-plane phase-detection points to match that of the RX100 VI which was announced just last month.
The memory increase itself allows for 24fps continuous shooting with a buffer up to 148 JPEG frames. That also allows improved High Frame Rate recording times, and fast continuous AF with stills and while recording UHD 4K video. Recording of 7 seconds of recording in Shoot Time Priority at the 240 fps setting which matches the one in the regular RX100 V and RX100 VI in America.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The new Fuji X-T100 may be an afterthought for videographers due to its stills focus. It has a 4k UHD mode but only records at 15fps which begs the question why bother including it? It is certainly useless for everything except time-lapse video recording if you think stuttering footage is rubbish. However, the camera does have a 720p 120fps mode that can record for up to 7minutes while conforming into a file at 30fps which equates to a 4x slowdown or if later edited at 24p a 5x slowdown from real time.
Fuji industrial design is just eye-catching and excellent when it comes to looks. The X-T100 does not disappoint with its retro but chiseled look with a flippy screen that screams for a better video mode. We are fans of the Fuji cameras and are glad to see that even in this low-end entry the high frame rate video recording feature is retained. We hope to see them implement 240fps or higher in future models as their recent efforts in the X-H1 show encouraging initial results in 1080p with superb color rendering.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
With NAB 2018 getting near, new announcements are starting to trickle in. The two newest are the Canon EOS C700 FF Full-Frame Cinema Camera & the RED DIGITAL CINEMA EPIC-W BRAIN with Gemini 5K S35 Sensor. These two are serious cinema cameras aimed at recording in high-end codec formats and supporting RAW codecs. Both cameras support higher frame rates but do not offer extreme high speeds like dedicated slow-motion cameras.
In the case of the RED EPIC-W with Gemini S35 sensor, it is the first time RED has used a dual Native ISO sensor like the ones seen on the Panasonic EVA1 and GH5s which have two different native sensitivities to deliver extremely clean footage with the widest dynamic range. Witha claimed 16.5 stops of dynamic range in standard mode & a gain of approximately two stops of light, from 800 to 3200 ISO without increasing the image noise. DPs of all kinds will savor these advances to shoot in dark situations knowing the output will be dependable.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
