Tag Archives: order

Manfrotto Befree Live New King Of Portable Video Heads!

Manfrotto Befree Live

The new Manfrotto Befree Live Tripod Fluid-head may be the most ultra-portable and quality video ready fluid head out there.  Before this new model was introduced the Manfrotto 128RC and 128LP heads dominated this space. However the new model has smoother movement along with locking features that bring the line to more modern designs.  There is a big need for compact video heads which can be used with smaller slow motion capable cameras like DSLRs, Sony RX100, Sony RX10, Micro 4/3rds and Action cams.

With the miniaturization of camera gear the days of the old and heavy but dependable fluid head are nearing an end. When the tripod can be carried alongside a small camera bag in a very portable fashion; the amount of usable footage will increase due to the amount of shots set up with it due to simplicity and little fuzz. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony a6500 Keeps 120fps On Refined Update!

Sony a6500 front with lens.

On a clearly unexpected update of the a6xxx line of cameras Sony unveiled the α6500 E Mount camera much to the anger of people who just 6 months ago were buying the a6300 which became a darling for video shooters and APS-C photo shooters aswell. That camera brought oversampling of 6k to derive a 4k output which up to now created the sharpest and most detailed 4k image in consumer cameras.

However things were not all rosy with the a6300, many users cringed at the excessive rolling shutter skew when shooting 4k and the lack of dependable continuous tracking. There was also a lack of touch screen and no sensor stabilization which the a6500 aims to correct.  There is a lot of camera here so lets dig in… → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Sony RX100 V Has Extended Slowmo Mode!

Sony RX100 V Camera

Sony today announced the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V portable 1″ sensor camera. It replaces last year’s excellent RX100 IV which is at #8 rank in our HSC Camera Guide for slow motion gear on a budget.   This next iteration is more robust in several aspects including HFR record time which is nearly doubled due to a larger and faster frame buffer. This makes it much more useful in Quality Priority mode offering up to 4 seconds 240fps NTSC or 250fps PAL at almost Full HD 1080p resolution.

The camera has also new tricks up it’s sleeve like oversampling the pixel area of the sensor by 1.7x to deliver a down-sampled artifact free 4k result using a larger area of the sensor plane to avoid the crop in previous models.  The sensor read out is also much faster according to Sony which should further reduce rolling shutter skew and aid in the slow motion capture aspects for better fidelity. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Google Pixel Phones Offer up to 240fps!

googlepixelflat

The Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones released this weeks offer some pretty robust features when it comes to the camera and video recording.   It offers UHD 4k at 30fps and keeping up with the Google Nexus 6p of last year it retains the slow motion mode that made it competitive with the iPhone 6s and 7.  However there are no further improvements when it comes to frame rates above 240fps.  It is however a much better phone with faster CPU and GPU which should help with all imaging tasks.

The new Pixel Phones are by any measure the flagship Android phone for those seeking Google update support and a more pure Stock Android OS experience. You get the benefit of no bloatware, No Android skinning  and up to date updates that made the Nexus line of phones so desirable to users of the platform. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic GH5 Released Specs Omit 120fps!

Panasonic GH5

The rumors were in this occasion mostly true and that is a great thing for the camera enthusiast.  The Successor to the still relevant Panasonic GH4 is nothing short of a powerhouse when it comes to video.  Photo enthusiasts should still find a good balance of features in the Panasonic GH5 but it is clear that Panasonic is very serious about the GH series going forward and has once again created a flagship camera that will become a cornerstone of compact video gear. Updated Article Here!

The body has barely changed and that is also good news, the GH3 and GH4 were almost identical and it is a true and proven form factor with the now indispensable rotating tilt shift screen. Many have tried other designs but the fact remains that this type of LCD with easy positioning is still over a decade in; the best balance for video shooting on a compact DSLR or Mirror-less camera. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Panasonic HC-X1 Packs Some Serious Performance!

Panasonic hc-x1

In a launch that was mostly subdued, a new camera was launched in August; the Panasonic  HC-X1 which is a mid range professional fixed lens ENG or EFP camera with some serious specs to go behind it.  For starters there is 4k at up to 60fps a format that we hope to see in upcoming ILCs like the GH4 successor and Sony Cameras.  The other is 100fps PAL or 120fps NTSC 1080p which is now a must have slow motion standard for any serious camera.

The qualities of the new Panasonic HC-X1 do not stop at higher frame rates; it features a fantastic 3 independent fly by wire ring system for focus, aperture and the last for zoom which starts at a very wide 24mm to 480mm at the long end or 20x optical. The camera also features  a built in ND Filter wheel from 1/4th to 1/64th for effortless 180 degree shooting outdoors. → Continue Reading Full Post ←