URSA MINI 4.6k
Now this.... is a camera I'm really excited for. For years now Blackmagic has been challenging the norm. Starting with the BMCC, it was the first time where it was no longer out of reach for film makers to be able to shoot cinema quality film with a 2.5k Raw capable camera. Then the BMPCC, the smallest and cheapest camera to let us be able to shoot FHD Raw for just under 1,000 dollars. Fast forward a few years later, we now have the URSA Mini.
The URSA Mini has the ability to shoot not 4k... but 4.6k! It's not a big improvement but a great one. The one thing I'm really excited about is the fact the this new sensor has the capability of 15 stops of DR! Now that is huge. The previous sensor of the URSA was only able to achieve 12 stops of DR just an FYI. Did I mention it can shoot 60fps at 4.6k resolution and 120fps in FHD! A big plus with the mini is that it's under 7 pounds in weight, where as the full size URSA is 16 pounds!
Let's talk about what this camera comes with as far as hardware and feature now. A 5 inch fold out 1920X1080 color OLED display. Proper exposer tools Focus peaking/zebras/histogram and Audio meters as well. Professional connections like XLR inputs/12G SDI Out and 12V input. This camera has the ability to have Global shutter, but it comes at a cost. The URSA mini can shoot up to 60fps in 4.6k, but if you select the Global shutter option it reduces the max fps to 30 fps in 4.6k and it losses a couple of stops of DR! It's not perfect but atleast you have the option to choose rather than it be one or the other. It has two CFast 2.0 cards for continuous recording or redundant recording which is awesome.
You can choose what type of mount suits your needs (EF or PL) and it could be interchangeable but I wouldn't recommend going back and fourth. It gives you Edit friendly codecs such as ProRes. Not only can you record in ProRes codecs but every flavor of it (from ProRes LT to ProRes 444 XQ). Plus the ability to record RAW. And if all of that wasn't enough, you get DaVinci Resolve for free with a purchase of this camera!
After all of that though, this camera is far from perfect. To sum it all up I'm making a bullet point list of the pros and cons of this system
THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE URSA MINI
THINGS I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE URSA MINI
The URSA Mini has the ability to shoot not 4k... but 4.6k! It's not a big improvement but a great one. The one thing I'm really excited about is the fact the this new sensor has the capability of 15 stops of DR! Now that is huge. The previous sensor of the URSA was only able to achieve 12 stops of DR just an FYI. Did I mention it can shoot 60fps at 4.6k resolution and 120fps in FHD! A big plus with the mini is that it's under 7 pounds in weight, where as the full size URSA is 16 pounds!
Let's talk about what this camera comes with as far as hardware and feature now. A 5 inch fold out 1920X1080 color OLED display. Proper exposer tools Focus peaking/zebras/histogram and Audio meters as well. Professional connections like XLR inputs/12G SDI Out and 12V input. This camera has the ability to have Global shutter, but it comes at a cost. The URSA mini can shoot up to 60fps in 4.6k, but if you select the Global shutter option it reduces the max fps to 30 fps in 4.6k and it losses a couple of stops of DR! It's not perfect but atleast you have the option to choose rather than it be one or the other. It has two CFast 2.0 cards for continuous recording or redundant recording which is awesome.
You can choose what type of mount suits your needs (EF or PL) and it could be interchangeable but I wouldn't recommend going back and fourth. It gives you Edit friendly codecs such as ProRes. Not only can you record in ProRes codecs but every flavor of it (from ProRes LT to ProRes 444 XQ). Plus the ability to record RAW. And if all of that wasn't enough, you get DaVinci Resolve for free with a purchase of this camera!
After all of that though, this camera is far from perfect. To sum it all up I'm making a bullet point list of the pros and cons of this system
THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE URSA MINI
- 4.6k Resolution
- 60fps in 4.6k Resolution
- 15 stops of DR
- Price ($5,000)
- Professional connections
- DaVinci Resolve for free with purchase
- 120fps in FHD
- ProRes Codec and RAW recording
THINGS I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE URSA MINI
- Low light is not great (Max is 1600 ISO)
- No Built in ND Filters
- You have to pay extra for the Rails with top handle ($395) EVF ($1495) and that are designed for this camera
- Selecting Global shutter will minimize Frame Rate options and DR
SONY A7s
There has been two cameras in the last year that has taken a lot of the Canon DSLRs thunder. The Panasonic GH4 and the Sony A7s. Why? Well in my mind it's simply because they haven't been giving the indie film makers the tools they've been wanting for a long time. Things like Peaking, Histogram and the lack of video features like 1080p@60fps (The canon 1Dc has it which is a 7,000 dollar DSLR)
I feel they barely caught on to this which is why their latest camera Canon 7D Mark2 now has that FPS feature.
With that out of the way, why is this camera so special? Well, it's the smallest and lightest 35mm Full Frame mirrorless camera body that's out right now. Oh yeah, I almost forgot it's the best low light camera in the world right now....
The A7s has the ability to shot at crazy high ISOs, up to 409,600 to be exact. I've been reading some negative comments from people on Youtube videos that display the ISO abilities of this camera and they dismiss it as not a very useful thing or they act like they don't know the benefits of being able to shot at high ISO.
This camera is more than just High ISOs though. The HD video quality is the best I've seen and have worked with from a full frame sensor with no image issues such as Moire and Aliasing. The image is free of those issues due to it's full pixel read out of the sensor, it doesn't do any down sampling that tends to contribute to those image issues. The sensor also gives you 15.3 stop of dynamic range with SLOG 2! Which is unheard of for a any DSLR and some high end video cameras. Professional gamma curves like S-Gamut, and the ability to shoot 4k video! And lastly a very nice recording format in a 50Mbps XAVC-S Codec.
THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE A7s
THINGS I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE A7s
BOTTOM LINE
For being a $2,500 dollar camera I think it's a steal for what it gives you as far as image quality and features. No other Full Frame camera can offer you what the Sony A7s can, as of right now. Let's just wait for the Canon 5D Mark 4 which is coming out later this year!
I feel they barely caught on to this which is why their latest camera Canon 7D Mark2 now has that FPS feature.
With that out of the way, why is this camera so special? Well, it's the smallest and lightest 35mm Full Frame mirrorless camera body that's out right now. Oh yeah, I almost forgot it's the best low light camera in the world right now....
The A7s has the ability to shot at crazy high ISOs, up to 409,600 to be exact. I've been reading some negative comments from people on Youtube videos that display the ISO abilities of this camera and they dismiss it as not a very useful thing or they act like they don't know the benefits of being able to shot at high ISO.
This camera is more than just High ISOs though. The HD video quality is the best I've seen and have worked with from a full frame sensor with no image issues such as Moire and Aliasing. The image is free of those issues due to it's full pixel read out of the sensor, it doesn't do any down sampling that tends to contribute to those image issues. The sensor also gives you 15.3 stop of dynamic range with SLOG 2! Which is unheard of for a any DSLR and some high end video cameras. Professional gamma curves like S-Gamut, and the ability to shoot 4k video! And lastly a very nice recording format in a 50Mbps XAVC-S Codec.
THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE A7s
- It's setting the bar for Full Frame Sensors
- Best Low Light Camera out right now which give the owner so many opinions when it comes to creativity, and the owner can shot anywhere he/she wants anytime he/she wants without having to bring tons of lights
- The ability to shot in 4K
- Ability to shot 1080p @ 60 FPS and 720p @ 120 FPS
- Professional video features like Histogram, Peaking, SLOG 2 Picture Profile and having S-Gamut
- No Moire or Aliasing
- 15.3 stops of dynamic range (Although some people say it's more like 14.5 usable stops of dynamic range)
- Small and light weight
- Really nice EVF with 100% coverage
- The Ability to record to multiple types of formats (AVCHD, XAVC-S and MP4)
THINGS I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE A7s
- You can shoot 4k but only with an external recorder like the Atomos Shogun ($2,000 Dollars)
- The Lack of Sony FE mount lenses (I'm sure ths will change over time)
- It only outputs an 8bit signal unlike the GH4 which can output a 10bit signal
- ROLLING SHUTTER (In my opinion the worst I've ever seen, so if you're shooting lots of action scenes or fast moving sports this may not be the camera for you)
- You can shoot 1080p @ 60 FPS but it's not true slow motion, and what I mean by true slow motion is that it's not Under or over cranking the camera for slow motion, you still have to conform it in post but it would of been really nice if you had that feature in the camera
- This is minor but the record button is placed in the most awkward location and it's not very intuitive
BOTTOM LINE
For being a $2,500 dollar camera I think it's a steal for what it gives you as far as image quality and features. No other Full Frame camera can offer you what the Sony A7s can, as of right now. Let's just wait for the Canon 5D Mark 4 which is coming out later this year!
PANASONIC GH4 & GH3
There has been a few camera manufactures that have been taking away some of Canon's thunder when it comes to the low budget indie film making market. Companies like Blackmagic, Sony and Panasonic. When it comes to the Panasonic DSLMs, the first that I was paying attention to was the famously hacked version of the GH2. The GH2 did great in the Zacuto Shootout challenge of 2012. Oscar winning Francis Ford Coppola in the blind testing chose the GH2 as his favorite when it came to picture quality, now normally that wouldn't mean anything except that it was going up against some serious cinema cameras. Cameras from RED Epic, Arri Alexa, Canon C300 and Sony F3.
When it comes to the new Panasonic GH4 I couldn't ask for a better camera to do my short films and music videos with. In my honest opinion the GH4 in many ways was the camera that got people excited again. So much so, that a lot of people I know left Canon and switched over to mirror less due to this camera alone. Why would people do that? Well everyone has their own reasons but here are some of mine. (NOTE: I still own and love my Canon DSLRs but I primarily shoot on GH4s, Hopefully the Canon 5D mark 4 will be awesome!)
Things I like about the GH4
My first Introduction to the Panasonic lineup was the GH3. The GH3 is the camera I now recommend to people who have out grown their Canon Rebel DSLRs but can't afford to go with an Expensive Full Frame DSLR like the Canon 5D Mark 3. I believe the GH3 is a better overall camera than the 5D mark 3.
Things I like about the GH3 and pointers for this camera
When it comes to the new Panasonic GH4 I couldn't ask for a better camera to do my short films and music videos with. In my honest opinion the GH4 in many ways was the camera that got people excited again. So much so, that a lot of people I know left Canon and switched over to mirror less due to this camera alone. Why would people do that? Well everyone has their own reasons but here are some of mine. (NOTE: I still own and love my Canon DSLRs but I primarily shoot on GH4s, Hopefully the Canon 5D mark 4 will be awesome!)
Things I like about the GH4
- I now have the ability to not only shoot 1080p@60fps but at 96fps. And I'm not taking fake slow motion, I talking about True under and over cranking of the frames within the camera. Non of this convert it in post stuff (the only Canon DSLR that can even do 1080p@60fps is the Canon 1Dc which is over $10,000 Dollars)
- The fact that you can record 4k Internally
- The ability of outputting 10bit signal out to an external recorder. The difference between 8bit and 10bit is not just 2 bits, it's 4 times the color information. Not even Canons C300 does that and no DSLR on the market for that matter
- The awesome fact that while shooting in 4k you won't have image issues such as moire and aliasing because it does full pixel readout from the sensor while shooting in 4k.
- Have the ability to shoot in different recording formats AVCHD, MP4 and .MOV is very useful
- It's dust and weather sealed
- lightweight
- Versatile mount, you can literally put almost any lens on this camera. Canon/Nikon/Panasonic/Sony/PL they all work well with this camera
- High bit rates, shooting in 1080p@200Mbps (Although you could get images issues like moire and aliasing while shooting in 1080p due to the down sampling that needs to take place
- The Ability to adjust your gamma curves in real time yourself
- Flat Picture profiles like CineLikeD
- Internal Intervalometer for timelapse
- Headphone Jack (for the longest time Canon DSLRs didn't have that or DSLRs in general)
- Having good exposure and video tools like Histogram, Zebras and Focus peaking
- lastly the GH4 has a wonderful 2,359 dot OLED Viewfinder that has 100% coverge
My first Introduction to the Panasonic lineup was the GH3. The GH3 is the camera I now recommend to people who have out grown their Canon Rebel DSLRs but can't afford to go with an Expensive Full Frame DSLR like the Canon 5D Mark 3. I believe the GH3 is a better overall camera than the 5D mark 3.
Things I like about the GH3 and pointers for this camera
- The one thing I love about the GH3 is that it's Dust and Weather sealed just like higher end DSLRs
- It has a good EVF sporting 1,746,000 Dots of Resolution for nailing down focus better
- It has a Flip out screen so it's really convenient when you need to get those low angle shots.
- It has a more detailed image the most canon DSLRs when shooting in Video.
- The GH3 was one of the first DSLMs to my knowledge that gave us the ability to shoot 1080p@60fps. Not only that but it gave us TRUE slow motion with proper over and under cranking. Not to mention the quality was good still being at 50Mbps in slow motion
- Be able to fully control settings via Wifi.
- If you want a good picture profile to shoot with this camera I tend to create a custom PP with Vivid (Vivid is the least noisy) as the base and every setting turned down to -5
BLACK MAGIC POCKET CAMERA
When I first heard about the Black Magic Pocket Camera my excitement shot through the roof. I was finally going to have a camera that shoots video that can mimic the look and feel of film. Super 16 mm sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range, the ability to shoot onto a great format like ProRes HQ and Loseless Compressed Cinema DNG, light weight and it having a MFT mount was the cherry on top. MFT mount in my opinion is the most versatile mount.
Before I make it seem like it's all sunshine and rainbows (Bonus points if you know that movie reference), there were lots of issues that this camera had and still has.
As you can see this is far from being the perfect camera but the image is very impressive and I love shooting with it. Any camera you get you'll always have to buy things to compliment the camera. Whether it's a Monitor, Rig, External Battery supply, External Recorder ect ect.
The bottom line is I think the camera if absolutely worth buying and owning. With the Price tag being under 1,000 dollars, the versatile mount, the amazing image quality with 13 stops of dynamic range and lastly the great internal recording format of ProRes. It's a no lose situation.
Before I make it seem like it's all sunshine and rainbows (Bonus points if you know that movie reference), there were lots of issues that this camera had and still has.
- The Battery sucks, you'll get 20 to 30 minutes off a fully charge battery. 30 minutes if you're lucky
- No Audio Meters (fixed in firmware)
- Only shoots ProRes HQ when it first came out (with updated firmware it can now shot Cinema DNG, ProRes, ProRes LT, ProRes Proxy
- Doesn't have the ability to format SD card or Selected Clips (with updated firmware you can now format the card but still can't delete individual clips
- Screen is not that great for getting critical focus, only being a 3.5 inch 800x480 screen. In daylight it's also hard to see the screen
- The Camera had what was called *The Black Hole* issue where it would create a black hole in your image where you had super blown out highlights (fixed with firmware update)
- The lack of exposure tools are missing! (with firmware updates you now have a histogram, hopefully we'll see waveforms in future updates)
- You don't have the abilty to know how much time is left on the SD card while you're recording (thank goodness this was fixed with firmware)
As you can see this is far from being the perfect camera but the image is very impressive and I love shooting with it. Any camera you get you'll always have to buy things to compliment the camera. Whether it's a Monitor, Rig, External Battery supply, External Recorder ect ect.
The bottom line is I think the camera if absolutely worth buying and owning. With the Price tag being under 1,000 dollars, the versatile mount, the amazing image quality with 13 stops of dynamic range and lastly the great internal recording format of ProRes. It's a no lose situation.
CANON T2i/550D
Why would I be writing about a 5 year old DSLR you may ask? Often friends and family tend to ask me "What Camera should I get?". Usually it's someone who want to get into filming their short films or music videos but have never operated a camera before. In my opinion you should not be worried about getting the best HD quality out of your camera if you don't know the fundamentals. You can currently find the canon T2i for about 200 to 300 dollars right now on Ebay.
Any who with that introduction out of the way. I'm going to list the things I love about this camera and why it's worth getting, especially if you're just getting started and also some general notes on the camera.
The Bottom line is if you want to start learning about cameras and film making in general I think this is the camera for you.
Any who with that introduction out of the way. I'm going to list the things I love about this camera and why it's worth getting, especially if you're just getting started and also some general notes on the camera.
- First and foremost! GET MAGIC LANTERN HACK WITH THIS CAMERA! Magic Lantern hack provides you with professional features and makes this 200 dollar camera into in my opinion 1,500 dollar one. You'll have Peaking, Zebras, Histogram and the ability to turn off one of the early Canon DSLRs achilles heel..... the abilty to turn off AGC (Automatic Gain Control) in the camera. Your audio will be much better off with that feature alone.
- This has the same sensor and processor as the T3i, T4i, 60D and the famous 7D. In other words the same video quality as those other more expensive cameras.
- It's decent in low light due to it's APS-C size sensor (NOTE: I wouldn't go shooting over 1,600 ISO though, past that it's too noisy and the footage in my opinion is not usable.
- You can get some very nice shallow depth of field with this camera, even though not as good as a Full Frame sensor it still does a great job at it.
- It doesn't have a weather sealed body which could be bad if you tend to shot out in the elements, but the good as well because since it's not weather sealed it's a very light camera coming in at a little over a pound. There has been some new hand held Gimbal systems that are affordable that would match up good with this camera simply due to the lack of weigh.
- Since this camera shoot onto H.264 file format I recommend you transcode the footage to a more Editing friendly format such as ProRes HQ or DNxHD. Final Cut Pro 7 does not handle H.264 very well and you'll want to pull your own hair out while working with those files if not transcoded.
The Bottom line is if you want to start learning about cameras and film making in general I think this is the camera for you.