Camera rumors for 2016?

Never film with my 5D3 & use it solely as a stills camera. My biggest disappointment with the camera is it's limited dynamic range.

I often use the 5D3 on sets where we're also filming with an Arri, or FS7, & both those cameras capture a significantly larger luminance range then the Canon, which isn't a limitation I enjoy explaining to the clients. Wouldn't be a big deal if the images were BTS, but these photographs are for large advertising campaigns.

Sony's sensors beat Canon in this regard, & if the 5D4 cannot compete I may be compelled to switch. Can't see myself moving to Nikon (simple due to the direction the Nikkor's focusing ring rotate), but if the A7rII had a bigger buffer, & USB 3.0, I'd already own one.
 
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Never film with my 5D3 & use it solely as a stills camera. My biggest disappointment with the camera is it's limited dynamic range.

I often use the 5D3 on sets where we're also filming with an Arri, or FS7, & both those cameras capture a significantly larger luminance range then the Canon, which isn't a limitation I enjoy explaining to the clients. Wouldn't be a big deal if the images were BTS, but these photographs are for large advertising campaigns.

Sony's sensors beat Canon in this regard, & if the 5D4 cannot compete I may be compelled to switch. Can't see myself moving to Nikon (simple due to the direction the Nikkor's focusing ring rotate), but if the A7rII had a bigger buffer, & USB 3.0, I'd already own one.

I agree with you. DR is a huge thing for me. Waaaaay more important than resolution. I would rather take full HD with great DR....than 4K with like 8 stops. No offense to any 1DXII owners out there. When I see the DR of that camera....it just doesn't look like an image I would want to invest in.
 
I would LOVE it if they just released a C100 10 bit 422 with 1080P (downscaled from 4K as they do now) with potentially 4K out the HDMI, up to 60P but also had the C300II DPAF capability and 15 stops of DR. This would be a workhorse of a camera.

And its really not a huge spec bump....but enough I think a ton of people would jump on it. If the Mark IV has terrible DR....I'm gonna have to rethink it. It just has a look to me that feels very dated....except its sharper. Thats not great to me.

Yea, there is the argument...do you need those stops of DR? Yes, the answer is yes. I do. In my specific focus I do. I need it all the time. I primarily shoot concert events and doc work that is fairly fast paced. You need good DR in those situations.


On thing to note, at least for me...if the DR sucks, there is still a way I would consider it. If my only intention was to use the video functions on a gimbal to take advantage of excellent DPAF....that has a unique quality that is worth considering. Just not for regular use. I would only use it for certain types of shots that could gain the benefits of Canons DPAF technology. Its just a question as to if its worth the price to get those shots.
 
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15-stops on C300MKII are derived from a dual readout. That would require a very powerful processor, which Canon is disinterested in using on 5DMKIV. On a hypothetical C100III/C200? Maybe/possibly within a year or so.
 
15-stops on C300MKII are derived from a dual readout. That would require a very powerful processor, which Canon is disinterested in using on 5DMKIV. On a hypothetical C100III/C200? Maybe/possibly within a year or so.

Yep, totally agree. I was hoping/dreaming for this feature in a C100 body. Definitely will not see that in a 5D body anytime in the foreseeable future.
 
Sony's sensors beat Canon in this regard, & if the 5D4 cannot compete I may be compelled to switch. Can't see myself moving to Nikon (simple due to the direction the Nikkor's focusing ring rotate), but if the A7rII had a bigger buffer, & USB 3.0, I'd already own one.

I agree on the Nikon focus rotation direction. You may want to take a look at what Pentax is up to as well. Sony sensors like Nikon, but correct focus rotation (as far as I know). Also supposedly more photographer friendly interface than Sony cameras. Finally, some interesting uses of sensor shift technology that no one else has. They just released their new K-1 full frame camera recently. Supposedly uses the same (or very similar?) sensor to Nikon D810, for $1,000 less.
 
In RAW stills, the 1DX2 has almost two stops more DR than the 1DX (and any other Canon DSLR sensor, actually) (link). I expect the 5D4 to carry the same improvement in sensor technology. And I hope it will have some way of keeping all that DR alive when shooting video. If that's not the case, it's not a contender *for me*, no matter the resolution or framerate or any other specs.

And yes: make a 1080p version of the C300II, with the same DR and a decent 10-bit codec, and you'll sell loads of them for around $4K. Not likely to happen, though.
 
... And yes: make a 1080p version of the C300II, with the same DR and a decent 10-bit codec, and you'll sell loads of them for around $4K. Not likely to happen, though.
If C100 pricing is any precedent, then it'll result in C100II going for around $3,000 within a year. That'll be the sole remaining 1080p model. C200 will be 4K with XC10 4K specs and C100II feature set and will be sold for around $6,000 (the old fashioned double-the-price theory). C300 MKII will remain at $12,000 (double the price of C200). And so on.

Sony will naturally have C300MKII specs for the C200 price, while BMD will have C500II specs for the C200 price ... something they already do.
 
Blackmagic... What will be their next offering? Ursa Mini had so much attention then not. Are folks happy with the UM4.6? I think BM has an opportunity with a C-series sized body with a viewfinder and XLRs. Basically a "normal" camera design with earthly, attainable specs that do not draw so much power. But are they wanting to play in this space?
 
I don't own an Ursa 4.6K....but it feels like this was one of the more anticlimactic releases so far. There was a ton of hype for over a year....then it got released....a bunch of bad reviews.....then radio silence. Maybe its just me....but it feels like the excitement immediately died upon release.

I do have to say though...some of the images I have seen online do look very nice. Just wish it was better in low light. Seems to totally lose its appeal when shooting in any other condition than a controlled lighting environment or daylight.
 
Yes, that is my assessment as well. I was shocked when I did the math on the power draw of the camera which made me think they were really having to push the sensor. I like the look and the RAW workflow but the camera is kind of limited in use. A more general approach camera would be well received if the company has not lost all of their credibility
 
I think that the 4.6K is a failure, but I think the power draw is fine. A lot of cinema cameras are worse.
 
The latest reviews on 4.6 is that its images are fantastic but that something is always amiss with its quality control. And it's definitely not a run&gun camera because the ISO is to be kept 400 and under, which requires professional or natural lighting.

Still, with a CFast-to-SSD adapter ($600), you can get a ton of Raw goodness with a reasonable investment into media and most places (OK, one place) is out of the PL mount version anyway. The magenta tint, according to some, can be corrected in post too.

The low ISO performance isn't fixable. The QC ought to be.
 
I don't own an Ursa 4.6K....but it feels like this was one of the more anticlimactic releases so far. There was a ton of hype for over a year....then it got released....a bunch of bad reviews.....then radio silence. Maybe its just me....but it feels like the excitement immediately died upon release.

I do have to say though...some of the images I have seen online do look very nice. Just wish it was better in low light. Seems to totally lose its appeal when shooting in any other condition than a controlled lighting environment or daylight.

You're right about it not being all that appealing outside controlled lighting and daylight. That's what it was designed for. It's not really made for run and gun at all.

Having said that, I own the Ursa 4.6k and urban street shooting with it is fine. It's more sensitive than my eyes are to light and the negatives are fat enough that you can push it a stop in Resolve without needing NR, so it's not "bad" in night scenarios by any stretch. It's just not an A7s style, no-light camera...
 
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And it's definitely not a run&gun camera because the ISO is to be kept 400 and under, which requires professional or natural lighting.

The 4.6K's native ISO is 800 and some claim 1600 is usable. The 400 applies to the 4K, which was broken with FPN as soon as it was switched to 800.
 
Seems to totally lose its appeal when shooting in any other condition than a controlled lighting environment or daylight.

You mean, "when shooting in conditions that cinema cameras are not designed for". :)

I haven't read many of the reviews, but keep in mind that even the RED sensors are not considered very good in low light. Cinema cameras are designed to excel specifically in the situations you mention in your post - controlled lighting, and daylight - because that's what they work with on serious cinema productions.

The difference with the USRA/mini is that it falls pretty close to the same price bracket as the A7s, and into the realm of film-makers who are trying to get away with no-lighting situations. I think a lot of the bad reviews are coming from people who are trying to push the limits rather than using the camera on controlled sets.
 
I think that the 4.6K is a failure, but I think the power draw is fine. A lot of cinema cameras are worse.

I dont think the 4.6k is a failure at all, I actually think the 4.6k is an amazing camera and soon we will start to see it get some good traction now that the new firmware is out...and also now that they've sorted the magenta issues out. I predict that this camera will draw a huge following.
 
There's been some symmetrical magenta issue fixes but the more difficult asymmetrical magenta (corners with magenta) issue has not been resolved and BMD has not made any announcements when or if it will be resolved. You need to shoot below 8 or shoot cropped to avoid the magenta corners.
 
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