Not my work, but pretty nice shots for an $800 MFT camera...
B&H Photo : Z CAM E2C Professional 4K Cinema Camera $799
B&H Photo : Z CAM E2C Professional 4K Cinema Camera $799
GH5 Night Shots Made with the $800 Z Cam E2C Camera
- Thread starter TheDingo
- Start date
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?365146-Z-Cam-E2C&p=1986798474
Rolling shutter didn't seem that bad to me, but most of the shots wouldn't show it either.
Rolling shutter didn't seem that bad to me, but most of the shots wouldn't show it either.
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The night footage posted looks pretty good to me, and I know that every manufacturer has their own way of measuring DR, so Z Cam 11.5 stops might be equivalent to another brand's 12 or 13 stops. The firmware was recently upgraded to include Z Cam's ZRAW recording too.
General observation - when the industry was shipping 50-70 million units annually, most of the independents pro manufacturers like BMD, Aaton and AJA were easy to ignore. The only two names that caught the Big Four attention were ARRI and Red because they took on the high end niche (with ARRI dominating the 1080P TV market). Now that total shipments are in the 16M-18M range and the point&shoot sector dropping from ~ 100M to ~ 10M, ILC's crowding each other out on features and performance, every model begins to count.
A couple of months ago, I posted that there will be no GH-6 and, if there is, it won't be anywhere the GH-4/GH-5 price points. Most folks disagreed but, IMO, having an MFT 4K Raw camera retailing at $800 makes an appearance of even a 6K GH-6 far less likely going forward.
PS. Watch Panasonic announce GH-8 with 8K in three month time.
A couple of months ago, I posted that there will be no GH-6 and, if there is, it won't be anywhere the GH-4/GH-5 price points. Most folks disagreed but, IMO, having an MFT 4K Raw camera retailing at $800 makes an appearance of even a 6K GH-6 far less likely going forward.
PS. Watch Panasonic announce GH-8 with 8K in three month time.
I'm expecting a GH6 next Spring and figure it will be priced in the original GH5 ballpark, and I'm ok with that. While I might start using a Z Cam, I will still want to own the GH6 when it's out. These are different cameras and they bring different strengths to the table. For me the GH5 is my workhorse camera, that I just switch on and it gets the job done. Where a Z Cam might become my Indie play-time camera, when I've got time to experiment with it.
GH-5 was what, $1,800 upon release?
Now you can get a full frame Nikon Z6 for that amount. A7III and EOS R are $2,000 and also full frame. Finally, Panasonic's own full frame S1 is $2,000 (w/out the V-Log key, add $200 for V-Log).
And then there'll be a bunch of APS-C models in the $1,000-$1,300 range to slot below the full frame. And they'll likely to have some form of a Log too.
Now you can get a full frame Nikon Z6 for that amount. A7III and EOS R are $2,000 and also full frame. Finally, Panasonic's own full frame S1 is $2,000 (w/out the V-Log key, add $200 for V-Log).
And then there'll be a bunch of APS-C models in the $1,000-$1,300 range to slot below the full frame. And they'll likely to have some form of a Log too.
You're assuming that the Nikon Z6 is a better camera. I think the Z6 is better for low-light work and has better autofocus, but that's about it.
GH5 shoots 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 internally with no time limit, can capture simultaneous duplicate recordings, or unlimited recordings via relay-mode, has much better IBIS that can smooth out handheld shots ( I shot a 33 minute handheld POV walkthrough at a medical clinic two weeks ago using GH5 IBIS for all stabilization and the footage was great, though my arms were a little tired ), and I think the GH5 can hold up as a photo camera as long as you do all your cropping in-camera. ( the MFT format falls apart if you try and crop in post )
Pretty much the same story for both of these cameras. The A7III has better low light and much better autofocus, but that's about it. No internal 4K 10-bit. No unlimited recording. Sh*tty IBIS that can't be used with a moving camera. The EOS R is even worse with it's terrible rolling shutter and heavy 4K image crop. ( MFT 2x crop is irrelevant if the lenses are made for this format, it would be the same for Canon if they made a set of prime lenses for the EOS R shooting 4K )
You can still buy the S1 with FREE video upgrade that includes V-Log at this point in time. I see the S1 as a great alternative to the GH5. It has much better low-light, slightly better IBIS, better autofocus, and has extremely good dynamic range. ( almost 2 stops better than the GH5 ) The main drawbacks compared to the GH5 are size and weight, shorter battery life, and currently a very limited lens selection, but that will improve over time.
The FujiFilm X-T3 is the only contender i would consider here. It has great autofocus, produces a nice image for both photo and video. It's main drawbacks are: No IBIS and limited recording time. ( I don't know if there are hacks to get around this, and if so how long will the camera keep recording while not overheating )
For me the top two contenders are the GH5 and S1. They are currently the only cameras that could have shot my 33 minute POV clinic video without external stabilization. ( but I keep an eye on the X-T3, all the Z Cam cameras, and expect big things from the S1H this Fall )
Exactly. I don't imagine GH6 to be priced as high as GH5 was. It just won't sell for that. Not with FF costing the same and APSC being cheaper. People generally think that bigger is better so it will be very hard to promote and sell a "tiny" sensor camera for that amount even if a handful of videographers are aware that overall it's a better camera than its bigger sensor competition. Panasonic should forget about their high margins for a while and realize the market is not what it was a few years ago. M43 is a great format and it would be a disaster for a lot of people if it went away only because the big guys can't adjust their pricing policies.
And for $700 more than the P4K I would go with the Z Cam E2 with both ProRes and RAW, fits on any gimbal, and up to 16 stops of dynamic range in WDR mode. ( I really want to see what this 16 stop WDR mode looks like )
And for $900 more than the P4K I would go for the Panasonic S1, which currently has the number 3 spot on the Cinema5D maximum dynamic range list. ( ARRI Mini is number 1, BM Ursa 4.6K G2 is number 2, and Sony FS7 is number 4 )
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So something like the RED HDRx system where the camera takes a normal exposure and a second much shorter exposure, and then these two exposures are combined in post like HDR photos.
Sigma pf has the same feature.
I am wondering if the Z Cam E2G loses 1 stop of dynamic range like the Sony F55 does when in global shutter mode.