FS7: Would You Buy A Panasonic AU-EVA1?

Wasn't there a camera using a Micro Four Thirds mount with a Super 35 sensor? I believe it was one of JVC's. So JVC is using Panasonic's M4/3 mount but Panasonic uses Canon EF mount ?
The LS 300...native crop S35...crops to M4/3rd and S16 for some of those wonderful S16 Angenueix Cinema Zooms (Cine Camera anyone)...On my 7th Panny...25 plus Legacy lenses with speedboosters and 4 Native lenses...carefully vested in Pannys ecosystem and never even considered another brand...some are still insisting that the M4/3 sensor would not have worked for the EVA...well nobody's advocating that...it's a M4/3 MOUNT we want....everyone has been posting and following this process for weeks... so for those piping in yesterday or today for the first time, kindly take the time to read that thread, before presuming and posting on behalf of other members...it's lazy in my opinion, and clearly many feel this mount was a terrible choice...the Varicam LT and 35 are horses of a very different color and you have an additional option for a PL mount...so the argument about the Varicam also having an EF mount is comparing apples and oranges...Panasonic should not reward Canon owners with EF lenses in a mount, and leave their own M4/3 community out in the cold...this camera needs an optional M4/3 too...If BM can do it with no initial customer base, a giant like Panasonic should be able to also. Loyalty between clients and manufacturers should be a two way street.
 
Canon's autofocus can accurately keep an actor's face in focus in 4K on a 200mm lens as they are walking or jogging towards the camera. Can you pull your own focus lens wide open and operate a camera and get it 100% of the time in daylight?

There are caveats of course and this is emerging technology. This doesn't replace a talented 1st ac but it is a viable option with small crews and 4K acquisition with some, but not all shots.

But by all means keep pulling your own focus in 4K. it helps the rest of us.

I sort of like the out of focus/finding focus look for this type of shot actually.. at a decent stop and depending how far away they are its not actually that hard if you know the lens very well.. maybe we need a robot to operate the camera too to make the perfect shot.. keep everything centre framed.. much better..

Whats worrying is younger DP,s worrying or worse thinking they need stabilization and auto focus on lenses and cameras.. on a gimbal I can see it.. but in general these features have always been on non pro gear.. and there was a reason for that.. which hopefully I dont need to explain ..

Yes I will contuse to pull my own focus on cine lenses.. but dont be alarmed I doubt we are in competition for the same work.. and indeed in some way helping you .. if thats what you mean ?
 
Step 1: put the camera on your shoulder make sure its balanced - boom no need for IS.
Step 2: Put a lens that has been designed for motion picture be it a zoom or a prime pul focus- boom no need for auto focus.
Step 3: make sure you have a reliable EVF or monitor to see what you are doing- done.
And if you can't hold a 200mm shot steady thats OK because you are not supposed to thats what tripods are for.


I sort of like the out of focus/finding focus look for this type of shot actually.. at a decent stop and depending how far away they are its not actually that hard if you know the lens very well.. maybe we need a robot to operate the camera too to make the perfect shot.. keep everything centre framed.. much better..

Whats worrying is younger DP,s worrying or worse thinking they need stabilization and auto focus on lenses and cameras.. on a gimbal I can see it.. but in general these features have always been on non pro gear.. and there was a reason for that.. which hopefully I dont need to explain ..

Yes I will contuse to pull my own focus on cine lenses.. but dont be alarmed I doubt we are in competition for the same work.. and indeed in some way helping you .. if thats what you mean ?
 
I sort of like the out of focus/finding focus look for this type of shot actually.. at a decent stop and depending how far away they are its not actually that hard if you know the lens very well.. maybe we need a robot to operate the camera too to make the perfect shot.. keep everything centre framed.. much better..

Whats worrying is younger DP,s worrying or worse thinking they need stabilization and auto focus on lenses and cameras.. on a gimbal I can see it.. but in general these features have always been on non pro gear.. and there was a reason for that.. which hopefully I dont need to explain ..

Yes I will contuse to pull my own focus on cine lenses.. but dont be alarmed I doubt we are in competition for the same work.. and indeed in some way helping you .. if thats what you mean ?

I agree auto focus is an abomination, Canon should remove it immediately from their $30,000 C-700 non pro camera.
 
Years ago I was invited by one of the major manufacturers to discuss features for a future Cine Camera. It was a small focus group that included a number of ASC veterans.

When the Reps asked if autofocus would be desirable every single DP responded that it would, but only if it worked great, & was customizable.
 
Hey Mitch, I likely missed the details with all the hoopla-
Will Panasonic enable some type of touch screen autofocus? If so your new camera clearly outspecs the C200, C300 Mk2, FS5, FS7, FS7M2, BM Ursa Pro. When I force myself to use the DPAF + face detect + tracking on the C300 Mk2 it is astonishing how well it works- and how necessary it is for a camera in this price bracket cause a competent first ac has been eliminated on productions that would use this camera.

We are releasing only preliminary specs at this time. More info as we get closer to release.
 
To my opinion, the Pany could be the more intersting camera compared to the C200 or even FS7.

Interesting to see that Mitch has resigned with CD.
 
I agree auto focus is an abomination, Canon should remove it immediately from their $30,000 C-700 non pro camera.

haha here we go again.. :)... if its there sure why not.. but yes i wouldn't ever expect it on a pro camera or lens either.. Im not saying the square wheel was better than these new round ones.. auto focus ,if it works well.. will of course have its time in the sun.. gimbal on failry wide lens etc.. but it will never be able to decide where in the frame you want the focus.. unless there really is telepathic support.. its a machine it doesnt think .. there will always be some parameters it has to work by.. the worst of course being centre frame only.. are you really going to be pushing a monitor with your finger the whole time.. instead of being a cameraman/women .. sorry but I really do rally against the whole thing these days of people excepting auto everything .. shooting off screens they cant see properly and every hand held shot is at waist height.. preferably from a skate board.. really the Pana video has a hipster guy shooting from a skate board ..Santa Monica beach yet again.. really its there.. and the C200 promo video is yes !! a skate board park.. I kid you not.. you couldn't make this up.. there will be a generation of not only, poorly paid.. but really unskilled DP,s coming along.. who have never put a camera on their shoulder.. never looked through an view finder.. never set exposure, or focus or learnt to operate without needing electronic stabilization .. maybe that makes me an old fart.. ? but I dont see that as a good thing.. Canon has this auto focus one trick pony as they are about 4 years late for the rodeo.. no I dont need it.. and plenty of "pro" dp, s dont either.. and I dont need stabilization for my hand held.. I dont need monitors sprouting from every SDI on my camera.. I have a EVF.. it lets you frame a shot with dark around the edges .. and you can see focus.. it might crush your beard or get your man bun caught up .. and its not great for shooting from skate boards.. :)
 
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Each camera is interesting to right person. As always there's no perfect do-it-all camera. All current and coming S35 video cameras are actually very good so it just boils down to what you want to use and the feature-set you'd like.
 
I'll get into the commenting why not. We do indeed live in a fortunate era of cameras. I'm still starting out you could say, and these thoughts may reflect that, but either way this camera is different.

My thoughts on the red stripes: Not a big fan, but I do like the cutout shape of them. Looks spacey. Grey would be cooler/more professional in my opinion, but it doesn't affect performance, just impressions others have when they see it.

The monitor and viewfinder whole... Thing. I am with Mitch all the way when he mentioned viewfinders people don't use. The f3 and fs5 having these little nubs on the back that are often ignored, vestigial was a well chosen word. With this camera, I'm excited at the prospect of moving away from viewfinders at the butt end of a camera. The fs7 seemed to do okay with its loupe. I'm sure Panasonic could do something similar with their design. Personally, the loupe on the fs7 always felt cumbersome and unwieldy to me. Perhaps a loupe that slid on the monitor from the side and had a small latch to keep it secured. That's what I would prefer to see on a camera of this form factor.

Dual ISO, 422 10 bit, varicam colors... All incredible features in this s35 camera. It's exciting, and I'm eager to see images from it. If overcranking isn't sensor cropped, there will be much rejoicing. Looking at EVA 1 in relation to the Ursa Mini, which does internal raw to more costly media, I am left wondering what options there are in the way of external raw recorders, and what their cost is relative to the purchase of a Cfast card were the EVA to have a slot for such in addition to SD cards.

The EF mount: A lot of people talking about this decision. I would wish for interchangeable mounts. I have heard that there are not many worthwhile PL to EF adapters, though I have no personal experience using any. Though I imagine there would be lens play at the EF mount point. The ability to use PL lenses would be phenomenal. That being said, there are more cinema lenses in EF mount now on the pricy, proper cinema lens end, to cheaper still lens options like modded EF adapted Nikkors. If EF it is and EF only, then I would have wished for a positive locking EF mount. I maintain that Sony's FZ mount is brilliant for what it's worth.

Autofocus is not something I would expect on a cinema camera. However, because the EVA 1 is a camera that is a bit nebulous in nature, I can see why this is an issue for many. If it had an optional PL mount, or a gold mount plate, or didn't show people skating with it, and felt more like a cinema camera, I'm not sure if as many people would be up in arms over autofocus. But because of the EF mount and the more run and gun/documentary nature of the cameras applications as well, I can see how AF now seems like something that matters a lot more to other people.

The promotional images for this camera are rather baffling, and I'm not sure they back up this product as a cinema camera either. They are preliminary though... Say what you will about blackmagic's ad images, they look meticulously thought out. But here, Skater guy in a white t-shirt, gimbal guy in a white t-shirt, okay. I'm sure in the future we will see the camera not only run and gun style, but built out more, selling it also more as a cinema camera than something you'd want to skate with. I don't mean to minimalize the amount of effort that goes into a release like this, though the pictures did leave me puzzled.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts. No one camera is going to be perfect for everyone. We all have our own idea of what our perfect cameras would be. Ultimately, I have tremendous respect for the folks at Panasonic for delivering a product line that doesn't feel like it cripples lesser products, but pushes the limits. This camera is exciting and I am looking forward to seeing more of it!
 
the loupe on the fs7 always felt cumbersome and unwieldy to me. Perhaps a loupe that slid on the monitor from the side and had a small latch to keep it secured. That's what I would prefer to see on a camera of this form factor.


Agreed, but I do use the Loupe on the FS7 every week in the sun outdoors -> Going to a camera that doesn't have one would really suck. Makes a massive difference!
 
Step 1: put the camera on your shoulder make sure its balanced - boom no need for IS.
Step 2: Put a lens that has been designed for motion picture be it a zoom or a prime pul focus- boom no need for auto focus.
Step 3: make sure you have a reliable EVF or monitor to see what you are doing- done.
And if you can't hold a 200mm shot steady thats OK because you are not supposed to thats what tripods are for.

This really sums it all up, doesn't it? +1
 
i would like to see the good folks at panasonic...mitch, are you listening?...find a way to support the shooter who has a m43 collection of lenses.

i wonder if there should be a m43 mount option rather than just the touted ef mount?

there are folks who have stayed with the panasonic ecosystem from the af100 and the first gh.

their reliance on the value of the m43 mount along with their continued involvement with m43 makes the eva1 with only an ef mount a hard pill to swallow.

is a swappable mount ef -> m43 an option?

be well.

rob
smalltalk.productions
 
FWIW, even if I was in the market for a new camera - the lens mount option limited to Canon EF and no EVF would be deal-breakers for me. Just saying...

Piotr
 
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