FS7: Would You Buy A Panasonic AU-EVA1?

That is very very true.

Agree.. the fs7 isnt suddenly not going to be requested in one years time.. its chicken and egg.. the fs7 has gained such a massive foothold in that market .. prod mangers etc just go with what everyone else they know asks for.. they just want the safe camera.. the same as the rest use.. these people know nothing about gear usually.. they just ask for what others are using.. and stick with it..to cover their own arse. the fs7 saved the f5.. it saved XAVC.. it must be one of the most used pro cameras in the world.. I cant think of any camera even close to it.. with the huge Sony parts/maintenance /support (ok question at times :)etc network..dont know what would knock it off its perch for a while.. everything goes FF.. ? 3D over.. 6k-8K total bollocks .. HDR..REC2020.. its all set for..its second best to just writing money
 
GH5 400 Mbps recording requires V60 ( or higher speed ) SDXC memory cards which are kind of rare right now. These are the ONLY SDXC memory cards that will guarantee that every bit is written to the card at 480 Mbps or faster. These cards should be available at the same stores that sell GH5 cameras by the end of the Summer. ( i.e. mid to late September )

If Panasonic released the 400 Mbps upgrade and most people could not find V60 SDXC memory cards all h*ll would break loose. So I would not call this a bad business decision when the required memory cards are not easily available right now. Everything should change in a month or so. ( I've been holding off buying any new SDXC cards because of this )


Maybe the choice of SDXC instead of Cfast or XQD is the reason for lack of 10bit 60p 4K. If I remember correctly the FS7 shoots something like 600Mbps in 4K/60p/10bit. Having had SD and CF cards fail over the years I have been very impressed with the semi-pro (not SXS) media on the FS7. Its always been rock solid for me.
 
Maybe the choice of SDXC instead of Cfast or XQD is the reason for lack of 10bit 60p 4K. If I remember correctly the FS7 shoots something like 600Mbps in 4K/60p/10bit

A V90 SDXC UHS-II card has a guaranteed minimum write speed of 720 Mbps, so I doubt that it's a card issue. ( I also expect V120 SDXC cards to show up next year )
 
The EVA-1 might hold great colorscience... but why oh why did they that to the 60p?? I mean, soooo many internal 4:2:0s on that chart. So if you want pretty 60p or faster you'd have to spend more money to get a recorder, media, storage and so on.... That puts it above the 8K price tag.

EVA1 2K/HD full Super-35 sensor image area 10-bit 422 up to 120p.
 
Not internally Mitch.... atleast not according to your own spec sheets, you need an external recorder to get those 10-bits.... unlike the FS7.
 
Certain things I LOVE about the FS7

1) Speed Booster. This allow cheap zooms like the 24-105 f4 to become a 17-75mm f2.8 which is a great range and F Stop. I find the Booster really useful.

2) I've come to love the E-Mount. It's so versatile. I wish my Red Epic-W had an E-Mount option, then I could use Speed Booster and also the new Fujinon MK Lenses.

3) While the loupe is not great (I replace it with the Zacuto Z-Finder), not having a stock flip up LCD / Loupe combo will be sorely missed. I like being able to see on a bright day and also flip up the loupe.

4) FS7 has gained a massive market hold. It's so requested here in LA. Great for getting Owner / Op jobs.

While the EVA-1 seems cool, not enough reason to switch from an FS7. But for someone starting from scratch, it could be awesome. I love the small size.

One place I could see Panny EVA-1 really striking is HFR. The FS7 HFR looks like crap above 70fps because of line skipping. If Panny can make the 240fps not line skip and look as good as the Amira at 200fps, that would be amazing.

Another thing I like about Panny is that Mitch Gross is actively on the forums. He's someone who really listens. With Sony and Canon, you have no idea what, if anything is being heard.

The timecode on the FS7 is utter crap. I just had to shoot 3 weeks with a rented XDCA unit just to sync timecode and that thing SUCKS. Makes the camera super heavy and it drains batteries like... insane. There's other ways to sync timecode but the client and sound guy did not want to explore it so we were stuck with the XDCA.
 
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Sorry if this is too on-topic, but there's a lot to like with this little camera (aside from the red piping...) Codec, frame rates, media, EF mount, Panny look...all good or good enough.
It ticks a lot of boxes for me, especially considering the doco/corporate/rate market niche I find myself in these days. The ROI looks good, too.

But the lack of an autofocus option would be a no-go. It's just too useful of a tool to omit from a camera these days, at any price point. Never thought I'd hear myself saying that...
I mean one of the main attractions of using EF glass is the option of having AF, is it not?

Were I shopping for a new camera (which I'm not just now) I'd hold my nose and buy a Canon teapot.
 
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But the lack of an autofocus option would be a no-go. It's just too useful of a tool to omit from a camera these days, at any price point. Never thought I'd hear myself saying that...

...To some degree I'm with you on this, as even shooting corporate talking heads would be a lot easier if I did not have to worry about my subject moving around in front of the camera. But at the same time I want to see full resolution footage from the EVA1 and the C200 shooting internal long form video. Do I have to sacrifice non-RAW image quality for fantastic autofocus ?
 
So far, C200 8-bit internal has looked pretty good (as, I am sure, so will EVA1) but, of course, we don't see the footage that didn't make it.
 
Matthew Allard just reviewed a Production model of the C200 for NewsShooter. In addition to the article there's a hour+ in-depth video review that includes footage from the various modes, but I didn't watch it as I'm not considering purchasing the camera.

http://www.newsshooter.com/2017/08/14/canon-c200-production-camera-review/

If I were to switch to Canon I'd most likely wait for the next C300 replacement, which I assume will record Raw, or 4K 10-bit 4:2:2, as needed.
 
matthew's footage off the c200 looks pretty darn good for 420/8 bit.

i just promised myself the next camera i would buy needed to be 10bit.

be well.

rob
smalltalk.productions
 
I don't trust reviewers..... first of all, we cant see if they did bracketed shots, to make sure they could present the possible footage. Second of all... if I wanted a review, I would want to see that footage that got shot slightly off to one side or the other and the see what happens when you try to fix it. I want to see those real world examples where you end up shooting in a high contrast situation and being run and gun you didn't have someone to hold a bouncer or a flag for you.

Just remember, if you tend to work in the before mentioned situations, don't take your cue from people who A. have the time and "nothing on the line" to make the right shots and B. have a reputation to uphold, not only towards viewers but even more so towards manufacturers in order to keep getting gear to review.

DISCLAIMER... I'm not saying Matthew is like that.... I'm generalising reviewers...
 
DISCLAIMER... I'm not saying Matthew is like that.... I'm generalising reviewers...

Sorry to say he is. At a high level of camera you have to throw mud at it and see what sticks.

The raw should be seen to blow other codecs apart. (or not!)

He does not appear to have a skill in the colour suite or setting up 'real' shots..

Office interview, big window, not enough lights? etc etc.

Hell he cant even describe if the camera 'works'.. easy to dial in WB, Shutter, Iris, ISO ? Not easy on many cameras?

Interminable shut down or menu dig to select HFR? Don't assume it will work.. getting HFR in the FS7 or Varicam can take two mins as your shots drain away.

As for the AF.. it is usable without an Oconnor head at all?
 
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