Zacuto Camera Comparison Test

The idea was for all of the optics to remain the same as much as possible. Therefore, the RED had a 50mm ZF Prime lens at 1.4 just like the M2, Ultimate, and Elite did.

I'm pleased with the outcome and the conversation that's been sparked. So keep it up! Really this comes down to using the tools you have available to you.

The goal from the onset was to start a conversation. We had a limited amount of time to film with our musicians and we were trying to get over 14 cameras in the mix... everything wasn't going to be perfect. As I said in an earlier post on this thread, if you want a more Film to 35mm comparisons see the Zacuto V1 comparison video or some footage on REDuser.

I'm open for suggestions of camera settings, scene files, and other techniques to improve the next one of these. So if you have a DSLR, RED, or any of the other cameras in the test... please PM me with suggestions!
 
it's not not perfect, it's a joke. you could just as well have posted a cell phone clip with a "red one" label on it, it would have worked just fine for starting a discussion.

/matt
 
"some" people seem to have gotten the idea that i just dissed the entire test, so i think i should clarify that it's obviously the red shot that sucks (which it really does) and not the whole thing.

/matt
 
Wonderful test Joseph, thank you. Is there any chance of getting just the comparison shots from the test in a less compressed form than the Vimeo video? It's a bit hard to judge any of them objectively with the compression artefacts in the Vimeo version.
 
first off, THANKS! this was a great video & wonderful to share. plus good discussion that has followed

so I think it is amazing that the 5D MKII & D90 have been included in this, but I think they both have a long way to go. it is a sign of the future, so they belong in the test mix, but they're far from being the best pick (imo)

I can't believe that anyone would consider taking a DSLR to the amazon for a doc. the jello-vision on these things could either ruin the production, or make it a pain to shoot around. I like the pictures they produce, but anything not on sticks is just aweful

I did like that the youngest person there brought up the issue about recording media (tape vs cards), and that I think is a deal breaker when you have limited resources.

I'd love to shoot on 70mm in the amazon if I had a muti-million dollar & a crew of a few dozen people. but if I only had a crew of a half dozen (or less), I'd want the lightest, most reliable gear I can take. out of the cameras in the shoot out, it would be the XH-A1. out of all the cameras currently in production, Sony's Z7 (a camera which I don't think has gotten the credit it is due)
 
Thanks zijital... being that youngster in the video... I'm glad you liked my point! For me, shooting in the jungle meant not having a crew, power, or any way to offload media. Whereas for others, it means going out during the day and coming back to a fully equipped, powered setup. So I guess you perspective can potentially change the answer. Jello vision isn't really a problem with the 5D2. I used it for 3 nights and loved the footage I shot. I'm editing it together into a little Philip Bloom-esk exposé piece. Anyway... yeah. I think if you wanted DOF in the middle of nowhere the DSLR wouldn't be a bad choice, but if you want control and professional features... tape's the way to go.

Thanks for watching!
 
Both DSLRs shall be used for theatrical release, count on it. I can't get how it is possible to deny it in an educated forum after The Blair Witch Project or Tarnation or yet after so many film outs shot on DVX, HVX, HDV, etc. The content rules, my good fellows.
 
Emanuel said:
Both DSLRs shall be used for theatrical release, count on it. I can't get how it is possible to deny it in an educated forum after The Blair Witch Project or Tarnation or yet after so many film outs shot on DVX, HVX, HDV, etc. The content rules, my good fellows.
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Indeed that was the message we tried to convey. I don't see the D90 being used... but I definitley see the 5D2 being used for a feature. Now for a theatrical released feature... that's a pretty big stretch! We'll have to wait and see.
 
Exactly, Emanuel. The big advantage of those DSLRs ist, that you don't need tons of lightning. You can shoot completely different stuff with them and tell stories that would not be as easy to tell with adapters. Kind of a new realism, almost without additional lightning and a small team, but with a great filmic look. Or take it thist way: Stranger than Paradise could have been shot perfectly with a D90.
 
I will use it. You can't have much more convenience than such a lighter unintrusive tool as the DSLR form factor is indeed. It is not the right pattern for some standards, it will surely be for certain kind of shots. At least, till Scarlet will come. Don't forget that even an ordinary not exceptional shot is better than a null or missed shot. Most part of them, at least. :)
 
joe 1008 said:
Exactly, Emanuel. The big advantage of those DSLRs ist, that you don't need tons of lightning. You can shoot completely different stuff with them and tell stories that would not be as easy to tell with adapters. Kind of a new realism, almost without additional lightning and a small team, but with a great filmic look. Or take it thist way: Stranger than Paradise could have been shot perfectly with a D90.
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You are not less than 100% right. I think it is more a matter of distinct shooting cultures and styles over here, than anything else.
 
I wouldn't touch the 5D2, it looks like video. If I wanted to shoot video I'd use a video camera. I'm making a film and a film has to be 24fps. Plus I could get 2 D90's for the cost of a 5D2.

Nostrasquigs prophecy- the D90 will be the new DVX and there will be many low budget theatrical releases made by filmmakers who won't have to make compromises on engaging storylines.
 
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I can't think of a comparo more botched than that. The 5D looks like crap, yet we all know modern DSLRs all deliver more or less the same very good quality images, under the same conditions, with the default settings. Therefore I wonder how the heck you were able to make the 5D look worse than the D90, and worse than the XH-A1 (while not perfect, we've all seen how gorgeous the 5D looked in Reverie).
I've never got images that ugly with any of my Canon DSLRs since 2002. Concert lighting like you used is no big deal to any of those still cameras, they actually excel at that type of test. Even more true with the full frame 5D.

I recommend you leave the settings as default, dial in a Kelvin white balance or just use the presets, and shoot away. As it is, your test has absolutely no credibility to me (hell, invite a Canon photographer who knows this stuff, next time).
 
ralph-fr said:
I can't think of a comparo more botched than that. The 5D looks like crap, yet we all know modern DSLRs all deliver more or less the same very good quality images, under the same conditions, with the default settings. Therefore I wonder how the heck you were able to make the 5D look worse than the D90, and worse than the XH-A1 (while not perfect, we've all seen how gorgeous the 5D looked in Reverie).
I've never got images that ugly with any of my Canon DSLRs since 2002. Concert lighting like you used is no big deal to any of those still cameras, they actually excel at that type of test. Even more true with the full frame 5D.

I recommend you leave the settings as default, dial in a Kelvin white balance or just use the presets, and shoot away. As it is, your test has absolutely no credibility to me (hell, invite a Canon photographer who knows this stuff, next time).
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum Ralph - glad you could join us and rip apart a general comparison.
 
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ralph-fr said:
I can't think of a comparo more botched than that. The 5D looks like crap, yet we all know modern DSLRs all deliver more or less the same very good quality images, under the same conditions, with the default settings. Therefore I wonder how the heck you were able to make the 5D look worse than the D90, and worse than the XH-A1 (while not perfect, we've all seen how gorgeous the 5D looked in Reverie).
I've never got images that ugly with any of my Canon DSLRs since 2002. Concert lighting like you used is no big deal to any of those still cameras, they actually excel at that type of test. Even more true with the full frame 5D.

I recommend you leave the settings as default, dial in a Kelvin white balance or just use the presets, and shoot away. As it is, your test has absolutely no credibility to me (hell, invite a Canon photographer who knows this stuff, next time).
Click to expand...


We did do exactly that. White balanced properly. Used the camera's stock presets. Set exposure. And shot away. This is the image the camera gave us. I don't know how we botched it then. You have to take into consideration that this is video not photos. The photo's we took of the scene were absolutely gorgeous. We used them as reference for framing. Anyway... there's evident compression due to the H.264 being used here that also must be taken into account. Additionally, the D90 is 24p and the 5D is 30p so it had to be converted into 24p during post.
 
Joseph Stunzi said:
We did do exactly that. White balanced properly. Used the camera's stock presets. Set exposure. And shot away. This is the image the camera gave us. I don't know how we botched it then. You have to take into consideration that this is video not photos. The photo's we took of the scene were absolutely gorgeous. We used them as reference for framing. Anyway... there's evident compression due to the H.264 being used here that also must be taken into account. Additionally, the D90 is 24p and the 5D is 30p so it had to be converted into 24p during post.
Click to expand...

Was the 24p for the 5D converted from 30 at the post house during color sync or in the FCP timeline?

Thanks for the comparison, I would love to see a bit more uncompressed footage when you all have the chance to get it up.

JC
 
Yes, I can just agree on that odd part related to the color approach at post, as far as the 5D Mark II is concerned. Too cold for a camera that has been capable on offering warmer skin tones, for instance.
 
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