Zacuto Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012 : Part 1

T

TheDingo

Veteran
...I watched the Zacuto Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012 : Part 1 this afternoon, which was extremely interesting.

The cameras used in this shootout were: Apple iPhone 4s, Arri Alexa, Canon 7D, Canon C300, Panasonic GH2, RED Epic, Sony F65, Sony F3, Sony FS-100

After watching the whole thing, I come away with the impression that lighting is far more important than your choice of camera, something I already knew at a gut level, but this shootout really makes it obvious.

For those that are curious, I made some full frame screen grabs from the shootout, to compare the image quality created by each camera/lighting setup, and I find that lighting is definitely the deciding factor on whether I like a shot or not.

Frame Grabs from the "Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout Part 1" : 35.7 MB ZIP File
 
I was really surprised just how harsh the stress test actually was. Those are all great cameras, and most of them ended up either just looking bad, or shining in one area but not another. I also thought it was kind of funny how the GH2 guys compensated for their image by turning up all the lights as much as they could. In an age where we have people thinking that DSLRs mean you don't even need lights anymore, someone competes with the big boys by using more light than they do.

Which image did you like the best? I liked B the most because it seemed to have the most detail across the image, thought it seemed to have quite a bit more contrast compared to the other cameras. I also like H, F, and I for how good the two models looked at the end, though the highlights were pretty harsh. I might change my mind about those though, because I don't think any of the images were perfect. That test really was a killer.
 
It's really been true since day 1, that DSLR are HARDER to light then film or high end digital. You have more ISO to play with (than film), but much less range so you have to flatten the whole thing out a bit.
 
gonzo_entertainment said:
It's really been true since day 1, that DSLR are HARDER to light then film or high end digital. You have more ISO to play with (than film), but much less range so you have to flatten the whole thing out a bit.
Click to expand...

Just quick look, at whatever resolution the default is for the player, B did render the most detail, but could have been the GH2 where they kind of subverted the whole point of the test by taking a high contrast scenario and making it much less high contrast.

These things really are kind of silly.
 
Wolfenbarg said:
I was really surprised just how harsh the stress test actually was.
Click to expand...

Some cameras came off as being "muddy" in the darker mid-tones, which surprised me a little. I was expecting better performance overall.

Wolfenbarg said:
I also thought it was kind of funny how the GH2 guys compensated for their image by turning up all the lights as much as they could.
Click to expand...

The GH2 is a contrasty ( limited dynamic range ) camera, so there's nothing wrong with adding lights if this is what it takes to deliver the image you want.

Wolfenbarg said:
I liked B the most because it seemed to have the most detail across the image, thought it seemed to have quite a bit more contrast compared to the other cameras.
Click to expand...

Camera B looked over-lit at times: the guy in the green shirt, the floor shadows on the right are almost gone because of so much fill light being used. This setup feels very artificial to me. ( I would rather have deep shadows that look natural, than something that looks like a "set" )

Wolfenbarg said:
Which image did you like the best?
Click to expand...

Here are my best guesses...

Camera A was the Sony F65. I know that the Sony F65 crew did not modify the lighting, so no extra fill light was added.

Camera B was the RED Epic. I am guessing here. By process of elimination this would be my choice for the RED.

Camera C was the FS-100. The yellow over-exposed highlights from the building seen through the window are the give away. ( FS-700 would have handled this better )

Camera D was the iPhone. You can tell with the close-up of the couple because everything is in focus. ( no shallow DOF here )

Camera E was the F3. The bright highlights are very well handled, which makes me think of S-Log footage. ( not as wide a range as the Alexa, but close )

Camera F was the Alexa. It has very gradual contrast seen throughout most shots, especially with the close-up of the couple.

Camera G was the Canon 7D. It's the softest image overall, that lacks fine details in comparison to the others.

Camera H was the GH2. If you check the table lamp in the far right corner, it has the most contrast of any camera in this test. ( with good fill, the extra GH2 contrast helps to "punch up" the darker mid-tones )

Camera I was the Canon C-300. I am guessing, but there something about the rendition of the upper mid-tones that makes me think C-300.


...My favorite for this test would be H ( I like the "punchiness" ), followed by F ( I like the open smooth tone gradation ), and then A ( looks like natural light ).
 
I think, based on the test of "which image do I like the best?", for me it was B, F, C and E. Not brave enough to try to guess which cameras are which.

B also seems to be the favourite at the poll at the NoFilmSchool blog. Read a lot of comments suggesting it's the GH2, and I wouldn't be surprised.
 
 
Note I did not say B was "which image do I like the best?". I said B had the most detail retained, which says nothing i(about the camera) f B camera crew raised the ambient light level and lowered the DR of the scene more than the other crews did.
 
 
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