Five 4K camcorders threatened by the $2995 4K Blackmagic URSA Mini

Images courtesy eriknaso.com

Thanks to Noam Kroll and Erik Naso, we have a pretty good idea of what Blackmagic Magic will unveil in Vegas this morning - to include a truly revolutionary $2995 URSA Mini Super 35 camcorder, with interchangeable lenses, a global shutter, Blackmagic's standard CinemDNG RAW, 4K, 12 stops of DR (15 stops on the $4995 4.6K model), an optional EVF and easy compatibility with a shoulder mount.

Even before we see the detailed specs from the Blackmagic press event, we do know one thing - there has to be consternation in the executive suites at AJA, Arri, Canon, JVC, Panasonic and Sony (which is exactly what Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty set out to do when he started building cameras a few years ago).

If URSA Mini can deliver URSA's RAW image quality (or better) for $2995, here are the five 4K cameras that it clearly threatens:



1. $40K Arri Amira. Recently upgraded to 4K, this camera produces amazing images in a near-perfect shoulder mounted form factor. And with Arri color science, it is a perfect match for industry-standard Alexa. But at $40K, its cost is prohibitive for most indies and micro-budget filmmakers. This camera will continue to see considerable use at the high end of the market, but for indies, the price mismatch between Amira and URSA Mini is ridiculous - you could buy a Mini for less than the price of renting an Amira for a week.



2. $16K Canon C300 Mark II (and $2.5K XC10). Canon's pre-NAB announcement of these cameras was clearly designed to steal the limelight at the show. URSA Mini has pretty much stolen it back. The C300 Mark II costs 5 times is much and lacks the Mini's internal raw recording.  Plus, it requires expensive rigging to get it up on your shoulder. As for the XC10 - it costs almost as much as Mini, but is a fixed lens, 1" sensor toy by comparison.



3. $9K AJA CION. Beautiful ProRes images in good light and nice shoulder mounted ergonomics - but no internal RAW. Overpriced compared to every Blackmagic RAW camera, to include Mini.



4. $8K Sony PXW-FS7. With its shoulder mount, optional viewfinder and extensible hand grip, URSA Mini appears to be a clone of the FS7 - but for $5000 less. Plus, Mini has the internal 4K RAW recording the FS7 lacks.



5. $4K JVC GY-LS300. URSA Mini very nearly strangles the LS300 in its cradle. JVC introduced this promising camera late last year, but has yet to ship it in meaningful numbers in the States. Despite the fact that its h.264 compression gave it the weakest codec of any of the cameras on this list,  it had the advantage of being the lowest priced UHD "4K" Super 35 interchangeable lens camera on the market - until today. Unfortunately for JVC, even with the viewfinder and a shoulder mount, Mini will be about the same price as the LS300 - with higher resolution, wider DR and a superior codec - and the LS300 is another camera that needs expensive rigging to get it up on your shoulder.

As far as Panasonic goes, we don't know much about their new "heir of DVX100" camcorder yet, but if it is not competitive on price, it will be stillborn at this morning's press conference.

Bottom line is that URSA Mini will force prices down even faster and further than we have seen already over the past couple of years.   Even if you never buy a Blackmagic camera, you should send Grant Petty a thank you note (unless, of course, you just bought a $2995 4K Blackmagic Production Camera).

Please keep checking back during the day for more updates - and for HCR's view of what all of this means for micro-budget shooters.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

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4K JVC GY-LS300 Super 35 camcorder in stock now!

Although it is still on pre-order for $3995 at Adorama, if you need a 4K Super 35 live streaming camcorder right now, you can get the JVC GY-LS300 from Electronics Basket via Amazon.

The camera is in stock and ready to ship. Here are a couple of examples of the images it can produce:







This is the least expensive interchangeable lens Super 35mm camcorder you can buy with a camcorder style body, power zoom compatibility and XLR inputs - plus built-in 1080p live streaming. Please keep checking back here  - I will rent one of these as soon as I can and shoot a side-by-side with the GH4 for you to take a look at.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

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4K JVC GY-LS300 price drops to $3995 - less than 1080p Canon C100!

Pre-order price drop - JVC GY-LS300 now just $3995 (click on the image to pre-order)

I have never seen a 10% pre-order price drop - until now.

JVC rolled out their GY-LS300 Super 35 camcorder in November of 2014 at a list price of $4450.  There has been a lot of buzz about this camera over the last few months (it was Videomaker Magazine's "best of show" camcorder at CES 2015, for example) - but we have seen very little footage (besides this) and no major US reviews.

Quietly, however, the major retail sites have marked the US pre-order price down to $3995 (interestingly, the camera is already in-stock in the UK for £3450.65).

Unless I missed it, the US price reduction has not been announced or even acknowledged by JVC - nor has it been widely promoted by retailers.  Have pre-order numbers been so soft that JVC is cutting prices before the camera ships in the US?  Or is the company simply reacting to Canon's new Cinema EOS prices?

Whatever the reason, what was a good deal for shooters who want to step up to a large sensor, interchangeable lens 4K camcorder - but don't have a big enough budget for the Blackmagic URSA - has suddenly become even better.

$3995 for a Super 35 camera that can record to true 4K makes the LS300 a very attractive choice when compared to a (relatively) low resolution $3999 Canon C100.

With their video-capable DSLRs under pressure from the A7s, NX1 and GH4 - and with the C100 and C300 now under pressure from the LS300 and URSA - it will be interesting to see how Canon responds at NAB 2015 (if they respond at all).

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

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New Panasonic GH4 v2.1 firmware update is great for Shogun & 25p shooters - everyone else, not so much

As you have probably read elsewhere, Panasonic released firmware updates v2.1 for the GH4 and v1.1 for the YAGH last night.   You can download these updates here.

Along with a couple of other minor fixes, the headline updates add timecode and a start/stop command to HDMI out when the camera and/or YAGH are connected to the Atomos Shogun.

Panasonic has also added 30p and 25p native output to HDMI at 1080p - a big deal for 25p shooters.

This is great news for owners (and potential owners) of the $1995 Atomos Shogun - and for shooters in PAL areas, especially Europe.

But it is a little disappointing for the rest of us.

While Panasonic fixes the GH4's compatibility issues with Shogun, other 4K camera manufacturers (e.g., Blackmagic and Samsung) are moving ahead with more substantive fixes and upgrades.  And the Sony A7s remains the only camera in this class with a LOG profile.

To stay competitive, Panasonic might want to aim the next GH4 update at fixing more fundamental problems for the entire user base - such as:

• Lack of a LOG profile.  GH4 shooters need a flat, gradeable profile we can dial in without having to memorize a bunch of sharpness, saturation, contrast and master pedestal settings. Without a LOG profile, the GH4 is less competitive with the Sony A7s and S-LOG2.


• Single, fixed 4K/24p frame rate. Blackmagic added 4K/80p to the URSA after release. 4K/60p for the GH4 would be nice, but I'd even take UHD/60p.


• Single, fixed autofocus speed. The GH4 needs a variable video autofocus speed control to make autofocus plane changes less jarring. Samsung added this feature to the NX1 after release.

In my view, firmware update strategy has become an arms race.  The manufacturer that can match or outpace its competitors in this race over time will maintain leadership in the marketplace.  Those that are slow to respond are likely to lose out to more agile companies.

The GH4 is a great camera, and still a very good value for the money, but Panasonic needs a more competitive firmware update strategy.

If the company isn't careful, the GH4 could become this era's "AF100" - a camera that invents a whole new category - and is then eclipsed by more agile competitors.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

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Finally - sample video from the new $4450 "4K" MFT mount Super 35 JVC GY-LS300

After its introduction and a press release from JVC a couple of months ago, we haven't heard much about this camera.  With its Super 35mm sensor, micro 4/3 interchangeable lens mount, UHD/30p or UHD/24p recording, internal 4:2:2, dual card slots, 3 built in ND filters, shotgun mic, XLR jacks, top handle and camcorder form factor, the LS300 has remained a tantalizing prospect.

This was especially true since JVC priced it at just $4450, the lowest price point ever for a Super 35mm "4K" camcorder and only about $500 more than it would cost to buy a $3297 GH4/YAGH combo plus the $599 Metabones Speed Booster/Focal Reducer the GH4 needs in order to mimic a Super 35 crop.

With a GH4, however, you would still need to buy the top handle, ND filter and mic.  And dual card slots are not an option.

That said, we have seen impressive 4K video from the GH4 - but we have had no idea what kind of images the LS300 would produce - and JVC wasn't talking.

Well, that's starting to change.  JVC announced a few days ago that they would take the LS300 to Sundance this week to show it off to independent filmmakers  - and rental house Delimex in Belgium has the camera in stock and has produced a slick narrative style short to promote it.

Here's the video (hat tip to Philip Johnston, the HD Warrior, for the find):





Sadly, the clip is downscaled to 1080p HD, so we don't get the full benefit of Ultra HD - and there's not much motion, so we can't tell whether the sensor has a challenge with CMOS skew - but the skin tones look natural, the blacks seem to hold up in low light and the bokeh is gorgeous.

This is the first JVC camera that looks to be competitive with sub-$10,000 large sensor, interchangeable lens 4K/UHD camcorders from Sony, Blackmagic, Aja, and Kinefinity.  And its feature set and UHD resolution make the $4499 1080p-only dual pixel Canon C100 look overpriced.

Note that Panasonic is MIA from this list. Unfortunately for Panasonic, since Sony's NEX-FS100 trumped their AG-AF100 back in 2010, the company seems to have ceded this market to its competitors.

With the introduction of the Varicam 35, GH4, FS1000 and LX100 in 2014, Panasonic is now competitive at both the low end and the high end  - but they left a huge gap in the middle, and JVC has driven through it with a truck.

It is long past time for Panasonic to replace the aging AF100 with a modern large sensor camcorder - but the market will not wait for them.

Personally, I'm saving my nickels for a sub-$10,000 4K Super 35 camcorder, and right now, the LS300 is one of the top contenders, along with the $5995 Blackmagic URSA and its global shutter.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

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Canon wakes up and smells the coffee - HUGE price drops on C100 Mark I, C300 and C500 Cinema EOS cameras!

Click on the image for price cut details!

With the beginning of a new year, the dam is starting to burst on Canon's ridiculous Cinema EOS prices. As of this morning, the PL mount Canon C500 is $15,999 (down from $30,000), the EF mount C300 (with the dual pixel AF upgrade) is $11,999 (down from $18,500) and the C100 Mark I is $3,999(!) (down from $6,499).

The headline news from these price cuts is that Canon seems to be taking the threat from Aja, Sony and Blackmagic very seriously. In a world where shooters can buy a PL mount 4K/120p APS-C Aja Cion and record to 12-bit 4:4:4 ProRes for $8,995 or an EF mount UHD/80p Super 35mm Blackmagic URSA and record to losslessly compressed CinemaDNG RAW for $5,995 - it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend $18,500 for a 1080/30p Canon C300 that records to a maximum 8-bit 4:2:2.

My guess is that this reality was starting to show up in Cinema EOS sales - and Canon, to its credit, responded. Time will tell whether these price cuts will halt the slide - or if it's a case of "too little, too late".

Shooters who bought these cameras in the last few months and are outside of their return windows aren't going to be happy, but, overall this is very good news - especially for Canon DSLR upgraders. With the cost of a C100 with XLR inputs and a top handle now just $1500 more than a sale priced 5D Mark III, it's almost a no-brainer.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

For the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube and circle us on Google+. Happy New Year and thanks for your support of the revolution in 2014!

Which to buy - the $5499 Canon C100 Mark II or the $5995 Blackmagic URSA EF?

 VERSUS

When Canon introduced the Cinema EOS line back in 2011, they held a big Hollywood event, with expensively produced introductory videos and many of the luminaries of the industry in attendance.  They spent a lot of money and made a big deal of it - and rightfully so.  They were stepping into the big leagues of Super 35mm digital filmmaking with feature-rich and cinematographer-friendly cameras for pro Canon shooters who wanted to step up from DSLRs.

The price points for the new Cinema EOS cameras were high - but not unreasonable in a world where the competition was the then-aging Panasonic AF100 (with its small sensor and poor low light performance) and the newer Sony FS-100 with its strange top mounted LCD/viewfinder and boxy ergonomics.

And when the C100 was introduced a year later, it quickly became a DSLR upgrader's favorite - the only Super 35 camera you could buy below $10,000 with the compact form factor of a DSLR, but with no recording time limit, essentially no moire, built-in XLR jacks with decent pre-amps, a top handle and manual rather than menu-based controls of key camera functions.

And it was 100% compatible with the wide range of Canon EF lenses, which a lot of shooters had in their camera bags.

As a result, over the past couple of years, as the price for this camera dropped from the $6499 introductory price to the current $4499 (for the non-dual pixel autofocus version), Canon sold a lot of them.

But, over the past few years, the landscape has changed. Now we live in a world where $5995 will buy a Blackmagic URSA - an EF mount Super 35 camera with a global shutter and pro SDI out that records to UHD/60p 12-bit RAW.

In this world, it makes a lot less sense to announce a $5499 Canon C100 Mark II that records at a maximum 1080p resolution and 60fps frame rate to an 8-bit compressed codec - and doesn't fix the limitations of the C100's consumer HDMI output.

Nor, as far as I can tell, does it fix the C100's CMOS rolling shutter problem.

Admittedly, URSA is 10 pounds heavier, CFast cards are expensive - and shooting with a "big screen TV" in your face instead of a viewfinder is an acquired taste - but, for TV commercials and indie filmmaking, the URSA's feature set and image quality are competitive with the $20,000 C500 at the price point of a $5499 C100 Mark II with a Blackmagic HDMI to SDI converter.

To quote Filmmaker Magazine, the C100 Mark II "...would be an impressive upgrade — if this were coming out in December 2013."

Even leading C100 advocate and shooter Noam Kroll won't be upgrading.

So, above $10,000, value-conscious filmmakers will probably choose the "C300 killer", the $10,499 4K Sony PXW-FS7 with a 28-135mm f4 servo zoom instead of the $11,999 body-only 1080p C300.

While below $10,000, the $5995 UHD URSA seems to be a much better value for the money than the $5499 C100 Mark II.

If Canon fails to address the resolution/price gap with their competitors, Cinema EOS could very well find itself in the same straits as their DSLR line - where, led by serious shooters like Dave Dugdale and Caleb Pike, Canon shooters seem to be giving up on DSLRs and switching to mirrorless 4K (and 4K capable) Panasonic GH4s and Sony A7s in significant numbers.

As someone whose first video capable interchangeable lens camera was a Canon T2i, I still have hope that the company will step up to the challenge - but even if they don't, there are some great alternatives out there.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

For the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube and circle us on Google+. Thanks for your support of the revolution!

Blackmagic URSA in stock at Adorama - hands-on video!

Blackmagic URSA EF - now in stock at Adorama! (click on the image to order)

Ok - not only are we starting to see early footage, it looks like retailers are starting to get them in stock. Here's the announcement and hands-on video from Adorama TV:




My guess is that, as with most Blackmagic rollouts, this first shipment will be limited. If you want this camera, you should order it soon.

Blackmagic URSA pre-orders shipping - first footage from the wild!

The Bear is in the house - Blackmagic URSA EF - $5995 at Adorama

The 4K Super 35 Blackmagic URSA, introduced at NAB 2014 in April, has started shipping. Guy Fiorita at New York production house Shout Chorus appears to be one of the first shooters in the US (and one of the first shooters without a connection to Blackmagic) to get his hands on the camera  - and has taken the time to post a mini-review plus few NYC street scenes (video after the break).

Guy didn't have the shoulder kit, so URSA wasn't on his shoulder very long and he used a tripod for most of the shots.  But he also says that the camera's weight isn't a deal breaker.

I'll let Guy's review and video speak for themselves, but at $5995 (EF version) or $6495 (PL version), shooters might be willing to put up with a little extra weight to get 4K (UHD) RAW or ProRes at 60p plus a global shutter. Goodbye CMOS skew and "jello-vision"!

You would have to pay $28,990 to get UHD/60p and a global shutter from Sony.

It looks like Blackmagic Design is absolutely committed to revolutionizing the price model for cinema cameras - all the way from the sub-$1000 RAW capable Pocket Cinema Camera to feature production with the Super 35 URSA. Good news for filmmakers.  Bad news for the traditional camera manufacturers


Here's Guy's video:



If anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And, even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

For the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube and circle us on Google+ Thanks for your support of the revolution!

5 Best Shoulder Mounted Super 35mm Cinema Cameras

The Maysles brothers with the Aaton - from "The Cameras that Changed the World"
Courtesy ASC

With this year's introduction of the Aja Cion, Blackmagic URSA (with the $345 OEM shoulder mount) and Sony PXW-FS7, it seems that camera makers are doing their best to bring back the relatively affordable, shoulder mounted cinema cameras that launched the cinéma vérité movement over half a century ago.

At the high end, the Arri Amira and the shoulder mounted version of Panasonic's modular Varicam 35 also appear to be attempts to bring "run and gun" to 35mm digital cinema.

These modern versions of the legendary shoulder mounted film cameras of yesteryear from Aaton, Arri and Eclair look to be perfect for today's digital documentary and reality shooters.

They "look to be" perfect because (except for the Amira) these new cameras are not yet widely available to users - all we really have are beauty shots from the manufacturers and their most trusted DPs.

But we're getting close. The Amira is available now - the Ursa is on pre-order - the Sony is supposed to be available in October - Panasonic's Varicam 35 Press Release says it will ship this fall and Aja is starting to release footage from the Cion.

That said, footage we've seen so far has been very impressive and lends credence to the idea that these cameras may be the harbingers of a brand new era in handheld cinematography.

So - which one should an aspiring feature documentarian buy or rent?  Well, here they are, from least expensive to most expensive, with specs, sample footage and pros and cons - because the internet loves lists.

To make the "HCR 5 Best Shoulder Mounted Super 35mm Cinema Camera" list, cameras must have:

- Super 35mm sensors,

- 10 or 12-bit in-camera codecs,

- 4K or UHD in-camera resolution plus

- An OEM shoulder mount - no third party accessories allowed.

Yes, these criteria are completely arbitrary and I've probably missed someone's favorite camera - if so, please comment below and I'll try to add it.

1. Blackmagic Design Ursa - $5995 (plus $345 OEM Shoulder Kit)

This camera barely makes the list - because it lacks one of the basics for shoulder mounted work - an OEM viewfinder.  Yes, SD-HDI EVFs are pretty easy to find, but a third party viewfinder will be an additional cost (and the time and effort it takes to rig it up) before you can start shooting vérité-style with this camera.

Another issue is Ursa's TV-centric 3840x2160 UHD resoluton.  The Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) standard is 4096x2160 4K for theatrical projection. Most of the other camera on this list (except the Arri) offer true 4K resolution either out of the box or as a near-term firmware upgrade.

It is also limited to 60fps at both UHD and HD resolutions.  Its competitors all have higher frame rate options.

And the Ursa is a bear.  It is relatively heavy, at 16.5 lbs.  So, unless you are Samson (pre-haircut), you won't want to carry this thing around on your shoulder all day.

The image quality is great, though (see beta footage from John Brawley and Captain Hook below).  Plus it records to the least expensive media on the list - CFast cards.  You'll be able to get a Lexar 32GB CFast card for less than $200.

And because the camera is from Blackmagic Design, it includes in-camera CinemaDNG RAW recording and ProRes HQ straight out of the box - no firmware updates or external adapters required.  If you want to shoot RAW or ProRes without waiting for an upgrade, UHD is all the resolution you need and money is tight - the Ursa may be the camera for you.

2. Sony PXW-FS7 - $7999 Street Price

The FS7, introduced at IBC 2014, is the featherweight champion of this new class of camera at 5.2 lbs.  It is very well thought out, with a nice control handle/trigger/zoom rocker that would have cost thousands from a third party supplier.

It is the only Super 35 camera on the market with affordable power zoom lenses, it records to the proven 10-bit XAVC codec and Sony S-Log and uses affordable XQD S Series cards (you can get a 32GB S Series card for less than $200).

Like the Ursa, it is limited to UHD, but, unlike the Ursa, it will get a firmware upgrade to true 4K in January. That same upgrade will bring ProRes recording to the FS7, which the Ursa has straight out of the box.

The FS7 doesn't have the Ursa's ability to record RAW internally, but it can output uncompressed RAW through an external interface unit to a recorder - and it can record slow motion at up to 180fps in HD - something the Ursa cannot do.

This camera is very price competitive in its class, at $8000 body-only, including the viewfinder, shoulder mount and control handle.

Images from the FS7 appear to be very nice and the color is competent and "Sony like"  - but it will be necessary to see more (preferably downloadable) footage before making a final judgement.




3. Aja Cion - $8995

At 7.4 lbs with the top handle and 6.4 lbs without, the Cion is almost as light as the FS7.  Like the Ursa, it records directly to edit-friendly ProRes - and, like the FS7, it outputs RAW to an external recorder rather than recording it internally.

The camera records to true DCI 12-bit 4:4:4 4096x2160 4K and is the only camera on this list besides the $60K Varicam to meet the full DCI standard straight out of the box.

Aja is the newest camera manufacturer on this list (newer even than Blackmagic) - but they have a great reputation as a maker of high quality external ProRes recorders, and the images we've seen from this camera have, so far, been impressive:



4. Arri Amira - $39,999



Early this year, Arriflex introduced the Amira - a shoulder mounted camera with the advertising tagline "Pick Up > Shoot".  It is a great looking camera, with the fore-aft balance, the viewfinder and the controls all exactly where they should be.

Sadly, however, the Arri Amira needs a waiver to make the HCR list as a "4K" camera - because it was released early in 2014 with 2K output.  Unluckily for Arri, 2014 has turned out to be the year of 4K - and smartphones and superzooms are now out-resolving their $40,000 "Pick Up > Shoot" flagship.

Arri's solution to this challenge was to "up-sample"  Amira's 2K output to UHD with a recently announced firmware update.

It is yet to be seen how the image quality resulting from this process compares to 2K content up-sampled in post or recorded directly to UHD/4K.

All of that said, this camera is a documentarian's dream, with the perfect, relatively lighweight form factor.  It is 9.2 lbs body-only and records to ProRes at up to 200fps (at 2K).  Sadly, there is no implementation of ArriRAW with the Amira - but the Premium model does record up to 12-bit ProRes 4444.

The word "Premium" brings up the Amira's biggest weakness - price.  $40,000 is a lot to pay for a 2K camera in 2014.  If you want an up-sampled 2K image, you can do it in post for significantly less money.

But, again, the Amira is a DP's run and gun dream camera and produces fabulous images with the unmistakable Arri "look".  If budget permits, you can't go wrong with this camera.

5. Panasonic Varicam 35 - "under $60,000"

Shoulder mounted Varicam HS shown

This is the most expensive camera on the list - and also one of the most interesting.  A "modular" camera, it consists of separate sensor and recorder units.  Upon its introduction, Panasonic announced 2/3" and Super 35 front end sensor modules for the Varicam recorder - but there's no reason there can't be a micro 4/3 module at some point in the future (I haven't heard that anywhere - I'm officially starting the rumor here :)).

I saw this camera at NAB, and it has everything it needs to make it a great run and gun camera - great ergonomics, variable frame rates up to 240fps in HD and 120fps at 4K, the viewfinder is in the right place - and it uses relatively inexpensive and convenient micro P2 cards (you can get a 32GB card for $229).  

At 14+ lbs, this camera is no lightweight, but the 2/3" sensor module is certainly intended for shoulder mount - and there is no reason the Super 35 module can't be put up on the shoulder as well.  

The downside to this camera, like the Amira, is how much it costs.  $60,000?  Really?

Panasonic is clearly competing with Alexa, Genesis, F65 and Epic here - but they could really take it to the competition and carve out a significant part of the market (as they did with the GH4) by undercutting them on price.  It will be interesting to see what Panasonic does.

In the meantime, it looks like the image quality from this camera is the real deal.

Closing Thoughts

This was fun to put together - and it has helped me to think through which of these cameras I would rent or buy.  I hope it was helpful to others as well.

To those who think I should have included other cameras - yes, Canon, Kinefinity, Sony PMW and RED 4K cameras are wonderful - but they are not shoulder-ready right out of the box.

And yes, you can put an Alexa or a Genesis on your shoulder - but these are heavy 2K cameras, and, although mainstream DPs still love them, they are no longer at the forefront of lightweight, high resolution Super 35mm camera technology - so I left them off the list.

Arri Alexa on third party shoulder rig

So which one is best?  As usual, the answer is "it depends".  If you want the lightest weight camera, a power zoom lens and a remote hand grip, you want the Sony.  If you want 12-bit RAW and the lowest price, you want the Blackmagic.  If you want to shoot at 240fps in HD and 120fps at 4K, you want the Varicam 35, if you want 120fps at 4K and the lowest priced shoulder-mounted DCI 4K straight out of the box, the Aja is your camera - and if you want Arri color science in a run and gun package, you should get the Amira.

Bottom line - while the micro budget revolution continues with large sensor 4K cameras such as the Panasonic FZ1000, Panasonic GH4, Sony A7s and others - the emerging Super 35 run and gun revolution is much more likely to affect what most people see on their big screen TVs and in theaters.

Independent filmmakers with moderate budgets will soon be able to own the A7s or a GH4 with a Metabones EF adapter or Speed Booster  - and then go down to the rental house and hire an FS7 or Ursa EF for a reasonable amount of money, while sharing high quality Canon glass between their cameras.

So now there are two revolutions underway - the hybrid still/video camera revolution for which this blog is named, and the "Super 35 revolution" - affordable cinema-quality digital cameras you can carry around on your shoulder.

Some would argue that this new revolution is simply an upmarket echo of the hybrid camera revolution that started a little over 5 years ago with the Nikon D90, Canon 5D Mark II and Panasonic GH1.

Others might posit that the rise of competitors like RED have forced Arri and others to respond with new technology.

I'm not smart enough to know. Whatever the reason, for people with moderate budgets who want to make 35mm movies outside of the big budget Hollywood/New York system, these are indeed the best of times.

If anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And, even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

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First "4K"/60p footage from the Blackmagic Ursa!

Today, Pro cinematographer and Blackmagic tester John Brawley posted the first UHD/60p footage we've seen from the Ursa PL on his blog. I saw this camera at NAB and it is physically gorgeous - with a huge, bright screen, sound meters you can see from across the room and lots of proper SDI outputs. And from the looks of John's footage, the image quality doesn't disappoint, even at ISO 400 with a T3.7 lens:



At $5995 for the EF mount version and $6495 for PL mount, this camera seems to address many of the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K's limitations (with the exception of the "black sun" problem) at a price point that significantly undercuts 4K cameras from RED, Sony and Canon that cost a lot more.

If Blackmagic were to add DCI standard 12-bit 4K (4096x2160) 4:4:4 RAW to this camera (instead of UHD), and fix the darned black sun, they'd sell a whole lot more of them in Hollywood. Maybe at next year's NAB.

Bear on the loose - no, it's not the Russians, it's the Blackmagic Ursa!

This morning at NAB, while I was still enroute, Blackmagic dropped their latest bombshell. Two new cameras, the Studio Camera and the Ursa, for the pro TV and cinema markets. Hard to believe that the Ursa is $6495 for the PL mount version and $5995 for the EF mount version. Global shutter, Super 35 sensor, 12 stops of DR, a built-in 10' monitor, and dual CFast RAW or ProRes recording.

Unlike some other bloggers, I am not upset that they didn't fix their existing cameras first. Disruptive companies disrupt. That's what they do. I have a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera - it is an imperfect camera, yes - but for the image quality it produces, it is still a great value for the money.

That said, unfortunately for Sony, the specs on this camera sound a lot like the specs on the $29,000 F55.

Between the A7s' externally recorded 4K and the Ursa, it has already been a bad week for Sony - and it's only Monday.

I am waiting to see the price for the HDMI Ursa - the DSLR/DSLM "dock" that will turn cameras like the Panasonic GH4 and Sony A7s into cinema production cameras.

If you want to get on the waiting list for the Ursa (and knowing Blackmagic, you want to get on the list early, because it is likely to be a long wait), please click on the links above or the display ad below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help keep updates like this one coming. Thanks!