GH4 Footage Starting to Arrive Before NAB

Panasonic DMC-GH4 with DMW-YAGH Pro A/V Interface Unit - $3298

We're starting to see more GH4 footage in advance of the big show. Here is a nice little fashion film from Mytherapy in London:




Here is the Behind-The-Scenes:




And for the pixel peepers in the audience (you know who you are), here is Andrew Reid's side-by-side between the GH4, GH3 , 5D Mark III (RAW and h.264) and D7100 . Please read Andrew's blog post after you watch the video:




In my view, the frame grabs at the bottom of Andrew's blog post tell the story. The reigning champ of micro-budget cinema, the Panasonic GH3, seems to have been decisively dethroned (especially now that prices have gone back up to list).

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera - and even the Sony RX10 - were mere pretenders to the throne. But now, the king is dead - long live the new king!

New Panasonic Social Media Campaign

Panasonic pokes a little fun at the big lens crowd with a new social media campaign called, "Why DSLR?"

The first shot in the campaign is a short video called, "Why are DSLR lenses so big?"

I think Freud had part of the answer.

Full Frame Prices Headed Down? Nikon D800 Marked Down to $2570!

The USA model Nikon D800 (with the full manufacturer's warranty) is on sale at Ryther Camera via eBay for just $2569.99 - $226.96 less than today's sale price at Amazon and Adorama!

If the D800 is on your Christmas list this year, this is a great deal for a capable still/video camera.  To refresh your memory, here's Sandro's promo film for this camera from last year:




The 5D Mark III is on sale too - as low as $2749 at Amazon.

This could simply be pre-Christmas camera discounting - or perhaps the $2298 street price of the new 36.3MP Sony A7r mirrorless is putting pressure on flagship full frame DSLR prices?

NEW Samyang 10mm f2.8 - Perfect Lens for Micro 4/3 Blackmagic Cameras?

A few days ago, Samyang announced its new 10mm f2.8 manual focus prime lens for APS-C and 4/3 cameras.  With this lens, the groundbreaking 18-35mm constant f1.8 from Sigma, SLR Magic's upcoming anamorphot lens and others, it seems that most of the innovation in camera optics is coming from companies that aren't named Canon or Nikon.

Combined with the recently announced Metabones Speed Booster designed specifically for the Blackmagic Cinema MFT and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema cameras, Blackmagic shooters can now approximate the speed and field of view of Super 35 cameras mounting Zeiss cine primes or Angenieux Optimo zoom lenses that cost thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars more.

Today, micro 4/3 and Blackmagic shooters can buy a $799 Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 for Nikon mount and a $429 Nikon G to micro 4/3 speed booster to give the wide end of this lens the equivalent FOV of a 30.6mm (BMCC) or 38.5mm (BMPC) lens on a full frame camera.

In early 2014, Blackmagic shooters will be able to buy a $768 Samyang 10mm for Nikon mount and a $489 Nikon to Blackmagic Speed Booster and have the equivalent FOV of a 15.3mm (BMCC) or 17.5mm (BMPC) lens on a full frame camera.

Anyone who has refrained from buying a Blackmagic camera because they "couldn't get the wide angle shots they're used to with a full frame DSLR" can now feel comfortable buying one of these cameras.

If anything here has helped you reach a buying decision, please click on one of the links above or the display ads below to order your BMCC MFT, BMPC, Sigma 18-35 f1.8 for Nikon or Speed Booster.

If you don't need a cinema camera or lens right now, please shop with our other sponsors, Adorama, Amazon, BorrowLenses, CoolLCD, DigitalRev, uBid, Vimeo, the the Warner Brothers Shop and others whose display ads you see in the margins.  It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these blog posts coming.  Thanks so much!

DSLRs Smaller, Lighter and Sometimes Less Expensive Than Mirrorless

Not to Scale

The pictures above represent another example of the traditional DSLR outcompeting a mirrorless camera manufacturer. The new mirrorless Sony A3000, with its DSLR-styling and DSLR-sized sensor, is actually larger and heavier than the 'world's smallest DSLR', the Canon SL-1.

Even with the weight and bulk of the SL-1's reflex mirror and mechanism, Canon engineers have done a terrific job of packaging this camera.

And so, despite what ought to be the mirrorless camera's natural size advantage, Sony cannot claim that the A3000 mirrorless is 'smaller than a DSLR'.

That said, at least the A3000 is competitively priced and doesn't stray too far from DSLR design norms.

Sadly, Nikon's mirrorless cameras have not been competitively priced and do stray pretty far from DSLR design norms.  I have railed about this before, but it bears repeating:  the strange looking Nikon 1 V2 is a great camera, but it is not worth $100 more than the D5200, which is the superior camera in just about every way, except size.

Bottom line?  As Canon gradually address the DSLR's weaknesses (e.g., size and bulk with the SL-1 and video autofocus performance with the 70D), the case for mirrorless becomes weaker and weaker.

If mirrorless manufacturers can't (or won't) produce cameras that compete on features, sensor size, camera size, image quality, and price - then the reports of the DSLR's 'imminent demise' that we've heard for the past few years may have indeed been premature.

If this helps with your decision to buy one of the cameras referenced here, please click on one of the links above or display ads below.  It won't cost you anything extra and will help to keep posts like this coming.

Great Pocket Cinema Camera Travel Video

For some reason, the best travel videos seem to come out of Southeast Asia.  The great "Oh Angkor", shot on the GH2, is one example.  Another is "Thailand Singapore Bali" shot primarily with the Sony RX100.

Now we have another - "Siem Reap 2013" from ThirtySix-O Media - this time shot with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and a couple of small lenses - the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 and Olympus 12mm f2.   Again, great dynamic range in this piece:




This is great video quality to bring back from vacation - especially considering that a camera the size of a cellphone and two tiny lenses were used to shoot it.
Some are saying that this is primarily a "professional" camera, but I beg to differ.  In the hands of advanced amateurs who know what they are doing, the Pocket is going to be a terrific little camera to travel with.
Just make sure to bring along a few extra Nikon EN-EL20 batteries, an MH-27 charger and a laptop to manage your cards! 
Again, you can pre-order your Pocket Cinema Camera here or by clicking on the Adorama display ad below.

If you don't want to wait for the Pocket, you can order a Cinema Camera EF or MFT from Amazon. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep posts like this coming.

SALE - Sony NEX-7 w Kit Lens $1029 @ DigitalRev

With the rumored imminent release of the "NEX-9" - it looks like we're starting to see discounts on the Sony NEX-7.  This was a breakthrough hybrid still/video camera when it was released - the first APS-C mirrorless camera with a built-in EVF and Sony's three wheel "Tri-Navi" system - far superior to the menu-based controls of the NEX-3 and NEX-5 series.

The NEX-7 is still generating buzz - Trey Ratcliff over at the great travel photography site Stuck in Customs recently published a provocative post called "Hello Sony. Goodbye Nikon. The Story of Why I am Switching from Nikon to Sony"  In the piece, Trey, a long-time Nikon shooter, explains why the NEX-7 is now his only travel camera:

"...the NEX-7 is the best for my kind of photography. I'm using it exclusively now and will be in the immediate future until something better comes along..."

And now that the price has come down, the NEX-7 is starting to become a much better value for money.  You can get a 24.3MP NEX-7 with the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens for $1029 at DigitalRev right now - a couple of hundred dollars less than the same camera will cost you at Amazon, Adorama or Sunset Electronics via eBay.


Here is Kai's review of the NEX-7 from January of last year:





There are only a few left at this price, so get 'em while they're hot!

Marked Down - Rode Videomic with Rycote Lyre Mount

The rap on the classic Rode Videomic has been the shock mount.  Review after review has praised the mic - but slammed the flimsy elastic mount.

Rode addressed this problem with a more substantial shock mount on the Videomic Pro - but the VMP is almost $100 more expensive, which can be a big deal for for the low budget shooter.

It seems that Rode has been listening, and has now integrated the classic Videomic with a Rycote Lyre Mount - dispensing with the flimsy elastic bands on the old mount, and replacing them with the Rycote's solid "Hytrel" thermoplastic - which is advertised to have the flexibility of rubber and the strength of plastic. Here's a Rode promo video with the details:

With this new mount, the Rode Videomic becomes a very good value for money - especially since it is now marked down to $169 at Amazon, and $149 on eBay.  As usual, there are only a few left at these prices, so, if you need an external mic, but your budget is less than $200, it may be time to pull the trigger.

New Panasonic G6 - contender for the GH2's video crown?

Julian at DIGIFOTO PRO has posted a comparison video between the "hacked" GH2 and the upcoming Panasonic G6. The G6 has a mic jack, the same sensor as the GH2, and shoots at 1080/60p.

For $749 with the kit lens (and less without?), the G6 could be a great GH2 replacement for shooters who can't afford a GH3 (even though used GH3 prices are coming down ).

Here is the comparison video (please watch at 1080p):


And here is a side by side that includes a shot of shingled roofs - a good test of a camera's susceptibility to moire (again, please watch at 1080p):


The good news is that the G6 seems to be as moire-resistant as the GH2 and the Nikon D5200/D7100! The bad news is that it won't be available until June. If you can wait until then, please support the blog by pre-ordering it from Amazon here :)

UPDATE: Great news - according to Panasonic, the G6 uses the DMW-BLC12 battery, the same battery used by the FZ200, the G5 and the GH2.  So all of you GH2 upgraders can keep your existing batteries!

New Nikon D7100 - GH3 killer?

Is this the GH3 killer?  So soon?  With its true weathersealing, new moire-free Toshiba sensor (demonstrated by Andrew Reid on the D5200), headphone jack, dual SD card slot and $100 lower price - is the D7100 a true hybrid still/video competitor for the GH3?

It will really depend on how the video looks (the only video Nikon has released to date is a low-res ISO 6400 flash clip, which you can see here).

But a few things are certain. It will not match the noiselessness of the GH3's electronic shutter, wi-fi capability, unlimited continuous video clip length, articulated LCD and 1080/60p.  And it doesn't have the GH3's choice of bit rates and codecs.

The D7100 looks like a solid competitor for the GH3, but, in my view, it is not a GH3 killer.

Tellingly, Nikon's product video for the D7100 doesn't mention video at all.  The video images from this camera may turn out to be great, but from a marketing perspective, ignoring consumers who are interested in video is a fail.

All of that said, if you already have Nikon lenses, and you want a potentially moire-free, weatherproof still/video camera with a headphone jack that is not much larger and heavier than the GH3 - the D7100 may be the camera for you.

If so, and if you find the information here useful, please support future reviews, and video tutorials by pre-ordering your D7100 from these links at Amazon or Adorama. Thanks!

It's almost here! New GH3 video from Panasonic US!

This morning, Panasonic posted a promo video for the GH3 (hat tip to 4/3 rumors) - which may or may not be pulled before the official announcement scheduled for Monday.   I admit that I'm biased - but this camera looks like it has been worth the wait.  Hard to tell from Vimeo, but the still images are impressive - it certainly looks like Panasonic has overcome the GH2's dynamic range challenge.  And with a ruggedized body and weathersealing; a battery grip; 1080/50 or 60p and 72mbps ALL-I encoding - this camera, if it adds the rumored headphone jack and retains the GH2's unique competitive advantages of near moire-free video and unlimited video clip length, becomes the hybrid camera to beat in the DSLR/DSLT/DSLM form factor.  If the price (and image quality) are right, Panasonic will sell a lot of these.



And is that Philip Bloom we see shooting with a GH3 at about 2:46 into the video? If so, it certainly is nice that he has an articulated, swiveling LCD to look at and doesn't have to crouch down behind the camera - not at all like the shot where he had to lie down on the beach in his review of the 5D Mark III with its old-fashioned fixed LCD :)