Brand new Canon EOS M10 mirrorless - worthy competitor for the Sony A5100?

The short answer is no.  The EOS M10 is a $599 (with 15-45mm kit lens) APS-C mirrorless camera that takes 18MP still photos, records 1080/30p video and needs an adapter for EF/EF-S lenses.







The APS-C A5100 (with 16-50mm power zoom), on the other hand, costs $50 less, shoots 24MP stills, records video at up to 1080/60p, is about the same size (but has a handgrip) - and doesn't need an adapter to share lenses with full size Sony E mount bodies.

These cameras both seem to be aimed at the same market, casual shooters who want APS-C DSLR still/video performance in a compact body. Both cameras are equipped with wi-fi, have built-in flash and flip-forward LCDs for self-shooters - and both lack hot shoes and microphone jacks.

But the Sony seems to be the better camera - on features and price.

It is difficult to understand what Canon is doing here. While the head of Canon Marketing Japan says they want to be the number one mirrorless manufacturer by 2017, the mirrorless cameras they've introduced in the past year (e.g., EOS M3, EOS M10) have been under-spec'd and over-priced when compared to the competition.

Unfortunately for Canon, they are near the bottom in mirrorless sales in the home market (and worldwide) and have a long way to go if they want to beat Sony and Olympus to get to number one (courtesy BCN via PetaPixel):



Conversely, as DSLR sales fall and mirrorless sales rise (albeit from a lower base) - Sony interchangeable lens camera sales have seen significant growth in the past couple of years, as seen in this chart from the NPD Group:


The new EOS M3 and M10 cameras will certainly be attractive to Canon shooters who want a smaller camera body to complement their APS-C and full frame DSLRs - but appealing to existing users doesn't grow market share.  I don't recommend them at this price and don't think Canon will sell enough of them to be competitive (until, like the original EOS M, they are on closeout and selling for bargain basement prices).

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Selling my Pocket Cinema Camera for a GH4 - Why?

I still love my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. I have found ways to overcome its handling limitations (with an inexpensive LCD shade, a loupe and a pistol grip).



I have learned to combine its expanded image and peaking features for razor sharp manual focus, its small form factor is convenient and visually appealing, I absolutely love 10-bit ProRes and, now that the GH3 is back over $1000, the BMPCC is the only sub-$1000 camera with a headphone jack. So, why am I selling it to buy a Panasonic GH4?

Because the BMPCC is the last camera I pick up when I leave the house. On the other hand, I take the GH3, with its 'inferior' 8-bit codecs, everywhere I go. It turns out that I need to be able to shoot a high quality still photo every once in a while - and an iPhone just doesn't cut it for me. So, I guess I chose the right title for this blog. I am a hybrid still/video camera shooter, still looking for the "revolutionary" camera that can do it all. Is the GH4 that camera? Hopefully, we'll see in a few weeks.

If you're looking for a 12-bit RAW cinema camera for $899 and you're in in the SF Bay Area, click on one of the pictures above or this link to see my Craigslist post. If you prefer a new BMPCC, GH3 or GH4, please click on one of the links above or the display ads below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help keep these posts coming. Thanks!

Panasonic GH4 Pre-Order Link Up at Adorama and Amazon!

Adorama has their Panasonic DMC-GH4 4K camera pre-order link up, as does Amazon.

If you want to get one of the first few cameras when they start shipping, you may want to click on the one of the links above or the display ad below right now and get in line.

Good luck!

How much will it cost to turn a $1699 Panasonic GH4 into a 4K DCI Cinema Camera?

Here is a great picture from Gizmodo Japan of the recently announced Panasonic GH4 mounted on the DMW-YAGH interface unit, fully rigged out for shooting theatrical quality 4K motion pictures -  on display this week at CP+ in Yokohoma.

So - how much would something like this cost?  Let's add it up (to include a Speed Booster and SLR Magic Anamorphot adapter [not pictured] for a "Hollywood" style anamorphic image with a Super 35 crop):

• Panasonic DMC-GH4 - $1699 (rumored price)


• Panasonic DMW-YAGH - $2199 (rumored price)


• AJA Ki Pro Quad - $3495


• Movcam MF-2 Follow Focus - $727


• Metabones Speed Booster - $429


• Rokinon cine lens set - $1429


• SLR Magic Anamorphot Adapter with diopters - $1300

The total price for all of the components listed above is $11,278 - and that doesn't include a matte box, 12V power or recording media.

Sounds like a lot, but contrast that with the cost of recording 4K with a $20,000 Canon C500 and a $3495 Ki Pro Quad, as pictured here:

And that doesn't even include lenses.

No more excuses.  For less than $15,000, students, independent filmmakers, small production houses and even camera enthusiasts will soon be able to buy a camera package that can record full projection quality 4096x2160 24fps Cinematic 4K at 10-bit 4:2:2.

Smart production houses will save even more money by buying Odyssey 7Qs instead of the more expensive Ki Pro Quad.

The GH4 is as close as we have come to the culmination of the hybrid camera revolution - an affordable still/video camera with world class stills and video.

New Sony A6000 vs Panasonic G6 - Which One for Video?

The last few days have been a "camerapalooza" of new camera announcements, price cuts and general chaos in the still/video hybrid camera world.  That's great news for camera bloggers, but not-so-great news for consumers trying to make decisions on where to spend their hard-earned money.

So, instead of the usual "Sony rolled out the A6000 last night, here are its great new features, you should hit the pre-order button and order yours now" - I thought I'd list the new camera's video pros and cons - and compare it with the reigning still/video champion in this price class.

For this comparison, I've chosen some of the areas that, in my view, are most important to shooters who want both a high quality camera and "camcorder" in the same package.

Sony A6000

• Video viewfinder: Yes
• Fast video autofocus: Yes
• Peaking/Zebras: Yes
• Power zoom available: Yes
• 1080/60p: Yes
• Recordable HDMI out: Yes (bit depth unknown)
• Moire and Aliasing: Unknown
• WiFi/NFC: Yes
• 30+ minutes of continuous recording: No
• Manual audio levels: No
• On-screen sound level meters: No
• Front facing LCD: No
• External 3.5mm mic jack: No (hot shoe mic)
• Body Only Street Price: $648
• Kit street Price: $798 w 16-50 power zoom

Panasonic G6

• Video viewfinder: Yes
• Fast video autofocus: Yes
• Peaking/Zebras: Yes
• Power zoom available: Yes
• 1080/60p: Yes
• Recordable HDMI out: No
• Moire and Aliasing: Minimal
• WiFi/NFC: Yes
• 30+ minutes of continuous recording: Yes
• Manual audio levels: Yes
• On-screen sound level meters: Yes
• Front facing LCD: Yes
• External 3.5mm mic jack: Yes
• Body Only Street Price: $699
• Kit Street Price: $629 w 14-42

The Sony A6000 is a great upgrade for NEX-6 and NEX-7 still photographers, but, unfortunately, there seems to have been a lot of video capability left out of this camera - perhaps to protect the $1298 RX10.

If so, Sony has missed an opportunity to show that they are serious about competing with Panasonic for enthusiast video shooters in this price class.

So if you have $600-$700 to spend, and you're looking for the best value for money still/video camera you can buy, I have to recommend the reigning champ in this class - the Panasonic DMC-G6.

If this has helped you to make a buying decision, please order through the links above or the display ads below.  It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help keep these blog posts coming.  Thank you!

In NYC? 4K Blackmagic Production Camera Demo on Feb. 11th!

Thinking about ordering $3995 Blackmagic Production Camera and want to actually see it before you pull out your credit card?  If so, and if you're in the New York City area, you can see the camera and demo footage in person, at the Moving Picture Collective ("Mopictive") meeting at AbelCine in the City on February 11th at 6:30 PM.

The Diamond Brothers have been shooting with a beta version of the camera for a while, and have some demo footage to show, along with the camera.

Looks like the ship date for this camera is getting close.  And with the upcoming Panasonic GH4K announcement and the new Sony AX100 shipping in March, this could be the real beginning of the affordable 4K "Ultra" HD era.

Sounds like a lot of fun, and I wish I could be there.  If anyone in the area does go, please post pics and your impressions in the comments section !  And, if seeing the camera in person moves you to pre-order the camera, please come back to the blog and click on one of the links above or the display ad below, thanks!

Sue Ellen Shoots with a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera - so should you!

Contrary to what I've written before about not wanting to glue a frame to the back of my Pocket Cinema Camera, I'm thinking seriously about buying the new Zacuto Z-Finder for the BMPCC.  The price and the feature set are definitely competitive.





So I'm watching Jens and Steve do their usual schtick in the Vimeo promo for the eyepiece, and what should pop up?  A picture of Linda Gray on the set of TNT's Dallas, holding a Marauder-mounted Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera up to her eye and looking through the new Z-Finder for BMPCC.

Linda Gray, DP?

Jens and Steve are terrific, but this will be the first time one of these Zacuto videos has actually sold me a product.  Thanks, Linda, for making cinematography look so good.

You can order your BMPCC Z-Finder here for $152 at Adorama.

And here's the Marauder for $736, also from Adorama.

To complete the ensemble, here's the BMPCC for $995 from Amazon.

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.

Panasonic GH4K Less Than $2000 - Big Trouble for $4000 Blackmagic Production Camera?

Courtesy HD Warrior

Two primary sources that I trust, Endgadget and Giulio Sciorio at Small Camera Big Picture are reporting from CES that, a day after Sony introduced the $1998 4k FDR-AX100 camcorder, Panasonic is about to roll out a 4K resolution GH4K camera that looks a lot like the GH3 - for less than $2000.  Endgadget says:

"The company's keeping most of the hardware's specs close to its collective vest, but a representative was able to divulge a few details. UHD content can be recorded at 200 Mbps, and output in a full live feed via a mini-HDMI port (thanks to ALL-I Intra mode) to display on a computer or record to a hard drive. Of course, the Micro-Four Thirds shooter can save footage straight to an SDXC card -- a UHS Class 3 prototype variant tuned for such a task was on display -- though space will run out fairly quickly.

There's no word how many megapixels the cam totes, but it will be able to simultaneously snap photos while recording video. More details are set to arrive with the camera's official release in late February, when it'll arrive with a price tag of $2,000 or less" (!)

This is an absolutely revolutionary price for an interchangeable lens 4K camera.  Cinemas around the word still project at 2K (and are only slowly upgrading to 4K).  When you can get one of these for less than $2000, the decision whether to buy a $4000 Blackmagic Production Camera becomes that much more difficult.

And why would anyone ever shoot for theatrical projection at 1080p (1.9K)?

I do wish that Panasonic would introduce a 4K Super 35 camera at some point.  Perhaps as a long overdue upgrade to the venerable AF100.

It looks like 2014 is going to be another very interesting year.

Poor Man's Movie Studio

I had my cameras setup for a test and it occurred to me that I had cobbled together a decent little "studio". My trusty Dolica ST-650 tripod (on the right) needs to be replaced with a second Ravelli AVTP Professional and I need some $65 300 LED lights instead of my little $30 70 LED Rechargeables - but I have a couple of high quality 1080p cameras with decent resolution sitting on tripods or on the shelf (the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and the GH3); a decent mic and recorder (a used Audio Technica AT835b and a TASCAM DR-40); and decent camera support (the Dolica notwithstanding).

Both cameras have great codecs and good depth of field control and it is relatively easy to color match their output, but I guess I have the same challenge that many amateurs have - lots of equipment, but not enough time set aside to actually make a movie.

No more excuses, it's time to take these cameras out and actually shoot something!

Blackmagic Production Camera 4K vs RED ONE MX - Fight's On!

We've been waiting for this for a long time. The first images from the Blackmagic Production Camera, announced in April 2013 at NAB, are finally here! Yesterday, Blackmagic CEO, Grant Petty, posted a 10GB downloadable sample that he shot personally (if you want to see it and experiment with how it performs in the grade, you can download it here).

This was a very cool thing for him to do, but the community of interest for this camera continued to clamor for images shot by a "real DP".

Well today, we have those images - and the backstory is almost as interesting as the video itself.

Turns out that Captain Hook (of Captain Hook LUT fame) took his test BMPC out on a music video shoot as the "B" cam to a RED MX.

The director liked the early images so much that the BMPC was promoted to the "A" cam:



This camera essentially delivers Hollywood quality 4K motion pictures at an "amateur movie" price of $3995 - which is less than a 1080p Canon 5D Mark III with the 24-70 lens, $1500 less than an 8 bit 1080p Canon C100, $8000 less than a non-RAW capable 4K Canon 1DC, $13,000 less than the 10 bit 1080p Canon C300 and $23,000 (!) less than Canon's 4K C500.

RED and Sony prices for equivalently equipped 4K cinema cameras are also at or above $10K.  The new 2K Arri Amira is $20K.

My guess is that Blackmagic will be able to sell as many Production Cameras as the factory can crank out.  I also predict that we will start to see downward price adjustments from Canon and Sony - and perhaps even RED and Arri.

This may be bad news for the large camera companies, but it is a terrific Christmas gift to photographers and moviemakers everywhere - even those who will never buy a Blackmagic camera.

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