New Panasonic G6 closeout price - down to $369!

Now that the new 4K Panasonic G7 is shipping, we are starting to see some insanely low closeout prices on the still-terrific Panasonic G6. As of this post, a brand new Panasonic G6 with the 14-42mm kit lens is $368.98 from 100% positive feedback eBay seller jboverstock.

There are only three left at this price, so if you want one, you should pull the trigger now.

Unbelievable clearance price on Panasonic G6 w kit lens - $399.99!

One of the best of the entry level still/hybrid mirrorless cameras, the Panasonic G6, is being marked down seriously on closeout.  Last week, Samy's was selling it for $499.99 (now sold out) - and this week, it's at BestBuy via eBay for $399.99 plus $2.99 postage.  They are sold out at BestBuy online, so the eBay stock won't last long.



This terrific little camera has big camera features such as focus peaking, wi-fi with NFC a built-intervalometer and 1080/60p recording - and is a great value for the money, especially at this price.

I just hope this is a sign that Panasonic is working on an entry level 4K interchangeable lens G7!

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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Panasonic Deals - GH3 body for $697.99 (plus $100 gift card); G6 with 14-42mm kit lens for $587.99!

I don't know how long these prices will last, but if you're a video shooter on a budget - or you're looking for a great video/still hybrid camera to give as a gift - here are a couple of great deals.

As of this post, the Panasonic DMC-GH3 (body only) is $699.99 at Amazon and $697.99 with a free $100 gift card at Adorama. This is the best 1080p hybrid camera you can buy below $1000.



If that's still above your budget limit, the Panasonic DMC-G6 with the 14-42m kit lens is just $587.99. This is the best entry level video/still hybrid camera on the market with built-in focus peaking, 19 step manual audio gain control and 1080/60p for smooth slow motion.  This camera compares very favorably with DSLRs that cost a lot more - it is a great value for the money.

Side-by-side: Samsung NX1 4K vs Nikon D750 - which one for video?

The folks at Nikon Motion just posted this short, but well-executed side-by-side video comparison of the new Samsung NX1 and the Nikon D750:




It's an interesting test, but there are no real surprises here. As one might expect, the downscaled 4K from the NX1 out-resolves the D750 at 1080p - while the full frame Nikon delivers shallower depth of field than the "crop sensor" APS-C Samsung.

But the most exciting news is that early examples of the NX1 are starting to appear in the wild. Hopefully, this means that we will soon see comparisons between the NX1 and its real competitors, the Sony A7s and the Panasonic GH4.

It will be especially interesting to see how the NX1's new backlit APS-C sensor stacks up against the GH4's micro 4/3 sensor in low light. If Samsung has managed to combine the GH4's internal 4K recording capability with improved low light performance, the NX1 could be a formidable video camera.

Please check back over the next few days as we get closer to the official October 27th ship date for the NX1. I'll post the newest video tests and examples as they become available.

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!

Sony PXW-X70 4K-ready camcorder shipping now!

If you're tired of waiting for your pre-order from one of the big online retailers - you can get the brand new Sony PXW-X70 right now from Electronics Valley via eBay if you're willing to pay $2402.46.

This is the first 1" sensor pro camcorder with XLR inputs, dual SD card recording, a built-in ND filter, HD-SDI out and the robust 10-bit 4:2:2 XAVC codec - and Sony has promised a 4K (UHD) firmware upgrade soon.

DSLR/DSLM shooters who want to upgrade to 4K, but are ready to give up on lugging around external recorders, screw-in ND filters and multiple lenses - may want to take a very serious look at the new X70.

Here is what this camera can do:




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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Deal - Panasonic GH4 with Rokinon 14mm T3.1 cine lens and 32GB U3 card for $1999.95

If you've been looking for a 4K camera with a lens, but are on a budget, here is the best 4K deal out there right now - the 4K Panasonic GH4 with a Rokinon 14mm T3.1 cine lens and a 32GB U3 SD card for less than $2000 from Adorama via eBay .

You'll essentially be getting the lens and the SD card for $300. A great value for your money.

As of this post, there were only two left at this price. If you want one, you should pull the trigger on this deal now.

More GH4 bundles from the Adorama store on eBay here:





And, if you miss out on these Adorama deals, there are some pretty good GH4 bundled deals at Amazon too :)

The Best Thing About the Release of the New Samsung NX1

It looks like Samsung has knocked one out of the park today with the introduction of their new NX1 - a $1499 body-only 4K APS-C mirrorless camera (already available for pre-order at Adorama, Amazon and B&H).

The headline specs for video are very impressive - true 4096x2160 4K at 24fps, UHD at 30fps, HD at up to 60fps; a headphone jack and ISO up to 25600 in auto and 51200 in extended mode (complete specs here).

Perhaps just as important as its ability to record to 4K internally (something the UHD-only Sony A7s cannot do at $1000 more - even externally) is the introduction of the new h.265 codec, which should allow high quality compression of 4K to manageable file sizes.  We'll have to see whether the video quality really holds up.

To be fair, the camera has some shortcomings.  It has no slow motion frame rates above 60fps, for example.

And there's one other caveat for event shooters.  It is limited to a 29 minute, 59 second maximum clip length worldwide - while the GH4's max clip length is around 220 minutes (outside of the EU).

That said, it's stunning that Samsung has been able to pull this off for $200 less than the list price of the GH4 - which brings us to the absolute best thing about the introduction of this camera - it puts pressure on Panasonic and Sony to lower the prices of their flagship 4K cameras.

This is not so good for those of us who have already invested in these cameras - but it is terrific news for shooters who have been waiting for prices to come down.

Here are some more pics of the NX1 to whet your appetite (courtesy Adorama):

Bottom Line Samsung has steadily improved the quality and feature sets of their interchangeable lens cameras. They have made a few missteps along the way (e.g., the interchangeable lens Galaxy smartphone camera), but they have also created the foundation for long term success - their own lens mount, a reputation for quality and service after the sale - and getting to market with new features before the competition. To sell their 4K TVs, Samsung is likely to put affordable 4K or UHD in every smartphone and camera in their product line.  And they have the cash flow from their smartphone business to do it.  If I were the other camera manufacturers, especially Canon and Nikon, I would be worried.
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!

Great 4K Camera Deal - $50 off list price for a brand new Panasonic GH4

It can be a challenge to find the hot-selling Panasonic GH4 at less than list price, but here's a deal - a brand new US warrantied GH4 marked down by $50 to $1649.95 at 99.3% positive seller Global Distributions via eBay.

As of this post, there were only 8 left at this price - so, if you want to take advantage of this deal, you may want to pull the trigger now.

If you miss the sale, and don't mind a pre-owned camera, you can still find open box and used bargains at the Adorama Used Store and Amazon.

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Here's how to get clean low light footage from the Panasonic GH4

I have heard from several video shooters who are concerned about buying or renting the Panasonic GH4 because they have heard that it has less than stellar performance above ISO 800.

To address this concern, Sohail over at Borrowlenses (one of our terrific sponsors) has posted a great blog entry on shooting with the GH4 at night.

He makes the interesting point that low light and high ISO are not necessarily the same thing - and that with fast enough lenses, shooters can produce great footage with the GH4 for night exteriors.

As an example, here's some 4K footage he shot with the GH4 at San Francisco's Fishermans' Wharf using the Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95 and a Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 (with Speed Booster). Cleanest shots are between ISO 200 and 400 :




As Sohail says - shooting with superfast lenses doesn't give the GH4 the incredible light-gathering capability of the A7s - but it does give shooters the ability to deliver clean low-light footage at reasonable ISOs.

And for budget-conscious shooters, the additional benefit is that a $1698 Panasonic GH4 with a $799 Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 Nikon mount lens is about the same price as a $2498 body-only Sony A7s.

Yes, you'll need a $429 Nikon G to MFT Speed Booster, but that's less than the cost of a decent lens for the Sony.

If you need a camera that can essentially see in the dark, the A7s is the better choice - but if you want internal 4K recording and you occasionally shoot in low light, the GH4 will do a terrific job.

If you've found this helpful, please shop through the links above or the display ads in the margins. It won't cost you anything extra and it will help keep these posts coming. Thanks for your support!

Limited Time Sale - $300 off Panasonic GH3 - and $50 off the G6 with 14-42mm kit lens

The two best still/video cameras below $1000, the Panasonic GH3 and Panasonic G6, are now an even better deal.  For the next couple of weeks (while supplies last), the GH3 (body only) is marked down $300 to $797.99 - while the G6 with the kit lens is marked down about $50 to $697.99.

If you've been waiting for one or both of these cameras to come down in price, you may want to push your cart through before the price goes back up!

Cinoflex turns the Sony A7s into a cinema camera for a Chevy commercial test

On August 12th, Cinoflex introduced the new type-SA7s Camera System on their Facebook page. Priced at $2495, and designed for a $2498 camera, this rig plugs the Sony's amazing full-frame low light sensor into a standard cinema camera form factor for under $5000.  Straight from Cinoflex, here's the design philosophy behind the type-A7s (from the Sony Alpha Rumors comments section):

"...a camera needs to be balanced well-fore to aft, needs to have a mass with low center of gravity, needs to have mounting options for the camera department, needs to have one central power source for all items, needs to adhere to the Panavision and Arriflex standard of spacing and heights, and...very important, needs to adhere to the tradition and fashion that camera operators, camera assistants, and camera technicians have been accustom[ed] to in the last 40 or so years. The Cinoflex was designed from the ground up, to emulate and respect the traditional form of the best film cameras, form [sic] the ARRI 435 to the PANAVISION Millennium XL."

Even adding in the $1995 price of the upcoming Atomos Shogun for 4K recording, the total price of this setup would be less than the price of the $8995 Aja Cion.  And, of course, it would be a lot less than a RED Epic or Arri Alexa.

For commercial or indie shoots where light and budget are at a premium, this might be a good solution.

That said, it's still about $1000 more than the upcoming $5995 Blackmagic URSA EF, with its global shutter and built-in HD-SDI outputs.

Now - if they'd only build one for the GH4....(are you listening, Cinoflex?)

Choices, choices - it's a great time to be a filmmaker!

Terrific GH4 vs A7s Shootout from Learning Cameras - and a Wakeup Call for Canon

This is the best comparison of the Panasonic GH4 and the Sony A7s I have seen to date, with insightful observations on features, ergonomics, lens selection and the importance of 4K in a 1080p world.

Here's the review:



As readers of this blog know, we are partial to the GH4 - but to be fair to the A7s, Dan doesn't mention the advantages of using the Metabones  EF to NEX Smart Adapter with the Sony. The Smart Adapter mitigates the A7s' lens selection challenge somewhat by opening up the possibility of using fast, wide Canon glass with image stabilization and auto-aperture.

He also leaves out any mention of the Sony's APS-C crop mode as a partial solution to the A7s' jello problem.

But these are minor nits.  Overall, I agree completely with his bottom line - at $1700 for a compact handheld 4K solution, the GH4 is the clear winner.

But beyond the competition between the two new kings of the mirrorless world, there is a deeper message from this shootout.

Two of Dan's quotes stand out as particularly bad news for a company whose cameras aren't seen in the video - Canon.  Dan says:

"Honestly, [4K] is making it tough to go back to 1080p", and

"Both of these cameras have redefined my view of what video should look like from cameras in this price range - they have just both stomped on [emphasis added] my Canon 5D3 and 70D so hard that it will be nearly impossible for me to pick them up and begin video shooting after seeing the quality these cameras were able to generate."

That's pretty tough language from someone who has thousands of dollars invested in Canon bodies and glass.

In my view, as more and more shooters get their hands on these cameras, quotes like these will start to become the conventional wisdom - and it will become more and more difficult to sell 8-bit 1080p mirror-box DSLRs for serious professional or enthusiast film-making.

Another Canon blog says, "It's time to move on and say goodbye to the Mark III"

In the course of his terrific short review of the new $2498 Sony A7s, Johnnie Behiri of cinema5d joins the chorus of Canon bloggers who are either leaving Canon themselves - or explicitly recommending that shooters "move on" from the 5D Mark III.

I happen to agree with Johnnie (and Dave Dugdale and Caleb Pike) on this. The $3000+ 5D Mark III is not a very good value for money for video shooters at this point - especially now that it has lost its competitive advantage as the only moire-resistant full frame video-capable camera in the marketplace.

Like the GH4, the full-frame A7s meets or beats the 5D Mark III's image quality without forcing shooters to deal with a on old-fashioned fixed LCD, lack of video viewfinder, poor codec selection and soft 1080p.

Johnnie also prefers the A7s' full-frame look to the GH4's at 1080p - even though the Sony is a 30 minute, region-locked camera with no internal 4K recording (and its external 4K ouput is 8-bit).

As you can tell from this list, I differ a little from Johnnie here. I need a video camera with hours of continuous recording, a battery that will last me all day and internal 4K for future-proofing.  The full-frame look doesn't make up for the A7s' lack of these basics, in my view.

But for Canon shooters who are hesitant to move to a micro 4/3 sensor - especially those who want a smart adapter for their EF lenses- the best full-frame video-capable camera on the market right now is the Sony A7s (and I haven't even mentioned its amazing low light capabilities).

To underline how good this camera is (and how good Johnnie is), here's the video that accompanied his review:



Pretty much the only way for Canon to beat the A7s among full-frame afficionados would be to introduce a "1D C lite" 5D Mark IV with internal 4K recording to a decent codec. Or, as Dave Dugdale suggested the other day, they could just lower the price on the 1D C.

It will be very interesting to see what Canon does here.

If anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision - please shop by clicking on the links above or the display ads below. And please support our sponsors by clicking on their banners in the headers and in the margins.  It won't cost you anything extra, and it helps to keep the blog up and running. Thanks for your support!

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Great Price for Open Box Panasonic GH4 at Adorama - Won't Last Long!

Even though my used GH4 came in last week, I promised you that I would keep looking for used cameras deals for you - and I found one! This open box Panasonic GH4 is just $1613.09 from Adorama!

At this price, my guess is that this camera won't be there for long. If you want a GH4 right now, and don't want to pay full retail - click here or on the picture above to order this barely used, factory warrantied unit.

If it's already sold, and you're ready to order at full price, you can click on the display ad below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help keep these posts coming. Thanks for your support for the Hybrid Camera Revolution!

Which is better for Chromakey - the 4K compressed Panasonic GH4 or the 2.5K RAW Blackmagic Cinema Camera?

Here's a very nicely done video from Paul Shillito at Video-Alchemy, who gives us an in-depth discussion of keying with 10-bit ProRes 422 and uncompressed RAW video from the 2.5K Blackmagic Cinema Camera (BMCC)  - and then compares the results to an 8-bit 4:2:0 compressed video key from the 4K Panasonic GH4.

In this 15:25 video, Paul does a 9 minute, detailed walk through of the setup - and then about 6 minutes of side-by-side conclusions. If you'd like to cut straight to the bottom line, please click here.

It would be reasonable to expect that the 8-bit compressed video would not hold up well to the key as uncompressed RAW - but let's take a look at the video and see:




So - to my eyes at least, compressed 4K looks clean enough for a production quality key. This should be interesting to two groups of people. First, those who have already bought their GH4s, and who have had concerns that they'll need to buy an external 10-bit recorder to get a clean key. Those folks can relax - internally recorded 4K works just fine.

The second group is those who have hesitated before buying the GH4 because they were concerned about this issue. Those folks can relax too - and go ahead and order their cameras.  The best price for an in-stock GH4 right now is $1793.95 at Cameta via eBay.

Panasonic releases firmware update v1.1 for the GH4

Updated!

A little mysteriously, Panasonic's description of the update (download it here) is limited to: "Improved [sic] the reliability of video recording performance."

Perhaps this is to reduce the incidence of crashes? My GH3 would crash sometimes (not often), but it was a PITA. I haven't shot with the GH4 enough to crash it, but, in his review, Dave Dugdale does mention a few crashes he had with his test camera. Hopefully, upgrading to firmware v1.1 means that my new GH4 will never crash :)

Sony A7s Now In Stock and Shipping from Adorama and Amazon!

You have to give it to Sony. When they promise a camera on the first of July, they deliver it on the first of July! The amazing full frame Sony A7s is now in stock and shipping at Adorama, Amazon and B&H.

Some reviewers who've shot with it like it better than the GH4. Here's one of the earliest and best examples of what the A7s can do from W. Ashley Maddox of Missionary Films:




In an interview over on newsshooter.com, Ashley says, "The buttons took about an hour to get used to – compared to days that it took for me to get used to the Panasonic GH4’s buttons" and "Editing [A7s footage] was way easy compared to the GH4 and FS700 in S-Log 2. I found that the noise was low. And when there was noise, it had a natural grain look to it vs. the muddy blacks that I am seeing in the GH4".

For shooters who are accustomed to Sony menus, who really really want mirrorless full frame with great low light performance, don't mind buying an external recorder to get UHD, and who don't need 10 bit output or true 4096x2160 4K, this may be the right camera.

If anything here has helped you to make a buying decision, please order through the links above or the display ads below and support our sponsors in the margins. Ordering through these links doesn't cost you anything extra and allows us to keep these posts coming. Thanks for your support of the Hybrid Camera Revolution!

Can't wait for the Panasonic GH4 to arrive tomorrow - plus a couple of GH4 reviews you may have missed

The gang is back in town

So I logged onto the UPS site yesterday and asked them to hold my GH4 for pickup tomorrow instead of sending it out on the truck for delivery. I'll jet over to the UPS facility at lunchtime and pick it up - because I can't wait until after work to get my hands on it.

Yes, I am that anxious to get my hands on this camera again, after turning in my rental a few weeks ago. In the meantime, I've had to satisfy myself with reading reviews. Here are a couple of fresh perspectives from outside the ranks of the usual suspects in the video blogging community (you know who you are ;)).

The first, from photography blogger "Michael the Maven" is an interesting take on the GH4's performance as a still camera:



As regular readers know, the purpose of this blog is to report on (and advocate) a still/video camera 'singularity' - a notional, and perhaps unachievable, future where the highest quality still and video capabilities co-exist in the same camera. The GH4 comes pretty close, but it is becoming clear that its still autofocus speed just isn't there yet when it comes to shooting sports or fast action - even with Panasonic Depth from Defocus technology. This is the second source I have seen this from - it tracks with what the guys The Camera Store saw in their D4s/mirrorless shootout.

This isn't a deal-breaker for me (it wasn't for Michael either - he bought a GH4 after he did the review), but it is certainly something to be aware of.

The second review is from Australian video blogger Grant Cook from "Film Learnin" (sort of a one-man Down Under IndyMogul):



I really like Grant's examples of 1080p pan & scan plus image stabilization from images shot at 4K. I also appreciated hearing his perspective on autofocus for "one-man-band" shooters. I remember trying to shoot video blog-style with my T2i before I switched to Panasonic - it was very very difficult without face tracking autofocus or a forward-facing LCD.

After tomorrow, I'll be out shooting with my GH4 - so no more surfing the web, looking desperately for reviews.  Hopefully, I can finish that (very late) GH4 review I started with that rented camera a month ago!

What features do you want to see in the Panasonic GH5?

Philip Johnston, the HD Warrior from Scotland, is now shooting with the GH4 (two of them, actually) in the course of writing his review.  Philip has just set up a great separate blog called "GH4 Crew" that is focused exclusively on the GH4.

There's lots of good stuff here and on HD Warrior - to include behind the scenes coverage of a photo shoot he did recently at a local event.

As much as he likes the camera, in his latest post, Philip makes a in interesting list of the features he'd like to see in the GH5:

• The thumbwheel at the back of the GH4 controls the speed in manual mode, I would like Panasonic to update the Firmware (FW) to allow me to lock this at 1/50th preventing me moving this to another speed accidentally as has happened.

• Could we also have the ability to switch on the LCD display rather than the present mode where it switches off at about seven minutes.

• Can we also have the ability to buy an upgrade FW package that gets rid of the 30m record time.

• A menu mode to allow us to view 4K as 1080 via the SDI connectors the same as you offer with the HDMI output.

• Can you make sure that the GH5 has 2 SDXC slots please.

I agree with Philip  on a few of these, but my list is a little different from his.  What I really want in the GH5 (in this order):

• Built-in ND filter

• The ability to set the screen blanking time on the LCD (same as his #2)

• Internal 10-bit 4:2:2 4K

• 2 SDXC slots (same as his #5)

• 4K/60p

• 1080/120p

• Hole on the bottom of the camera to match the anti-twist pin on standard quick release plate

What's your list?  Please answer in the comment section or back on Reddit.

Look forward to seeing your list!

First Sony A7s Reviews Rolling Out - Better than the GH4?

Even though my GH4 will be arriving soon, I am still interested in how well the Sony A7s performs. I was impressed by what I was able to see of this camera at NAB - but it's a challenge to know what a camera can really do without reports from the field (or, preferably, shooting with it yourself) - so I will probably rent one and compare it to the GH4 at some point.

But until we can get our hands on it, we'll have to settle for early reviews like this one from The Camera Store in Calgary:



I always enjoy Chris' reviews. Lots of energy - and he knows his way around a camera menu. But he's not a video guy, and, in my view, he misses a couple of significant issues in his short comments on the A7s versus the GH4.

He mentions the obvious stuff, of course - the A7s' unmatched high ISO capability and apparent DR advantage over the GH4 at 1080p - and he counterbalances this by mentioning the A7s' 1080/60p maximum frame rate, lack of internal 4K and lack of 4K 10-bit output - but, in my view, he glosses over a couple of significant differences between the cameras that many shooters care about.

First - both the EU and the non-EU versions of the A7s stop recording after 30 minutes. Followers of this blog and my forum comments know that I consider this to be a significant limitation. Many non-EU Canon, Nikon and Sony users buy these cameras expecting to be able to record religious services, wedding ceremonies, plays, lectures and other events - and are surprised when their cameras shut down after 12 to 30 minutes. This is not a deal breaker for most narrative and documentary shooters, but for people who want to get rid of their camcorders and carry just one camera (this is the Hybrid Camera Revolution, after all), this is a big deal.

The second major issue is that this is not a "world camera". Unlike the GH4, the A7s is region-locked, and does not allow switching between NTSC (60Hz) and PAL (50Hz) frame rates. Frustrating for shooters who travel extensively or who have clients or viewers in other regions.

And, of course, the GH4 is $800 less than the A7s (although, I wouldn't be surprised if the price gap narrows over the next few months).

All of that said, the proof will be in the pudding. Shooters are starting to produce some incredible 4K work with the GH4 (please see the "GH4K" group I moderate over on Vimeo). We'll see what the future holds for the A7s - it's still a tremendous camera.

As Philip Bloom just tweeted,

GH4 4K internal, A7s sees in dark. Both cheap cameras! Yet people still whinge? Never been a better time technology wise to be a shooter!!

— Philip Bloom (@PhilipBloom) June 27, 2014

As usual, if anything here has helped you to make a buying decision, please click on the links above or the display ads below and in the margins. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these blog posts coming. And, for the latest hybrid camera news, views, tips and tricks, please follow HCR on Blogger on YouTube, on Google+ and now, on Twitter! Thanks so much for your support.