Panasonic AF100 pro camcorder now worth less than a couple of cell phones

                          

  

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Interestingly, the same day Panasonic's new $999.99 CM1 "communication camera" rolled out in the States, the company cut the price of its venerable AG-AF100 pro camcorder to $1999.

As a result, the AF100 is now worth less than the price of a couple of cell phones.

Looking back from 2015, it's hard to remember what a pioneering camcorder the AF100 was.  A year after the beginning of the DSLR revolution, Panasonic boldly unveiled a large sensor, interchangeable lens camera with XLR inputs, ND filters, a top handle and camcorder ergonomics and controls.  This was before the FS100, before the C100 and back when Blackmagic Design was still pretty much a video capture card company.

For a while, Panasonic had the market to itself - until its competitors figured out the AF100's vulnerability - its micro 4/3 sensor size.

The competition's first generation pro camcorders were Super 35.  Not only did they perform better in low light - they also had the cachet of a "Hollywood sized sensor."

Very quickly, the AF100 was eclipsed by the Sony FS100, the FS700 and then the Canon Cinema EOS series.

Now, about a half dozen manufacturers (to include AJA, Blackmagic, Kinefinity and JVC) are building sub-$10,000 interchangeable lens Super 35 cameras, while Panasonic's only offering in this price class remains the 5 year old AF100.

Panasonic really needs a Super 35 camera in this price class.  In HCR's opinion, the DVX200, with its micro 4/3 sensor and fixed lens, was a missed opportunity to fill this gap.

In the meantime, for shooters who don't need 10-bit or 4K and don't mind the smaller sensor, this is still a decent 8-bit 1080p camera - and, at $1999, might be worth buying as a starter cam for those want the camcorder form factor and can't afford a $2499 FS100 or a $2999 C100.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a buying decision, please use the links here to make your purchases - it won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these blog posts coming.  Thank you so much for your support of the revolution!

Panasonic GH4 Christmas bundle with 14-140mm zoom just $1699.99 after $400 instant rebate from Adorama! Good until 12/27/14

The headline says it all - essentially you're getting the $1498 4K GH4 with a 10x video-optimized zoom thrown in for an extra $200. Not a bad deal.

This sale ends on 12/27/14.

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!

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!

Blackmagic Firmware Update 1.9.5 Brings In-Camera Formatting to the 4K Camera - Pocket & Cinema Cams Soon?

This morning, Blackmagic Design rolled out yet another firmware update in the 1.9 series (any bets on when they roll over to 1.10?).  This update fixes a long-standing problem with all of the first generation Blackmagic Cameras - the inability to format media in-camera:

New Camera 1.9.5 update!  Get in camera SSD formatting for Blackmagic Production Camera 4K! Download now!
— Blackmagic Design (@Blackmagic_News) September 5, 2014

You can download it here.

This summer has been terrific for early Blackmagic Camera owners who bought these cameras "on faith", hoping that the company would, over time, fix their shortcomings. Kudos to Blackmagic Design for rewarding that faith.

With the earlier additions of audio meters, histograms and SD/SSD time remaining, Blackmagic dealt with just about every challenge that could be addressed in software. Now, with the addition of in-camera formatting, Production Camera shooters will be free to buy drives and format them in the camera rather than bringing them to their workstations or dragging their laptops and external drives into the field.

This makes the $500 off sale on the 4K Production Camera even more attractive. If you've been waiting for the Production Camera to become even more usable in the field, this may be the time to pull the trigger. If so, please click on one of the links or displays in this post. It won't cost you anything extra and it will help keep these posts coming. Thanks for your support of the revolution.

All of that said, I really want this feature for my Pocket Cam - and I'm sure BMCC owners feel the same way. Faster, please Blackmagic!

Paul Ream's Sony F5 4K hack is real - Sony F55 owners not happy

Sony F5 owners just got an early Christmas present. Paul Ream's latest podcast describes exactly how he unlocked 4K recording on the heretofore 2K Sony F5 (discussion of Sony business ethics starts at 11:30 - legal caveats and technical discussion start at 17:15).

For those who need to see the procedure in writing, Paul has spelled it out:

Following on from our fourth podcast, this is the page where we’ve written the 4K4F5 guide down. It goes like this:

• Save a 2K XAVC ‘All Files’ setting to a blank SD card.
• Pop the SD card into your computer.
• Go to the Private/Sony/PRO/CAMERA/PMWF5 directory.
• Open the 001.ALL file with a plain text editor.
• Delete the whole of the first line (32 digit checksum)
• Change line 150 to one of the settings listed below.
• Save the file as 001.ALL (Plain text)
• Generate a new md5 checksum for the file.
• Open the file in your text editor again and add the new checksum as a new first line.
• Save and pop the SD card in your F5.
• Enjoy your new settings which can then be copied in camera to taste.

Your choice of new line 150′s are:

• 4K at 23.98 enter: 150=4096,2160,1001,24000,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,6
• 4K at 24 enter: 150=4096,2160,1,24,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,6
• 4K at 25 enter: 150=4096,2160,1,25,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,5
• 4K at 29.97 enter: 150=4096,2160,1001,30000,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,4
• 4K at 50 enter: 150=4096,2160,1,50,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,3
• 4K at 59.94 enter: 150=4096,2160,1001,60000,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,3
• QFHD at 23.98 enter: 150=3840,2160,1001,24000,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,6
• QFHD at 24 enter: 150=3840,2160,1,24,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,6
• QFHD at 25 enter: 150=3840,2160,1,25,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,5
• QFHD at 29.97 enter: 150=3840,2160,1001,30000,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,6>/li>
• QFHD at 50 enter: 150=3840,2160,1,50,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,3
• QFHD at 59.94 enter: 150=3840,2160,1001,60000,1,1,0,8,0,0,0,1,1,1,3

To generate an md5 checksum on a mac you can simply use terminal. Just type “md5 001.ALL” when you’re in the same directory as the file. Finally paste the 32digit code back into the first line in the file.

Not sure how to do this on Windows but there are web sites that will generate an md5 file code just by dropping it on a page!

Alternatively, here’s all my ‘ALL file’ settings as an example. They were generated on my camera with firmware 4.11. These can be saved to an SD card and used directly in your camera. Once loaded you can change any other menu settings and save them to your own camera cards as normal.

ALL_files_4.11

It is very interesting to see the shock and outrage over this discovery on Philip Bloom's Facebook page among the F55 crowd, though.

Camera companies make business decisions that disadvantage consumers all the time - at both consumer and pro ends of the market. I don't know why people continue to be surprised by this.

That said, if you've been thinking about getting the F5, but have been holding out for 4K, now may be the time to pick one up from existing stock from retailers (they are still $16,490 at Adorama). Sony will probably close this loophole in units that are yet to ship from the factory.

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!

Blackmagic update 1.9.3 adds histogram, audio meter, time-to-go - huge usability improvement for BMPCC & BMCC!

Finally, over two years after the introduction of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera at NAB 2012 - and over a year after the introduction of the Pocket Cinema Camera in April 2013 - Blackmagic Design adds basic camera features to the amazing images produced by these cameras. As a business strategy, this makes sense. Early adopters have been willing to guess at audio levels and how much time they had left to shoot, while producing stunning RAW and ProRes images. And revenue generated by sales to early buyers has provided Blackmagic with the time and resources required to fix the cameras' firmware.

Speaking as an early adopter, this has been more than a little frustrating - but now that these basic omissions have been remedied, it will be difficult to stay peeved.

That said, these cameras are still battery hogs - and the BMCC's black sun issue has not been resolved - but Blackmagic owners are a lot happier today than they were yesterday.

Here are the new features provided by the update:

What's new in Blackmagic Camera Utility 1.9.3 

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 

Add histogram, time remaining and audio level indicators.

Use Up and Down to reveal and hide the meters while Left and Right will adjust the aperture of your active MFT lens. 

Fixed bug where in-camera playback may sometimes drop frames.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera

Add histogram, time remaining and audio level indicators.

Now that my Pocket Cinema Camera is now almost as usable as a real camera - perhaps I'll use it more :)

If usability challenges have kept you from buying a BMCC or BMPCC, now may be the time to jump in. They are still the only straight out-of-the-box RAW video cameras below $2000.

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.

Price cut - Super 35mm NEX-FS100 camcorder now $2500 w free Metabones adapter!

Sony has slashed the suggested retail price of the body-only NEX-FS100 Super 35 camcorder to $2850 U.S. list price. Retailers have marked it down even further ($2499 at Adorama with a mail-in coupon for a free Metabones EF to NEX Mark II smart adapter).

This is a big deal. As of yesterday, the retail price for this 8-bit 4:2:0 camera was $4999 - about the same price as the 8-bit Canon C100. So Sony has taken about a third off the price of this camera in one day.

In my view, this is a common sense move. Sony is reacting to the marketplace - shooters can buy a $495 Blackmagic Pocket Camera with 10/12-bit internal recording or a $1700 Panasonic GH4 with 4 times the resolution of the FS100 and 10-bit 4K output.  A $5000 price point for this camera was unrealistic (Canon, are you listening?).

That said, this is still an excellent low-light camcorder, except for its ergonomics, where the C100 is clearly better. But if your budget is below $3000, and you really want Super 35 - you may want to seriously consider this deal.

Sony Builds Anticipation for A7s with "Detailed Hands On" Video!

In the video below, Sony builds anticipation for the world's first full-frame camera with UHD ("4K") output. This camera records internally at up to 1080/60p and 720/120p compressed to 50mbps - a relatively low bit rate by modern standards. What really sets it apart, however, is the ability to record video at up to ISO 409600 (!). With this kind of light-gathering capability and external UHD recording, this camera should be the low-light/high resolution king. Here's the video:



I went to NAB very excited to see this camera - especially since I wasn't able to be there until Day 2 of the show. I watched the big Sony press event online on Day 1 and couldn't wait to get over to the Sony booth and get my hands on the camera. When I arrived, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to handle it and talk to a couple of Sony reps who had flown in from Japan. The high ISO sensitivity is real - and it produced great output on the show floor - but we'll have to see what the footage looks like once it's in the hands of shooters who don't work for Sony.

For those who need extreme low light sensitivity and the full-frame "look", but don't mind buying or renting an external recorder for UHD and don't need: 4096x2160 4K; 1080p slow motion; or 1080p bit rates beyond 50mbps, this may be the camera you've been waiting for. If it is, you can pre-order it for $2498 at Amazon or Adorama.

On the other hand, if you don't make movies in the dark, want to record 4K internally, and want 1080/96p slow motion and 1080p bit rates at up to 200mbps, you might be better off saving yoursefl $800 and ordering a $1698 Panasonic GH4.

And you'll probably have your camera sooner.

Adorama GH4 Deal and B&H Live Webcast Event

There is Panasonic GH4 news from two of my favorite online retailers, Adorama and B&H. First, Adorama.

There's not a lot of discounting on the GH4's $1699.99 list price yet, but the best price out there right now (at least in the US) is this $1697.99 deal at Adorama - it's only a penny off the $1698 price at Amazon - but it includes the usual entry level "kit" of a camera holster, SD card, cleaning kit and screen protector.

Of course, they're backordered right now, but you might as well get some free stuff with your camera when it comes in.

When you do get your hands on your camera, you'll probably want some tips from the experts on how to use it. Over at B&H, they're ofering a free Panasonic GH4 Live Webcast Discussion: "Professional 4K in the Palm of Your Hand" on May 27th from 1 to 3PM Eastern (registration required).

Speakers (and GH4 experts), David Flores, Eduardo Angel and Mathew Frazer will participate in a panel discussion on the camera and answer your questions. This is another great service to the community from B&H, in addition to their excellent educational resources, great prices and customer service. I really like them (and they're not even a sponsor, so I'm not paid to say that :)).

Speaking of sponsors, if anything here has helped you to make a decision to buy a GH4, please click on one of the links or display ads on the site. It won't cost you anything and it will help to keep news about great camera deals coming. This site would not exist if it weren't for your support. Thank you.

Blackmagic Studio HD Camera Now Shipping for $1995 from Adorama!

I saw Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty demoing the new Blackmagic Studio Camera at NAB - and it produced fabulous images in a studio setting (which is what it is for). For low budget web, cable and broadcast production, this camera is an incredible value for the money. With a couple of these cameras lenses, mics and a switcher you'll have the basics of a live production setup for around $10,000 - a fraction of the cost of a single traditional broadcast camera, such as the $87.5K Sony HCD 2000 Studio Camera.

It is interesting that Blackmagic has been able to start shipping the Studio Camera so soon after NAB. This augurs well for an early (or, at least, on time) ship date for the Blackmagic Ursa - which I am much more interested in, as an amateur cinematographer.

It will also be interesting to see whether prices on traditional cameras start coming down in reaction to this camera. The big manufacturers in this market have already seen their profits in this market segment decline over the past few years. This will probably drive a few of them out of this line of business.

If anything here has helped you to make a buying decision, please click on one of the links above or the display ad below to order your Studio Camera. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these blog posts coming. Thanks!

Straight Flush - Panasonic GH1/GH2/GH3/GH4 Family Picture

I took this picture almost as soon as I had the GH4 out of its box.  It's hard to remember how revolutionary the GH1 seemed back in 2009.  Video autofocus, an Electronic Viewfinder, camcorder-like recording times, 1080/24fps and a swivel screen made it arguably the most advanced video-capable, large sensor, interchangeable lens camera of its time.

But time marches on, and the new Panasonic GH4 quadruples the video resolution of the earlier cameras - and is a much better still camera too.

I'll be taking the GH3, GH4 and the BMPCC up to the Travis AFB air show in Fairfield, CA for a comparison shoot tomorrow. The GH4's battery is charging, and I'll take a few UHS-1 SD cards to experiment with.

I'll be leaving the old GH1 and GH2 behind, though. I don't see a lot of demand for GH4 comparisons with 2009/2010 era cameras.

Results coming soon!

First 4K Narrative Short Shot with the Panasonic GH4!

Panasonic Australia posts the first official narrative video shot with the new Panasonic GH4. Shot in 4K, but, sadly, rendered down to 720P for YouTube. Hope they post a downloadable version to Vimeo soon!



...and here's the behind-the-scenes:



Can't wait to get my hands on this camera! If this post has helped you to make a buying decision, please click on one of the links above or the display ad below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help keep these blog posts coming. Thanks!

"Videographer's Dream Camera"

The reviews are starting to come in for the Panasonic GH4 - Luminous Landscape, ephotozine and others have had a chance to review the v1.0 version of the camera with production firmware.  ephotozine goes so far as to call it a "videographer's dream camera."

I have to agree - just about every challenge with the GH cameras that shooters have kvetched about for the past five years (except the lack of a built-in ND filter - ugh) has been addressed - and Panasonic quadrupled the resolution of the camera while they were at it.

At $1698 , this camera is a steal.

Zacuto First Look at the Panasonic GH4 - An Even More Awesome Hands-On

Panasonic DMC-GH4 with DMW-YAGH Pro Audio Video Interface Unit - $3298

Who doesn't love Steve and Jens? Another two guys who have contributed a lot to the community (remember the Shootouts?). Well, here's their take on the Panasonic GH4 . This camera looks like it might be the Grail for still/video shooters.

  First Look at the Panasonic Lumix GH4 with Zacuto from Zacuto on Vimeo.

If you haven't pre-ordered this camera yet, you might want to click on these links to get your name on the list at Amazon or Adorama. My guess is that these cameras will be very hard to come by.

McDonalds’ “SuperGood” Ad Campaign Shot with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera!

In a press release today (see link below), Blackmagic Design announced that the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera had been selected as the POV camera for an upcoming McDonalds ad campaign. During the shoot, the camera was attached to the mouthguard of a motorcycle helmet and recorded first person point of view video in 12-bit RAW, which was later transcoded and graded in DaVinci Resolve 10.

Production Company: Native Sons Films, Woodside, CA for Stern Advertising, LA

Interesting quote from Director and DP Joe Murray of Native Sons Films explains why he didn't use 8 bit cameras or a GoPro:

“I also wanted it to look authentic, as if you are looking through a human eye, not a camera, so the footage had to have a sophisticated, cinematic look. Even though it’s a roving, quick point of view, I didn’t want over sharpened, highly compressed images or barreling distortion with a fish eye look. I wanted a naturalistic wide lens look with correct corners and smooth, high quality images, and I couldn’t have done it with any other tool...” Not bad for a camera that costs less than $1000 !

Full press release with more production photos at soundandpicture.com here.