Tuesday, May 28, 2013

New Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Test Footage!

More home movies from Blackmagic guru John Brawley. Unfortunately, the camera is handheld throughout the test (and alcohol seems to be involved :)) - so the images are distractingly shaky - and he uses the not-great Panasonic 14-42 kit lens for the outdoor shots - but the dynamic range, the gradeability and the ISO 800 performance indoors are nevertheless very very impressive.

"Pocket in Kurl" from John Brawley on Vimeo
Click on image to go to video

As always with footage from Blackmagic cameras, I found myself staring at the sky in the outdoor shots and muttering, "it's not blown out!"

This little camera is going to be well-worth the $995 asking price.  Pre-order yours from Adorama here.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Panasonic GH3 Bundle - $1299 at Adorama!


For just $1 more than it costs to buy the camera body-only, you can get a Panasonic GH3 body with a 16GB Class 10 SDHC card, a camera bag, a cleaning kit, 6' of HDMI cable and the Red Giant Adorama Production Bundle. I'll buy that for a dollar!

New Canon 5D Mark III - $2900 on eBay - less than a BMCC!




Excited about the Magic Lantern RAW hack, but don't want to pay $3500 for a body-only 5D Mark III?  Here's a brand new 5D Mark III for $2900 from 6th Ave Express via eBay - less than the price of a $2995 EF Mount Blackmagic Cinema Camera.   6th Ave provides a 1-year parts and 90 day labor warranty. Limited quantity available.

I have not been a big fan of Canon DSLRs for video, but with the RAW hack, the 5D Mark III is suddenly back on the map as the large sensor, interchangeable lens DSL camera with the best resolution and dynamic range.  Sadly for Canon, it is now arguably better than some of the top-end "Cinema EOS" cameras, such as the $12,000 Canon 1D C  - and close to the image quality produced by the $14,000 C300.  Not bad for a $2900 camera.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Panasonic GX2 must be on the way - new GX1s marked down to $199 on eBay!



The terrific little enthusiast compact, the Panasonic GX1, is now marked down to $199 from Roberts Camera via eBay.  According to 4/3 Rumors, this may be related to the expectation that the GX2 will be announced in August.  The GX1 is still a great little still/video camera - and at $199 it's a steal.  They won't last long at this price.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Blowout prices on Canon's First Mirrorless - the EOS M!

Canon's first interchangeable lens mirrorless camera, the EOS M, was much anticipated less than a year ago, but has not been as successful as Canon probably hoped. Even though it takes great pictures and was heavily pre-ordered, sales fell off rapidly - possibly due to the camera's shutter lag, slow autofocus and lack of a viewfinder option.

With a possible replacement now on the horizon, prices for the EOS M have now dropped below $400 ($399.99 with the 22mm STM lens at Amazon and $381.20 silver body-only at BigValue via eBay).



If you are a Canon shooter with an investment in EF glass, and are looking for a smaller second body for travel - or perhaps a B camera for video - you might want to pick up an EOS to EOS M adapter ($159 from Amazon or $129 on eBay) and jump on one if these deals.  They won't last at this price.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Good News for Filmmakers & Videographers - Prices Coming Down on Panasonic GH3!

As Panasonic ramps up production and the camera seems to be in regular stock, we are starting to see discounting on the flagship Panasonic GH3. As of this post, the lowest "Buy It Now" price on eBay is around $1198 - while the lowest used price on Amazon is around $1157.




Even in a world where Canon Rebels are shooting RAW (!), the GH3 is still the lowest priced large sensor, interchangeable lens video-capable camera you can buy with a headphone jack, 1080/60p and a splashproof body. And let's not forget the multiple codecs (AVCHD, .MOV and MP4). As the street price for the GH3 goes down, it becomes an even better value for money.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

First Magic Lantern RAW video from the Canon T3i/600D!

Vimeo user Luis Roberto dos Santos just posted this short clip from his Canon 600D, modified with a "pre-alpha" version of the Magic Lantern RAW firmware .  The clip was recorded to a slow card - so there is some flickering and macro blocking - but it blows standard fuzzy Canon .H264 compression away:


If Magic Lantern is successful at stabilizing the code, this will be huge - possibly bigger than the 5D Mark III news.  RAW video from a $549 still/video camera body? It's a hybrid camera revolution!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Magic Lantern does it again - continuous RAW video from the Canon 5D Mark III!

Andrew Reid at eoshd shot this video on his 5D Mark III with new pre-beta test software from Magic Lantern:



This is very big news - RAW video from a $3300 hybrid still/video camera body. If Magic Lantern can turn this into production software and releases it for free, it is a real game-changer.

First, it undermines the price of the $12,000 Canon 1D C Cinema EOS camera. If this free software upgrade becomes widely available for the 5D Mark III, Canon 1D C sales will likely dry up.

Second, it threatens the use-case for the 2.5K RAW $2995 Blackmagic Cinema Camera, which is yet to ship in large numbers.

The question becomes, would you rather buy a $3299 full frame Canon Mark III still/video camera that is in stock right now and upgrade it to RAW with free software - or would you rather order a $2995 video-only RAW Blackmagic Cinema Camera with a micro 4/3 sized sensor that might ship sometime in the next few months?

I know what I would do.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

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!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Feature Film "Upstream Color" - Shot on Panasonic GH2 - Now in Theaters and on Amazon Instant Video!


I highly recomment Upstream Color, a feature film from all-in-one writer/director/DP/actor Shane Carruth shot on the Panasonic GH2 and now playing at your local theater!

Time Magazine's piece on this film asks if it is "One of the Best Films Ever Made?"

Here is the trailer:




If you can't make it to the theater, or it's not playing near you, you can buy or rent it on Amazon Instant Video.

If you prefer physical media, you can get it on DVD or DVD and Blu Ray.

And if you want to buy a GH2 and make your own movie, there are still a few left at Amazon and eBay :)

Shane is distributing the film himself instead of selling it to a studio - so more of the dollars you spend at the box office or at Amazon go to a fellow indie hybrid still/video camera shooter, and not to big Hollywood.  Pretty cool.

I'll say it again - this is a great time to be a filmmaker!

UPDATE: Box Office Mojo reports that Upstream Color has grossed $401,200 as of today!  We don't know how big the production budget was on this film, but if it was anything like the $7000 he spent on Primer, this is very good news for Shane and for the indie community.

I haven't seen the film yet, but plan to get over to Berkeley to see it this week.  I'll keep you posted.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Best Professional Compact System Camera for 2013 - Panasonic GH3!


The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), an association of the top photography magazines in the United Kingdom,  has named the Panasonic GH3 the "Best CSC Professional" for 2013.

The award says,

"The 16MP Live MOS sensor in the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GH3 boasts sensitivity up to ISO 12,800 with +1EV push capability. Sophisticated noise filtration and suppression and a newly designed low-pass filter provides further enhancement of low light shooting results. Utilizing Contrast AF, the camera boasts improved AF performance along with faster start-up and shorter shutter time lag. The 100% coverage, 3-inch 16:9 Live View finder has a brilliant 1744k dot; there is also an articulated OLED rear view monitor (180 degrees to the side and 270-degrees up and down). A magnesium alloy, full die cast frame and splash-proof/dustproof seals are among the other impressive specs."
Full text of Panasonic Press Release on its 2013 TIPA awards after the jump.

Even though the award principally recognizes the GH3 as a still camera - its lightning fast autofocus and ability to create high quality, low-noise images at high ISOs are pretty useful for filmmaking too.

You can get 2013's "best professional CSC camera" for $1298 at Amazon, Adorama or at Samy's via eBay


 

Panasonic Awarded Prestigious Industry Accolades for its Digital Imaging Products

Panasonic Wins Two Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Awards

Panasonic today announced that it has been awarded two prestigious 2013 TIPA awards, widely recognized as one of the most coveted photo and imaging awards worldwide. Panasonic’s LUMIX DMC-GH3 has been awarded ‘Best CSC Professional’ and the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FT5(TS5) ‘Best Rugged Compact Camera’.
Laurent Abadie, Chairman and CEO, Panasonic Europe said, “We go to great lengths to ensure our digital imaging products deliver the best possible photographic experiences and we provide a wide range of memory cards for all storage and usage needs. It is great to see our efforts rewarded with such industry accolades and we’re honored to again be recognized by the respected international journalists that judge the TIPA awards.”

LUMIX DMC-GH3 for Best CSC Professional

Panasonic’s LUMIX DMC-GH3, the camera for the serious photographer looking to take their professional videography to the next level with a portable interchangeable lens camera, was named ‘Best CSC Professional’, following Panasonic’s LUMIX DMC-GX1 winning the ‘Best Advanced Compact System Camera’ last year.
A TIPA jury spokesperson commented: “The 16MP Live MOS sensor in the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GH3 boasts sensitivity up to ISO 12,800 with +1EV push capability. Sophisticated noise filtration and suppression and a newly designed low-pass filter provides further enhancement of low light shooting results. Utilizing Contrast AF, the camera boasts improved AF performance along with faster start-up and shorter shutter time lag. The 100% coverage, 3-inch 16:9 Live View finder has a brilliant 1744k dot; there is also an articulated OLED rear view monitor (180 degrees to the side and 270-degrees up and down.) A magnesium alloy, full die cast frame and splash-proof/dustproof seals are among the other impressive specs.

LUMIX DMC-FT5(TS5) for Best Rugged Compact Camera

Panasonic’s LUMIX DMC-FT5(TS5), the camera for the adventurous photographer demanding the ultimate tough still and video shooting, was named ‘Best Rugged Compact Camera’ following in the footsteps of the LUMIX DMC-FT3(TS3) which came top of this category in 2011.
A TIPA jury spokesperson commented: “Waterproof to a depth of 13 meters (43 feet), shockproof from a height of 2 meters (6.6 feet), 100kg (220 lbs) of pressure resistance and freeze-proof to -10C (14F), the 16.1MP Panasonic FT5 is an excellent example of today’s breed of outdoor and rugged compacts. Video can be recorded in Full HD (1920 x 1080, AVCHD) with audio capture utilizing Dolby Digital. The Leica DC-Vario Elmar lens (28-128mm equivalent) delivers high quality previews to the 3-inch LCD. Keeping with the “connectivity” trend, the camera has “one touch easy” connection to WiFi that allows for remote capture using the ‘Panasonic Image App’. This also allows for tagging images using GPS functionality.




Sunday, May 5, 2013

Unanimous Decision - Just Like Mayweather Over Guerrero, $648 w Kit Lens is Winning Canon T4i Price

If you are a Canon shooter, and you need a DSLR with touchscreen video autofocus, the T4i is a great option.  I have shot with this camera, and the touchscreen autofocus makes life a lot easier.  Now that the T5i has been introduced, the T4i's price is coming down.  Right now, you can get one for $648 with the 18-55mm kit lens from BuyDig via eBay.  That is $101 lower than the price at Amazon as of this post.



There are only a few available - and they won't last at this price!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

May Day Sale - new Canon 6D with US warranty, $1599.99!

While they last - here is a brand new Canon 6D full-frame camera from Get It Digital via eBay for $1599.99.



For hybrid shooters who emphasize stills over video, this is a great deal if you want to step up to full-frame for not a whole lot more money than the cost of a top-of-the-line crop sensor camera such as the Canon 7D, Nikon D7100 or Panasonic GH3.