4K TVs have come a long way and the price has come down quite a bit. These models would have cost more than double their current prices just a few years ago.
Some Beautiful Sony A6500 Footage
As much we dislike some aspects of the Sony A6500 (rolling shutter, 8-bit color, battery life, etc.) it can produce a beautiful image. We hope its successor might include 60P. Here are some recent examples:
More on the Sony A7R III
That lack of 60P or 10-bit color on the Sony A7R III is disappointing. In this regards the Panasonic GH5 remains preferable. But if you’re looking for a smaller full-frame camera that can shoot video too then the Sony A7R III is hard to beat.
Panasonic EVA1: Looking Good
ProAV TV has provided a great video where they compare the Panasonic EVA1 against the usual suspects from the other brands. This is not a rigorous, scientific comparison, nor does it claim to be, but it provides some excellent, quick, real world comparisons.
DJI Zenmuse X7 6K Super 35 Video Camera for Drones
This should be an interesting drone camera. The $2700 price tag isn’t cheap (and $1300 per lens or $4300 for all 4) but it will potentially serve the prosumer and low-end pro market well. However, it appears the effective sensor size when shooting video is 23.5 x 12.5mm which is different from super 35 and a bit of a let down.
October 11, 2017 – DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today introduced the Zenmuse X7, the world’s first Super 35 digital film camera optimized for professional aerial cinematography. Designed to work seamlessly with the DJI Inspire 2 drone, the Zenmuse X7 delivers superior image quality, interchangeable lenses, and a new DJI Cinema Color System for post-production to give film and video professionals more creative freedom.
“The Zenmuse X7 offers everything professional content creators need to make their aerial footage as stunning and vivid as they demand,” said Paul Pan, Senior Product Manager at DJI. “From the large Super 35 sensor to a new mount, lenses, and color system, the Zenmuse X7 gives cinematographers and professional photographers an unmatched set of tools that work seamlessly with the DJI Inspire 2 drone to capture high-quality footage that is easily integrated into projects shot with industry-leading handheld cameras.”
Greater Expressive Freedom
The Zenmuse X7 is equipped with a Super 35 video sensor featuring 14 stops of dynamic range for more detail in low-light conditions. Its low-noise image capture enhances grading flexibility by preserving details in both highlight and dark areas while enabling a shallow cinematic depth of field.
To meet the rigorous requirements of filmmakers and television production professionals, the Zenmuse X7 captures the highest image resolutions ever for an integrated drone camera. It is capable of shooting 6K CinemaDNG RAW or 5.2K Apple ProRes at up to 30 FPS, as well as 3.9K CinemaDNG RAW or 2.7K ProRes at up to 59.94 FPS to integrate seamlessly into industry-standard post-production workflows.
Enhanced Imaging Potential
The Zenmuse X7 uses a dedicated aerial mount system, the DJI DL-Mount, featuring an ultra-short flange focal distance to carry prime lenses optimally. Available with focal lengths of 16 mm, 24 mm, 35 mm, and 50 mm, each lens has a maximum aperture of F/2.8 and is crafted out of carbon fiber, making them durable and lightweight for high-performance aerial cinematography with the DJI Inspire 2 drone.
To allow for advanced setting adjustment and fine-tuning, the 16mm lens is equipped with a built-in ND 4 filter, and the 24 mm, 35 mm, and 50 mm lenses feature a mechanical shutter.
Higher Flexibility in Post-Production
DJI has also introduced a new DJI Cinema Color System (DCCS) making the Zenmuse X7 an asset on every film set for movies, TV series, commercials, documentaries, and more.
“For the Zenmuse X7, we took our color science to the next level,” continued Pan. “We consulted the world leading authorities in color science, Technicolor. With their guidance, our engineers developed an optimized gamma curve for the X7 allowing more latitude without sacrificing image quality.”
DCCS features a new D-Log Curve and D-Gamut RGB color space to give more flexibility and color options during the post-production process. The D-Log further extends the dynamic range, while the D-Gamut RGB color space preserves more color information to support the most demanding filmmaking scenarios, providing accurate color for quick and easy post-processing.
The new EI Mode mimics the way a film camera works to help cinematographers capture as much information as possible in every scene while balancing the dynamic range and noise with different log curves for more flexibility during the post-production process.
The Zenmuse X7 gimbal system weighs just 631 grams with the 16 mm lens. The DJI Inspire 2 has a flight time of up to 23 minutes with the Zenmuse X7. For more info about the Zenmuse X7, visit www.dji.com/zenmuse-x7.
Price and Availability
The Zenmuse X7 camera is priced at $2,699 USD. The 16 mm, 24 mm and 35 mm lenses will be available for $1,299 each, and the 50 mm for $1,199. Customers can purchase the Zenmuse X7 prime lens combo including all 4 lenses for $4,299. The Zenmuse X7 will start shipping in early November 2017 from store.dji.com, in DJI Flagship Stores and through DJI Authorized Dealers worldwide.
DJI Care Refresh will be available for the Zenmuse X7 camera gimbal system as well as for the Inspire 2 drone. For more info, visit http://www.dji.com/service/djicare-refresh.
Timelapse Shot on the Sony A7R III
Both the Nikon D850 and the Sony A7R III should be excellent time-lapse photography tools. Of course the accessory equipment makes a huge difference too so don’t expect results like these without it.
Nikon D850 Best Video Settings
Who would have thought we would say the day where Nikon bested Canon for video in their DSLR. The D850 is an exceptional stills cam. Perhaps the best stills cam with its sensor size. So having great video is a bonus too and makes for a great hybrid camera.
Panasonic EVA1 Footage
We are still waiting on some side-by-side comparisons with Blackmagic, Canon and Sony, but everything is pointing to Panasonic having a winner here so far.
Sony’s 1″ Stacked Sensor Camcorders
The lack of 60FPS makes these dead in the water for some people. It’s really inexcusable this late into 2017. If you don’t need the 60P these are cheaper than Canon’s new 1″ offerings.