Leaked: the specs of the Panasonic GH5S, & *FINALLY* we get the first stills camera with timecode I/O!

This camera has not yet been announced by Panasonic (it will be in a few hours at CES), but the Panasonic GH5S got leaked by Tech Radar.

They put up a page too early, now gets redirected to their old GH5 review.

But Google Cache remembers!

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:nTmLu6vItjcJ:www.techradar.com/news/the-lumix-gh5s-is-panasonics-most-video-focused-camera-yet

Key info:

  • 4k Cinema at 60/50p
    Internal 4:2:2 10-bit
  • V-LOG preinstalled
  • Complies with 4k HDR with Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) mode in photo style.
  • Bundled BNC terminal, built-in time code generator
  • Focus in lower light level -5EV compared to -4EV on GH5
  • Max ISO 51,200
  • 10.2 MP sensor
  • Dual Native ISO
  • Multi-aspect sensor
  • GH5s available from end of January
  • US$2,499

Lots of interesting points there, such as Dual Native ISO like the Varicam LT & Panasonic EVA1, a multi-aspect sensor (means a wider field of view, like the famous GH2 had), and only 10.2MP sensor (“The Megapixel Wars” are truly over!).

But what excites me the most is that *FINALLY* we get the first stills camera with timecode input/output on the camera’s body!! (YAGH doesn’t count)

Because we have had the “HDSLR Revolution” for a number of years now, which have given us glorious image qualities at low prices, but DSLRs (and mirrorless cameras too) have always been rather crippled on the audio front in numerous ways. One example, is always lacking any way to jam timecode. Now all this is going to change with the Panasonic GH5S!

To quote the relevant part from the Tech Radar leak:

The Lumix GH5S is also compatible with Timecode In/out, making it easy to synchronize multiple compatible devices when filming, for pain-free post-production editing. A bundled coaxial cable for a BNC terminal connects to the flash sync terminal of the camera, allowing the camera to be used as a Timecode generator for other GH5S cameras and professional camcorders. 

 

This is amazing news, as it has never been done before. Although the bad news is they’re not using any existing standard for TC I/O….  oh no, not yet another TC cable us soundies need to buy!! But wait, there is good news: it says the GH5S comes bundled with a cable for it to  be used as a BNC connection, thus every GH5S owner will have one. Phew! We can just use our existing standard BNC cables with the GH5S that we already have in our sound kits.

Although it would have been nice to have seen a full size BNC on the GH5S itself (rather than using the bundled cable), it is very understandable that a small mirrorless camera couldn’t have this (but please could we get at least a DIN connection? At least that is used by some TC systems already, such as the Ultrasync ONE. But that is probably even less likely to happen).

And in a way, it is kinda ingeniously smart of the Panasonic engineering team to use the flash sync terminal of the camera as the timecode input/output. Because you’ll never ever need the flash sync terminal otherwise while doing video (the camera flash is only for stills! Not needing while filming).

And if they’d used the 3.5mm audio input or the smartshoe (which can be used for the Panasonic DMW-XLR1, which is an accessory for the original GH5 that allows 2x XLR inputs, & I assume the DMW-XLR1 will stay compatible with the GH5S’ smartshoe) then that would be two steps forward and one step back for the GH5S’ audio capabilities (as you’d gain TC, but lose flexibility in audio inputs).

But by using the flash sync terminal that keeps both the 3.5mm jack and the smartshoe free to be used as an audio input source, My hope (because as of yet, we have no detailed info at all as to how many tracks of audio it can record at once) is the GH5S will allow us to use both at once! To record 4 tracks simultaneously.

At a “minimum” hopefully the 2x XLR inputs via the smartshoe (the Panasonic DMW-XLR1or the stereo 3.5mm input, plus the built in stereo mic. Thus allowing you to use a stereo camera hop from your bag to the camera, while also keeping a safety scratch track from the camera’s own built in stereo mic (to wish to record all six tracks at once is just greedy and dreaming! 2x XLR + stereo 3.5mm + built in stereo mic). I expect however my hopes will be dashed to pieces!

But if not now, perhaps we can push Panasonic for a firmware update to do this? Who knows. We are living in a brave new world of audio possibilities on a stills camera!

 

Panasonic GH5 with the Panasonic DMW-XLR1

Panasonic GH5 with the Panasonic DMW-XLR1

 

Smartshoe of Panasonic GH5S used for DMW-XLR1

Smartshoe of Panasonic GH5S used for DMW-XLR1

 

Just had one final closing thought: I assume the the Panasonic DMW-XLR1 for the GH5 will be compatible with the GH5S as well. But maybe they will be updating that too, bringing out a “Panasonic DMW-XLR2” with excellent pre-amps and limiters? But also this new “DMW-XLR2” for the GH5S would be the perfect opportunity for Panasonic to include an industry standard BNC connection for timecode (or at least a DIN connection!). Assuming the smartshoe on the GH5S can support not just audio being passed through, but timecode too. Would be wonderful!

Minor final final note: “what about the Panasonic GH4 with a YAGH??”  Nope, that doesn’t count. As the Panasonic GH4 never had a timecode input on the body itself. (plus the YAGH was quite the flop, as it was awkwardly cumbersome, needed external powering just to use it!!) While the Panasonic GH5S doesn’t need any extra purchases whatsoever, as the TC input is right there on the body itself (and as a bonus: comes with a timecode cable for it! But you could easily make up your own if you wanted to).

First Ever Panasonic GH5 Footage Spotted Online…

Take a look at Griffin Hammond’s latest YouTube upload:

Check out what YouTube says: 4K 60p!

 Yet it is shot on the Panasonic 42.5mm f1.2 lens….
& Griffin Hammond is a Panasonic brand ambassador.
You connect the dots! 😉  All the clues are pointing in one direction….   seems like GH5 footage to me! (the close ups that is)

Confirmed: confidential Panasonic GH5 prototype exists, is being tested by users outside of Panasonic.

UPDATE: nope, unfortunately it is just the Panasonic FZ2500 (unless Panasonic has another superzoom camera secretly under development it plans to release very shortly after the just announced FZ2500??? While an FZ2500 with a constant f2.8 lens would be wonderful, I highly doubt Panasonic is bringing out a new camera for this particular niche so soon after the FZ2500 announcement).

This does however strike me as very odd, that Panasonic lends “The Camera Store TV”  a camera marked confidential which has been announced in all its detail, can be pre-ordered, and even has had many multiple hands on reviews online already. So why on earth mark it confidential??

Anyway, you can see for yourself by looking at this picture of the Panasonic FZ2500 and comparing it with the image from Jordan Drake, they appear to be the same:

bildschirmfoto-2016-09-25-um-08-38-38


First photo of the Panasonic GH5 in action out in the wild! There had been doubters as to if Panasonic is up to the stage yet of having a prototype Panasonic GH5 body to hand out to outside testers to try out the GH5 for feedback to give Panasonic, well you can’t get a clearer confirmation than this:

instagram-thecamerastoretv-gh5-confidential-prototype

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKvyqb-DPIo/

Clearly by just looking at the picture you can tell it is a Panasonic body! But if you need even further proof of this, you can see Panasonic Lumix Canada’s response on Instagram “Anything for you guys Jordan !!” (Jordan is the name of the videographer for The Camera Store TV) and on Twitter:

 

Next question is which Panasonic body is this?? Due to the placement of the viewfinder we can say there are only four possibilities:

1) Panasonic GH4 successor (a Panasonic GH5)

2) Panasonic G80 successor (a Panasonic G90)

3) this is just an old photo taken before the Panasonic G80 announcement (but only now being shared after the G80 announcement)

4) an entirely new line of cameras

 

As the Panasonic G80 only just came out, and we already saw the Panasonic G7 released after the Panasonic GH4 came out, it seems very unlikely there will be a Panasonic G90 coming out before the Panasonic GH5 is released.

While there is maaaaaybe a chance Panasonic is releasing a new line up of cameras, perhaps their take on a Canon C100 body but with a MFT sensor inside it? That however seems very unlikely.

If you compared this picture with the back of the Panasonic G80, you can see it clearly is not the G80. So we can rule out that possibility.

Thus the only reasonable conclusion we can have, is that this is the Panasonic GH4 successor, and we’re seeing here the first ever picture of the Panasonic GH5 body in action (and not just the mock up that Panasonic showed at Photokina hidden in a glass case).

How does this compare to the current Panasonic GH4 body:

panasonic-dmc-gh4-back

 

We can see this Panasonic GH5 prototype has moved the Q.MENU button up to be next to the AF/AE LOCK button, and thus presumably the record button has been moved elsewhere? I wonder where…. presumably on the top, like we can see here on the Panasonic GH5 mock up shown at Photokina:

photokina-panasonic-gh5-body-top

(one small notable difference between these two pictures however is that Photokina Panasonic GH5 mock up appears to have a button (small joystick?!) located between the AF/AE LOCK and the EVF, however you can’t see this in the Instagram picture? Unless maybe the angle of the photo means it is obscured by the eyecup, but I doubt it)

 

Couple of key conclusions we can take from this is that Panasonic is well developed along their process of bringing out the Panasonic GH5, so we can be very confident it is indeed on track to be released in the first half of 2017, and that it is very encouraging that Panasonic is actively seeking out and getting feedback from a wide range of top notch users (such as Jordan Drake, Illya Friedman, Griffin Hammond, Luke Neumann, Chris Niccolls, & Nick Driftwood, just to name a few). Means the Panasonic GH5 is sure to be an excellent and well polished product when it is launched! (just like the GH1/GH2/GH3/GH4 have each been!)

Panasonic GH5 leak: will have full size HDMI! (also, a new XLR audio extension, & low light improvement over the GH4)

Looks like the bastard awful days of micro HDMI might be over? I’ve heard from a Panasonic GH5 tester that it will have *full size* HDMI! (am very happy to hear that!) One stop better as well, and IBIS too.

 

In other news, we can see this on top of the GH5 body at Photokina:

panasonic_gh5_hands_on_photokina

 

panasonic-gh5-xlr-audio-addition

 

panasonic-gh5-xlr-audio-addition-close-up

 

Very pleased to see, as I have many times suggested, that Panasonic should go with a Sony XLR-K2M audio addition instead of doing another YAGH again!

 

While it is exciting reading about all the new features the Panasonic GH5 will bring (such as 4K 60fps or 4K 30fps 10bit 422), it is somewhat  depressing reading on other places on the internet how quick the anti-MFT trolls are out, and of course their first red herring is “but it sucks at low light”.

This low light argument reminds me of the megapixel race, sure there was big benefits from going from 2 megapixels to 5 megapixels, then to 12 megapixels, but then at around 16 megapixels to 24 megapixels range… the arguments got a lot weaker. And for 99.9% of users we don’t need 50 megapixels!

Ditto low light, not being constrained by 50 ISO film is AWESOME, then getting to 200 ISO… great! And now we can do workable 800 and 1600 and even 3200 ISO!

 

 

The Panasonic GX85 is as good in lowlight as the new Canon 5Dmk4 (but the GX85 is a fraction of the cost! & has better detail):

 

Let’s assume GH5 carries on and is one stop better even than that? How is that not a very workable ability to handle?

Do we NEED to have clean 100,00 ISO?? Nah, that is over the top in nearly all cases. Like having a 100 megapixel camera (for some people they’ll *need* that, but for most of us it is serious overkill and a bad compromise to purchase a 100 megapixel camera).

Plus remember there is the Metabones Speed Booster XL that gives Micro Four Thirds an extra 1.3 stop gain with the lens you’re using, nothing else has that aside from MFT. And Micro Four Thirds mount has access to a uniquely wide range of very fast lenses (I love my SLR Magic 25mm T0.95!).

I’d rather pass on the unnecessary over the top extreme high ISO capabilities and have instead the well polished and extensive range of features that the GH5 will have (just like Panasonic had each time with the GH1/GH2/GH3/GH4, relative to the other cameras of their time). So while yes I agree, better lowlight would be nice, let’s keep some perspective about this (when do you ever hear anyone complaining about lowlight from a new Canon APS-C release?!).

 

Lens Options for 360 Degree Virtual Reality Camera Rigs? And other thoughts on cameras.

Sony 360 Degree Virtual Reality Camera Rig

I’m a long way from upgrading my multiple (from six to a dozen cameras at once!) action cameras 360 Degree Virtual Reality Rig (thus I don’t need to worry about interchangeable lens options on this rig), but when I do I am thinking to go with Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera. Even though high resolution is very important for 360VR.

If you do go with 4K cameras then the Panasonic GH4 is a very popular 4K option (such as these guys using GH4 cameras for 360VR: http://shinichi-works.info/project_gh4.html). Also there is the Sony a7R mk2 / a7S mk2 options (but costs skyrocket, after all you’re not buying just one camera but many!) or Sony A6300 (which has overheating issues, an especially troubling issue if you have six of these operating all cramped up close together to each other! As then they’ll overheat even faster). Also Blackmagic Design has their Micro Studio Camera, but that requires an external 4K recorder, which introduces significant size/power/cost issues. Samsung NX1 is also very much worth a look (& NX500, but in 4K it has a harsh crop factor), but it is a dying system and ever since the NX1 hack came out the secondhand prices of the NX1 have been staying high.

Thus in the end I’d prefer the BlackMagic Micro Cinema Camera (BMMCC), because I’d prefer the dynamic range, bit depth, and color space of the BMMCC. And while the Panasonic GH4 / G7 does a max of 30p @ 4K, you are gaining resolution but giving up frame rate and I’d rather keep it at 60fps (as arguably high frame rates are nearly just as important for Virtual Reality as resolution is. Least you give the viewer motion sickness. And you can get higher resolution by using more cameras!). Presumably the GH5 will give 4K 60fps, but that will probably cost US$2K or more per camera (and you need many multiple ones of them of course for complete 360 degree coverage!), and it hasn’t even been announced yet so who knows.

Though given the likely length of time until I’ll be upgrading, we’ll surely see a Panasonic G7 sale by then which might make that option too cheap to resist vs going with BlackMagic Micro Cinema Cameras.

Anyway, I have still been putting a lot of thought & research this year into the various options for the future, and I decided I’d at last put the metaphorical pen to paper and share a few of my thoughts on this particular aspect of lens choices. We can broadly speaking split it into three groups:

  • a) native mount (i.e. MFT lens, or E mount lenses if a person was using A6300/A7 series instead), but then this can severely limit a person a couple of years down the track if they change bodies. It would be a lot smoother / cheaper if only the bodies need to be swapped out and not lenses as well. I’d like to have some degree of versatility with this rig.
  • b) full frame UWA lenses (in Nikon F mount of course, as I’ve explained in other blog posts), but not an option as you can’t then go truly wide if using them on APS-C or smaller bodies. And A7r mk2 / A7s mk2 are the only truly interesting options to consider here for use that are full frame. Maybe with the one exception of the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 lens, which does almost hit the sweet spot for price & focal length even when used on APS-C. Or the Rokinon 12mm F2.8, but then you have to deal with fisheye distortion.
  • c) APS-C UWA lens, this appears to hit the sweet spot of maximum versatility plus maximum FoV.

 

    APS-C lens options:
  • Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6, max FoV but I’d be concerned about the slow f-stop, as then you’d start to be losing one of the key gains of ditching GoPros with their poor lowlight ability.
  • Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 (or the newer Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8, but that costs more so no), this is the lens I own myself and is in my eyes the “best” UWA lens for normal filmmaking, but does that mean it is for 360VR too?? Hmm
  • Rokinon 10mm f/2.8, is lighter/cheaper/wider (all 3 keys points for a 360VR rig) than the Tokina but is a fixed focal length (probably not a disadvantage though at all! As you absolutely don’t want that focal length to change once you’ve set it, thus why people will tape down zoom lenses if using them on a 360VR rig). However the Rokinon 10mm f/2.8 isn’t cheaper than Tokina when you consider the older Tokina models can easily be picked up secondhand, but the Rokinon can’t be so easily found at all secondhand as it is a newer lens.
  • Rokinon 16mm f/2, the fastest option but by this point at 16mm it is only barely UWA at all.

Outside these options listed, I can’t think of any good UWA lenses, or am I missing something? Everything else that comes to mind seems that they’d all be a worse compromise somewhere in price/FoV/speed/etc than these four that I listed.

Keen to hear in the comments your views on my thought process and each of the options I reached at!

Speculation: RED Raven vs URSA Mini 4.6K vs Kinefinity Terra 6K

12909428_10204282594064188_3406063360962732097_o

RED Raven, Blackmagic Design URSA Mini 4.6K, and Kinefinity Terra 6K (there is also a 5K option, which gives a global shutter):

They all offer higher than 4K resolution in raw with a S35 sized sensor (although…. RED Raven barely barely squeaks in here as an option, because its max 4.5K option is only possible when shooting wide. Doing standard 16:9 and it drops down to “merely” 4K resolution, and its crop factor then ends up being closer to a Panasonic GH2 than a S35 camera! But you’re stuck with the awkward Canon EF mount with no way to speedbooster it to get a wider field of view from your lenses).

RED’s Raven and Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini are no strangers to us if you’re followers of camera news, but Kinefinity unfortunately is unknown to many even though they’ve released many cameras over the years. And now yesterday they released the Terra 6K and Terra 5K! Here is a list of Kinefinity’s current cameras that they sell (which doesn’t include in this list their oldest models):

114932waz9ur91muirhiu5

The Kinefinity Terra 6K has an impressive listing of specs, putting its features at near to RED Scarlet-W territory. And uses the proven Kinefinity 6K sensor which we’ve seen before with the KineMAX 6K can produce nice imagery, so hopes are high with the Terra 6K (the cheaper Terra 5K however uses a new 5K sensor which we’ve never seen anything from before).

So which of the top 3 low budget cameras with higher than 4K raw options would I likely prefer?

If you don’t factor in the price / support / brand name cred, then I’d go for a Kinefinity Terra 6K over URSA Mini 4.6K or RED Raven any day of the week.

However… in the real world those are factors to consider, thus here I go:

For brand name recognition it would rank: 1st) RED 2nd) BMD 3rd) KineFinity (“who??” Unfortunately would be a common reaction)

Customer support: 1st) RED 2nd) Blackmagic Design 3rd) Kinefinity (though the gap back to 3rd would be smaller if you’ve got a Chinese speaking partner to help smooth out the language barriers and provide a connection in China, which I do)

Price: URSA Mini 4.6K, then a Terra 6K would be roughly the same price or maybe a little more (or maybe even less, as the Terra 6K starts out more expensive but has radically cheaper media than a UM46, which would claw back the cost gap. So it depends on your personal configuration), and then finally last would be a complete RED Raven package which is about double the price of a similar UM46 kit (or even nearly 3x time the cost, once RED’s higher accessories costs are factored in). Which then simply rules out the RED Raven for me. (however, if you work in an environment where specifically RED is being requested by your clients over and over again, then swallowing the multiple times higher cost for a RED simply becomes the smart business decision to go for. Rather than buying a camera package which won’t get picked up and used)

And so I’d be left with a tight contest between UM46 or Terra 6K (cost is basically the same more or less, and arguably the support with Kinefinity isn’t “too much” worse than BMD?? Depends on your location in the world, and how much of a language barrier you’d experience personally with Chinese).

Do you go for the well known, and a bit better supported, URSA Mini? Or take a punt on the Terra 6K with its better features? (smaller size / higher frame rates / higher resolution / more mount options / focal reducer option / WiFi / radically lower power consumption / cheaper media / more input & output options / 3D sync / claimed higher dynamic range / likely better low light / etc)

I’m feeling like leaning towards the Kinefinity Terra 6K!

A video shot with the Kinefinity KineMAX 6K (same sensor as is in the new Terra 6K):

Colours of Culture Bali (by KineMAX) from Kinefinity on Vimeo.

Kinefinity has put up prices now in English (so no more needing to translate Chinese, and convert RMB to NZD/USD):
http://www.kinefinity.com/shop/terra_preorder/?lang=en

Terra 6K Body is: US$5,999
Basic package is: US$6,999
Pro Pack is: US$8,999

Looking at that it would seem either the body only with the KineBACK + KineGRIP (about US$1.5K extra), or the Terra Pro Pack are the most interesting options (as I reckon a KineBACK is pretty close to essential to have as an option for professional shooting, and the KineGRIP is just so nifty to have if you want to slim down the Terra to merely DSLR size). Then kit out the rest of what is needed from your existing gear collection. If you need extra batteries they’re cheap (as the power draw of a Terra is less than half of a RED Raven or UM46, and BP-U batteries or V mount can be sourced cheaply from eBay), and media is cheap too (as you can use off the shelf SSDs if they’re fast enough, you don’t need pricey MINI-MAGs from RED or CFast cards).

Brainstorming a future US$3,000 Samsung cinema camera.

Samsung NX1

http://www.eoshd.com/2015/11/official-statement-samsung-withdraws-from-camera-market-in-germany/

This is a shame because the NX1 and NX500 are best in class for video performance and features, in some ways for stills too. Perhaps Samsung should consider building a professional $3000 cinema camera based around the Super 35mm sensor in the NX1 which plays on their astounding technological strengths

Andrew Reid suggested Samsung should make a cinema camera, and thought that is such a great idea it deserves its own detailed response thus this blog post . (waves to Samsung reps! Hopes they’re reading…. one can but hope!)

I don’t think it would take much more to get there (well…. it would be a significant sized project for Samsung for sure, but easily well within their grasp to pull off). Because the Samsung NX1 is already such a fantastic video camera! The best at its price point, and arguably the best stills camera for filming with at *any* price point! Even over a year later since the Samsung NX1 was announced. (yes, I’m even including the new Sony A7s mk2 in this comparison! Though what is “best” at this point can at times get to be highly subjective, depending on what you place more or less weight on as being important) Thus we could easily imagine how great a pro version of the NX1 focused on filming (rather than photo stills) could be….

All Samsung need to do is increase the size of the NX1 body the minimum amount needed so it can do this (perhaps C100/C300 shape/size? Although, I’d much much rather have the ergonomics of an FS5/FS7! But even if, g-d forbid, it has the shape of an FS100/FS700 then I’d still be “ok” with that that!):

  1. Make space for dual mSATA slots, perhaps mSATA already in their own simple plastic casing like what Atomos does with SSDs (I think Sound Devices made a good choice going mSATA on their small PIX-E5 recorder, and in a small camera it makes even more sense over the large SSDs). Dual slots are needed so you can write a proxy to the 2nd slot, or just simply if you need the extra bandwidth when doing 6.5K raw at high speed. Can’t stick with SD cards, as they won’t handle 4K ProRes HQ, which leads me onto my next point….
  2. Add DNxHR / ProRes, whichever licensing of DNxHR or ProRes is easiest for them to get. Though having ProRes HQ would be preferable I suspect over DNxHR (just because ProRes is more commonly recognised by the market, thanks to BMD and others widely using them), plus ProRes 444 or even raw would be dreamy! (but maybe a little unrealistic in a $3k camera?!)
  3. Add two XLR inputs.
  4. Make its HDMI port a full sized HDMI port.
  5. Add two SDI outputs (important to have two, what happens if one breaks? You’ll have a nearly useless camera for many people, as SDI is for them *essential*. Plus is very common to run more than one monitor in a production environment, thus got to have two)

I think if Samsung did this (and nothing else, just the five points listed above: mSATA + DNxHR/ProRes + XLR + full HDMI + SDI inputs) for US$3,000 then they’d have a huge huge indy cinema camera hit on their hands! The next DVX100 or 5Dmk2 of our generation??

Even if it came out at US$5k I reckon it could maybe still be rather successful, although it would be up against the URSA Mini 4.6K, Sony FS5, and Canon C100 mk2, all at a similar price point. (plus whatever else comes out in the next 6 months)

For bonus points Samsung could do:

  1. Camera mount: just before, I’m assuming they’re sticking with the Samsung NX mount that the NX1 has, and only making the body a little bit bigger. As Andrew mentioned perhaps their mount held back sales of the NX1, maybe this cinema camera should have a different mount? Ideally I’d like to see them use the Sony FZ mount (as this would mark it out as a true cinema camera, able to be used with the best of the best cinema lenses, yet also allowing tremendous flexibility with this mount!), next best choice would be using the Sony E mount, 3rd best is Micro Four Thirds (like the JVC LS300). Branding/marketing/licensing issues mean I expect sadly all of these are out of the question. Thus I feel the best Samsung can realistically do is create their own open cinema mount, which has similar features to the Sony FZ mount. But make it completely open and easy for anybody else to adapt. Thus Samsung will start off by selling their Samsung Cinema Camera with the high prestige PL Mount, but in a blink of an eye we’ll see third party manufacturers offering adapters for everything you can possibly imagine (like they do now for the Sony FZ mount!).
  2. High Speed Options: apparently their engineers managed 6.5K 240fps in testing, maybe we could at least get this cinema camera to give us 1080p 240fps or 4K 60fps?
  3. High than 4K resolutions: give us all 6.5K resolution from the sensor!! 😮
  4. Raw: need I say any more? This could hit it out of the park!

What are your thoughts? Write a comment below! Remember, it should be based on the existing underlying NX1 technology (so not too much more R&D is needed for Samsung to get it to market. As even this limited list would take a huge effort on Samsung’s part to make happen) or using commonplace readily available tech (such as mSATA, or SDI connections) and hit a US$3k price point or at least not more than a couple thousand over that.

Canon Cinema EOS XC10, shoots 4K video and has 1 inch sensor.

With the popular success of the Panasonic GH4 with video shooters, the rumour mills have been running for a while now that Canon will respond with their own camera to beat the GH4. Well, it is officially announced now…. the Canon Cinema EOS XC10.

canon-cinema-eos-xc10-shoots-4k-video-and-has-1-inch-sensor

The Canon Cinema EOS XC10 has a few nice things about it. However, immediately from looking at the specs these factors stand out to me:

  • Slow f/5.6 at the end of the zoom.
  • No other lens option, as it is essentially a bridge cam, with one permanently attached.
  • Only one ND setting, and off.
  • No XLR
  • 1″ sensor
  • Doesn’t use normal cheap SD cards, needs expensive CFast cards for 4K (SD only work with 1080).
  • No raw photos! (which kills of the whole concept of this being a hybrid camera. If you can’t shoot raw stills, why even bother with the hotshoe which is compatible with Canon’s speedlites??? Very strange combo!)

The XC10 also uses yet another new H.264 format:
http://www.canon.com/news/2015/apr08e.html

Too many black marks against the Canon Cinema EOS XC10 in my view. One or two of these factors and the XC10 might still overall make enough sense to consider. But not like this. It certainly will not be a “GH4 killer”, and the XC10 is lacking as a better run and gun option, neither does the XC10 fit into a cheaper niche. Because it has an expected price of “around £1599.99” (£1999.99 with a 128GB CFast card).

Better off getting a Panasonic FZ1000 / Sony RX10 / Panasonic LX100 for much less. Or spending the same and getting a Panasonic GH4 / Samsung NX1 with lens or a Sony PXW-X70 / Sony FDR-AX100 (with Sony XLR-K2M).

Plus the Canon Cinema EOS XC10 won’t go on sale into June 2015

But who knows how it really will go? As Canon does have a knack for releasing cameras with disappointing specs sheets for their inflated prices, that then sell better than it would suggest.

Check out the link for Canon’s press release and more info:
http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/news/canon_launches_the_innovative_xc10.do

Canon Australia has on their YouTube channel a sample video:

Currently has more thumbs up and than thumbs down on it…. yeah, can see the reaction too from the comments:

“I had to watch some A7s videos to stop my eyes being hurt )=”

“I use Panasonic GH4, and I think this camera is not a big deal. I compared the quality, GH4 much more impressive, and sharper in 4K.”

“It looks like Galaxy S6 4K footage… So disappointing…”

“Unless it’s turned off, you’re not selling the IS with 1:00”

“Ok its like home videos from hell quality. very “video” like and “artificial” feel to it.. Its a another fail from Canon….. Nothing cinema feel here. Move along, nothing to see here….”

“my goodness this promo video looks & sounds about 20 years old… not a good video to promote an “exciting” new camera”

“This video is so f*ck*ng *** I’m selling all my Canon gear and buying a GH4 and A7S and a NX 1.”

Commenters on the internet can be so polite sometimes!

Canon USA have uploaded an “introduction to XC10” video:

Samsung is about to release a cheaper NX1 with 4K…. or does the NX500 only have 2.5K?

The Samsung NX1 has been getting attention on both the photography side for having the highest resolution APS-C sensor on the market (28 megapixels, greater than any full frame Canon DSLR!), but even more so on the film side for being the second system camera after the Panasonic GH4 to have internal 4K recording.

Now it appears that Samsung is bringing out a cheaper version of the Samsung NX1 called the “NX500” with a lot of the benefits which made the NX1 so great!

Here are the leaks:

Over in Italy there is a promotional offer:

Nella presente Operazione il prodotto promozionato è la Smart Camera NX a marchio Samsung modelli NX1, NX30, NX300, NX500, NX3000, NX3300.

Which Google Translate tells me means “In this operation the product being promoted is the Smart Camera Samsung NX-branded models NX1, NX30, NX300, NX500, NX3000, NX3300.”

Now neither NX500 or NX3300 are cameras which Samsung currently makes! Yet it says the promotion is “Dal 12 gennaio 2015 al 31 marzo 2015 inclusi” (“From 12 January 2015 until March 31, 2015 included.”). I’m guessing somebody slipped up and including cameras which are not out, but will be available to buy before the promotion ends on March 31st.

We can get a better guess at exactly when they do ship as this store in the Netherlands has already put up the option to pre-order them along with expected shipping dates: Shipment date in the Netherlands is 30 January 2015 for NX3300 at €449 (already down from €600??) and 6 March 2015 for NX500 at €749 (already down from €999??).

Sadly these links lack any specs info, except for the Dutch Photo Semeins store which says the NX500 has a “28 megapixel BSI APS-C” sensor. Which very strongly indicates it will have the same sensor in it as is in the Samsung NX1!

But… Photo Semeins isn’t the only Dutch web store with info up about these new Samsung cameras! (what is it with these Dutch stores huh? I’m guessing it is somebody at Samsung Netherlands who let the info out too early)

The Dutch store Foto Tuerlings also has info available about the Samsung NX500:

Samsung NX500

Translated this says:

In mid-February available !!
specs:

1. 28M BSI CMOS sensor
2. Hybrid Auto Focus System (Phase Detection + Contrast AF) AF 205 points!
3. 9 frames per second shooting continious
4. New SMART options: GEO tagging, 4x faster WiFi connection, Bluetooth etc.
5. 2.5K (Quad HD) movie
5. UHD Timelaps Video
6. Tilt flip-up Super AMOLED display with Touch
7. Double control wheel

First of all, these are same nice looking specs for a budget priced camera!

What exactly “Quad HD” is and what exactly “2.5K” is can vary a little depending on who you ask, just like how the meaning of “4K” can vary by a few pixels here and there.

So the Blackmagic Cinema Camera for instance is 2.5K and is 2432×1366.

Quad HD is also knowns as QHD, or even as short for WQHD (Wide Quad HD), or 1440p. To quote Wikipedia for more info:

…is a display resolution of 2560×1440 pixels in a 16:9 aspect ratio. It has four times as many pixels as the 720p HDTV video standard, hence the name.

Thus Quad HD is 4x HD (720p) but is not the 4x FHD (“Full HD”, i.e. 1080p) or “4K” that you might hope for.

None the less, having Quad HD / 1440p is very handy for a filmmaker who is providing FHD output! As it gives you a better quality HD file, and extra room in post to play around with stabilisation or other aspect rations without dropping below FHD resolution after cropping.

However… maybe Foto Tuerlings got it wrong, and it has 4K as well as “2.5K”?

After all, Samsung itself leaked that the NX500 has 4K:

Sensitivity: ISO 100 – 32000
Highest Sensitivity: Manually ISO 32000, ISO 25600 Auto ISO limit
Top shutter speed: ISO 1/4000
Video: 4095×2160 (24p), 3840×2160 (25p / 30p), 1920×1080 (50p / 60p), 1920×1080 (25p / 30p)

And back last month there was rumours of the Samsung NX400 (which would actually be info for the NX500 we would assume) that said it too has 4K (and will be released in February). But… the day before a different website said their rumour it is will not have 4K! (and they said it will be released in January instead)

So will it have 4K or not? Hopefully it will! Fingers and toes crossed.

Anyway, it is a camera to keep your eye on! If it does have 4K, this might be my first 4K camera? (especially once it goes on sale at a reduced price for the body only) As while I’ve purchased a Sony A7s, it will need an expensive Atomos Shogun as its external recorder to do 4K. (although… if the soon to come Sony A7000 surprises us and has internal 4K, maybe I’ll be getting that? I’ve got high hopes for the A7000, just add IBIS and 4K!)

UPDATE (18th of January):

PhotoRumors.com has released 3D renders of what the NX500 is meant to look like:

NX5000 render
NX500 render and info

Additionally, you can now pre order it from B&H:

NX500 B and H