Revenge of the Zacuto Shootout 2012 – Part 3 review

Saturday, 18 August, 2012 12:15

Zacuto shootout 2012 - part 3

The third and final part of Zacuto’s debate provoking documentary on cinematography and cameras is out. Part 3 is to me kind of like Revenging the Revenge because it goes back to a non-creative scientific (empirical) test of the cameras.

They appear in order of cost from the $700 iPhone to the $70,000 Sony F65 and each are treated with the same lighting, similar settings and the same grading to match as closely as possible.

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Zacuto Revenge Shootout 2012 Part 2 shock – Francis Ford Coppola and majority prefer Panasonic GH2

Sunday, 15 July, 2012 23:22

Francis Ford Coppola gives his answer in the Zacuto Shootout, choosing in order of preference the Panasonic GH2, Alexa and Epic

Francis Ford Coppola gives his answer in the new Zacuto Shootout, choosing in order of preference the Panasonic GH2 (lit by Colt Seaman), Alexa and Epic

Get the most from the GH2 – Read the EOSHD GH2 Shooter’s Guide

The results are in from Zacuto’s Revenge Of The Great Camera Shootout 2012. The majority of those at the cinema screenings – including Francis Ford Coppola preferred Colt Seaman’s lighting and the capturing of it by the Panasonic GH2.

This choice was above the stiffest possible competition including the Sony F65, Red Epic, Canon C300 and Arri Alexa. There’s a comment from Part 2 which really stands out for me and it sums up the reason EOSHD and my passion to write my GH2 book and the blog exists -

“The thing I was most impressed with is that some guys or gals with something to prove did better at lighting than the established cinematographers with a good camera” - Bruce Lundeen (33 min 13 seconds)

This is how you make a great film, a great shot, a great scene - Passion, hunger, creativity and a $700 camera.

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Revenge of the Great Zacuto Shootout Part 1 – Review

Sunday, 17 June, 2012 00:12

Above: one of my favourite scenes from the episode, click it to enlarge to 1080p, the colour on this shot is ‘early Technicolor’ and ‘Hitchcockian’. But I am not 100% sure which camera was used to shoot it (although I have a gut feeling!) – and that tells you a lot about how evenly matched cameras like the FS100 and GH2 are with much more expensive offerings (if viewed at 1080p)

If you haven’t already I advise you to watch the episode before reading this and draw your own conclusions first. If you have seen the full screening please do not reveal the results on the comments forum.

Watch episode 1 here!

The Zacuto Shootout is like a torch light in the dark for many aspiring, young filmmakers and it is useful – not to mention fascinating and enjoyable – to see these incredible tools fight for the best image. Now the Revenge series has added people into the mix it is even more interesting and educational.

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How the GH2 and FS100 were setup for Revenge of the Zacuto Shootout

Friday, 15 June, 2012 15:57

GH2 on a heli rig

Above: GH2 on a heli rig

Today the first episode of Zacuto’s 2012 shootout is aired. (Update: it is now live – watch it here). This isn’t really a shootout in a technical sense rather a subjective and less scientific comparison whereby each camera is made to look as good as possible. Several leading cameras were used including the Alexa and Sony F65.

Zacuto have revealed in a technical document how each camera was setup, so we’ll take a look first at the GH2 and FS100 to see what settings were settled on for the shootout and who the people behind the cameras are.

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Audience reaction to Revenge Of The Great Camera Shootout puts GH2 in 3rd place behind Alexa and F65

Thursday, 17 May, 2012 12:47

Zacuto Revenge of The Great Camera Shootout 2012

The Revenge Of The Great Camera Shootout is Zacuto’s antidote to pixel peeping camera tests. It airs June 15th online, but preview showings have been taking part around the world. It aims to show how any camera from the very top (Alexa, Sony F65) down (to the iPhone) are viable filmmaking tools. Whilst I agree with Steve that creativity is overlooked too often and gear gets all the attention, I wouldn’t go quite as far as Steve in claiming the camera does not matter. The camera and lens – like lighting, like set design, like a location, like actors – has an aesthetic quality that goes into the production and heavily influences the mood of the film. I would use anamorphic lenses as my trademark style, because I feel that particular ‘brush stroke’ suits my kind of filmmaking, helping to create the moods I want. So yes, the camera matters in my view!

Here’s an interesting audience reaction to The Revenge Of The Great Camera Shootout…

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