Oliver Daniel

I get the OP view, I do think limitations with budget/gear can possibly yield much more intelligent and creative decisions, BUT... ...when it’s your job or you’re running a company - you don’t want things getting in the way when money is on the line. In this case, you want the tools that make things the easiest. There’s a reason where AF is finding its way into proper video cameras now. I feel it comes down to liberation. If the tools set you free, then the product is better. In any project where I’ve used a cumbersome tool, the quality has suffered.

Not sure why I’ve seen a lot of people saying they are underwhelmed by the FX9, I think they expect too much. Having used Sony for years like the FS700, FS7, FS5.... the FX9 has made a lot of significant improvements. The colours and PDAF is huge. It will do really well. As an EVA1 owner, I’m super curious to see what Panasonic have up their sleeve next....I’m really hoping they have a trick up their sleeve with new AF technology (they must be holding out for a reason) and that we get 4K120fps (I think the GH6 will have it in H265). I’d predict we see a new generation of AF in the GH6 first.

I doubt the FX6 will be worth looking at. It'll record in XAVC-L and 60p will be 8bit. Quickly dethroned by an EVA2 like the FS5 was with the EVA1. I'm curious what Panasonic will do with an EVA 2. If they sort out their AF they will be very hard to beat.

It's a shame there's no way of getting BRAW into FCPX - I have an EVA1 and I'm also in the market for a nice, bright monitor for the hot shoe. Still, it's a great monitor I'll be looking at very closely.

BRAW is not supported by a plugin in FCPX. Poo.

Also for the first time it has PDAF and some type of software IBIS. Plus Venice mojo and higher dynamic range. Some big updates there. It will also be significantly less money than the C500 II, so I say it's competitive and will sell really well.

I can tell you now that Cinema EOS would be my first choice for documentary or narrative film. Loved using them on some jobs. They really do need to provide a better ecosystem, the lower range needs attention. And better HFR please. Then I’m a Canon.

Looks like a smashing rental cam. For super serious narrative and documentary projects, it’s going be a hot ticket. The only disappointing feature is that they couldn’t get 4k120fps on this thing. Full frame Zcam can do it and it’s tiny. In comparison, the new Sony’s will obviously beat this to shreds for HFR, and price. A better release from Canon, but I expect they will keep their mirrorless range crippled to hell. .

Is it me or are many of the shots out of focus or just overly soft from the lens? Nice lighting though.

They must be neglecting PDAF for a reason. I don't think for a second they can't do it. Their cameras are widely accused of this shortfall so they must be listening. I think they feel they've got something better up their sleeve........

@Andrew Reid, I'm totally with you on your feelings. I shoot for a living, and to make my type of projects work - we need to be very nimble, quick and creatively free. Using these Franken-Spider rigs we see a lot of would kill that completely. This is why I've not bought any Blackmagic camera. I have the EVA1 but I only use an additional 5" screen on the hot shoe and that's it. EIS works fine. I understand some people love to create these rigs and feel really pleased about it, but when you're in a very small team or on your own, I think it's unnecessary. I believe (and from my own experience), being free with just the camera in your hands and nothing else makes a massive difference to the creativity in your filming. Throw in a gimbal and little slider (when required) and you've got a lot of options. The S1H looks near perfect for that purpose. Only downside is that if you are a gimbal user, then having reliable AF on a full frame is a godsend.

HOOOORAY! Shows like The Walking Dead will no longer look like your some of your mates have made some half assed horror film with Grandpa's handycam bought from the supermarket. Why did the manufacturers think this looked better anyway? It's like turning off the power steering in your car and replacing it with "Smooth Ride" or something, which actually cheapens the feel of the car. They should also roll out a forced firmware update for every TV that you have no option but to receive (like a friendly virus), so us video and film people can stop fixing our friends and families TV sets.

I regret selling my A6500 as it was just such a useful "take anywhere" camera with awesome AF. Slog2 was instrumental in getting my holiday shots exposed well with a smooth picture. This line definitely has a marketplace, BUT.... I wouldn't say the A6600 is even worth looking at seen as the A6500 can be had for £600-£700 new. 4k60p, better ergonomics, better rolling shutter would have been worth it! This incremental update thing by Sony is getting ridiculous. They used to be very aggressive. Saving the best for the A7S III perhaps? As for Canon, you can't possibly defend them now. They are dead to me for video.

Bloody hell, I think they've almost cannibalised the EVA1 with this (and I'm an EVA1 owner)....... smaller body, IBIS, full frame and Super 35, 24mp stills, better AF and so forth. Noticed the 120fps in HD is 10bit too! Still grasping for that perfect 120fps option (Zcam are leading here in this price range). This camera looks so close to being a perfect video tool.

Sony's AF is awesome for frequent gimbal users or Vloggers but the update on video features is making me fall asleep. Seems it's all being saved for the overdue A7S III.

Haha, I only use 25p or frame rates conformed to 25p. This model looks like a useful little gadget for 25p users BUT: 1. Will we be able to use DPAF in 4k? 2. Does 4k have a crippled bitrate? If Canon delivers on the above 2 points, and the price is right - this could be a helpful addition for my upcoming social media and personal stuff.

Interesting. I speculate this.... Apple wants to sell a shit load of Mac Pro’s by putting the power of ProRes RAW and FCPX at the core of pro workflow. So they want more pro cameras with ProRes RAW capability. RED have said “you can’t” so Apple have said “erm...we will”, as Apple wants the pro market, no matter what. Just for fun of speculation, I hope Apple get ProRes RAW clear, more cameras shoot with it, RED make their cameras more affordable (Komodo?) and Apple allows RED to use ProRes RAW as part of the deal. For what it’s worth, the RED image is awesome and REDcode is awesome - so I hope it’s a case of “everybody wins”, whatever happens.

I agree with @Mattias Burling, this doesn’t really “sell” the quality of the camera. In fact, the entire footage page they published doesn’t either. Could easily be filmed with a GH5 and I wouldn’t notice. This is mostly down to the filmmakers though and not the camera, however it’s clear that the gulf between camera quality is much less and pretty much every new release doesn’t have that “special sauce” to differentiate them enough. I like Blackmagic but they should go to a modular ZCAM box design. The poor battery, fixed screen and odd shape make it a no-go for me. This would be an absolute no brainer if you could just pull it out the box and shoot without having to bolt on a few bricks to make it work reliably. Lots of options these days - but also in these days I’m thinking far less about my cameras choices than ever.

Looks like a direct response to the rapid development of the Z cam cameras. Shame they couldn’t get to 4K 100/120fps. But RAW 6k 60fps for that price is hard to sniff at.

Awesome, thank you.

@Andrew Reid, swallow the Adobe muscle memory and just get to grips with FCPX or Resolve. Both are far better, more intuitive and reliable than Premiere. I'm an FCPX guy, and when going back to Premiere now, it feels like I'm trying to edit with a relic. Move on!

I'm ambitiously attempting to put together a very accomplished filmmaking kit together that you can fit inside one of those hard, wheeled cases . It's to facilitate a new service I'm working on. The strategy is to be very mobile / portable but offering very high quality with a great range of tools. Thought it would be fun to share with you guys. Can it be done? This is what I want to fit inside one hard case with wheels - and it needs to be as lightweight as possible ?: 1. Hybrid Mirrorless Camera 2. Two to three lenses covering wide to telephoto. 3. 5 inch monitor 4. Slider 5. Gimbal 6. Compact Tripod 7. Three lights with stands 8. Headphones 9. Shotgun Mic 10. Wireless Audio Transmitter / Receiver + Lav. 11. (if Mirrorless Camera has crap preamps) Audio Recorder. 11. Lens Filters (Variable ND etc) 12. SD cards 13. Cleaning Kit. 14. Batteries / Chargers. How would you create yours? Can you get all of this in just one case?

I agree. The only way I’d challenge that is for gimbal use. When I used Sony AF for gimbals, my shots were 99% pin sharp, even at very shallow DOF on telephoto. Now I use Panasonic in MF, and my shots are at around 85% reliability. I could always do with that extra 14%. Also, I think the creative possibilities on a gimbal are far greater with reliable AF compared to MF. As for AF handheld or tripod? Never use it.

Looked at the files, looks very much like the EVA1. I’d say the EVA1 motion looks a little nicer but there’s not much between them.

Not surprising for a photo-centric camera. Not sure of all the 8k talk. Very unlikely that will happen in an A7 soon. No one wants it or needs it, or can barely edit it. I think the A7SIII will come this fall with 4k60 (8bit), higher MP. Up to 4k30 10bit external. That kinda thing. The one thing they have going for these models is the video AF. Incredible. Everything else is beaten by Panasonic. Just need Panasonic to sort out that grey area. It’s the only missing thing now, with eND. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to shoot great stuff on the A7RIV, no doubt.