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Sony BURANO – Cinema cameras are getting smaller but egos aren’t

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Sony BURRANO CineAlta camera

“VENICE” – it’s a word that captures the very essence of cinematic. Everybody knows of Venice, and knows that Venice is one of the most beautiful, most cinematic places in the world. The face of Italy, which is itself the beautiful face of Europe, whereas London is more like the arsehole. Well done Sony, for your VENICE cinema camera branding.

What next? Sony BERLIN? Sony NEW YORK? Sony Milton Keynes? No, the Sony marketing idiots have decided on the name “BURANO” which sounds like something Vic Reeves used to say at the end of Shooting Stars. “BURANO” is a small island in Venice, and it carries the weight of expectations for the sister camera to VENICE. Your Sony BURRITO can be had for the bargain price of just $25,000.

Allegedly this new camera is A) very small, but not as small as a Sony a1 and B) has the same sensor as a Sony a1 but not the full frame 4K 120p. Instead the BURRITO has to crop to 2x, to achieve those lovely high frame rates.

The BURRITO follows the most recent trend of making cinema cameras smaller, but not too small that you look like an amateur on set.

Read moreSony BURANO – Cinema cameras are getting smaller but egos aren’t

Is N-RAW real RAW? Nikon Z9 under the spotlight at EOSHD

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It is time for a good old fashioned EOSHD article. Everything you’ve seen so far on YouTube is meaningless – yes it is. Comparing one shot to another this way is no longer representative of the camera. Our camera’s capabilities far outstrips what you can see via YouTube. At best it’s a comparison of grading styles.

Back in the days before LOG recording, your camera’s colour science was baked in and you were reliant on it. Since then, most footage looks very similar in LOG before it’s graded, and the main difference you’ll see on YouTube is how two cameras have been graded to match, or how the default picture profile and white balance compares. Then, on top of that it will all be converted to H.265 at a very low bitrate for streaming, even in 8K. In fact 8K looks dreadful on YouTube if you really examine it. So how can we really judge what a camera and codec as powerful as 12bit N-RAW is doing?

The answer is to have a good pixel peep. Freeze a frame, and look at it up-close at full resolution, without adding noticeable compression. This is what I set out to do here, to examine the texture and look of the image in 8K N-RAW on the Nikon Z9. Does it really have an advantage over the Sony A1 in H.265? Does N-RAW as a “film stock” really LOOK like RAW if we compare it to the Sigma Fp-L in uncompressed Cinema DNG? It’s time to find out.

Read moreIs N-RAW real RAW? Nikon Z9 under the spotlight at EOSHD

Sony A7R V and the curious case of a disappearing dial – Also, is Twitter all over?

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On this official image from Sony’s website, the A7R V appears to sport the lovely top-left dial from the A1… Until it doesn’t!

What happened to Jonny dial? Kidnapped, or run away to the circus?

Meanwhile, speaking of disappearing things – is Twitter in trouble? These and more thoughts on EOSHD coming your way…

Read moreSony A7R V and the curious case of a disappearing dial – Also, is Twitter all over?

Sony Alpha 1 announced – 8K, 50MP (Canon EOS R5 competitor, but $6500)

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Sony go 8K finally – with the Alpha 1 (a1) mirrorless camera announced today. It is the most technically advanced camera Sony has ever released, and also the most expensive. It has a 30 minute limit in 8K mode due to heat, but a proper structure inside the camera to dissipate it more quickly. The camera is $2000 more expensive than the Canon EOS R5, but likely more dependable rather than the toy-like will-it-won’t-it get through a shoot reliability we have come to expect from Canon. Technically the Alpha 1 has a number of advantages over the cheaper Canon body. 8.6K oversampling and 4K/120p 10bit 422 ALL-I come from a faster sensor readout due to a stacked DRAM architecture and the world’s first electronic shutter that eliminates banding & flicker. The 30 minute limitation applies to 4K/60p as well but the 4K/24p mode is likely to record for longer. It is not known yet whether the 4K at regular frame rates on this camera comes from a pixel binned output or a full 8K sensor output.

The codec options are similar to the A7S III with 10bit 422 ALL-I at high bit rates, 10bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS in 8K (H.265). S-LOG 3, Creative Looks and S-Cinetone (hopefully the A7S III will also be getting S-Cinetone via firmware update). Real-time eye AF works in 8K and the new stacked Exmor R sensor enables an incredibly fast readout with minimal rolling shutter. We get 5.5 stop 5 axis IBIS and a large 9 million dot EVF.

Here’s the full headline specification for video shooters:

  • New 50.1-megapixel full-frame stacked Exmor RS™ CMOS image sensor in combination with an upgraded BIONZ XR™ imaging processing engine
  • Full frame 8K (up to 30p) 10-bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS video recording with 8.6K oversampling for extraordinary detail and resolution, in addition to 4K 120p and 60p 10-bit 4:2:2 movie shooting capabilities
  • 8K slightly oversampled from 8.6K. In Super 35mm 5.8K oversampling for 4K.
  • S-LOG 3, Hybrid LOG Gamma (HLG), Creative Looks
  • S-Cinetone color matrix as seen in FX9 and FX6 to deliver expressive cinematic look
  • Fast sensor readout enables up to 120 AF/AE calculations per second (double the speed of the Alpha 9 II, even during 30fps black out free continuous shooting)
  • World’s first 240fps 0.64-type 9.44 million-dot (approx.) OLED Quad-XGA electronic viewfinder
  • Silent, vibration-free electronic shutter
  • World’s first anti-flicker shooting with both mechanical and electronic shutter
  • 15+ stops dynamic range for video
  • 5-axis optical in-body image stabilization for a 5.5-stop shutter speed advantage
  • Industry’s fastest built-in Wi-Fi, SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps, 1000BASE-T Ethernet and more
  • A hefty price tag of $6500 (US)

Read moreSony Alpha 1 announced – 8K, 50MP (Canon EOS R5 competitor, but $6500)

This is my Canon EOS R5 recording 8K video 50 minutes straight until empty battery – video evidence

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I can now record 8K video on my Canon EOS R5 with no recovery period or lockout until the battery dies.

I filmed the proof and it’s a clear indication that any overheating controversy is the result of an artificially restrictive timer in firmware, rather than any real thermal buildup inside the camera at the end of 20 minutes of 8K recording, monitored by a temperature sensor.

We have been sold a lie.

Read moreThis is my Canon EOS R5 recording 8K video 50 minutes straight until empty battery – video evidence